The Air Out There and More

Tinapos ko na ang invitation ni Yzee. Inapprove naman nina Ate Win at Kuya Wah. I’m glad because natuwa sila sa nagawa ko. Now, the invitations are out. They are serving their purpose. Good to know.



Finally, I’ve ended my Kwentong Peyups which I started 6 August. Pero yung conclusion niya I wrote eight months earlier. While the first draft to this piece na nakalahati ko na not later than June this year, I totally scrapped out. It seemed na wala siyang future and it was depressing. I am just glad I salvaged the August version. Kakasend ko lang sa kanya sa people concerned. I am hoping it serves its purpose, too. Para naman I will make my mark sa centennial year celebration ng UP. Good luck sa akin. (I may post my Kwentong Peyups here next time.)

I have a couple more of my self-commissioned articles (and maybe stories) which I hope to finish soon. Kahit siguro sa first week ko ulit sa Pinas. You realize that I’m airing these here so that I could commit myself to these projects. You see, the problem with writing on your own free will is setting the deadline which your free will will willingly beat.

Naisip ko, since I’ve accomplished 2 things sa first half ng day, I deserved strolling around to take another good look at Singapore. So I set off to see more of this country and take in as much of it as I can.

I let my happy feet take me wherever it willed. And I ended up heading towards Esplanade – Theaters on the Bay. I won’t be watching any plays here after all. Siguro dapat i-try ko muna sa Meralco theater or sa CCP. Kung baga, try your own muna.

I found my way up the theater and out the rooftop. Rewarding siya because, bukod sa mahangin, it was peaceful up there. Pwede kang magmunimuni. Para siyang likod ng main lib ng UPLB. Complete with people reading at couples na nag-uulayaw. Actually, may library talaga just below kaya same feel talaga.

What else did I see?

The Durian roof which isn’t so high when you’re actually standing on the rooftop.



The Esplanade Bridge, the Fullerton Hotel with several other buildings behind it, and the Merlion Park. Look closely and you’ll see that this time, the big Merlion is spewing out water. It was under renovation when I arrived almost three months ago. I wanted to go there today but it started to drizzle and it was quite a long walk from the Esplanade to there and back. I aborted the idea. Perhaps I’ll reschedule seeing it before I leave.



Mandarin Oriental, the Singapore Flyer, and a portion of the circuit and, I think, a pit stop which will be used for the SG Grand Prix. They say that the F1 Race here, which will be held three days after I leave, will be the world’s first night race. You may notice the scaffolding along the road which holds really bright night lights. Neat!



The outdoor theater at the Esplanade grounds and the other of the island undergoing construction.



Then of course there’s me.



One thing I discovered about myself when I came here is that I am not afraid of heights. I can stand at the top of a tall building and I won’t hesitate to look down. I guess it’s because I’m not afraid to fall. Well, perhaps I am afraid of hitting the ground and breaking my bones, but I am not afraid to feel the wind on my face while the earth pulls me close to its heart.

Two more photos inside the Esplanade: the wall filled with masks and opposite it, the library.





Inside the Esplanade Mall, which smelled good, refreshingly good, several white paper lanterns hung at the ceilings. They looked nice.



Meanwhile outside, red lanterns decorated some posts.



Later, I met my sister and spent some time with her in the middle of the five Suntec towers as we stared at the so-called Fountain of Wealth until the sun finally set.




Then Ate and Kuya Wah treated me to a Pepper Lunch dinner.



We walked around, ate ice cream, went back to the Fountain of Wealth, and read our “future” based on our Chinese Zodiac. Mine sucked. Basically it said I won’t have a promising career for the rest of the year. Parang gusto ko yatang sabihing, "kailangan pa bang i-memorize yan???" And the winning two lines go: “This is a good year to retreat from your endless struggle in career to spend time with your family. Have a kid if you want.”

A kid? Ayoko nga.

Again the cosmos, has its way of making me the butt of its jokes. Ang panalo doon, maski ako natatawa na. As I’ve said, nasasanay na ako.

We didn’t proceed to Clarke Quay, as originally planned. It’s not like the place would cheer me up. Call me boring but for some reason, I’m not built for gimik spots like Clarke Quay, or maybe even Malate. If there’s anything, places like those depress me. It just amplifies how I feel different than others, how in some way I feel like something in me doesn’t belong. Basta napapa-emote ako. Hindi ko maexplain.

We didn’t go anywhere new yet time flew too quickly. But I didn’t notice it. Until it was time to go home.

And then on the way to the City Hall MRT station, I saw this macho-man mannequin which didn’t look manly at all. Natawa ako.



In fairness, kahit hindi ako in the best of moods, may natitira pa rin naman akong sense of humor kahit papaano.