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SINGAPORE TREASURES
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unusual stories, extraordinary memories, special encounters, just another unique day in Singapore
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Your short story could be here. Submit your story for publishing
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Green Tea and Noodles
Author: Kat
“Japan so cool ayee! You shopping or sightseeing?”, my hair stylist yelled.
“Sightseeing.”, I said. I think his tut indicated that this was the wrong answer.
“I can’t shop George!”, I added in defense. “It’s bad enough in Singapore. Nothing’s going to fit me in Japan except maybe a handbag and I don’t even like handbags that much.”
“Bags! Yes! Bags. So cute .. get all matching ones, match the bag, match the wallet, the phone holder, the keyring.” But no, not bags. Toys!! were the way to go.
“What? Hello Kitty? Japanese Barbies?”, I asked.
He glanced around the hair salon conspiratorially. Not easy when you’re surrounded by
full-length mirrors and brutal overhead lighting. Carefully, stroking a thick chestnut brown ringlet behind one ear, momentarily displacing his bottle top glasses, he filled my ear with remnants of heady cigarette smoke and whispered. “Not toys toys, lah! Sex toys!!!”
He stood up, beaming enthusiastically into the mirror above my head, eyebrows hidden high up on his forehead, his lips pursed like an approving aunt who has the cake, the cream and the hottest gossip on the planet this side of her net curtains.
I spluttered and snorted hysterically. My fringe had very recently fallen from my head into my shiny robed lap. I literally had nowhere to hide and could only watch helplessly as my eyebrows shot up my forehead and my face turned deep scarlet.
“So cute lah, the toys in Japan.” I watched, mesmerised as his big sausagey fingers slipped his scissors back into their leather harness and he mimed something that looked for all the world like a rendition of Incy Wincy Spider. This time one eyebrow followed the other up my newly exposed forehead. What the …? Again, he leaned in close. Again, the waft of Malboro Reds.
“Bondage, lah! So cute in Japan. Such small locks, so beautifuuuuully made. My friend, he’s gay, showed me such nice toys.”
I squared my shoulders under the shiny rubber bib and felt a prickle of nervous sweat break out beneath the nylon cape.
“You know green tea? In the bottles?” I nodded. Green tea is more popular than Coke in Singapore, the supermarket shelves are packed full of the stuff. “Green tea jelly!!! Keep it in the fridge! Your mother will never know!!” He beamed, his wide panda face suddenly filled with glee.
“And another thing my friend gave me , the instant noodles in 7-11?” Again I nodded, resigned now to my fate. “My friend, he gave me one. I say What’s this so rubbish present?”
But my friend he told me, just make sure the seal is not broken. I say “Wah?” he showed me another. His one. “You know what’s inside?” I shake my head and steel myself. I have a feeling that whatever the answer is, it is not going to involve noodles. “It’s a sponge!” He looks at me in the mirror, eyebrows raised expectantly.
The penny, in all its English reserve is steadfastly refusing to leave the Royal Mint never mind drop anywhere near the answer. “A sponge? A diaphragm you mean??” I can feel a slight panic rising along with my failure to imagine the worst.
“A SPONGE WITH A HOLE!!!!!!!”
Before I knew it George had his hand around an imaginary pot of instant noodles and was gyrating towards it, watched on all sides by the mirrors, moving in tune o the new Madonna album.
“For mas-turb-a-tion! Ayeeeeee!!”
He completely cracks up when he sees my face. By this time my face is crimson. He goes on, undeterred. “My friend, he showed me his. INSIDE!!!”, he said, “You peel off the foil on the top.”
Again, a delicate demonstration. “And then you bad -a-bing” - and he showed me!
I was like You SO disgusting man! But he say “What? I use a condom., it’s called recycling!!”
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The enigmatic stare
Author: Tom - Singapore Short Stories
This story happened to me some months back.
I brought my Dear to my company outing and after the outing, we had lunch at a restaurant. As the restaurant was near to our company's debusing point for the outing, the restaurant was packed with some of my colleagues who had gone for the outing as well.
As my Dear and I were happily dining into our meals, I noticed an older female colleague of mine, with her son seated behind us, dining into their meals as well. I turned back and greeted her, but she was simply staring at me and my Dear in a strange manner, in a way that I did not like it.
Seeing that she did not reciprocate my gesture, my Dear and I continued our lunch. My colleague was deep in thought, I supposed. I did not really know much about this colleague as she is a very reserved and quiet person since the day I joined my company.
Only just some days ago, I heard from a senior colleague that this colleague who had given an engimatic stare to me and my Dear that day has actually lost her husband in a freak accident just some months before I joined the company. That was a revelation to me and now I could understand that engimatic stare of hers.
From this episode, I learnt not to take things at face value. People sometimes behave due to reasons which are not apparent but more often than not, we often associate these actions with our perceived reasoning. To be frank, initially, I thought her stare that day was hostile and her quiet and reserved demeanour are signs of aloofness, but now I could piece up the whole jigsaw puzzle.
I felt sad for this colleague of mine who has lost her husband. Life is difficult for her juggling her work and raising her son. I was told she has at many times contemplated suicide just after her husband's death, but she was strong enough to face reality and live on for herself and her son.
Everyone has a personal story which is not told to others, everyone has a public face and a face which many will not see......
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Extra treatment
Author: Jojo Soh
Went to AMK Jean Yip for a hairdo yesterday. Overheard a conversation between a couple seated next to me. It wasn’t my intention to eavesdrop, but as the salon’s seating arrangement is quite close together, overhearing your neighbour’s conversation is thus just so inescapable.
Girl: They are suggesting me to do treatment, dunno should I or not?
Guy: How much does it cost?
Girl: additional $268
Guy: .....
Girl: I’ll consider it later, but if I really go ahead with the treatment, will you sponsor my whole cost?
Guy: I thought just now at the counter they quoted $163?
Girl: That price is without treatment mah
Guy: ........
Girl: Never mind, if I really decide to do treatment, I’ll pay the difference myself
I know it’s not my business, but upon hearing such dialogue, as a woman, I naturally feel something, just couldn’t help it, feel so a bit eh pathetic for the girlfriend. I cannot help not to steal a glance at the guy’s expression; oh gosh, his face seemed to turn gloomy and rather forced!
Just cannot help ponder, if I am the girl, if I am really that pathetic girl, how would I react? I deem I wouldn’t have any hesitation to pay the whole cost myself and forget about his initial promise to treat me.
Come on, if a guy even pause to consider whether to let me do an extra hair service just because it incurs an additional cost, wouldn’t it means I’m not even worth whatever additional amount quoted? Needless say is merely additional $268! And for whom do you think a girlfriend bother to spend long hours sacrificing stiff neck in the salon just to get a nice hairdo? All women feel great to present their best outlook in front of their lovers, and even greater if their lovers could appreciate their transformed beauty and compliment their looks.
If my boyfriend proves to feel heart pain or need to even consider a bit in this case (if the treat was his initial promise), wouldn’t it reflects his stingy side on me and mean I�m not important at all in his heart? I rather have no boyfriend!
Link: AMK Jean Yip hairdresser
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Maxwell Food Centre Hum Jin Pang
Author: Ong Kian Hui
Day after day, night after night, year after year, the relentless firm kneads of perfectly elastic and flawless dough, the adroit pulling and twisting of the dough into fine balls of a thousand shapes and sizes, the smooth rolling of these with an ancient roller, the sprinkling of rich tau sar into each dough ball, the deft re-kneading of these dough balls and finally the dishing of each dough piece with a modicum of white sesame seeds………..all this and more greet the patrons of a little humble stall selling Hum Jin Pang in Maxwell Food Centre, named aptly and simply as such: ‘Hum Jin Pang’. This is a stall, which has withstood the test and annals of time. This is a stall, which has also withstood the rising costs of inflation, with the sales of hum jin pang at an incredible 6 for $1 ONLY! (for both salted and sweet tau sar flavor). Customers can also request for sugar-coating of these hum jin pang at no additional price too!
 The stall is ‘fronted’ by a timeless old man, characterized by his severely hunched spine; the contortion inevidently caused by years of incessant bending of his back, plying his trade. The old man and his famous stall has become an enduring feature as well as fixture for Maxwell food centre and its patrons. On this public holiday (Christmas 2008), my Dear and I visited the stall to satiate our craving for these special hum jin pang. Initially, we were doubtful as to whether the stall would open on a public holiday, when the world revel in merry-making; nevertheless we were not disappointed, the stall opened, for us and for Singaporeans who love ageless, timeless, tasty, handmade hum jin pang!
My dear and I found ourselves queuing behind a long snaky queue of equally fervently awaiting customers. The old stall owner was flanked and assisted by a lady seeming in her forties (presumably his daughter) helping out with the simple logistics of the stall. We watched in awe and were spellbound at the quick, nimble manipulations of a simple dough by the old maestro, transformed into a myriad yummies of a thousand shapes and sizes all within seconds (despites the advanced age of the old man)! His reflexes were swift while he trained his eyes, which are already reduced to a weathered pair of narrow slits over the years, on each and every dough piece. His sharp focus is admirable at his age. The father-daughter pair worked diligently, humbly, oblivious to the chorus of the customers and the passage of time around them. The chemistry between both father and daughter was fantastic; it was an exemplar of teamwork!
If customers to the stall deem watching the father and daughter at work as a great traditional and historical performance; a bonus, or a prelude to the ultimate rewarding meal later, they would be glad that would also share in this historical stage with the pair as customers in dishing out the hum jin pangs they would so delightfully gulp down later! For while the father and daughter prepare the dough to be fried, the customers will be in the thick of the action- yes frying the hum jin pangs in a wok of boiling hot oil, at their own pace, at a stall which is permeated by the rich aroma: uniquely and distinctly characteristic of frying hum jin pang!
The ‘modus operandi’ for the customer at this stall is simple: when it comes to your turn to order, give your request to the stall assistant and after the customer(s) ahead of you is done with his purchases, you will be greeted with the sight of the hot wok in front of you, two pairs of giant chopsticks, of white floury hum jin pang dough pieces being tossed into the wok, sliding down the smooth surface of the wok, entering into the hot, boiling cooking oil with a uniquely ‘hum jin pangy’ sizzling sound and of rich, creamy, crispy, aromatic, heavenly, fried hum jin pang floating on the surface of the oil, a sign which marks the end of a metamorphosis of the floury hum jin pangs into golden yummies.
There are no instructions given for you on what to do next, at this time and at this point; you are expected to simply, ‘automatically’ come into the ‘play’. ‘Don’t know what to do?’ then you deserve a beating for you should have observed what the preceding customers have done: just help to fry the floury hum jin pangs in the hot boiling oil la!
I observed the father-daughter pair, hard at work, churning out floury hum jin pang by the dozens in a highly efficient, orderly, systematic and almost robotic manner. The weather was cool on the day we visited the stall or else the little fan blasting a small wind at the two could not alleviate them from the sweltering Singapore heat ... at least that is what we thought. But we must have underestimated them, for the old man and his helpers have been plying this trade for so many years and they must have already ‘acclimatized’ themselves to the hard labor of this trade and the elements of the weather. The old man is made of steel, his steely resolve and determination exemplified in his every little move throughout my observation of him. With his palms and hands toughened (no doubt by the myriad number of counts of kneading), I surmised that he might be plying this trade since he was twenty: he must have been a rickshaw cart or mobile hawker before, plying his trade in the now historical zones, then moving on to the hawker centres (by the way a hawker centre is a misnomer for a hawker is supposed to be mobile!) and being relocated to food centres by the authorities... all these years without any inch of let up in his passion throughout the years, plying his trade, no matter how hard the circumstances was and where he was, perfecting his skills to a pitch and this is evident in the hum jin pang which we savored.
The old maestro must have garnered a reputation and a loyal following throughout the years of his trade as a hum jin pang seller for I saw old customers buying from his stall who seem more like his friends than customers. Who knows, some of these customers might have been eating his Hum Jin Pang for twenty years or more? It is not surprising if they did so as Singaporeans are reputed to be food lovers and to be precise, loyal food followers, who would resort to anything to hunt down their favorite food stall after it is relocated.
The old hum jin pang master threaded each and every piece of dough in his hands into a piece of fine art. Unlike machines, no two hum jin pang are identical. I wonder what the old man was thinking as he threaded and weaved each and every floury hum jin pang? Was he thinking about the rich and colourful past of his yesteryears? Was he thinking about his wife and family? (I am not too sure about the details of his family). Was he thinking about life, income or the future? The pieces of dough he has threaded and woven are of thousands forms of shapes and sizes, each was a product of his labor, wisdom, experiences and thoughts at the moment.
Some hum jin pang look like rabbits, some look like clouds and one which my Dear and I ate was in the form of a heart shape! What each and every piece of hum jin pang means and resembles to the consumer is shaped by his own interpretations and thoughts at the moment. Amidst the thousands of forms and shapes, there is only one undeniable fact, which transpires as the hum jin pang melts in one’s mouth. Next time before you savor a hum jin pang from this stall, remember to look at each and every shape of the hum jin pang, you will be surprised what it resembles and your dining experience will be doubly intensified!
The simple preparation procedure of preparing the dough and frying them belie the untold labor of the trade. Do the work of the hum jin pang sellers once or twice, it is a cinch but to do it day after day, demands not only physical and mental strength, but also your passion… it is a perennial daily ritual! This job is just not suitable for youths of our times, who lead ‘air-conditioned lives’, embrace, live and breath new-fangled technologies, in terms of work environment, effort and pay. The old maestro earns a (what seems to many) paltry revenue of $1 for every 6 hum jin pang he sells and this is not even his profit! Yet we witness everyday some spoilt kids squandering their parents’ hard-earned money on entertainment like there is no tomorrow!
So much so for my thoughts about the hum jin pang trade at Maxwell food centre …. I jolted back to reality after tasting 4 hum zi pangs at one go. This is the real thing! The hum jin pang were so fantastic that as through in a trance, mesmerized by the sights of these creamy treats, engulfed by the unrivalled taste, I queued up again to buy some more of these hum jin pang!
This time around, the old maestro and his daughter halted for a minute in their operations, but not for a rest. They were merely changing the cooking oil in the wok and my heart went out for the old man as he physically dismounted the old wok and mounted the new one, the veins in his arms strained from such an exertion at his age and easily discernable from far. The old man is as fit as an ox! His strength will put many men half or even a third of his age to shame.
My Dear and I bade farewell to this stall we love after making my second purchase. We know that it would not be long before we and other Singaporeans would come back to the stall once more to savor its hum jin pang.
Each hand-woven hum jin pang of a different shape and size is a product of the old maestro’s labor, passion and love. Each such hum jin pang has a story to tell, a story of the old maestro’s life, his trials, tribulations and blessing. These, coupled with the intrinsic amazing taste are not something machine-made hums jin pang can offer to the consumer. Hand made hum jin pang is a fast vanishing trade as there are no clear successors to take over this physically drenching, non-lucrative and tough job in this modern day.
Once the sun rises again tomorrow morning, the stall would open again, without much fanfare for yet another busy day. The seamless ritual would commence once more, the flames beneath the wok would be reignited and sustained till night … and the deft fingers of the old maestro moulding the hum jin pang into different forms and shapes around the clock would continue…weaving a soon forgotten part of the Singaporean way of life.
Link: Maxwell food centre
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Tea or interview anyone?
Author: Sukaina Taqi
After an unsuccessful shopping spree across Takashimaya and Wisma, my mother, sister and I decided to take a water break (or more like a tea and a guilty pastry break) at a coffee shop in Wisma. Bakerzin is a delightful little open cafe on the ground floor of Wisma that serves different sorts of teas, coffees and most importantly pastries! They have various branches in Singapore and I had been to the one in Paragon before. My favourite treat at Bakerzin is their colourful macaroons which emulate the famous ones from La Duree Paris. They come in different colours and melt in your mouth as you bite into them splurging with flavours which vary from rose to pistachio. But I’m clearly digressing from the point of my queer Singaporean incident.
Now, as I mentioned earlier this coffee shop is an opened planned small space perfect for people watching. The seating arrangement is as such that on one side there is a long, dark blue L-shaped sofa and every two metres or so there is a small table with a chair on the opposite end... (so one person sits on the sofa whilst the other sits on the chair). Clearly a seating arrangement that forces you to eavesdrop even if you don’t want to!
We sat in the middle of the L since both corners were already occupied. In one of the corners of the sofa sat a woman who was wannabe trendy. Chinese, chestnut coloured bob, white tube dress and pink round toed stilettos. And I forgot to mention the most important part... a matching pink bubble gum coloured patent leather belt! Thus the addition of wannabe to trendy. She had many papers in front of her which she was quite casually browsing through one by one. On the other end were two women; both quite dressed up for tea time I would think... Woman A was wearing a ruffled, short sleeve shirt and woman B a red sleeveless collared shirt. They were talking to a girl who seemed quite nervous and much younger than them. Next to the two foxy ladies she looked quite bland too in her plain black, full sleeve shirt. As it turned out the two ladies were interviewing her for the position of a sales assistant! Seemed a little strange to me that an interview was going on in such a busy location.
Just as I was in the process of justifying this strange-to-me incident, another youngish girl with a cute side ponytail came and shook hands with the pink gumball lady on the left of us...she was interviewing as well! And by the sounds of it she was being interviewed for a secretary position.
One interview is still justifiable but two interviews simultaneously, for different jobs on either side of us... uniquely queer!
Link: www.bakerzin.com
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Labrador Park
Author: Tom - Singapore Short Stories
Being a local nature buff, my quest for unexplored natural parks in Singapore (parks hitherto unvisited by me) led me to Labrador Park. My Dear and I set foot on Labrador Park last Saturday, our first visit of the park despites having lived on this little island for years! Little wonder Labrador Park is hitherto not as well known to Singaporeans as its sisters like East Coast Park and Pasir Ris Park: the park is situated in a very remote corner of the west coast of Singapore. On the day of our visit, we took bus 408 from Harbourfront Bus Interchange which led us directly to the top of the hill via a small slip road jutting out from the main road. Do note that bus 408 operates only on weekends till 2100 hrs, so if you are thinking of getting there by bus on weekdays, do think twice!
The minute we alighted from the bus, we felt relaxed. Air on the summit of a hill seems much more purer and cleaner than air in the city. We went to a viewing point near the bus-stop and savored a bird’s eye view of the vast sea off the west coast that unfolded before us. It was not difficult to miss the prominent feature: the jetty jutting some hundreds of metres into the sea from this vantage point. We would make it a point to leave our footprints on it later.
We made our way slowly down the stairs leading us to the bottom of the hill from the top. Along the way, we noticed the countless spider webs, which have been spun on the leaves and branches of the trees (maybe since decades ago) and of course, we saw their giant creators too! Imagine the length of time the flora has been left untouched by man!
After less than 10 minutes, we reached the foot of the hill, right into the heart of the park, characterized by a playground. It was an unusually hot weather though we were greeted with strong sea breezes, made even stronger by the unusual strong wind season Singapore has been experiencing for the past week.
Labrador Park is not just like any other park to me because the waters along its coast were deep waters, plus there is a rich diversity of corral and cliff biodiversity on one part of the coast, next to the jetty (Singapore’s only gem of a cliff and corral biodiversity). There are also rich historical remnants on the park, which we would soon be finding out.
We followed the above signage, which brought us to ‘Long Ya Men’ (Dragon Teeth Gate). Since young, I have read about this historical monument in the school’s history books, thus I was exhilarated to come ‘up, close and personal’ with this historical jewel boulder! I took pictures after pictures of this giant rock (there is only one rock there, I wonder what happens to the other one?)
The jetty was our next point in Labrador Park to be ‘tamed’. As we neared the jetty, we noticed that there were more anglers than people who just went on the jetty for a leisure stroll. We proceeded along the jetty, unfazed by the hot blazing burning evening sun greeting and embracing us with its fiery rays. The sea and the rays of the sun converged and metamorphosed into one colorful mosaic. We could not believe our eyes… there was something about the clouds that makes the sun’s rays emanating through them magical!
The whole jetty against the dazzling backdrop of the brilliant skyline and sparking waters was a perfect picture of nature at its finest! It was also a romantic moment to be with my Dear, partaking in such beauty! Time seems to come to a stop there, with us embracing the warm summer winds, nature at its very best, and the unrivalled views of the western coastal line of Singapore!
Unlike the flock of anglers waiting with superb patience and determination for their catch, we bade the jetty farewell after partaking in the unparallel sights, sounds and smells. We returned to the entrance of the jetty, made our way below the wooden suspension bridge there and headed to savor Singapore’s only coastal cliff and coral gems.
Sad to note, most of the corrals we discovered on the sands were already non-alive, though their colorful coats have not really faded. The waves pounding the sands of the coast grew more aggressive as the day gradually came to a close. My Dear and I could have proceeded even further below the wooden bridge, right to where the marine cliffs were, but the waves proved too hostile for us to continue.
We picked up our paces once again, navigating the meandering staircase to the bus stop at the hilltop where we arrived. There were underground tunnels near the bus stop, created by the British soldiers during the Japanese Occupation. These tunnels are open to the public for a certain interval at a particular admission charge.
There was also an idyllic restaurant set against the backdrop of nature, and an elegant resort in which a wedding celebration was proceeding against the rustic charms.
My Dear and I are amazed at Labrador Park for it is alive with nature, historical charms and modern day treats! As the gears of the bus revved up, we bade goodbye to a park we grew to love!
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Brothers for brothers
Author: Nasreen Taher 
The global recession has hit the earth with more speed and velocity than a comet. Being the most adaptable creatures of this planet, we survive through our strength of body and mind, yet, not all of us have been so lucky. The ones affected have felt the pangs of reality in a vigorous manner, becoming jobless or losing all in small business. But as conscientious beings, we are neither putting our feet up to it nor predicting things like things will be ok soon, or uttering statements like “So? I have food on my table, my children are going to school everyday”, or “Can’t be bothered”, or “Oh! Recession---well, it hasn’t got me this time.” or similar stuff that shows our less caring attitudes towards our own siblings. Agreed, that it is a priceless gift that we are still employed enough to bring food to the table and be able to run our household smoothly. But when do we learn to put ourselves in the shoes of our less fortunate brothers ? I feel that we are not proving our worth if we do not stand by them at this hour of need. In Singapore, most of the affected people have been helped by the government in one way or the other------ either by providing some kind of subsidy or some fund raising activity that has breathed some life into them in order to survive for a while.
In all the townships of Singapore, there are residents’ community clubs which takes the responsibility of the welfare of its members and may extend their support on more important activities according to timely demands . A month back from now, all community clubs came to a decision to contribute towards our recession-hit brothers and their families . To launch a fund-raising brisk walk by the residents of the community club was the final and undisputed decision. We were fortunate to have the honorable Prime Minister of Singapore Mr.Lee Hsien Loong as a guest of honour among us who joined us in our noble mission .
On a warm Saturday afternoon , the 23rd of May, we assembled to the bus pickup point from where we drove to Kallang Mass Rapid Transport (MRT)station and were warmly welcomed by other members who came to join from different areas. About 7000people joined us. A song YOU CARE was played at the assembly to cheer our efforts. At the hoot of the whistle at 6:45pm we enthusiastically started our brisk walk towards Marina Bay. It was a 2.33km walk which took us 30 to 45minutes to reach our destination. As we walked, we passed through residential areas, and there were a number of water- fountains from which the flowing crystal- clear water soothed our sights, on a warm May evening. Chanting slogans or carrying banners for a happy endeavour like this are banned here, therefore it looked like a silent procession of happy –go-lucky yet promising walkers; the only noise which broke the silence was coming from the people conversing with each other and the traffic, or occasionally a toddler displaying verbal signs of weariness . Sometimes, we were stopped so as not to discourage the free-flow of traffic but that too was an enjoyable experience, as the people driving waved their hands towards us in admiration; we could see many faces from the windows of the houses , it seemed that even if they could not join us physically yet they were with us wholeheartedly. Ushers guided us throughout the way so none of us would drift aside mistakenly. At about 7:30 pm, we reached Marina Bay golf club, the place renowned for its reservoir of drinking water that quenches the thirst of the 4million and participates in all activities relating to water; organizers welcomed us and handed us our packet-dinners, desserts and water-bottles; having our hands full, we moved towards the golf ground which was transformed into a temporary drive-in theatre with large TV screens and a picnic spot. With our mats laid on the grass, we could feel the ravenous hunger and therefore devoured our delicacies and quenched our thirst in no time at all. Time and again, the host of the show introduced the sponsors of the fund-raising event, personal contributors and the artists who were performing a concert. The song of the 70s YOU TO ME ARE EVERYTHING gave a very special message that we wanted to dedicate to our unfortunate brothers and that it was for them that we had walked to UPTURN the DOWNTURN (which was the motto of this walk).
It was becoming dark and the sun had already put on its blanket for a long 12hour sleep; Nature paid her tribute by fanning our faces with her refreshingly cool breeze. We felt really happy to have performed a great task in a simple way. Amidst loud applause, the host confirmed that we had raised 2million Singapore dollars which would help support our recession -hit brothers and their families.
At 8:30pm our buses arrived and we made our way towards the pickup point where the shuttle bus took us to Kallang MRT once again; from there, we were driven to our area in Jelapang at 9:30pm.
We learn a new lesson every single day . At least, that is how I feel these days. Amidst the endless sprawl of skyscrapers and its endless miles of shopping malls, the once third world country has emerged into the queue of first world countries today. Yet, the feeling of brotherhood kindles emotions as it did even a thousand years ago. Brothers are working to help their siblings for the cause of survival and that too in such a praiseworthy way. There has been no need to decipher cryptic clues in order to survive and no references need to be littered throughout for popularity ---but the emotional effort is enough to prove that these people stand by their needy brother’s side.
The brisk-walk was held under the banner of MAY DAY SOLIDARITY WALK. What other ways of Solidarity could be exhibited ? What hinders us in Bangladesh to take a lesson from these people who have liberated their country only 43years ago ? It’s the brotherhood of man we are concerned about !
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