three-peat

realised that i can't do poetry very well, the next best thing is to do prose which sounds like poetry, a la Thomas Hardy, or the great orators.

this weekend, i did two things which i hadn't done before: (1) baked cookies successfully and (2) visited the end of the world.

(1)
this was for choir brunch gathering today. the MEN supplied today's menu. we actually could be pretty proud of ourselves!

- peanut porridge w/ mincemeat, garnishings, century egg, youtiao, etc
- waffles (cooked on the spot) with mango compote
- fried radish cake
- soft chocolate cookies
- fruits
- cake
- coffee and tea

yum. anyway, baking is something that i know i wouldn't try again on my own. it was a decent attempt (after my sister rescued me by baking the cookies longer so they wouldn't fall apart too easily). i'll stick to cooking real food the next time. beer-seasoned steak, medium well, anyone?

(2)
on thursday, i suffered a wound and i didn't know if i was strong enough to withstand it; but a band-aid, messages, triaged, perserverance; from a great physician, closed it up and stitched it closely; choleric melancholia never a good mix, abandoned but not quite, as i learned to my horror later, since i wanted to end it; why did things have to be open-ended yet all my helps and advices tell me to close; and so i visited the very end of the world, although this time in was in the utter NorthWest, and the water was not sweet; though at some angle the sky and the water did meet, we saw the land at the other end quite closely with the dwellings of the sea people; i feel a bit like tristan though like diego i wished i scored a goal in the previous game.

the end of the world (i.e. Lim Chu Kang Jetty) is at the extreme end of the longest, loneliest bus journey in Singapore. this place is the epitome of ulu-ness, at least 30min drive from the nearest decent human habitation (excl migrant worker dormitories, farms and factories). it was odd to be there, and to actually discover there are locations even more isolated than Sungei Gedong army camp. it was crowded without being overbearing, the coast guard station was quite a bummer, but it was nice to be among the mangroves, the stink of the sea.

the slightly shaky jetty (floated on pontoons and hollow plastic casks) is nostalgic. it was nice to be on a platform where the bow-legged could walk better. it was nice to sit on a platform, hoping it would sink, stare out to sea where old men paddle in the swampy water half-naked sitting on rubber tires. i was at peace for a little while there.

ah, isolation. someday the creature of the city will need to answer the call of nature (abstract, not liquid) and just be for awhile, harking back to Eden.