Westward ho!

Tonight is Sayesha's last night in the east.

I have been an east-girl for three years. And now it hurts... to leave everything and move to the unfamiliar area of the west. Far away from everyone and everything I have built around myself.

So this morning, I put on my 'It's hip to be happy' T-shirt so I could manage to not break down with every carton I packed and sealed. I also managed to find time to visit some of my favourite places in the east, and relive some of the great moments here.

And suddenly it struck me -- I will still be in touch with my friends who live in the east (considering that three of my closest ones do), but I will have to let go of some relationships -- some really amazing ones that I have built over the years...

And I will miss them.

I will miss my beautiful house and the pool with the two dolphins.
















I will miss Samo at Thai Express at Siglap, for probably being the only waiter who could get away with a statement like "It's really fresh, that's why!" when I found a green caterpillar crawling on my salad leaves.

I will miss Sony at the beach outlet of Komalas, who was so incredibly energetic and cheerful (that too, at the end of his shift at 10 in the night!) that every time I saw him, I was filled with inspiration.

I will miss Michael at the provision shop across the road who would always say the same thing every time I popped by to get bread or juice, "You're from India, right? I have atta if you want to buy!"

I will miss Alan my hairdresser and his crazy ways of disciplining my wild tresses.

I will miss William my optician, and how both of us would go "Phew! All ok!" after every eye check up.

I will miss Ivy, William's cashier and her sweet "Pay by cash or card, miss?" and her curiosity at what William and I were cracking up over.

I will miss Dr. Oliver my dentist, for always telling me I have a bright smile and for his gentle dental skills.

I will miss Josephine, the consultant at Lee Hwa at Parkway Parade, who helped me pick a diamond pendant -- a wedding gift for my sis-in-law, and who always smiles whenever I pass by, knowing fully well that I need a long recovery time before I can buy the next diamond.

I will miss the grinning kid-waiters at MOS burger at Parkway Parade.

I will miss 'Georges mad bar' with the huge TV screen, outside which I did a little dance of victory with a middle-aged Malay stranger, when Taufiq won Singapore idol in December 2004.

I will miss my canine nephew who used to freak me out in the lift.

I will miss little six-year-old Charles from the flat upstairs who has been meeting me every day at the bus stop for the last three years, and shyly hiding behind his maid every single time.

I will miss the sign on my swimming pool which holds me responsible for people who can't swim, making me go "what the...??!!"



















I will miss my secret clothes shops at Parkway Parade, the location of which I refuse to disclose even to close female friends.

I will miss my symmetrical phone number which just got disconnected (I'm a land line person. I hate talking on the mobile phone).

But most of all, I will miss the beach and my rock, which used to be my 'Tanhayee point' every weekend.

I feel like I am still in a daze. I still can't believe I have to let go of all of these. It feels like something will suddenly happen at the last minute, and I will just unpack everything and stay on.

Here, where I am happy. Where I am comfortable. Where I'm me.

And suddenly, I feel so scared. It feels like the old days all over again. Of having to let go and move on. It's time. The end of an era. The beginning of a new one. It's time to move on and start a new life.

This evening, the two Sayeshas sat at the poolside and shed a few silent tears.

ps: My blog's gonna take a longish break till I set up my computer in the new house and get my Internet working. I don't post from work, so I may not be able to manage any new posts for a while, but I'll still be visiting the comments page.