It's weird to be back. Everything's all so familiar, and yet it isn't. I came back to my room and I was like "This is not my room. Where's my stuff?"Now that I'm back, everyone wants a piece of me. I haven't really had any time to myself till now, 4am in the morning when I can't sleep, and everyone else is deep in slumberland. The first night I was back I had to entertain my cousins who had stayed over to welcome home the expeditioner from faraway lands. I was quite jetlagged so I don't think I made a very good host. The second night I had to eat supper with them. They ordered wanton noodles, oyster omelette, char kway teow and rojak, and they said "Eat." Wow thanks really but eating that much Singaporean food at one go is the way to make you wish you were eating fish and chips again.
Actually, no I did not just say that. Blasphemy! I have just cursed myself into a lifetime of eating potatoes and their ilk. My current attitude towards potatoes is something close to I want to take that darned tuber and just do something to it. The only problem is, if I shred it I get fries, if I slice it I get chips, if I squash it I get mashed potatoes. The angmohs really love potatoes. No matter what you do to them, they will still find a way to eat them. Damned tuber.
One question I'm constantly asked is "How was Europe? Was it fun? What's the most memorable thing about it?" I'm really sorry to everyone who has asked me this question because I've done a really bad job of answering it.
Here's my usual answer. "Oh it was really fun."
That's the kind of answer you give when you just came back from a trip to like, Johor Bahru. It makes you seem like such an asshole because you took so much money and went on a flight of fancy and all you say about it is 5 words. I tried explaining my trip, then I realised they didn't really have a frame of reference to refer to, so it was quite futile. One comment went down pretty well though. It was this one.
"You know how they say the French are rude? Yeah it's true. The French are rude bastards." To which the whole extended family reacted with laughter.
Actually, the Singaporeans aren't much better. This guy speaking is actually pretty potty-mouthed too. And on the bus, I overheard two uncles having a "chat" in Hokkien, which made me smile. I forgot how much I'd missed the bite of authentic Hokkien... pleasantries.
The next question I keep getting asked is, "Why is your hair so long?" I told my cousin I was keeping it long so I could empathise with what it was like having long hair. She dismissed it as my usual rubbish. My aunt thought it was cool. Well, I think it's cool too, only that the weather is seriously making me feel like a haircut is necessary so I don't die from being overly furry like a Siberian husky. My dad was more direct. He thinks it's gay. He just flat out told me "Long hair does not suit you."
Wow thanks dad. Way to go. My mom even had to chip in "I think when the angmohs saw you they must have been scared. Why this guy hair so messy like some homeless person." Alright, that was really kind of rubbing it in already. I've decided that first thing tomorrow I'm going to do something about it.
Tomorrow, because I spent today looking over the skyline of Singapore.
High above on the Singapore Flyer.
=)