2003-05-12 - 9:47 p.m.
went to chinatown today.wanted to go see the old men selling all
the stolen stuff at the back lanes...nothing!!everythings gone,the
streets was clean and empty,the only thing that remain was the 2
old barber chairi guess they all left..the place has lose its charm
along with all the old people..the street that i grew up on is no
longer there.in its place is the new far east square and china
square.the grass patch that i used to walk my 3 dogs is some
shopping building.the drains that i used to play in are all covered
up.the big tree that i almost accidently burnt down is buried under
some concrete.NOTHING remains...NOTHING.
so i decide to jux leave that place.walk across the road,and saw
this chicken noodle shop that used to be very good.but i remember
that it was in a different street.well maybe the goverment shifted
them.i still remember the day the goverment tried to evict us out
of our home after my auntie refuse to sell it to them.i can still
see us standing on the road while they try to seal up the doors to
our own home...my auntie with my late dog in her arms,not knowing
wat to do.lucky the newspaper ppl came and the goverment act all
nice all of a sudden....u know the shit.after i moved away from
there(goverment plans for land use)i never felt as attached to a
plc so much any more,i haven't stayed in a single plc constantly
for more than 2 years in a row in recent years.
anyways i was walking pass the noodle shop, i sat down and order a
plate of noodle as my granny would(even tho' i had jux eaten a
mushrrom swiss an hour ago).i dun actually wanted to eat.i dun even
recall eating that chicken noodle with her but i know we must
have.how else would i know that it was supposed to be good.so i sat
there,a familiar place yet strange at the same time.the location no
longer the same,the noodle no longer the same.but trying very hard
to capture wat i felt 20 years ago.i took a bite and knew instanly
that the noodle was different,my heart sank.i knew granny was not
there anymore.wat was i thinking when i ordered the noodle??that ah
ma will be sitting beside me?that ah ma will feed me??that the tall
building will all disappear?that my home will be back to where it
was??i look up at the stall name,it was the same.took 2 bites to
confirm that it was different,got up and walked away.....
i got so much to tell u,ah ma.
will i ever get another chance to?
maybe when i go to where u r now.
or maybe one day,in old chinatown
