Memories of Singapore

This morning I awoke and my dreams were so vivid that I almost expected to be lying in my hostel room in Singapore. Such wonderful memories of days gone by, that I spent the morning sitting near the window watching the rain, listening to the sound of falling leaves and let my mind wander back to those happy times. It seems like only yesterday and already it’s been nearly a year since we first landed at Singapore Airport, a large bunch of confused people, anxious to get our MBA degrees in hand and get back to work. And now when it’s time to go back to work, I wish I had realised the importance of those days of happy, carefree existence, maybe I would have cherished it more.

I still remember landing at the airport and looking around anxiously for the “SP Jain” board. There were three of us and we just could not locate the board, so we reached the metro exit before we realised that we were headed in the wrong direction. Then we had to re-trace our steps, in the process we found another lost soul who was also looking for the same elusive board, and had strangely enough been on the same flight as us from Bangalore but we had been blissfully unaware of his existence till then. Anyway we joined forces and continued our search till we saw an assorted group of grumpy people sitting on luggage and generally loitering about and realised that it must be SP Jain students. I still remember a certain gentleman who insisted on sitting with his feet on his luggage and his headphones on his head and completely ignored the rest of us, or another who was just searching for anyone who would come with him for a smoke or one woman who had pulled out food from her luggage, which was in a neatly packed aluminium foil containing puri and aloo and she was devouring it while making feeble attempts to offer it to anyone who looked in her direction. Strange how deeply etched all these memories are and how clearly I can see them even now and all the assorted expressions on peoples faces from irritation, anger, annoyance, excitement, happiness or just plain disgust at having to wait so long at the airport.

I remember the drive to the hostel and the first glimpse we got of the campus, I was totally awestruck. It really was more beautiful than any of the pictures I had seen of the campus on the website. Till then I had been worried, anxious and scared but after that first glimpse I knew that this year would be special and everything I had ever dreamed that it would be and it has been that and so much more!

Looking back it’s a happy blur of classes, with oodles of pre-reading which we soon gave up on, endless group works and stressful subjects taken by Professors like Mr. Ram Kumar and Mr. Suranjan Das. I remember those long nights when we stayed up and tried to come up with creative ways to get our points across and how by early morning anything anyone said was hysterically funny. Those long nights really built strong friendships and I remember making popcorn and stocking up on chocolates before heading to Einstein’s den for group work or sitting in a friends room in the middle of the night and eating salami, mayonnaise and theplas, what a horrendous combination when you come to think of it, but at the time it tasted even better than five star food !

Early mornings were spent checking email and searching for other people who were awake so that we could go on walks down Cantebury and enjoy the lovely morning breeze and the breathtakingly beautiful view. On days when we had classes it was always fun to go for a bath and chat with those in adjoining cubicles while taking a shower. Some people actually carried their phones to the bathroom and provided the rest of us with good music while we had our baths and I even know of a few people who timed their baths to coincide with some of the music people so that they would be pleasantly entertained while bathing!

Classes were spent faking attention and making fun of those who insisted on “DCP” (desperate class participation). I don’t think any of us would have survived the MBA if it was not for gtalk! Some brave souls even used class time to play cricket on the computer, listen to music and surf websites.

The long queues at the canteen and cribbing about the food added to the day’s drama and provided some comic relief. The canteen was a place where we would sit and talk about things over pav bhaji and butter milk and discuss what future course of action we should take towards problems that we were facing at the time. And we always had a long list of things which were plaguing us, one would think we were given all the worlds problems to solve the way we used to debate and discuss different courses of action.

Evenings were spent gathering people to head towards Fair Price to stock up on groceries, which were promptly stolen from the fridge but we never gave up our resolve or faith in the human race and continued to stock up on food. We then wrote our names with black marker on all the food in the bleak hope that at least when someone stole our food they would know whom it belonged to and feel at least slightly guilty of depriving us of our breakfast ! It was always fun to go as a huge group to the supermarket for then the walk to and fro seemed really short and inconsequential.

Nights were spent chatting online and then meeting downstairs for long walks at night to just un-wind and talk about the days events with close friends. Sometimes we used to sit on the benches and listen to music on the laptop and sing along or take walks to 7/11 where some would drink beer while others would eat Ben & Jerries or drink snapples! Some nights were spent sitting on the benches near the heritage building and talking about our dreams, hopes and desires. How blissfully happy we all were then and so content.

On other nights we would go in search of movies and then settle down with friends and watch the movie on a laptop till early morning or go down to the lecture halls in our jammies to watch the movies screened by the movie club.

At 12 ‘o’ clock on most nights the hostel would ring with the cries of “Leylo” and which ever poor souls birthday it was, would get “Leylo-ed” with gusto. The whole process would involve the person being doused in a bucket full of soap water and anything else that was handy from toothpaste to tomato sauce. And then the kicking or the so called “birthday bumps” would start. On nights when it was not anyone’s birthday some poor bakhra would be caught and “leylo-ed” for entertainment. It was the only time that I used to be happy that I was a girl since this was only done to the boys.

And then I have some assorted memories of days gone by. I once recall sitting with a broom in hand for close to an hour to help a friend chase a lizard out of his room or the time that a flying beetle entered our room and my roommate and I screamed so loudly that not only did it bring all the girls on our floor running to our room, some boys also used the opportunity to come to the girls floor to check what had happened!

Or my birthday which was right at the beginning of the course, how it rained that day, we were totally drenched even before we reached Clarke Quay! And nearly everyone from SP Jain was at Clarke Quay so it was nice to have a huge gathering there to celebrate mine and a friend’s birthday. That day was the beginning of many new friendships for me. Clarke Quay was always a fun place to un-wind and we often went there afterwards to have a drink at Crazy Elephant or Café Iguana. We also often went clubbing to Clinic, Pump Room, F-Bar and MOS. Nights were then spent drinking pitchers of Jack Daniels and dancing till day-break. All visits to Clarke Quay were not complete without a huge ice cream at Hagen Daas. On days when we partied real late we had breakfast at Mc Donalds. And sometimes we took long peaceful walks by the water at Clarke Quay after spending the night dancing, and watched the boats and listened to the water lap against the boats. Such a romantic walk and so incredibly beautiful!

Late night partying always ended with late night baths. Somehow I never could stand the smell of the smoke in my hair and on my clothes. Those late night baths were strangely peaceful and the only time when one could have a nice long bath without having people knock at the door and ask umpteen times when you would be coming out.

Holland Village! How can I ever forget the good food! We spent time in Holland village trying out new restaurants or going to Walla Walla to listen to live rock music which always reminded me so much of home! Cold Rock, was a place we always wanted to go to for ice cream at Holland but most of the time we went to there, by the time we had finished eating the place was closed. But I did manage to go there once with a friend just before we left Singapore and it was really yummy!

Then there was the time that I realised that I was getting too chubby and decided that I should go for an evening jog to lose weight. So I enlisted two of my friends to help me with my weight loss program. The first day we set off they both took off like they were running the 100 m dash and left me way behind. I of course decided that I was not going to be induced to run any faster, for after all, those two idiots were both over six feet tall and took long strides, and there was no way on earth that I could keep up with them. So I continued at a steady pace and they soon slowed down and joined me. The next day, they both were too tired and refused to come for a jog, so I had to catch another willing soul who was sweet enough to accompany me.

Then there were days when the course seemed unbearable and we just picked up our bags and went out shopping to Orchard or to Bugis. Once we had picked up a few pairs of shoes the world seemed a much more pleasant place to live in. Then we would go eat yummy crab and prawns at Jumbo and return satiated and content.

Some times for lack of anything else to do we went for walks to Labrador park to watch the boats or to Vivo City and Harbour Front where we window shopped and ate at Marche’s or Pasta Mania and returned happy. Just thinking of the desserts at Marches, especially the Oreo Chocolate Cheesecake makes my mouth water! Ah, food! I love eating!

And then there were times when we just couldn’t eat the food at the canteen and we set off to Mc Donalds, Subway, Gilman Village or Oscars to fill our empty stomachs. I still remember walking back in the sweltering heat, eating ice creams from Mc Donalds which would slowly melt all the way back to hostel. When the craving for Indian food hit us we would take a bus to “Rangoli” or go to Boat Quay to eat at the Indian Restaurant there or go to little India to eat at “Jade of India” or the hundreds of other restaurants there.

The best part about Singapore is the amount it rains, and after I lost my dad the rain always makes me feel happy for then I somehow feel closer to him. I remember once sitting with a friend and listening to music while watching the pouring rain through the window. It was one of the more incredibly beautiful sights and I don’t think I’ve ever felt so blissfully content.

Riding the Cable cars to go to Mount Faber or Sentosa was always a fun experience even though I was always terrified, as I can’t stand heights. I recollect getting into a cable car with friends who insisted on scaring the day lights out of me by telling me what would happen if it fell. They also insisted on moving around constantly to take photographs leaving me terrified for most of the trip.

Our trip to Mount Faber on Independence Day was so much fun. It was a beautiful sight to watch the fireworks from that height. After the fireworks were over we ate Cornetto ice creams and just stood there enjoying the breeze. Somehow I always associate that night with a certain sense of peace, our first sem exams were over, there was nothing to worry about, we were leaving for Batam on a holiday the next day and my mum was coming to Singapore in two days time. It really was one of the best times ever!

Batam, what can I say?! The best holiday ever! From romantic walks on the beach, to jet skiis, to getting completely drunk and falling down the stairs, it was one hell of a holiday! Please note that I fell down the stairs even before any alcohol was consumed and it had more to do with my complete lack of balance and less to do with any external factors. This led to many nights spent nursing a hot water bottle and many new friendships with kind souls who were nice enough to give me a back massage and make my life more bearable!

Falling sick in hostel was a unique experience and made me realise that it’s often the people who we least expect who come and take care of us in our time of need. From a friend who fed me baked beans and bread when I was sick with high fever (because in some misguided way he felt that, that is what sick people should be eating), to others who gave me medicines to still others who lent me hot water bottles, I’m grateful to all, for without them I don’t think I would have survived.

I remember the sleepless nights I spent when my friends were sick, I would sit in their rooms and worry trying to be of any help possible. I once slept in a chair for most of the night just because a friend was feeling ill and wanted company. How we all bonded and tried to make each other feel loved and cared for especially when we were sick as we were all so far away from home.

The whole Singapore Experience would not be complete if I did not mention the Tiger Airways flight back to India which nearly 50 of us took irrespective of our final destinations. I would like to believe that the folks from “Chinnai” conned us into visiting their city by telling us that it was way cheaper and would be fun. I won’t refute the fun part but it was not cheap at all, since we all ended up paying for excess baggage and some of us had to take domestic flights to our final destinations during which we had to pay for the excess baggage again!

The whole episode was a fiasco from start to finish. The Tiger Airways flight was horribly delayed due to technical problems and so there we were at the airport, half- MBA’s, most of us still groggy after the final SGP submissions with nothing to do. So like typical MBA’s we pulled out our laptops and got busy. Some folks checked email, others watched movies, played games, read e-books and still others like myself stuck to conventional things like a hardcopy book and an i-pod to entertain myself during the long wait. Due to the delay in the flight they fed us sandwiches and juice, and I remember sitting with friends and consuming a nice bar of dark lindt chocolate at the airport for dessert. Then finally our flight was called for boarding and we all ambled towards the plane, half asleep and tired. I don’t recall much of what happened on the flight except that there was really bad turbulence and it was awfully cold, till some kind soul gave me his jacket and then I promptly fell asleep. Before I fell asleep I was smart enough to scare a friend who was sitting next to me into promising that I would not be disturbed. I remember mentioning that I would be most annoyed if woken up and so to avoid my wrath, he protected me from over enthusiastic airhostesses and anyone else who felt inclined to wake me from my slumber. And then finally we were back on Indian soil after five months of having lived in Singapore!

Singapore! Ah, what sweet memories, I’ll never forget those days! I fell in love with Singapore in my first visit and now time can only make my feelings stronger. They say the further you go the more you remember, maybe that’s why things are clearer now. So sometimes when things are quiet and peaceful, I withdraw into silence, where moments of life past and forgotten, moments lost and hidden away, are all waiting to be recovered and enjoyed once again….