The First Departure

For the first time in two and a half years, I have completed a piece of expository writing.

It's a research paper done for the URA on the state of Singapore agriculture. Spent a good four weeks on it, from the initial project brief and research, to the bibliography compilation and proofreading. It felt good to be writing in that particular vernacular again: the precise use of language, the subtle but incisive turn of a phrase, the construction of arguments that are logically intact and also incorporate a certain degree of elegance. Reading some theses and papers for research, it felt like a sort of homecoming - a return to familiar ground.

In the end, the paper ballooned to far too many pages, and I found myself with the happy problem of cutting down the length to something that's readable. After all, this is not an academic but a practical context, and there are certain nuances that can be overlooked without compromising the usefulness of the information too substantially. Moreover, there is more of a chance for this paper to be implemented in real life, I think, than anything I may produce as part of my course. It creates a sense of empowerment that demands a matching level of quality of thought and expression.

After the complete compilation of the paper, took off from the office in preparation for dinner. Since I had about an hour to burn, I decided to take a walk through Ann Siang Hill Park, an interesting little back alleyway that I've seen before but never had the time to investigate. And I found streetscapes and scenery that took my breath away. Shophouses beautifully preserved, set amidst ludicrously lush greenery, with a liberal dose of that crucial shade of sunset gold. There is a certain bend in the path as it winds behind rows of shophouses that suddenly, stunningly frames Shenton Way (and principally the massive blue-glass facade of Capital Tower) with mature trees, plaster shophouse walls and a stunningly clear blue sky. Many photos were taken; the scenes were so captivating that they deserve to be made into a video. Which will happen someday, when I once again have time on my hands.

After a delightful walk, then, met up with an old colleague from CHS for dinner and then a slow round of drinks. Met this fellow on an alley wall next to the French bar that the URA folks brought me to last week. It was stunning to see such high-quality wall art in the central business district. I wonder which enforcement authority wisely and tastefully left this one alone. Anyway, we were talking of travelling, photography and writing. I have to say, it is very rare to meet someone who at least seems to be looking for the same things as I do when I travel. I mean, most of the time, it seems, people travel just to change the scenery; it takes a certain kind of boldness and sheer stupidity to really participate in the experience of a place, so that you are not just absorbing your surroundings but also actively shaping them or influencing them in some way.

Spent a good few hours indulging in that wanderlust, comparing notes and philosophies, and discussing what the wider world may have in store for us, what we can get as compared to what we can take. And it seems that sometimes, you can just take what you get, and it's enough. But when that isn't enough, you should still have the reserves of strength and ingenuity to make what you need out of the circumstances at hand.

*

More things have been moving on the university front. Flight's been confirmed, which gives me a concrete deadline to get everything done. As of now, I still need a correctly printed form to get a visa, and I have to get a medical checkup done. Housing allocations should also come out soon. And after all that is done, then basically all the major components needed for matriculation will have been taken care of. Yes, things are really moving forward in earnest now! Less than two months till August!

In some ways, I think, my departure is already in progress. My men from 6SIR will be reaching their ORD soon, and I am due to go back to attend their parade, after which I will most probably not encounter them for 4 years, although I sincerely hope I can end up in the same reservist unit as them. And as for the people on the brink of a new school term - well, they will also be moving on without me. These have been good, enjoyable runs that I will continue to carry with me for as long as I can foresee; but things move on. People move on. Pretty soon it will only be a matter of nostalgia. Some things don't change; I sincerely hope that some things won't change, because what we had back then was good, was solid. But most things will. So even while I hold the former hope, I must expect the latter. It is the rational conclusion.

*

And so, the first departure of the season has happened. A friend has left to return to her studies. For her, summer at home was short; but at least we still managed to catch up, before she was obliged to fly off once again. And anyway, no matter how painful or reluctantly received a departure of a friend is, I cannot rightly begrudge them their leaving. All this is as it should be. They are merely acting on the opportunities that they have received, opportunities that are well deserved. How can I rightly fault them for leaving to pursue such a good thing?

Due to a lousy bus connection (in almost five years, I haven't had to wait half an hour for a bus), I only managed to catch her just before she went into the transit area to explore and enjoy the new Terminal 3. So, there was hardly time to pass on a note, let alone enact the whole final conversation that I had envisioned. But, as it turned out, the final conversation was not necessary, since the meaning that needed to be conveyed was transmitted successfully after all. And if an elaborate way and a succinct way both can achieve the same result, then it is usually more elegant and dignified to choose the succinct way.

The architect of Terminal 3, I think, is a connoisseur of leave-taking. You can see very far in that terminal, and so you can follow the person you are sending off almost all the way to the gate, by standing on one of the two public pedestrian bridges that span the transit area. The Viewing Lounge of Terminal 3 is not meant for the viewing of airplanes, but of people; for the former, go to Terminal 1. There was this young family standing at one of the bridges looking down at the father, who was off on a business trip. The mother was on the phone with him, and the children were waving down, repeating "Bye bye daddy". Finally, the mother said that he would not be able to hear them - at which point, brother and sister combined forces to yell their salutation. It was a sweet moment. I can imagine the father being touched and mortified at the same time, but I doubt he would have had it otherwise.

And at the same time, this first departure of the season touched me deeply, because this time round, I can look forward to my own imminent departure as well. Under the flight to "London-Heath" flashed the information for SQ26, bound for "New York-JFK". Unfortunately, SQ26 was fully booked when I enquired, so I will not be flying SQ. Will not even be departing from Terminal 3. But, as I said earlier, and as I will doubtlessly be repeating ad nauseum from now on, the time is coming soon when I will be looking at another flight board that flashes "New York-JFK", and will realise, with a deep swooping feeling, that it refers to me.