I Love it

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I love coming to Holland Village every morning. I enjoy the realxing bus ride there. I love the strong breeze that greets us when we get off the bus. I love getting our morning coffee at Burger King or Starbucks. I love the friendly people we meet (the Starbucks girl is nice. The first time we met her she was already yapping away). I love walking around at lunch time looking for places to eat, people-watching and car-watching (some pretty nice cars go by everyday).

One main thing to add to the whole experience is reminiscence. My mak and bapak angkat (godparents. im not sure if it's the right term) used to live there and as a kid, I would always live with them during the holidays. My datuk Ismail (grandfather) lived in the same block as them. So I've spent half my childhood there since I was a year old. The sad thing is a lot of the HDBs have been upgraded and stuff so it looks a tad different. But last week as I walked through the blocks an avalanche of memories just washed over me.

It was sad, yet I was happy to be back there. To smell the air, to appreciate the sights. It felt like I was a 5 year old again getting ready to go to the playground with mak. She's a little old now, about 60. And living by herself, while still working, at Lavender. A lot of things happened in between that might've made her sad but she always refuses to show. She used to have 3 sons but now she has 1. She used to have a husband but now she has none. She was there to hold me in her arms when my mum passed.

20 years since I first met her as a baby she's always looked the same to me. Beautiful smile and a glimmer in her eyes when she does. And I've always felt comforted by that. I told myself one day I'm going to take care of her. When I'm successful, I'll make sure she, my father and stepmum have a stable place to live in where they won't have to work anymore. They deserve a rest.

I'll take her for a walk around the neighbourhood one day. And we'll just sit there together in the breeze, stare at our surroundings and know we had such amazing times together. Probably the best years together. At our house in Holland Road. Back in the 90s. When everyone else was still alive.