2003-05-12 / 9:47 p.m.
went to chinatown town 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.