More Than A Thousand Words

Walking to the MRT station alone last night after watching 'Agamemnon' was a strangely therapeutic experience. Well, maybe not therapeutic per se. More...calming? Because it proved to be a great time of reflection, somewhat like my long 74 bus rides on nights after school, when I'm all by myself, leaning against the occasionally fogged up bus window as I stare out at the cars zipping by, or those quiet walks I take in to my place with an iPod and slow songs as my only company.

Hands in my pockets, I was slouching and making my way along at a relatively moderate pace, blending into the crowd - or lack thereof. As I began my usual thought process, the first thing that popped into my mind was a question, that being, when was the last time I walked this route, and who was I with? Strange, but as I searched my memory bank, I recalled the last time to be all the way back to after one of the West Side Story performances, Roxanne and I headed home together. I smiled to myself; shook my head when I remembered our conversation that night, which looking back now, was actually many nights ago. West Side Story. A memory I wouldn't ditch for the world.

Suddenly, I was struck by the want to take a walk along the Singapore River. I mean, it's common knowledge that the Singapore River isn't all that beautiful, but as I passed it, nearing the train station, I stopped. And looked. And it was so...surreal, the scene before me. The calm river, the people sitting on the steps below, the lights, the night sky with the perfectly placed crescent moon. I took the detour my heart and mind were telling me to, and turned to walk in the direction of the river, rather than the MRT station as originally intended.

So there I was, moving my feet along, the river to my right, as I took the sights in. It was indescribable, that feeling I had in me as I walked all by myself (unlike many others there, I wasn't in the company of family or friends, neither was I in the arms of some hot, hunky, dashing male individual). It was a whole mix of emotions all at once. There was a queer sort of happiness rising up in me, and at the same time, a crushing sadness. Talk about indecisive. Even my emotions were proving to be so.

Such beautiful sights were made for cameras, though not for inept photographers such as myself. I did attempt to capture in a couple of snapshots, what drew me to take that lonely walk...

but I think I failed.

True, a picture speaks a thousand words. But to have been there, to have seen and experienced it all for oneself...no words could ever possibly convey that picture.