So it might have been raining on the day that I had to be in the Raffles Place area because of an errand, but nothing- nothing- I tell you- prepared me for the Silence and Quiet that dominated the usually crowded, usually bustling place that makes up our Heritage District, our Downtown Core, our Financial District, and our CBD.
It wasn't just the fact that the National Gallery and the Asian Civilization Museum weren't open- that their event banners were kept away, that no one was taking selfies with the architecture, that there were no tour buses in the vicinity, that no one was walking in and out or to and fro around the place.
Neither was it the fact that there was no one- not a soul- making his or her way from the Boat Quay side to the Empress Place side when usually- in regular times- there would be somebody crossing the Bridge, there would be a couple of people at the railings taking pictures of themselves for memories' sake, there would be office workers in shirts and ties and dresses and heels sitting by the waters with their bagged lunches, or taking quick steps to their destination whilst talking on the phone.
Today there was no one.
The mobile ice cream uncle who usually parked his motorcycle by the river cruise booth near the Fullerton Hotel Building was not there.
The row of motorcycles from the couriers that were usually parked by the side of one of the banks were also not there.
There was just a lone Foodpanda delivery guy on his road bike.
There was just a Caucasian in his gym clothes attempting to dash his way from the lobby of the bank to the first shophouse a couple of meters opposite.
And then there was me- walking under a slight drizzle with my hood up, pausing to take pictures of seemingly desolate scenery.
Much of the place was quiet- no more the footfall from professionally-dressed office workers and casually-dressed tourists- no more the cars and cabs and lorries and motorcycles circling the skyscrapers.
It had become quieter than Saturday mornings and Sunday evenings- quieter than public holidays where no one came to the office- quieter even than the year end season when everyone took extended leave.
But beyond the absence of pedestrian footfall, beyond the absence of the usual sounds and sights, it were the remarkably still waters of the Singapore River that made the whole place seem to hang suspended in a Day that stood between the Yesterday and the Tomorrow.
It quite unnerved me, honestly- for the very simple reason that never had it been (to the best of my memory) where the waters of the Singapore River were so silent and so still, and never had it been that the lack of bumboats and river cruise boats- now all anchored at the Clarke Quay side- had made the River feel this empty.
Devoid of them plying up and down her waters, she had become- for the moment- a pond.
Not a very nice thing to see, I have to say, and so I'm glad that we've kicked in measures to promote domestic tourism, and very soon we just might see the bumboats and river cruise boats making their way up and down the waters of the Singapore River again.
Maybe I'll go buy a ticket for the river cruise.
After all I've only waved to the tourists on the boat.
I've never been on the boat myself.