There was a news the other day that the country might soon be entering into Phase Three.
And along with it came other news that bars, pubs, karaoke joints and entertainment outlets might soon too be allowed to reopen (with mask-wearing, social-distancing measures in place)
This reopening comes under a pilot scheme- so the news says- and whilst several bars and entertainment outlets puzzle over the mechanics and the execution of it - I suppose this announcement can be seen as a milestone (of sorts) that gets things slowly chugging along.
For a place like Clarke Quay, it may mean so much more.
The district has been quiet for months.
And whilst many of them had pivoted to F&B during those months, that sense of empty disquiet especially in the later part of a latter-week afternoon just did not sit well with anybody.
Not even me.
And I don't even party.
It wasn't so much that the tourists weren't hanging around for pre-dinner drinks. Neither was it that the Robertson Quay expats weren't (yet) down for happy hour. It wasn't even that the clubs weren't doing their regular early evening dance floor setup.
It was just something you couldn't pinpoint.
Like, why was it that even though diners were allowed in the places, there were no one having a meal there?
Or why was it that even though you could hang out in groups of two or three, despite happy hour, plus the slashed down prices, there weren't anybody inside, or outside having drinks?
Could it be that the building that once used to be called Liang Court was partly boarded up and devoid of people going to and fro?
Or could it be that the bumboats were all anchored along one side and so the river looked like a very, very still-surface pond with no view happening enough to spend a drink on?
Clarke Quay continues to be dark (or somewhat dark) at night.
At least that's what I see when my bus passes by- from a distance away.
Now, I can't be absolutely sure, but whatever it is, I hope the clubs and entertainment outlets will work through the rules, plan out the space, vamp up their energy and reopen again really, really soon.
After all, Christmas is coming, 2020 is ending, and it would be kinda dumb to clear ourselves off from this year without a bit of a party, wouldn't it?