We were, I think, coming from a rare Sunday lunch at Springleaf Prata in Jalan Tua Kong on this particular afternoon.
Hence it was that instead of our usual bus route from Marine Parade Central, we were at the bus stop on the Changi side of Opera Estate area across from Chai Chee.
It is a good thing we had a bus here to Toa Payoh.
Things might have been a little less convenient otherwise.
Bus 28 took me down a route that I was somewhat familiar with. It wasn't a scene that I knew innately (not like Dunman Road or Koon Seng Road) but this was a route I recognized. What's more, it had, after all, been only half a year or so since I left the district of Kembangan and all her shops that sat along the Changi Road side.
It's interesting how one is usually unable to distinguish just what makes an impression, what does not, until long after your stint at that place is over.
I had not thought much about the scenery outside the bus window during the three years I stayed at Kembangan.
But now, suddenly everything seemed familiar, close to the heart.
I guess I had taken a good many bus ride from this bus stop- more than I remembered and recognized.
First thing the bus went past was a couple of terrace houses, followed by the summit of this hill that leads across from one side of Kembangan to the Opera Estate and Flamingo Valley side.
More terrace houses followed, then it was a row of shop houses, which, surprisingly the brain don't have much of an inkling of, save that of corner store Laundry Unlimited, and that this was the row sitting right next to Siglap Park Connector by the side of the canal.
Right after this came the Shell petrol station.
I'm actually a little surprised that I couldn't visualize the location of the petrol station until I checked Google Maps.
After this came another stretch of shop houses, most of which I'm afraid- despite three years- I never had the chance to pay much attention to. Not only did I not have much of a reason to wander around the entire stretch, there hadn't been much opportunity to.
This entire stretch was one of those locations where you knew they were there, where you knew of their presence there, yet, were so exclusive in their products and services that you didn't window-shop there unless you were, literally, hunting for something.
The one thing I know about this stretch is that there're a good number of hardware stores spaced out here and there. I've seen paint stores. I've seen stores offering light fixtures, fan fixtures and bathroom fixtures and fittings. There are also a couple of interior design firms and, if I'm not wrong, a store offering tiles for your floor and walls.
After this the bus crossed the Still Road junction and into the Geylang Serai stretch of Changi Road.
Past the Caltex petrol station now the bus went, followed by a series of shops that included a motorbike shop. Past a small junction leading to the back of Joo Chiat Complex it went, then came to the bus stop right outside a row of shop houses that not only have a 7-11 convenience store, a popular cafe known for roti pratas and Indian-Muslim dishes, but also a carpet store that has been there for a long time.
Here the bus trundled on, going past the Haig Road Food Center, then KINEX Shopping Mall, then City Plaza, before making a right onto Paya Lebar Road.
The bus now went past the junction that turns into Geylang East Central. I didn't really pay attention to the buildings that came after that, but apparently there are a few factory buildings behind the trees that have some brands from the food industry.
Not long after that came the next junction that turns onto the PIE- a turn which I don't normally pay much attention to, except for the fact that it is marked by this rather huge tree.
The new flats called MacPherson Weave now come into view.
The location of these flats are quite strategic, by the way.
On one side you have the regular road of Paya Lebar with the buses, MRT station, all. On the other side you have the PIE expressway. And then, still further, on a third side, you have the now quite-established estate of Circuit Link and MacPherson Estate.
What's more, there is a Sheng Siong outlet at the void deck of one of those blocks.
The junction between Paya Lebar Road and MacPherson Road came up not long after.
There was a time when this particular junction was non-descript. You simply went past it and didn't put much thought to the landmarks or its significance.
Not so anymore.
Not only is there a plethora of eateries at the shopping center called Grantral Mall, when one thinks about it, MacPherson Road is really a thoroughfare linking the East down the direction towards Downtown Singapore.
It's true.
Turn left on this junction, go down the entire stretch of MacPherson Road and you'll find yourself in the district of Bendeemer leading to Jalan Besar, the entire stretch of Bencoolen and then, after that, the Downtown part of Singapore.
But today the bus didn't turn left.
Instead it went down Paya Lebar Road, going through the area we call Tai Seng where industrial office buildings stand on either side of the stretch. It's quite an interesting spectacle, honestly.
On one side you have the offices of well known F&B like Sakae Sushi and BreadTalk, together with fashion distributor LuxAsia and homegrown shoe brand Charles & Keith.
On the other side- the side where my bus window looked out today- the buildings there held a mishmash of products and services, including an aircon engineering firm, an event management firm, a bridal shop, and a few furniture galleries.
Several rows of shop houses came up not long after.
At first glance they might appear non-descript, no different from any other place, in fact, sometime so quiet that you might even forget they're there, but there are in fact a couple of well known stalls and eateries here catering to a sizeable, family-friendly crowd.
I've come here once, twice, maybe.
In the middle of the first row there is a cha chaan teng offering dim sum of both the regular and unusual variety.
I think the name's Bao Fa.
Further on, there is a bakery, which, from the looks of it the first time I walked past, seems to have been there quite a while. I can't remember what types of breads there were on the shelves the last time I saw them, but I think most of the breads were the familiar, well-loved ones of the traditional kind.
Further on stood a Mookata place at the corner of the next row, followed by a minimart, a hostel, and another coffee shop at the end.
Right at the corner of the next row there was a well known restaurant offering claypot curry fish head. Next to it, there was a grocery super mart, another bakery, and then a Domino's Pizza outlet right at the end.
The bus now made a left, turning onto Bartley Road.
First up came a condo- I don't know its name- then further on, Bartley Secondary School and then Maris Stella (Primary) where this afternoon I managed to take a quick picture of its distinctive blue entrance arch that looks out onto the main road.
A temporary bus stop came up after- one of those orange and white roofed ones. Then, right after the junction of Bidadari Park Drive, came the housing blocks of Bidadari Housing Estate.
Now the bus went straight.
I don't know whether it went under the Woodleigh Underpass or if it went straight onto Braddell Road.
My guess is the latter.
One of the very first landmarks the bus passed by was the PUB Recreation Club, which, out the bus window this afternoon I managed to get a very good picture of. Not just that, I too managed to take a picture of the slopes that mark the actual Woodleigh Park.
Only thing is I wish I could have caught sight of her SLA-managed black and white houses at the top of the hill.
Even faint glimpses would have been good.
Straight ahead the bus went, and it didn't take long before the bus entered the housing estate of Toa Payoh, first going past the now-demolished Comfort Delgro Building, then the bridge over the Kallang River.
The blocks of Lorong 8 passed right after before the bus made a left onto Lorong 6 Toa Payoh.
To this day I have not been able to figure out whether this Blk 1 here at the junction belongs to Lorong 6 Toa Payoh or Lorong 7 Toa Payoh. All along I had thought it was part of Lorong 7 (I mean, Blk 4 and 5 were right behind) but it might be part of Lorong 6 instead.
From here it turned right into Lorong 1- a very short section- but very significant, in the sense that it made a right past the Toa Payoh Seu Teck Sean Tong temple whose entrance sits at the exact junction between Lorong 6 and Lorong 1.
From here, a quick left it then took onto Lorong 4.
Past Blk 54 and 56 the bus now went, and onwards it soon went, alongside Blk 73 where the coffee shop of Mr. Grumpy Nasi Ayam was, and where my colleague and I had a meal of Nasi Ayam with an industry peer, not knowing that shared meal together would be the very last time.
