Toffee Nut Lattes!

You know Christmas is fast approaching when supermarkets start playing Christmas carol muzak over your head, and when they start restocking shelves with red and white candy canes, boxes of Christmas-tree shaped butter shortbread cookies, pictures of winter scenes and reindeer, and Santa Claus. 

You also know Christmas is fast approaching when Starbucks rolls out their Peppermint Mocha, Gingerbread Latte and their Toffee Nut Latte in their outlets worldwide. 

I've always had a penchant for their (instore) Toffee Nut Latte.

When it started I don't really remember. 

But it might have been more than a decade ago when I decided to close off a somewhat confusing year with one of their three signature Christmas lattes.

Since then I've had their Toffee Nut Latte from time to time. 

One thing I've never been able to do, however, is to bring to-go cups of this beverage home for Friends and Family,

Doesn't matter that there's an outlet near my home- I've done the calculations- no matter how fast I try, those cups of steaming hot lattes will turn cold by the time I get there. 

To be honest it kind of bothered me. 

Like, was there no other way? 

Was there no other way for a person to enjoy a cup of this seasonal beverage without having to pay an in-person visit to the store?

What if there were a fan who liked this drink but for reasons one way or another could not make their way to the physical store? 

What, then, of them? 

Were they to be denied the privilege of enjoying a hot Toffee Nut Latte (only once a year) because there wasnt a store close by or that they couldn't make their way to the nearest one?

I know it's peculiar but something never really sat right with me. 

But I didn't put much thought into it. 

Because, hey, what was I supposed to do?

Write to Starbucks Singapore?

Write to Starbucks Seattle?

Post on their social media page? 

So I put it out of my mind. 

Then Covid came. 

It was one of the most challenging- if not worst- times for the entertainment and the F&B industry. 

People who were used to eating out now found themselves having to either eat in open spaces, or at home. 

And people who were used to grabbing a cuppa at their favorite coffee place now found themselves having to decide whether to risk catching the virus and make a quick run down, or forgoing the trip out and tossing a pellet into the coffee machine at home. 

There were decisions. 

Very impromptu ones even.

For two whole years in this country, no one knew just when the Prime Minister would call for a special press conference, and no one knew just what those (new) guidelines would be.

Every press announcement sent F&B Operations scuttling back to their spreadsheets to make (yet another) new set of arrangements for (yet another) new set of dine-in regulations. 

It was a very confusing time for just about everybody.

Some days saw groups of five being permitted. 

Other days saw that number whacked down to three and two.

Formal large-table restaurants lamented, smaller restaurants grumbled, then everyone got to work rearranging their tables once again to fit the permitted group size within the standard meter-wide spacing in between you and I. 

I actually assumed that a place like Starbucks was not going to be affected.

But HQ back in Seattle weren't taking any chances. 

Lockdown or no lockdown, no one in the world was going to miss out on their annual offerings of Christmas drinks, so they convened, signed the proposal, and the motions began to roll. 

I don't know which month it was they made the decision (maybe they already had this protocol all the while) but Christmas 2020 came, and these little boxes debuted on supermarket shelves for the very first time.

You can imagine my immense delight.

If you happened to be in Cold Storage around Christmas season 2020 and saw someone squealing like a little girl in front of all these pretty red little boxes, that was probably me. 

I've bought the Instant versions of the Toffee Nut Latte ever since. 

I'll be buying them again this year. 

They're a grat reminder (in October!) that the end of year is coming upon us, and we can choose to end the year in quiet pensiveness, or with great (coffee-styled) joy.

It's not only the color of box that I love. 

I love the taste, and fragrance of the latte itself too. 

Sure, she's not as thick, or rich, as the in-store Toffee Nut Latte that they do, but I love her flavors enough, and I wouldn't mind buying the Gingerbread Latte or the Peppermint Mocha- if they retailed them on supermarket shelves too.  

85 Fengshan

My friend asked me if I had come before.

I said I couldn't remember. 

I might have come once, or twice, in the last few years. 

I might not have.

Maybe I came a very, very long time ago. 

But that was was a long, long time ago. 

It wasn't the same for my friend the East-sider, however, who not only had great memories of the times he'd come here for late-night supper with Family, he had also fond memories of the food they'd had here.

Noob that I was had no idea what was best here, so off my friend went, and very soon, came back bearing a plate of flour crackers and ngoh hiang from the ngoh hiang stall he and his family used to buy. 

The taste, he said, was still the same- little rolls containing minced meat and chopped water chestnuts, and big crunchy crackers that (I mistakenly thought) were supposed to come with a prawn head tucked inside. 

There was no prawn, of course. 

But this one was incredibly fun to eat. 

Super deep fried, it crumbled easily into pieces at the very first bite- and made for perfect nibbling all through dinner. 

Here's the funny thing: I Don't know  the name of this cracker. 

Neither does my friend. 

I guess we'll just keep calling it flour crackers.

Along with the nibbles from the ngoh hiang stall were the BBQ chicken wings. 

Don't underestimate these little bites- they might be a familiar sight at outdoor barbecues- but there's something about the way they're done here that make you want to order more. 

I suppose it's the way they marinate them.

Or it might be the way that they're constantly turned 360 degrees over the heat such that each piece comes out perfectly barbecued- with very crispy (and oily) chicken skin, and tender, flavorful, juicy meat. 

My friend ate his using his hands. 

I had mine with the aid of a tissue grasped in my hand. 

BBQ chicken wings are a staple of Fengshan, by the way. 

Never miss out on them when you're there. 

It would feel a bit of a waste otherwise. 

I should know; I've been back there a couple of times since the time of these pictures- and not on all of those occasions I've been able to have the wings. 

That's fine however; I went there (specially) for the porridge, and this century egg pork porridge is really, really, really good too.

I'm not exaggerating. 

We had it on this first time that I was there. 

And it's got me going back there twice since then. 

Thick and smooth like a hug that embraces your throat with comforting warmth, each bowl's got plenty of ingredients that you can either swirl them around and mix them with each spoonful, or you can leave them aside and alternate them with the smooth, almost silky rice porridge. 

My bowl had pork balls, pork slices, century eggs, plus spring onions, fried shallots, and a generous portion of crispy youtiao.

One thing I love about this porridge is the memories that it brings me. 

I've grown up eating porridge of the thick, thick kind, and even though I've been to places where the quality is Cantonese, not many of them come close to the homecooked style that speaks to me.

This one does. 

It makes me think of the slow-cooker porridges we used to make for Saturday dinners at home. 

It makes me think of how I liked scraping the sticky leftover bits from the sides of the cooker pot. 

And it makes me think of Saturday mornings at the market downstairs where we'd go to get fresh ingredients. 

The Family's gone towards the cold platter route with our century eggs these days, so, yes, I'm glad- I'm really, really glad- that I've found a porridge stall (in a hawker center!) that's worth traveling over an hour for all the way from the other side of town. 

Anti-Vaxxers VS Living Longer

It's Tuesday today. 

Come tomorrow morning- at don't know what time- the unvaccinated in Singapore will be disallowed into all dining places- restaurants, cafes, coffee places, bubble tea places, diners, patisseries, coffee shops and hawker centers.  

That's not all. 

Come October 19th, the unvaccinated will not be permitted into shopping malls and large standalone stores either. 

In recent days- no, actually- since Saturday when this rule was announced- there has been major discussion- on a nationwide level- over these rules. 

Some are for them, some are against them, some think they're too heavy handed, others feel there are too many grey areas that no one knows which is which and which is not and how will it be implemented and so on. 

I don't like to venture too deep into thought processes and opinions and solutions. 

There is no perfect opinion the same way there is no perfect solution. 

It's all very subjective. 

Moreover, to talk about the unvaccinated we have to retreat all the way to who exactly the unvaccinated are. 

I'm not sure- I might be wrong- there could be many subgroups out there, but in general (I think) there are just two main groups of Unvaccinated Persons. 

One group is the Live Long. 

The other is the Anti Vaxxer. 

The Live Long group comprise those who don't wish to be vaccinated for medical related reasons. 

Some of them have been certified. 

Some of them have not. 

There are those who are already taking medication for current conditions (even though not certified by a doctor) 

And there are those who look at the genetic makeup aka biological parents, siblings and close family and make their own estimations. 

Amongst the Live Long group are those who have an aversion (usually longstanding) to any form of drugs in their body, unless absolutely, absolutely necessary. 

And then there are those who have gone through life (more or less) without much health conditions and so do not wish shake the immunity/body system. 

It's not very hard to identify who these "Live Long" individuals are. 

They're the ones who take a rational, subdued, almost regretful tone when speaking about the vaccine because even though they do recognize the need for medical/drug intervention, they regret that they cannot, and don't wish, to risk it for the sake of living longer. 

With them they are very clear on where they stand- and more often than not- they take the road of caution and social responsibility. 

You won't find them gathering in groups of four or five chatting boisterously. 

You won't find them huddled around a table at a coffee shop or a hawker center or intermingling with others. 

These are the ones whom you find sitting alone quietly at a table either having their meal or enjoying a cup of kopi. 

These are the ones whom you find sitting alone at the public spaces for a couple of minutes watching the youth have a random game of basketball. 

And these are the ones who mostly stay home during peak hours and occupy their time with the television and the radio. 

Many of them stay alone. 

Or they stay with another person whom they do not wish to burden. 

Ask them about the vaccine and they will  tell you- somewhat regrettably- that even though they know the virus has really thrown the world into chaos and they (should) go for the jab, they know they have (insert medical condition) or they know their siblings and late parents have had (insert medical condition) and although they know they're at higher risk of the virus, they've weighed their options and the risk of one outweighs the other. 

That being said, there are also the "Live Longs" who throw all caution to the wind and really, really, really, REALLY live. 

Their attitude leans towards the "bochup heck care que sera sera haiya whatever then whatever" kind. 

These are the ones who go to the very same places as their more cautious counterparts do, but where those might be eating char siew rice alone by themselves, they'll (likely) not be eating *only* the char siew rice, but might also have a bit of wanton noodles, a bit of chicken rice, a bit of chap cai png, some beers, the cai tow kuay, and maybe even bee hoon from the zichar stall. 

And since a person cant eat all of that by themselves, along comes the interaction, the chatter, the chuckles, the coffee shop talk, the 'tasks' at the coffee shop, and of course, the intermingling as well. 

Let's just say there're a lot of heys and hellos with them. 

(That's not to say that they're the Unvaccinated Persons- many of them have gotten the jab- that's just to say that there're the Unvaccinated ones who do go out and live life never mind the future) 

I'm more sympathetic with this group when it comes to the new rules. 

I'm, however, far less sympathetic with the other group. 

The Anti-Vaxxers.

If it hadn't been reported that there're Telegram groups, I wouldn't have known that there were that large a community around. 

It's quite hard to differentiate an Anti Vaxxer from a Live Long for the reason that Anti Vaxxers use the same (medical) reasons for refusing the vaccination.  

But, given a recent news report, and given the one time where I 'couldn't stand it anymore' and interacted with one, may I just say that these Anti Vaxxers don't just stick to the medical reasons, or the "live long" reasons, but instead have many other (oft longwinded) explanations that somehow seem to have a similar sort of reaction and belief pattern? 

For one thing, they're very religious. 

Okay, I don't mean religious as how we describe the religious (believers) of the worlds' known faiths. 

But I mean religious as in how they're very, very passionate about what it is they believe in. 

Which is strange, because I don't even know what it is they believe in. 

For one thing- and this I'm quite sure- it isn't the known faiths of the world- even though a good number of them claim to be followers and worshippers- and can quote (bits and pieces) of the faith they say they are in. 

Come to think of it, those I've observed so far seem to like quoting (or misquoting) the Bible. 

They call you (all of you) "sheeple". (Which is dumb as heck because as far as I know there're not that many Faiths that have a Shepherd and Sheep- I know only of one- and so if we're following the 'wrong' shepherd, then they must be following the 'right' one, but they don't behave like the 'right' one, they don't know who the 'right' one is either, and when confronted with this question, they can't answer except to go defensive and call you dumb sheep all over again)

They take verses out of context. (Including but not excluding the Sermon on the Mount) 

They focus on the devil more than they focus on God and faith-based teaching or even on the verses in the Bible (Because somehow the vaccine is an act of the devil and the devil is smarter than us- but hey, WHERE then is the Lord?)

There're a lot of nasty words firing from their mouths, trust me. 

It can't even be called toxic- because it isn't. 

With toxic people there's usually an identifiable psychological issue that a skilled psychiatrist or psychologist can decipher its root. With these people, it's more like there's some sort of Anger that's concealed beneath the surface which then is spat out through words (it's often words) that contain a mix of condemnation, condescension, sarcasm, spite and goodness knows what else which (although make them sound intellectual- all the big words) do nothing but create fear, worry, panic, guilt and most importantly, are not kind. 

The lack of kindness is not in any faith, I do say. 

Which then makes me wonder- why out of all the religious texts in this world they would choose only the Bible to 'quote' from? Why not.. I don't know.. other texts from other faiths? Surely they too have been translated to English that these intellectual ones can understand?  

Not just the Christianity faith that is pulled into this whole debate, there're also a lot of conspiracy theories floating about. 

In the last couple of months alone I've heard that the Illuminati were responsible for the vaccines, I've heard that the Freemasons had something to do with it, and that all these vaccines were the same as what Josef Mengele did to the Jews during the Holocaust. 

I can't speak for the Illuminati or the Freemasons but I do know that Israel vaccinated quite a good percentage of their people, including the Shoah survivors, and I doubt very much those survivors compared the vaccine to that of what they went through in Auschwitz-Birkenau. 

There's quite a lot of deceit and guilt tripping going around the Anti Vaxxers. 

Some of them claim that they should take a particular drug over the other, and maybe there are people who use it as a form of treatment but such advice is all fine and friendly until a particular person acts upon it, consuming said drug (which they paid money to same Anti Vaxxer for, no less) after having gotten a dose of a 'less dangerous, less sinful' vaccine. 

It's quite obvious by now where my leanings lie. 

Which brings me to the whole point of all this blather. 

Maybe it's necessary to place in some measures. 

Maybe it's necessary to be stricter. (Not like it wasn't done before)

But the Live Longs and the Anti Vaxxers aren't of the same category. 

They don't hold the same beliefs, they don't say the same things, they don't behave the same way, they don't even dispense the same advice. 

And so I find it a huge pity that because of one side (whom I'll daringly say are self centered) the other side has had their lives disrupted, their social interactions compromised, and their regular errands thrown into chaos. 

You might disagree with me, but even though I might be able to understand why Unvaccinated Persons can't sit in coffee shops and hawker centers (over exuberance, late night coffee shop talk, masks off thingy), I'm afraid I can't see the same logic for denied entry into shopping malls. 

Before we go into the 'haiya what's the big deal just don't shop lor', we have to put into perspective what shopping malls mean to the lives of Singaporeans. Unlike other countries where retail space and retail footfall are not major factors of the annual calculations, here on our little island, they are. 

What that means to us the consumer and local dweller is that many- many- of our regular services, errands and lifestyles are built around the stores available only in the malls. 

Mind, it isn't just the Pioneer Gen who are Unvaccinated. Younger ones might fall in the Live Long category too. Why does a Live Long Merdeka or Boomer have to be denied entry to, say, HOOGA, UNIQLO, MARKS & SPENCER, SCOOPZ, MUJI or even DAISO (because the Anti Vaxxer Merdeka or Boomer type is denied)?

There are stores in these malls that are just not present in the 'downstairs' shops. That's just how it is- for our island- and somehow- somehow- I find it a little hard to accept that the rules should be the same for all Unvaccinated Persons, especially since there are now no more empty seats in the malls, the SDAs are very onz in their job, they can't dine in at food court or restaurant, they can't snack behind one pillar- it's not permitted (I should know) and their masks are on almost all the time.

It's already hard enough for the Live Long Unvaccinated Persons to be denied the dine-in liveliness of our coffee shop/hawker atmosphere.

Let's not deny them entry into an aspect of what is a very fluid part of our economy. 

Let's not shut them off from the world they did work hard for and contribute to.

And even if they be the anti-vaxxer kind, there's not so much impact on prevention as the fact that they now have 'another' reason to justify their Anger, and in any case, they can mingle and dispense the same sort of advice to their followers/friends/listeners elsewhere on this island, can't they? 

The Food of HA HA 2021

Locally transmitted COVID cases in the country have crossed the 1000 mark as of Saturday. 

Case numbers now stand at 1004. 

It is a little boggling, I have to admit, particularly since most of us have been vaccinated, most of us have kept to the masking and social distancing rules, and furthermore we have had two Heightened Alerts (HA) this year. 

It's funny but I actually remember the first HA more than I remember the second. 

Even though the second took place in August- just over a month ago. 

I guess time blurs out when you don't put much thought into what's going on where the days just roll at their own pace (thank God- I'm done with excitement).

There was, of course, a significant change in lifestyle. 

Like how instead of keeping to the regular routine, we found ourselves planning our day's schedule around the meals we were going to have. 

Those were days where we asked ourselves if we were going to order in our meal, if we were going to go there, do a takeaway and bring it back to the officetel, or if we were going to make it such that we'd do a takeaway and then find a public place to enjoy our meal?

Let's just say that I don't think I've had as many picnics as I've ever had in my life. 

It was pretty fun, all of it.

There was once we did a basil rice and pad thai takeaway from this Thai eatery in Chinatown and had it whilst seated on the benches in Hong Lim Park. 

There was once we bought burgers and fries and munched them sitting under a plant at the open area between Millennia Walk and Marina Square. 

Then there was once where we had our wagyu burger, ebi rice burger and iced milk tea sitting on the wooden platform of the Sentosa Boardwalk facing the waters of the Sentosa/Mainland 'pond'. 

I don't think I'll forget us (carefully) balancing paper bowls of century egg and pork porridge whilst being crouched on square shaped seats in this little interim park across the road from Raffles City and the Padang. 

And neither will I forget the day we had our hawker meal of ban mian and chicken rice at the void deck under a block of flats near the hawker center. I remember this well- because although I was hungry, I had been rather happy to see tables at residents' corners being occupied by diners happily having their meals there. 

Amongst some of the most memorable meals I had this HAHA included salted egg chicken with rice from this newly opened stall at a coffee shop down the road, a whole deep-fried chicken from this fast food place at the Wisma building in Geylang Serai, and some of our self-prepared brunches.

It's funny; looking at these pictures now I realize I don't know if they're from HA 1 or HAHA. 

Some of them look like they might be from the first one...

Doesn't matter- I really enjoyed them all. 

And, frankly? 

I wouldn't mind eating some of them picnic style again. :)

Shot One Shot Two

It has been a week or so since the app on my phone indicates "Vaccinated" 

Whilst that has been a bit of a relief- a good portion of my meals are either at dine-in or best consumed at table- I must admit I wasn't an Early Adopter of the Vaccine. 

I don't mean that I'm an anti-vaxxer. 

Neither do I mean that I had been influenced by friends and loved ones. 

It simply means that I didn't rush out for an appointment when it opened to folks my age. 

But, yeah, it's been done. 

Were there misgivings? 

Yes... a little.

Besides the fact that I haven't had an injection since (I don't know when)- there had been a (physical) inflammation blowout earlier this summer, and- given the chemistry of the Vaccine- well, let's just say I was concerned about the slightest possibility of a second blowout.

But life is such that it has to go on. 

So the appointment was made, and it was done. 

The procedure was smooth. 

You got there, showed the staff at the entrance your appointment SMS, and went to sit down in a tent/hall with a number slip in your hand. 

When your number flashed on the screen, you went to this desk at the front, showed your ID, answered a couple of questions and then got redirected to a queue by the side. 

Less than five minutes (or so it felt) and I went into the hall towards a booth where the shot would be done. 

Again it was very efficient- showed me the Vaccine in the bottle- had me take a deep breath- and it was done.

Out I went to the Observation Hall after that where I was shown a seat at the back. 

Here's where it got a little embarrassing. 

This was my first shot. 

And because I didn't know that I was supposed to go to the front when called, I happily plugged in my ears. 

They probably called my (number and full name) three times or four (which, of course, the whole hall heard, so malu) before I heard it through the music from my earphones and stumbled out front. 

Second time I knew better. 

Never mind that my chair was much nearer the front. 

I simply sat there and watched the screen. 

The second shot was more "thrilling" than the first.

Besides the fact that it rained (I love rain), and that Gojek sent me a Beemer (with a driver that cut across three lanes smoothly on the highway), the side effects were also more dramatic. 

If the first shot had been fine- other than a sore arm- well, they came with the second. I didn't get the fever or anything serious enough for the A&E, but hey, I got the chills and the body aches and they were equally bad. 

Funny thing is that they didn't happen immediately= we still went out for some nasi lemak and bingsu. :)

They happened the very next day. 

I don't think I've ever had chills, nua-ness, or a body ache this bad.

I mean, this ache wasn't just at the arm (like the first time). Instead it was all over- at the back, the arms, the waist, the neck, the thighs, even the ankles.

I know my ankles hurt because I walked out to get dinner that evening, and my legs ached so bad I thought I was going to just drop the plastic bag of soup and rest on the kerb by the road side. 

That dreary discomfort was just for the day, however, and I was all right after that. 

I've been all right thus far. 

Nothing too frightening that I haven't been able to handle. 

I'm still continuing with the barley water, the green tea, the orange juices and the coconut water, however. 

After all, regulating the body's level of heatiness- despite it being a month or so now- seems like a necessary thing that someone with my (physical) system has to do. 

ECP and Marina Barrage's Other Side

One of my favorite things about cycling is that I get to go to places that I normally wouldn't have a chance to go, or which I wouldn't think of going if I were not already halfway there.

Places like these be like Sarimbun, Neo Tiew Crescent, and Jalan Bahar. 

No one goes to Lim Chu Kang Road unless for a specific purpose. 

And no one goes all the way to Sarimbun unless you're heading to the Outward Bound Camp.

Lim Chu Kang is the through road I take coming from Jalan Bahar to Neo Tiew and Kranji. 

Sarimbun is another route altogether- I went halfway- saw it was too dark- and turned back.

I haven't been to these places in a long while. 

These days- what with social distancing and SAH- I tend to stick to areas nearer on the east side. 

Either Changi Village-Pasir Ris-Tampines-Bedok via the East Coast Park PCN, or Marina Barrage-Shenton Way-Keppel-Telok Blangah-Henderson-Chinatown-Kallang. 

There're several new places, however, that I do wish to go.

Like the new Jurassic Mile that opened not too long ago 

And the other side of Marina Barrage which I recently discovered. 

It was a gorgeous, sunny day when, instead of taking the Fort Road-Tanjong Rhu route to Gardens as I normally do, I decided to follow the other cyclists and take the bridge. 

The route wasn't hard- I basically followed everyone- but I did have to spin a circle when I turned out onto the road and forgot where the exact entrance of the Gardens was. 

I'm familiar with this place; I come here often, by day and by night, but not once ever- I tell you- have I made a left after crossing the bridge that spans the Marina Reservoir.

Until today.

Where I discovered, to my surprise and delight, just how quiet, and beautiful this side of the Barrage was. There were no children. There were no crowds. People drove in, parked their cars, and headed towards the Gardens. No one chose to linger by the breakwater. 

I had the space almost all to myself. 

And I fell in love with it. 

There's something very soothing about hearing the waves crash against the rocks of the breakwater. 

There's also something very hopeful about throwing your gaze over the surface of the waters to the horizon beyond- and know that the world's waiting for you out there. 

In a year like this where plans have gone to naught, where lives have been adjusted and have had to adapt, where business travel has become a process and where leisure travel is nearly impossible, views like these are the assurances we all need. 

What makes this space all the more special is that there aren't many of such spaces with the same views on our island. There's only other one I know of- near Siloso Point within the compound of Shangri La's Rasa Sentosa Resort- and which happens to be inaccessible to the general public this year.  

But I didn't stay there very long. 

One attracts a lot of (concerned) attention if you hang around at a contemplative place like this for too long a time. 

So I took a drink of water, whispered a prayer, made sure I had enough breaths of the sea salt air, and off on a familiar route to the Gardens side I went. 

Maybe it were the lack of crowds. 

Maybe it were I got emboldened by the sense of freedom that being on Daffy brings.

But here I went a little wild, pretending not to see a sign that said "no bikes" :P and sneakily slow-rode my way into a section of the Gardens that I think is sort of the back area (but open to the public), and where I managed to take a few pictures of Marina Bay Sands silhouetted amongst the leaves, and of the famous Supertrees.

Strolling Sights: the Clarke Quay side

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?