The Day My Mind Flew to Singapore and Died

About three or four Fridays ago I got so bored I hitched a cab to the LCCT, booked the next available flight to Singapore, and landed myself there an hour later.

...which is what would’ve happened if I wasn’t so bounded by the seemingly natural order of going by the rules. Other than having a fun alone time on my own and exploring a city-state so near to my country yet I’ve never been there, I would’ve faced immediate disbelief and possible backlash from immediate concerned parties: namely my family and a few friends.

I’ve had it all constructed in my mind, in the guise of a quick thought-out plan that was nearly perfect. This is what I would’ve done:

• explore the infamous Geylang soul of the country
• meet up with my two lesbian backpackers whom Siew and I befriended in Laos, if they’re free
• immerse myself in the nightlife
• spend a night at a backpackers’ motel
• fly back the next day, complete with pictures as proof that I’ve done the unthinkable

But I know that all these would die inside me because I’m too bogged down with routine. And sadly enough, I even felt a little contented and happy with all the expected things that would happen – where my happiness would peak on Wednesday 3pm weekly without fail because that signifies a three quarters end of my academic week, and I only have a single afternoon class on Thursdays, and thereafter on the next three consecutive days from Friday to Sunday I would declare them as my weekends. :)

Whenever I felt too shackled by routine, my mind would take me back to 5 months ago when I was in Laos and Thailand, and replay all these mental videos that screened me as one of the two carefree protagonists where spontaneity ruled our world, and like a baby with a pacifier, I’d feel contented and happy sucking on it once more. And whenever I start to miss those days of backpacking, my yearning for further travels would peek through sigh.

I’ve always advocated Laos to my friends as one of the must-go destinations before development starts to ruin it like everywhere else in the world (I was shocked, with mixed feelings, when I read a news report that the road that linked China and Laos has completed – all the charms of travelling through rickety, potholey roads that would be drowned and inaccessible by floods during rainy seasons would be gone :(). And then my friends would tell me – through their lack of knowledge, understandably – that they’re afraid they’d be bombed to smithereens ala Myanmar’s landmines WTFBBQ when Laos is far from that. And if we book flight tickets early and everything, the expenses of travelling there would be similar to Langkawi, if not cheaper I kid you not!

I also had a strange vivid dream last week in which Oselyne MSN-ed me about her going to Paris and I flew there straight the next day (in my dream lah) wtf. And I was contemplating whether to buy winter clothings or not ‘cause I somehow remembered Suet’s blog post about 20 degrees Celcius and something about spring, and then decided not to and before I knew it, I was already boarding the plane.

Hahahaha I guess I can’t kill off this travel bug that’s biting me.