Stories of change.

Its been a long while... This blog post has been procrastinated and delayed and forgotten. But I still have so much reflections that I ought to pen down. So here it is!

Firstly, today, K and I went to select our pre-wedding photos! We took a whooping FOUR HOURS to select 40 pics LOL. The first 1 hour was spent commenting and laughing at so many pics. I doubt any other couple at the studio laughed so much at themselves haha! Then we narrowed down to 60+ and got too tired so went for teabreak. Literally walking to the nearby cafe, ordered some mocha and caffeine and an overpriced waffle for the much needed break. Then back to the dilemmas and evaluations and rational reasonings to our final 40. WE DID IT!!! Did not succumb to any extra top-ups and sales tactics. Actually, the staff tried to hint us to purchase somemore pics in typical mandarin. But I didnt understand what she was driving at and genuinely looked blur and confused. Her mission failed. HAHA.

Anyway. I recalled that I hesitated engaging a bridal studio. I wanted to save money. It was merely afterall, PHOTOS. But K wanted me to experience it, once-in-a-lifetime and hoped that I would have no regrets at all. So we went ahead. Till today, I still wonder why couples all say that wedding prep and planning are fun and exciting. To me (and K), its always still a dread. Still tiring. Still tedious and troublesome and expensive and at times, for-the-sake-of-it. But I am glad that I went along with the flow just to experience it. For that, I am really grateful. But really, no lies from me. It aint fun and exciting like how I was deceived and still am.
Photoshoot was tiring cos of my frozen smiles and the HEAVY gowns and my profuse sweat at Sentosa and the Raffia from the bridge at the beach all over my back and arms LOL hilarious me. Choosing photos was so brain draining. I had no qualms indulging in a $16 waffle.
Yet, I am ever grateful to be experiencing every moment of it with Kelven. So grateful I wanna cryyyyyyyyyyy... Today, we picked pictures that we both liked. I am glad that we did. :)

Yesterday, I brought dad to ECP for cycling. FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE that I invited dad along to ECP to cycle! The last time he had visited ECP was a decade ago perhaps. And cycling with AY! How rare!!! So K and I shared a tandem bike while dad solo-ed. After a while, I switched with dad so that K could be a tour guide and introduce alllllllllll about ECP and Gardens By The Bay East and Marina Barrage and GBTB to dad. haha!!! Dad enjoyed himself so much!!!!! So, I actually loaned K out to dad for much of the cycling trip. As for me, I enjoyed my solo ride. Im still fearful of cycling, from my falling accident 5, 6 years ago. So I fear crowd while cycling. I cycled far behind, lagging behind without pressure, at my own pace, glancing at the scenery while consciously challenging my inner cautions. I really did. I told K, it was ME-Time and I enjoyed the solo ride. I think I needed such an activity to clear my mind and managed to move my bum too. Typically, I dont talk to dad like a friend because of my family upbringing. Seeing how the 2 guys chit-chatted and were engaged, my heart brimmed with warmth. K and I concluded that dad must have been the happiest today, since the start of the entire CB. I fully agree.
Partly, I wanted to bring dad out to have some quality time and to enjoy the sun; something which I seldom get the chance to. Furthermore, I'll be getting married soon. I did not want to procrastinate.
Im so grateful for Kelven and the opportunity yesterday that I can cryyyyyyyy typing this...
You dont know how full my heart was.

AY cries too easily :X I also dont know why I became like this. Haiz.

The last reflection is about polling day. I served as an officer on polling day and it was so tedious. My day started at 330am and I returned home at 11pm. NO JOKE. However, it was really interesting seeing all my neighbours and other Serangoon-ers whom I would have never met in my life.
First of all, of course I got scolded at the registration booth for having 'no common sense' when a voter stood in queue to clarify some issues and blocked her path... and also got shouted at by an angry uncle who claimed that his father was 90 years old in hospital and couldnt come to vote when I told him all must be present then can vote... Humph. So I handed him over to the polling senior and he spoke with her amicably... WTH scold me little kid who has no authority right. !!!!!
But, what was heeartwarming was an entire Indian family living on my 9th floor who recognised me in mask and face shield and tied up hair and greeted me "hello, girl!". To my surprise, I replied "Oh you recognise me?" The mama replied "of course!"... so did all the other family members father and 3 children who all recognised me. On the other hand, all of the Chinese families living in MY BLOCK DID NOT RECOGNISE ME AT ALL. LOL. NONE. I noticed all of them but none recognised me haha. Some came solo, many came as a family. I saw neighbourhood acquaintances who have all grown up, whom I have not met for decades. Literally decades. Im 30 soon haha. And some neighbours who have changed in size... I had to return home and ask mum "Did this fam only have one daughter? ... But she looked different in size from my memory..." HAHA! Met my primary school friend working alongside me who is still a tad arrogant and also saw my secondary schoolmate who is as skinny as in the past. Some neighbourhood aunties whose reflexes became slow - went home and discussed these with mum. And recognised some coffee shop assistants and other friendly Serangooners who thanked us for our service. <3 Oh! And I learnt that an influencer stays at Serangoon North too. Daryl Aiden Yow... Well-informed aka kaypoh me noticed this well-made face... hmmm isnt that face familiar? Then, the Ballot Paper Officer called out his name and I was like OMG its really him! He had undergone plastic surgery and I know of his influencer stories... Nope, not a fangirl moment but it was cheap thrill simply KNOWING WHO HE IS. HAHA.

To me, being able to recognise familiar faces and witnessing how these people have become was really interesting to me. I felt like a bystander, people watching. Well, most of them will never know that it is me, other than that 9th floor family. I wonder, how their lives have changed, how much these people have grown and HOW ARE THEY now? Many of these acquaintances, I would have never spoken with ever and forgotten in due time. But on that day, it was heartwarming for me to see all of them again. I dont know why I am so nostalgic about it but I just feel this way and I shall share it on this blog.

It's not easy putting all these into words. I wished I had better words to describe these feelings of nostalgia, gratefulness, heartwarming feelings etc. But my English standard has stagnated as such. haha.

Thank you for reading AY's thoughts. :)
Love, AY.