- At Marina Bay Sands, after the National Day parade and fireworks, 9 August.
happy birthday Singapore! (:

And yet, our nation, and my 姨妈 turns another year older!
But this year, is different.
This year, I'm back from the States a fresh graduate, having spent the better part of the year in Buffalo, NY.
I miss Buffalo, the traveling, seeing new places, the freedom and opportunities in a place where nobody knows me,
and I knew, that coming back home would be a different experience altogether.

.....

A week before I was due to fly home from New York, I wondered about how much things might have changed, how different life would be at home, and also how difficult it would be to adapt back to life in Singapore and the changes (like the weather!) that I know I wouldn't necessarily welcome back with open arms.
But open arms did Singapore certainly welcome me back with.

I would not forget just about a month ago, when I touched down at Changi Airport, feeling extremely tired from my long transit in Doha from JFK, but hearing a Singaporean accent greet me at duty-free made it all the more exciting for me to finally be home.

So some things have definitely changed;
Marina Bay Sands is all spectacular and rolling in the big bucks,
the cost of public transport has increased,
SOTA is now open,
the other half of our Circle Line is due to be opening soon,
I visited Marina Barrage for the first time last week and wow, was it fine,
no one told me Lido was given a makeover! (There's IMAX now?)
And there's also another reason to love my neighbourhood, Kim Keat more this time around.

But other things never do,
Like how humid the weather is,
Or how glamourous Orchard Road still looks,
Or how the teh si peng and bah chor mee at the local coffee shop still taste the same,
Or how we all still speak natively in a fantastic mix of singlish and hokkien,
Like how friendship with some of my friends never change despite 6 months apart,
Or, like family.

And I didn't realise how I've gotten so used to staying home alone or having friends over at my place anytime I wanted that I've forgotten how it was like to have a home-cooked dinner at home on weekday nights. Or how I used to love staying at home, but I'm more comfortable heading out to seek the company of my friends these days. Or how 姨妈 never fails to cook a perfect bowl of chinese soup that warms the heart, or remind me to have my meals on time: "今晚有回来吃饭吗?", "有带锁匙吗?", and also not to get home too late.
It's these little things, that I must have overlooked coming home to,
that always gives home the feeling I might or might not have missed when I lived away.

.....

So, happy birthday 姨妈，and happy birthday Singapore.
Because this is where I know, it's home (: