Childhood.

Thoughts. 

I always have so much emotions whenever I get to Tampines. 

As I stood by the bus stop and felt a gush of wind breezing through my face, memories hit me so badly.

I remembered times when I was younger, my family would visit my Granny's apartment at Azelea Park located in Tampines every 2/3 Saturdays. 

We would arrive at Tampines in the afternoon at approximately 3/4pm, grabbing snacks from the shopping mall before heading there. 

Oh, there's this one favorite snack of mine I remembered. 

It's like an agar-agar kueh + jelly that's green in color, with a slice of kiwi. 

At the top layer lies the jelly, and the bottom layer is similar to a kueh/sponge cake texture which I always loved.

I remember when I first decided to try it, it's just because it looks pretty :p 

But never did I expect myself to fall in love with it. 

Years passed, and the same routine goes on until my granny moved over to my godparents house and stopped visiting Tampines since then, besides Ikea and Giant which we would still visit once in a while. 

Even the shop that sold my favorite kueh closed down since the revamp of Tampines mall.

So when we usually visit my granny's apartment, we would just

Sit around the house,

prepare dinner,

go for a swim & chill by the pool

look through my uncle's library of books,

throw my uncle's stuffed toys all over the place and my favorite was his Doraemon plush which can be transformed into a Dorayaki :D

watch tv in the living room with packet drinks and Hanuta hazelnut biscuits

I love the fridge in my granny's house.

There's like 3 doors, and the most accessible door would be the middle one, filled with packet drinks and Hanuta biscuits/Ferrero Rocher or any other chocolates that my uncle brought back. 

We will have ground peanuts available in the living room too as well as barbecued pork/chicken occasionally. Sounds like a snack feasting session even before dinner is served isn't it?

Then after, we would all gather in the dining area, using a mahjong table covered with newspapers. 

The usual dishes which are usually Peranankan  dishes and makes my heart flutter:

Sambal prawn

Chap Chye (mixed and braised vegetables)

Lotus root soup/Daikon soup

After dinner, my aunts and mum will then clear up the dishes while the rest would head to the living room and watch tv together. 

Remember those days whereby supermarkets have their variety programmes on Saturday nights? 

We still do have Sheng Siong ones now too, but are on Sundays. 

While everyone enjoyed the company of one another and get entertained by the tv program, sliced fruits are served on a huge plate filled with a variety of fruits and ice.

All of us just gathered round it, eating fruits and having small talks with each other or simply discussing about the tv programme together. 

It sounds like nothing, or maybe it's really nothing, but such cosy moments are something that you want to hold and cherish forever.

It has been a few years since Granny passed on.

But these memories have never faded.

I remembered how much she loved roasted meat with rice, and she has a sweet tooth.

I held her hands by the bed side and I remembered her saying she wants to visit Korea.

She wanted to see snow.

I would love to visit Korea too, and I hope I can view these things on behalf of her.

Time to work harder cynnie.

Haha.

To think back about it, these are some of the moments which I never used to think that they are special.

But now they are, and holds a significant spot in my heart.

It was indeed a biggest regret and pity in life that we did not get to see that very last moment of her.

But we know she did not want us to witness that very moment.

She was thoughtful.

I miss you Granny.

And when I typed all these words out, many images flashed through my mind.

I got teary-eyed, but at the same time, I smiled.

It was conflicting.

There are so many happy moments to reminiscence, but there are so much misses and wants to get back to those moments.

This is a part of my childhood.

Some childhood moments that I will never forget.

Saying this out,

I hope I sleep sweet tonight with these memories that are precious as gold.

Sleep sweet & goodnight,

cynnie.