Sea the city
(View over the harbour container fields: Singapore)
I’m so glad that I live in an era in which cameras exist. I am even more fortunate to have a digital camera at my disposal, allowing me to take a vast amount of photographs, separate the chaff from the wheat and then share them via the internet. I honestly believe that if I didn’t have my photographs, an incredible portion of my memories would fade over time. Occasionally I have looked back over this site and read over passages that I hardly remember writing, after all, we are now approaching post number five hundred in a few days.
On one of our last nights in Singapore, there was a quasi Tan family gathering in a bar; we congregated there because Ying’s cousin (not Grace, but one of the boys) was the bartender. A few of Ying’s aunts and uncles turned up, including uncle and aunt number five (on his mother’s side*) whom we latterly took to ‘high fiving’ whilst shouting “uncle five!” or “auntie five!” depending on who we were slapping hands against. I suppose you had to be there, really, but it makes an outsider feel included in all the fun. Ying’s barista cousin graciously prepared every drink we ordered with panache and even took the time to herd all of us up onto the very top floor to witness the view from the roof. It was stunning. Only in Singapore could there be a whole town of shipping containers, lit like city streets in the harbour. We drove past them during the day many times and I never managed to conceive the sheer numbers of them; there are literally tens of thousands, I’m sure. I have to thank Ying for helping me take this photo. Mine look similar, but he has a grasp of the settings that make the night shots so punchy and dynamic. If you can see beyond the containers and into the ocean, there looks like another island in the distance. Do not be fooled, these are the lights of the many ships cruising around the shore, waiting to dock or pulling away from port. It is as if Singapore has no boundary at the sea, but continues on as a working city far beyond the beaches.
You may have guessed that yesterday was a late night, hence no post. You’ll have to forgive me at the weekends – my only really late nights or possible complete days off in the week, so consequently I do let ‘world meets rosie’ take a back seat somewhat. I will certainly be taking time off next weekend. I will travel (yes yes, again) to meet Ying in Milan, as in the summer last year. This time I shall be away for just three days, starting on Friday. On the up side, I might have more to talk about when I return!
* I tell you this only for clarification, in case you know him, or happen to understand the convoluted system of addressing family members in Chinese!
– Today Rosie is watching a film at the Glasgow Film Festival in Glasgow, Scotland. Obviously –
sorry, that is not Tan family’s gathering, all of them are Hui,
expect Ying. Don’t forget Grace is Hui. HaHa
sorry ‘except’ not ‘expect’
Busiest port in the world. Allegedly.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World%27s_busiest_port
You’re right, it’s Hui. I just meant they were of Ying’s family and not mine! I still find the extended family confusing!