FROM THIS WINDOW

​An open letter to Yishun

After almost 40 years of living in Yishun, I moved out temporarily to another place. 
Today marks my 5th month here. 
So here is my open letter to Yishun

Dear Yishun,
It has been 5 months.
And looking out from this window, I have seen much more weird things in these 5 months than my 40 years in Yishun.

Yes.
More in 5 months, compared to 40 years. 

And they say Yishun is weird. 

I’ve said it in one of my stage play scripts. Those people don’t know what they are saying. They are just looking for a scapegoat to ease their insecurities. Or rather, to hide (or show) their lack of knowledge or awareness. I know of many other places weirder, which is weird that they don’t know. I don’t have to say where these places are. Maybe just Geylang is enough. 

Anyway, the 5 months I’ve been here has proved it. 

Let me list down the things that has happened here, behind these windows, that I didn’t see in my 40 years in Yishun.

1. Drunkards sitting at the community bench and making a ruckus till early morning. Even with closed windows, I can still hear them. They are still making a ruckus as I am typing this. 
2. No police patrol to shut these drunkards up. Yes. That is weird to me. 
3. A woman running along the pavement shouting for help. As I looked out the window, there was no one chasing her.
4. A toddler lying on a bench and crying alone across the road.
5. A stabbing across the road.
6. People lepaking outside a block. This is funny. People usually lepak at the void deck. But these people plant their seats and lepak beside the void deck.
7. Another weird lepaking habit is chilling, eating and facetiming at a carpark lot. Yes. At the carpark lots. And then he wonder why anyone would want to park there.
8. Bats hanging on the roofs. Yes I have seen bats in HDB estates. It’s common. But this one is really at the roofs beside the lifts. They just nest there.
9. One bat made it into one of my room one day without me knowing and got stuck behind my shelf. There was no noise or anything. One day when I shifted the shelf to rearrange the room, I found it dead and dried up there.
10. A neighbour screaming for help or assistance or I don’t know… don’t understand the language except for the random English words. She wasn’t alone. There were other people in the house. I don’t know if they were quarrelling or what. Twice. Both times at about 3am and lasted a couple of hours.
11. There was once a budgie got lost and played around the corridor. It was friendly. Obviously it is a lost pet. Hopefully it has found its home.
12. The lift is tiny. Can only fit 4 thin adults. 
13. Ooooh… and the smell in the air. It smells like shit from a farm. Not exactly chicken shit. Maybe fertiliser or just whatever shit it can be. This happens on hot days and rainy days. Can happen in the day or night.
14. Not everything is bad though. The cleaning service here is very efficient. Put something at the common dustbin, it disappears quickly.

So that’s all I can think and list down for now. I have never seen these things in my 40 years in Yishun. Maybe it is normal to some people. Which actually emphasises my point. If it is normal to them and their place, then how are these places less weird than Yishun. 

It is ok. Empty vessel makes the most noise. They are just looking for a scapegoat. Humans are like that. 

Anyway Yishun, I will be back. Hopefully sooner than expected. In the meantime, just be yourself. You do you. Let others say whatever they want. 

Wait for my return. 
Till then, take care.
​
Regards
Me