Supposed to go to Fusionopolis, http://www.fusionopolis.a-star.edu.sg/, with Mr. HHH and Mr. Ow, since we’re heading to the west, I suggested going to the only branch that Nihon Mura has in the west for our brunch. It’s located at Jurong West Sports and Recreation Centre, Jurong West St 93. So the day before this trip, I did my homework and found that it’s actually quite near boon lay mrt.
While travelling at AYE, I happily saw an exit that states, Jurong West, so we happily enter, assuming to see St 93, popping right in front of us. However, street numbers are everywhere! And we actually got lost in Jurong! And I was wondering why in Jurong West is right in the middle of Boon Lay? Doesn’t Boon Lay have an estate of its own. Then we saw weird street names like, ‘International Road’ and ‘Coporation Road’, and we’re like lost in the middle between industries and residences!
Thankfully, we have a map in the car! Gosh! The scariest part is when I see so many signboards all over the place pointing street numbers everywhere! It make the whole place looks complicated and like a maze. Then I was relieved to see Hua Yi Sec, where I camped before for Red Cross’s West District Camp earlier this year, and Shuqun Sec, where I helped out the First Aid Com, which was held there last year. Phew… I’m not so lost afterall.
We managed to reach the recreation centre. It’s very big and nice. There’s a water playground with fountains everywhere! And it has all sports facilities under one roof. But getting there was like, Damn! The experience at that particular branch of Nihon Mura wasn’t that good. The salmon could be fresher.
The worse feeling I got at the West was two years ago, and the story goes like this:
It was after my O’s and while working at the airport and still wanted to seek a new job. So I checked the newspaper and found a job. I forgotten the newspaper description of the job, but when I got there and know more about it, I wasn’t very happy. It’s actually a sales job, selling pens and wallets and other stuffs. And we’re supposed to go out to the streets and sell! It’s like those people walking around hawker centre selling tissues. The office was at chinatown. And on the first day, a senior brought us around, for a so-called training. And we were brought all the way to Boon Lay!!!
It’s like going to a very unfamiliar place with strangers and that’s kind of disturbing, especially when we headed to those industrial areas! We took a bus that took us deep into industry buildings and no estates could be seen! There we sold wallets to the manual labourers and some blue-collar workers. At the interchange, I saw the longest queue I ever saw back then, (well, that’s before I take bus 69 from bedok inter to TP), it’s like a long human barrier dividing the interchange, all full of young adults, and they’re actually queueing for a bus to go NTU. Then there’s so many people in uniform in different clusters all over the interchange! Really like a country kid lost in a urban maze, back then.
After that we returned to Chinatown. And decided to make it the last time I’m going back to that office. Kie Wee’s workplace was near the office, and after a day of being in unknown territory, with strangers, it feels good to have a good old friend around. Well, I wasn’t familiar with Chinatown then as well.
I wanna go Boon Lay mrt again! This time is to really explore and get rid of that irritating feeling that I had for that place.
Actually, I’m quite familiar with Jurong East! JE! I went there like 8-10 times this year itself! For Red Cross stuffs and to go Acer to fix my laptop. And after going round Jurong West on friday, I’m quite okay with that area, with great assistance from the street directoy, perhaps its just the street numbers that freaks me out. Imagine an estate with 90 over streets? And with so many avenues? Just when I thought Bedok was like that until I’d explored it thoroughly ever since I enter TP, which is in Bedok.
I’m so grateful I live in Marine Parade! It’s just a simple stretch of road, parallel to east coast park. It has no avenues, no street numbers and its just one simple road which does not go circular. There’s just Marine Parade Road, Marine Drive, Marine Crescent, Marine Terrace and Marine Vista. Although it has no mrt, but it has buses that goes as far as to all directions Jurong East in the West, Yishun in the North, Punggol in the North-East, Pasir Ris and Changi Airport in the East, and into town area as well. All in a bus stop that’s 2min way from my doorstep.
Anyway, from Jurong West, we went to NUS. And damn, if only I got the $$$. I love books! I bought a book about social psychology. I find it very interesting, as it reflects studies done by psychological researchers who studied on human relationships! They actually studied like how people initiate contact with others, and how friendships, romantic relationships, companionships are formed and progress. I guess that’s what I want to be, studying about ourselves! I like to go to their bookshops. It gives inspiration and motivation. It provides a feeling of abundance knowledge and that there’s still so much out there to learn! It gives the feeling of hope and dreams. Every time I enter there, I just can’t wait to do my psychology degree, no matter what people say about how hard it is, or how inapplicable it is to get a high-paying job in this country. Because the feeling tells me that: It’s not about making money, or studying for the sake of anything, but pure passion for learning and pursuing what intrigues one’s heart and soul.
Zachary Ong Wei Ren 
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