Chatted with Aya san today at the airport where she stopped by for few hours. Said that she will not get to come to Singapore as often as she had been selected to fly within Europe for the next year or so. Seems like only yesterday that I was sending her off back to Tokyo when she decided to try out for ANA after spending two years in Singapore as a translator here in Singapore.
Aya san was somebody I met a few years ago in the now defunct Venom and we made far more than acquantaince for a couple of months before she decided on flying. Funny how she recalled about bumping into a common friend of ours on a domestic flight in Japan and our friend teased her on how she and I always seemed to be lost in our own world, no matter how crowded the place is, or no matter how many people there were in the group. I vaguely remember those times but I told her ironically now, I scoff at lovey-dovey couples who act as if the people around them do not exist. I mean, might as well you get a room or you just don't join any group outing right? Chee Wai and I always snigger at this couple of friends of ours, especially the guy, who seemed to have no respect for us and our friends. I mean, if you were to join a gathering, everybody's expected to at least entertain one another right? Or at least say hello and talk cock a bit right, out of courtesy?
Now I understand how some people must have felt. Hee hee...
Anyway, back on Aya san - she sounded very happy and contented with her current lifestyle. She raved about how her life now is no longer a boring routine, she gets to meet new people all the time, she gets to see new places and fresh perspectives about life as she mulls over her favourite frappucino at sidewalk cafes, yada yada yada. Hahaha!! I'm actually envious of her now. Although her appearance hasn't changed much, the glow from a different breath of air and surroundings seemed to have added an extra glint to her eyes and she speaks more enthusiastically about life now.
You guys must know that I do not fancy a routine stay-at-one-place-till-you-die kind of life and neither am I somebody who likes to be tied down, by routine, by people, by responsibilities, by convention or whatever. Aya san's response to this was that this was one thing we have in common with each other. She used to dread her nine-two-five life with her five-day-wait-for-the-weekend-for-a-movie-and-sushi bar life in Singapore and the only reason she stayed for two years was that her parents were here too, staying for a while with her brother (Toru san) who married to a Singaporean girl.
As I waited for Aya san at the airport, I also remembered Martine, an Australian dancer I met when I was working in Concorde Hotel (now Holiday Inn) in Havelock road. She was one of the people whose lifestyle I admired too. We used to go to Zouk when she visited Singapore (free entrance at that because I always arranged for rooms for Andrew Ing's famous DJs, including Fatboy Slim) and she travelled frequently to places around the world where her dance troupe performed. Martine also always talked of her boyfriend, who was a full-time Michael Jackson impersonator in Sydney. I haven't been in contact with Martine for a while though. Will remember to email her sometime.
Alas, it's been getting much harder for people like me to relocate. If I were to migrate to Japan, I would have to master the Japanese language and find ways for them to accept me. The Japanese are known to not welcome gaijins very well, only if you are a native English speaker and willing to be a teacher, teaching a class of often rebellious and murderous students (Battle Royale!! Hahaha!!). Or translator. The US is a no no for now, what with the stupid terrorist thingie. I don't have much impression of Australia and I do not like the look of PM John Howard, that baldie with the perpetually constipated face and looks like he's about to bawl like a baby any time. He who said "I will decide who comes into my country!!".
I guess my plan to have a global citizenship need to be shelved for the time being but I'm ok with it. I still have lots of friends from other countries, living in Singapore who make me feel that I'm almost one.
=)
