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Bugis


The sights and cacophony of colorful street artists plying their trade greet me the moment I step onto the bustling street. The aroma of delectable hawker fare immediately follows, wafting across the street, melding with the pungent incense and the roasted fragrance of chestnut to form a uniquely characteristic scent. This is Waterloo Street, a street pulsating with the rhythm of life, a street where I feel like home.

My parents introduced me to Waterloo street in Bugis when I was just six years of age to pay homage to the Chinese deities residing in the Kwan Imm Temple and pray for peace. Thereafter, I have made a myriad revisits to the temple as a student yearning for good results, as an executive wishing for career advancement and always as a Buddhist praying for peace and prosperity.

Since the preliminary visits to the temple, Bugis, resonating with its buzzing scores of interesting fixtures and activities has beckoned me on. I have developed an affinity for Bugis, grown accustomed to its diverse groups of people and become assimilated to its distinct ‘culture’.

I could not exactly remember in details each of the countless visits I made to the scores of hawker centres there which offer mouth-watering treats at amazing good prices (till today), but one common thread through all the visits is the warmth of the stall owners. This warmth, coupled with the pleasant atmosphere of dining with friends certainly mirrors dining at home!

The National Library, at one corner of Bugis, is till today my favorite haunt since it opened. I could still recall the long laborious hours spent there revising my studies and preparing for the examinations around the corner. Used to be my ‘study room’, the library is now a knowledge hub for me as I bone up on various snippets of knowledge from its voluminous tomes for an enriching life.

Shopping malls, fixtures not to be missed during my trip down to Bugis are where friendships are cemented, woes are shared and time seems to fly during each shopping trip. I feel like home enjoying common things with friends at these malls: interaction, dining, patronizing the shops and poring over the latest gadgets and fashion.

Over the years, new buildings have sprung up in Bugis but the warmth of home Bugis exudes has stood the test of time. I feel at ease as at home in Bugis, having a wide array of choices I could do here: shop, eat, read, pray and simply relax !
As I grow to be part of the Bugis as it grows to be part of my life, I have forged an inextricable bond with the area. I am always home in Bugis for it is a repository of my precious memories, a place where people and things are ever so familiar to me, a place which has seen me through the various phases of my life, a place where common things are shared …. a place where I feel like home
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Doreen said…
I only know the great shopping mall in Bugis! Hehehehe
Sun Dec 28, 05:00:00 AM GMT+8
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