Wet, wet, wet

I didn't feel like going out today. Looking at the weather the past few days had been warning enough and yet, yet I found myself on my way to Bugis under the watchful cloudy skies of the two o'clock sun. I brought my umbrella, just in case.

Funny what umbrellas do to you. The last time I brought an umbrella out, I was so engrossed in openning it after driving , I left my handphone in my instructor's car. Now I can boast to my friends that I left it there since - counts fingers - last year. I wonder what happened to grandma's superstition on returning things before the new year started. Wait... is that the chinese new year or the english one? Oh well, anyhow, this time I resolve to bring more things back than I went out with.

Bugis street was packed to the brim. I had no intention of doing any shopping what so ever but that was before the rain came as quick and heavy as a elephant gone mad and trapped me in the claustrophic place for an hour or two. Ok, maybe I had wanted to get some things.

You see, since the unforeseen phone-nabbing, I had not been able to tell the time. Unlike some people who could , amazingly, tell the time(accurate to five minutes, mind you) by looking around them, I was no sundial. My last known watch was a kiddy digital one I am too shy to wear now though I assure you it was quite the rage last time. My good buddy,the Nokia 6110 ,had been the faithful substitute ever since.

So I set out in the quest for a more mature and less kiddy looking watch, all in the spirit of the Chinese Lunar New year.

The problem with looking for such a specific thing in such a big and crowded place is -yup you have guessed it -finding a place to start and getting distracted by other attractive erm...offerings like apparel, cheap CDs and more apparel. So I hunted high and low and into deep dark alleys which in turn led me deeper into the unknown.

At last, with an hour behind me, I found the stall I was looking for. A small, unblemished one located near at the entrance. With the hordes of people shoving through, I asked the uncle, who was amazingly calm with all the noise and the pitter pattering of the rain,

" Uncle, which watch is the most popular?"

"What kind are you looking for?" he answered in a clear ringing voice I knew had been worn and tested by the unforgiving crowd.

I gestured towards some Tag Heuer look-a-likes.

My decision was made up almost as soon as he showed it to me.

So did I achieve my goal of getting a more mature-looking watch? I asked my knowledgeable sister and got a very doubled sided answer.

"Uncle-looking le."




Thanks a lot.