Grecian Statues And Late-afternoon Stars

I had a lovely lunch with Kel and Xiu today. I’ll skimp on the gastronomical details, but we ate at Stewhaus in Siglap before walking down two or so shophouses to the cheesecake cafe for dessert. Apparently, bus number 32 does not in fact turn left after Frankel Avenue towards Siglap - instead it turns right, and goes on to head past St. Patrick School. Ignorance of this resulted in Kel and I walking in the searing heat for a good ten minutes. It was impossibly muggy.

I think I forgot to announce that Kel placed second in the Commonwealth Essay Competition! Second in what is essentially half the world by virtue of geography! Incidentally they somehow transliterated her last name wrong, and thus I was deeply confounded for a moment on Wednesday while I was scanning through the results - but of course there’s only one Kellynn in SAJC who submitted her essay for the competition. (Coincidentally, Jun En, who was awarded a ‘Highly Commended’, was another victim of their sloppy name-checking - lol, ‘June’.) I’m immensely proud of her, holy shit, winning the Commonwealth Essay Competition is the stuff of dreams and the aspirations of covetous school principals salivating at the prospect of a marketing coup for their Junior College programme. This also means she beat such impressive essays as Daryl’s and, uh, Patrick’s? Don’t bother hiding behind your veil of secrecy any longer, Kel - EVERYONE’S going to find out. Especially if your school happens to include a mention of it in their promotional materials. Also, you should obviously post it online. I digress.

So we caught up first over lunch, then amid the quaint interior decor of the cheesecake cafe - miniature statues in the style of Ancient Greece, antique clocks abound, and sunlight streaming delightfully down through a sunroof upon an indoor pond which provided a measure of Zen with its subdued trickle of running water. I am seriously in love with the ornamentation - few cafes can boat such tasteful attention to detail, much less the old-world charm it exudes. On a unrelated note I have confirmed my suspicions about myself being decidedly un-photogenic (at least in comparison to my friends). I am much better kept behind the lens than put in front of it, as one of the following photographs will evince. Nevertheless:

Also, Mom: I am thoroughly dissatisfied with your compact camera. It flounders in low light!