Bohemia Bunny

Back in the day…

March 30th, 2005 by lynnylchan under Blogroll

The Singapore blogosphere is currently full of entries about tremors felt in apartment blocks, particularly in the eastern part of the island. I can’t join in, because I live in the west and I felt nothing, nada, zip. The closest we came to evacuating was for the fire drill yesterday, which we’re required to have every semester just in case some idiot doesn’t dispose of his cigarette butt properly and starts a fire. Or in case someone plugs 5 electrical appliances into 1 socket and it blows a fuse. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised, having seen the kind of damage hostelites can wreak on a humble microwave oven.

I was informed, however, that my old hostel had to be evacuated. I lived in this hostel during my junior college days and I absolutely loved it there, it was as close as I could ever get to experiencing boarding school life, Enid Blyton style. We were located right next to the sea, just like in the Malory Towers series where they were on a cliff and had a natural pool. We didn’t have a pool, of course, and even the seashore wasn’t natural (it’s reclaimed land), but at least we had a lovely location with the sea breeze blowing all the time.

Anyway, they must have felt the tremors quite strongly due to their location in the east. The blocks are 11 storeys high, so they definitely had to evacuate. And these aren’t regular students, mind you. They are foreign scholars, handpicked by the government, and the handful of local students who live there are top sportspeople and club presidents. So of course the hostel authorities are anxious to keep them safe before the Ministry of Education berates them for losing bright young minds. And those of you who were hoping that the building would at least fall on some China students and eliminate the competition - don’t so bad, can? Skali squash some Indonesians and Malaysians also. Then there’ll be a nice diplomatic row going on.

Politics aside, I miss that old hostel. It’s a far cry from Yousucks, it’s new and modern-looking instead of rustic. Boys and girls lived in different blocks, and no way could we sneak into the other block because of the security outpost right at the doors. The food wasn’t fantastic, but it was okay, and the caterers were nice people who remembered if you didn’t take beef. We used to play bridge in the dining hall, because that was the only place boys and girls were allowed to mix with each other. And during exam time, the corner tables would be occupied by couples studying together. Yes, we had couples too, although they were the exception.

I miss those days. Sometimes I long for the innocent times, and the walks on the beach, and I miss going up to the 11th floor to take in the panoramic view of the sea with the tankers.

For 6 months that place was home.

Disclaimer: I like China scholars.
I am also very fond of Asean scholars.
I am not trying to make fun of the earthquake. It’s not funny. We’re currently praying for news of a hostelite’s family. His home village is on the island of Nias where the epicentre hit. I may be frivolous but I’m not heartless.