This evening’s audition brought me back to Katong; a place where I had spent most of my life in. This area holds plenty of memories for me… why even the audition place was where my deepest schoolboy crush lived. I’ve always imagined myself coming back here someday when I have it made, but this premature return arranged by fate made me nostalgic nevertheless.
It has changed much; the houses and apartments that I used to know are either torn down or in the midst of re-building, as a result of last year’s en-bloc craze. The area is still littered with lanshops, although the prices are now at a ridiculously low rate of $0.75 an hour. I was surprised to see one of my competitors then still thriving but then again, the shop might have changed hands a few times, just that they retained the name.
Its been too long since I’ve eaten a tau kua pau, and I was pleasantly surprised that the original store is still around, albeit in a renovated coffeeshop. But alas, it was sold out. You guys should really check it out, its called “Mary’s Tau Kua Pau” now, and the coffeeshop is at the junction of Joo Chiat Road and East Coast Road. its just a few steps away from Aston’s.
I decided to go take a look at my old shop unit at Roxy Square and its now occupied by this weird electronic foot reflexolology shop. Can you imagine the shop was still using my old floor carpeting! I had a good laugh outside and I think the patrons there must think I’m laughing at them, judging by the dirty looks they gave me.
Just around the corner was a hair saloon I used to frequent. This saloon is opened by four sisters, and I had been their customer from my corporate slaving days to my entrepreneur days. As I passed by, Lyn (the prettiest one) saw me and started to gesticulate wildly to the rest of the sisters.
I walked in with a broad smile and started saying hi to them. I was glad they were still around. I was also surprised that they recognised me and have caught me on tv before. They told me that while I’ve hardly changed, I looked thinner and more handsome.
Awww shucks.
If you guys are looking for a decent haircut around the vicinity, do check them out. I think the fact that they’ve been around for such a long time is surely a testament to both their skills and standards. And I’ll have you know the haircuts they gave me made me quite the chick magnet back then.
But then again, it might be the car I was driving then that was the magnet…
