I made this trip back to Singapore to attend the wedding of a friend, whose wedding invitation read "to my closest comrades". The wedding couple was radiant and I'm so glad.

Changes I wasn't aware of here confused me: roads changed, bus stops relocated, new shops sprung up and old shops closed. I didn't think I was away that long, until a girlfriend told me she thought I had been gone a year when it's barely 6 months with regular flights home.

Unlike what I've predicted, it hasn't rained since I've been back, or at least that I was aware of. I'm pleasantly surprised. Maybe I've become a rain-stopper.

I slept very little every day and tried to do as much as I could.
I went drinking at 2 new bars which mysteriously sprung up in my absence.
I met friends who obligingly fitted their schedule to my availability.
I watched David Cronenberg's "A History of Violence" but had no time to catch up on my DVDs.
I uploaded nearly 200 more songs into my iPod and hoped that would suffice till Chinese New Year.
I still haven't made it to any Zoukout.
I've received early Christmas gifts.
I remember that this year is the only year for a long time in which I won't be spending Christmas with friends.
I still got teased for falling asleep during drinks with my drinking buddies.

And though I think I'm doing great in Hong Kong, every trip home to Singapore makes me wistful.