Pieces Of Me

Being an outdoor person and restless if without exercise, I had to get out from the house and touch nature… like a cougar pacing back and forth in a tiny cage, restless, trying to escape into the wild where it truly belongs.

My bike ride was of a discovery of sorts. On Sunday I recaptured my youth. Well, not physically but with the many fond memories.

Sonny being confined to his room cramping for his midyear exams starting end this week and Wifey, being all nerves, anxious for him. I set on my journey alone. Alone time was good for my soul.


That Bright Light…

With no specific destination in mind, I set off in the direction of the sun. Like a moth to a flame, attracted by the bright light, I was fortunate to only get tan lines instead of getting burnt from the sun exposure the whole afternoon.

The direction pointed me to visit the abandoned quarry. It was secluded place, known only the observant few as it was not obscure from the outside. The tall lalang and the dense acacia and eucalyptus trees made the large body of water hidden from the eyes of passing people plying along Tampines Avenue 10.


Now, with the sewage works along both sides of this stretch of road, the dense camouflage is gone to reveal hints of shimmering lights flashing into people’s eyes, directing attention to it as if competing with the very public Bedok Reservoir Park on the other side of the road.

The once impenetrable wild nature that barricaded the quarry’s perimeter, coupled with a whole battalion of mosquitoes and alien-looking flying insects ready to ravage unsuspecting intruders, the fortress has been cleared-off its stealth, naked with a ready view of its jewel-like body of water right from the roadside.

Replaced with trimmed grass that lined the whole stretch of road, long gone were the insect guardians, replaced with swarms of people tracking into the area out of curiosity.


The entrance was an easy path to reach the water’s edge. There were men, local and foreign-looking, already sitting comfortably with fishing rods in their hands and lines already tossed into the water waiting quietly for a bite.

The far distance view across the quarry still has its rustic charm unperturbed by the developments surrounding it. Yet, I felt the remaining trees along the circumference of the quarry are only a temporary savior of its charm before they succumb to the loosing battle against development.


A privileged few found solace in a place lost in time, but is lost again. This time around, it is stripped bare off its secrets too.

Solace where thoughts remained private as the mind wanders away to the whims of the breeze that rattles the leaves on the trees and the birds sing to the tune of tranquility as the water dances to the light of the afternoon sun.

I took my leave soon after soaking in what was left of its charm. Captured its aura with my Canon dSLR 450D from as many angles while it is still naturally beautiful before heading off again in search for my long lost serenity, a childhood feeling so compelling, I yearn feel it once again.


Yet, that special place that exudes that one-of-a-kind feeling still eludes me to this day.


To be continued…