My Morning Walk to Work

Every morning, I walk from Labrador train station to the office and in the evenings, take the same route back. It is almost 1km each way. The walkway is covered, so one can walk even when it rains.

I enjoy the walk immensely, watching all kinds of people doing their thing. I notice how people dress, and how they talk and interact with others. I pay attention to those who appear confident and try to deconstruct the source of that image (it’s mainly in their purposeful stride).  I have also come to appreciate how well Singaporean women dress and how almost everyone wears heels.

Various eateries line the walkway as it zigzags its way across an overhead bridge, a new mall and a couple of office complexes. People can be seen eating at any time of the day- that’s Singapore for you. Luckily for me, I have no appetite in the mornings and so am not tempted to join them. In the evenings, I sometimes stop by a bakery and pick up something to munch. 

There are two water bodies along the way, a small Koi pond and a large one with a huge sculpture in it. Both are cleaned by cleaning staff almost everyday. Often I see a group of toddlers sitting by the koi pond, supervised by their daycare aunties, chattering and looking in fascination at the colorful fish. I always have a big grin on my face as I walk past them- that’s what kids do to me.

The other bigger pond is another story. Men and women stand around it or sit on benches smoking. The whole stretch along that water body is full of acrid smoke. I dodge whoever I can, but it is almost impossible to avoid breathing in their second-hand smoke. I find it distasteful and disgusting and give lots of mental gaalis to these inconsiderate enslaved people. Hard to imagine I used to light up myself when I younger and lost.

The very last part of my walk is through a car park into the back entrance of my office building. It is almost industrial- no gloss or polish. I like it because the air is cleaner and there is almost no one around. I have this last 200 meters or so to collect my thoughts and get in the mindset for work. 

This morning routine is a big change for my impatient in a hurry to get to work personality, but it didn't take much effort to get used to it. In fact, on days I take a cab or have an offsite meeting, I miss it. Strange but true.