I made a trip to Shenton Way area early in the morning to help deliver something for my Mum. It was quite early in the morning so when I reached there, the streets were still pretty empty and there was little hint of the rush of people who will be arriving at that place within the next half an hour or so.
Not there...
When I was leaving the business district however, people started pouring in, and as I walked within the complex maze of underpasses that leads to Tanjong Pagar, there were an endless stream of people in corporate attire charging towards me in brisk strides. They were holding their documents, carrying a laptop holder sort of bag, some on their cell phones, many others sipping coffee or reading the myPaper that was distributed at the entrance of the underpass. I soon realised I was the only one walking in the opposite direction; everyone else were walking towards me and then past me. I saw no one walking in the same direction as me, towards the MRT station. It actually feels a little lonely even when the entire underpass was crowded.
There were many times when I was going to this district for (scholarship) interviews and I was in the same sort of corporate attire many others were in. I was walking alongside these strangers during lunch rush hour and wondering if I’d meet these same people if I do work there a couple of years later.
But perhaps I won’t and there’s a chance I would once again find myself walking against the direction of where these corporate workers are heading towards, at least metaphorically. The purpose of my walk is the journey, not their destination…
