Basket.

And now for something I haven't done in a while - a midweek update, made possible because I have off for most of this week, although no long weekend thanks to that overt show of chest-breating militarism known as SAF Day.

The role of the military in contemporary Singapore is certainly one deserving of closer examination - but not here and not now.

The long weekend I did have, that is, the one just past, was a good one by any standards. I watched two movies in two days and added to my growing collection of history books (I'm afraid it may grow so large I'll never finish some of them) with three fine acquisitions from my favourite place in Orchard - Kinokuniya. Star Wars was good, and the Amityville Horror one of the better horror films I've seen (although it still failed to get me scared).

Another little anecdote that made me think again about how the years have simply disappeared; at dinner with Winston on Sunday prior to catching the latter above-mentioned film, he mentioned his sister. I idly asked how old she was, and was a little startled when he said she was Sec 4. Wasn't it just yesterday that he was mentioning her taking PSLE? No, wait - that was all of four years ago, when the two of us were still in RI, when the two of us were still classmates, when he was still this cute, homely little guy with a floppy centre-parting instead of the rather broader, more streetwise urchin with hair that fit that label with its shape.

Forgive me for that, if you are reading this. But if you can call me a "fashion disaster" on your blog... (not that I do not admit to being one)

Anyway, it was good to meet up with old acquaintances over the weekend, including the old BLYC gang. Brought back lots of memories, and it is always interesting to see how people change over the years - as they inevitably do, be it for the better or for worse.

And now to grouse a little. This isn't a new grouse, too. It seems most of the world that is free (in the way that a man who is not in prison is) is out there seeing other countries, other places, other destinations infinitely more exotic than this tiny island where there are only a handful of places worth the going and where those selfsame places virtually rob you of money a lot of the time. I'm jealous of this. Very jealous. I itch to get off this damned piece of dirt, because I haven't in all of five years. I feel like the proverbial frog at the bottom of the proverbial well, able to see only a small round circle of an infinitely vast sky.

The itch is there, but for now I can't scratch it. Very frustrating. I've been wanting to see an actual historical battle site for years and years now, but the best I've ever got is Bukit Panjang, where the Malay Regiment bravely held off waves of Japanese assaults during the Battle for Singapore. It isn't enough. The world has so much history, and as many books as I've read, I haven't actually managed to get out there and experience even the tiniest portion of it. It grates on me no end.