Night Out at Singapore

As soon as the time touched 9:00 PM, it struck to my mind that I won’t be able to get to my room. My focus shifted from work which made the drop in pace of my work. I was trying to think hard of an option of staying somewhere but I could not think of any place at that instance. I wanted to say to my manager, I wanted to go back to my room but I feared of getting thrashed. I dint say anything and as the time passed I was getting assured that I will not be able to make it to my room in time and I won’t have a place to live for the night. This thought was suddenly disturbed by a colleague of mine. She said “It’s enough now let’s go home.” I nodded my head I agreement as I always do. I went out to freshen my thoughts and think of a tact to go to my room. As soon as I came back to the floor the situation had changed drastically and it was all tense. The girl was getting thrashed by our manager. The discussion was heating up every second. I didn’t like what was going on but was not able to intervene either. I sensed trouble everywhere. She was on the verge of crying but I could not do anything good because I am not the best person talk with in these situations. She moved out to her room before us and it all ended there. No one was able to talk freely at that moment because everyone wanted to bring things back to control.
We headed for dinner after I completed my task and the time was 10:35 PM. I thought of calling Maddy to ask how is she doing but thought of not doing it at that time as she would have wanted some time to decide on what she needed to do. I felt like calling my school friends in India as I wanted to get rid of the feeling that kept me pricking from within. I searched for my phone in my pocket and as I took it out I found there was only 2% battery left.
I was feeling like I am in the middle of the worst thing that could happen to anyone. Nothing was going my way. I took my food I haste and while having it I felt like there is something wrong in my throat as every bite I was trying gulp in was hurting my throat.
After having our dinner we caught up the last train towards city. I got down at Eunos MRT at around 11:30 PM. I still had hopes that they would be awake as it was Friday night. I went home and found the door all chained and locked. I cursed myself standing in-front of the door and then quickly realized that I had some keys given over to me by the house owner. I reached over to the keys and thought of trying my luck. The initial three keys worked which made me really happy and optimistic. I smiled for the first time on that day so brightly believing that after all it was not that bad a day if it ends in a good note. The last key and the door will be opened was my thought. But it never got opened. The lock was from within inside. I did not lose hope I was determined that the day can’t turn its ugly face towards me in such a way. I started looking out for bell. I found no bell around. I started knocking the locked door loudly. But it was of no use. The people around started coming out and look at me. I was putting back the locks on the door and thinking the next step to take. It was 12:00 Am now and I stood there for a second or two. I thought that there was no way out of this mess and with every passing second my throat was worsening. I thought I was catching up with viral and needed some antibiotics to treat myself. All my medicines were locked in. It was too late to go to any doctor. I then thought of changing my thought process. I thought let’s see how much more worse can happen in a day. I pulled up my bag which weighed a bit more than I would have liked to be to carry along for a night long hike. I told to myself there was six more hours to be spent before I can get some medicines and rest. I made myself ready mentally to spend the night on the road roaming on foot. I moved out of my block and started walking slowly that’s when it struck to me about a senior manager where I can go and ask for place for the night. I hired a cab and it took around another 20 min for me to reach Tampines block 888A. It was the place where I lived till I got a room. I knew the door never used to close till 12:45 AM. I reached there and it cost me 19 SGD with 2 SGD for late night travelling. I reached the place where the senior manager stayed and saw for my surprise that the doors were closed. I thought of checking it by pushing the door. It was locked and I again was dejected by the fact that there was no place rest as my viral was capturing every bit of my energy every second I exerted. I thought of knocking the door but I felt odd that I was trying to knock a door at around 1:00 AM. I thought instead I would call the senior manager. As soon as I took the phone out it struck to me that while dinner the battery was at 2% and I prayed that the phone was still on. It was not on and not even getting on trying to make it on the battery was totally drained. I smiled at my luck who I felt was laughing at me at that time. I said to myself I had to do this to see how the nights look like either ugly or beautiful will be decided after 6:00 AM.
Now I had to start all over again with the bag weighing more than what it did when I started from my room. I walked through straight in the path of cab that dropped me hoping to reach my room by 6:00 AM. I didn’t realize initially how beautiful the surrounding was as I was pre-occupied with thought of how bad was the day. I saw towards the right a park beautifully green and dark as it was late at night. I felt the things around me were speaking to me. They were pulling me towards it to have a look at them. I saw people jogging around at around 2:30 AM. I think I had reached Bedok by then. I assume that it was Bedok as I was walking on the side of a beautiful water body. I was amazed with another fact that the signal lights were still controlling the traffic and thing that amazed me more than that was the traffic were being controlled by those signals. I couldn’t see anyone jumping even a single signal. I had reached a junction from where I didn’t remember where to turn so I decided to go straight. I could see people cycling around and jogging around still it was 2:50 AM. Suddenly a speeding cycle came and stopped right in front of me. My heart started pounding heavily at the thought of what was to come as the whole worse experience came in front of me I couldn’t hear a word he uttered I started a move ahead ignoring what he said. He said excuse me again I came into senses and thought of fighting it out if needed I turned towards him gathering all my courage that failed to come towards me. He saw towards me and asked how to go to Tampines. I got relaxed and happy at the same time at the thought that it could have been worse. I gave him the direction and moved ahead. Moving ahead I dint understand which part of Singapore I had reached but it was all too lonely. It was then when I felt way too tired and thought of having some rest. It was 2 and a ½ hours walk with the weight that felt like unbearable now. I was feeling like I dint have feet and my shoulders were so soar that I felt like shouting out loud in pain but to do either of the activity I dint find a single place around. That pain reminded me of my colleague who did ask for my help by saying lets go home and I couldn’t say anything while she was getting thrashed. I thought I would give her a call tomorrow after getting up. My Viral was making me weak but then I thought I won’t give up today till 6:00 AM.
After some time I saw McDonalds in the nearby vicinity and thought of taking some rest there. It is a 24 hour fast food and famous place in Singapore. It is the most happening and people like the food over there very much was the thing said by the Cab driver who dropped me at my Manager’s place.
I checked my wallet for the money I was left over with because I needed to spend it resourcefully as those were the money I had for that month. I felt if it were like India then I would not be able to have anything. Still I decided to go in and give it a try. I ordered one medium coke thinking of the quantity in India and a medium fries. I thought that it would cost me around 20 to 30 SGD but it cost me 5.60 SGD. I took my food and found a two seat placed near a pillar and occupied that chair. I thought of putting my throat through a litmus test of whether it is really a viral infection. It was the only source of energy. As soon as I removed my bag I felt like I was in heaven and as soon as I sat down on chair every bit of my leg started paining so badly and weirdly that there is no pain like that I had experienced before. After finishing my French fries I thought of sipping in some coke the only source of liquid. As soon as I did it struck my throat a real hard blow. But I felt that if I wouldn’t consume at least some of it I wouldn’t last for another 2 and a ½ hours that were left. Even though it created some pain in throat I sipped in few large gulps of coke. Soon I felt my body energized and soon enough I dozed off on my seat. I woke up with a realization that I was on a chair in McD. I left the Coke cup on the table with the plate and got up from the chair. While getting up my thigh and calf muscles pained to that extent that it felt the muscles at those places tore apart. Dint show any reaction took the bag which my shoulders where not ready to carry any more and walked out with a limp. I had slept for around ½ hour on the chair. It was 4:00 AM. I walked and crossed Aljuneid. And then was walking and the roads were becoming busier. I saw girls cycling in the dark roads alone. I saw people jogging around. Few people under the alcohol effects going back to their after a night long party. I was walking the on the road and saw the name I was familiar with. It was written Eunos Link road which I assumed was near my place. I took the route and started walking on the road. As I reached the main road on my left hand side were the names displayed of the big automobile company name which I assumed were their showrooms. I found a bus stop where in it said 15A bus went to my place which was Eunos Crescent Block 16 which was near to Eunos Crescent Block 19. It was 5:30 AM then. I thought of leaving the buses until it was 6:00. I slept of on the bus stop seat. I was woken up suddenly by a strong wind which blew because of the bus which zoomed by the stop it was 15A bus and it was 6:00 at that time. I decided to catch whichever came next. I neither had power to stand nor to walk. I was dead exhausted and I was not able to keep my eyes open. I went to sleep every 5 mins for 2 mins after which I used forcefully wake myself up. I was thirsty but there was no water. My throat was on fire because of aggravated Viral. And I could see 15A bus approaching but was in no position to catch it. I pulled myself up with all the last bit of power left in me and came on to my feet before the bus zoomed by again. I found very hard to walk as the foot section hurt so badly that it was unbearable pain for first few steps. But I was happy because I was going to get to the room and take some sleep. This particular thought propelled me towards the approaching bus to stop it and get on it. I tapped in the card for starting my journey and sat on a seat near to door. At least the wind that used to get in from the opening door would wake me up. I slept off dint know when and how I got up at my bus stop but it was a bit too late. I got up and got ready to get down in the possible stop. I got down at the Eunos MRT stop and walked back to my room which was like a eternity with every moment difficult to keep my eyes open even while walking with unbearable foot pain and Viral throat pain. The shoulders were about to tear apart. But there was a happiness of accomplishing of what I had thought of. Spending the night out on the roads and experiencing the worse and the good times. I smiled at myself and my Luck who would have smiled back proudly towards me as the day ended with some accomplishment even in the worst of condition. As I reached below my block I saw towards my room owners flat doors which was open and welcoming me. It was a beautiful feeling even though I was getting down with viral. I went to the room and slept. I got up at around 1:30 PM called my colleague up had lunch with her and my senior manager. Got a bit more temperature and dehydration at night and was alright by Monday and was fit and back to work.
The main thing I learned from that experience is the day becoming bad or good is upto you, how you see things coming towards you. It was mess of a day until I went out for a night out. And 5 hours of walk made the day pleasant and a sense of accomplishment crept in. This is where I end my first abroad experience.