I shall call this post Emily

This was my second time coming to Singapore. I decided to follow in the footsteps of my past-self and go to the Singapore Art Museum on my first full day. The exhibits change every three months so there is a feeling of constant flow as you walk through the halls. The building itself used to be an all-boys school and is very aesthetically beautiful.

Walking though the glass doors, it seemed like a different place compared to my last visit, as if I had met an old friend after ten years.

Last year, it was the crutch of my trip. I spent a good eight hours in there carefully soaking up each exhibit, installation, and painting because I didn’t want to forget anything.  This year was the same, taking things in and trying to figure out the meanings behind them or how they could apply to my own life.

One of the exhibits was called Not Much to See which explored the importance of commonplace objects in Singapore’s environment. Though I don’t live there, I could relate to the simple every-day items. While looking around I got to have the pleasure of talking to the museum volunteer in charge of watching Not Much to See. We got into a deep conversation fast and before ten minutes would end, she told me that she loved me and that God will protect me. She told me that she will be praying for me while I rode my bus. I had no idea at the time how much her prayers would help me. The cute, short, Singaporean lady in her fifties ended our conversation with, “And my name is Emily! It stands for Every Moment I Love You!”

I left the museum and re-read the paragraph that they had posted in the front:

You have a need for other people to like and admire you, and yet you tend to be critical of yourself. While you have some personality weaknesses you are generally able to compensate for them. You have considerable unused capacity that you have not turned to your advantage. Disciplined and self-controlled on the outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure on the inside. At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing. You prefer a certain amount of change and variety and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations. You also pride yourself as an independent thinker; and do not accept other statements without satisfactory proof. But you have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others. At times you are extroverted, affable, and sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary, and reserved. Some of your aspirations tend to be rather unrealistic. 

I ended the day with going to Gardens by the Bay with my new Brazilian friends. It was fun, but the crowds made me exhausted and I wanted to go home. I was excited to finally get back to the hostel when they suggested looking for a restaurant to eat out at. We searched for a place that was open at midnight, and after a lot of shops turned us down, we found Burger King. I don’t eat fast-food so I declined and nibbled on the apple I had left in my bag. We finally returned to the hostel for the second time– tired, holding an unopened bottle of wine that they wanted to drink. I decided to go straight to bed and slept peacefully until I woke up in the morning to a tapping on my head.