I was reading The Adventures and Misadventures of Maqroll when a phase in the book struck me as very apt in describing a particular moment in Singapore in my yet-finished piece. As my mind was toying with ways on how to weave those words into the article, another pleasant surprise awaited me in the next sentences:
"... all transported me to a European colony somewhere in Asia, and for moment I could have sworn I was traveling across the Malay Peninsular between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, where I had enjoyed periods of relatively prosperity, thanks to the teak trade and other similar activities less easy to define." - Maqroll the Gaviero
In a space of six sentences, I was carried back to Singapore's colonial times, the old shophouses, its bustle and hustle, the heat and humidity, the fragmentary memory where I was playing with five stones and paper dolls. Ah, the power of words! Its aptitude to flood a tired mind with treasured emotions at its whim is... inspiring. I won't say its magic lets me indulge in the wild dance of joy but the simple pleasure which honest and true words evoke must be shared and announced to the world. Happy.
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