Round Island Birthday Trip

Last Saturday was my nephew's birthday. He is now at frightful four.

I didn't get him a present. He has a myriad of toys and I taunt him with the phrase "one toy a month since you were born" if we are ever passing by Kiddy Palace or other similar shops with colourful, distracting and expensive contraptions. So getting him a variation of something he already owns simply would perpetuate the notion that his toys are dispensable much to the detriment of my bank balance. So 'uncle doesn't buy toys'.

I am more of an experience kind of uncle. A few weekends ago the nephew and I took a bus to Woodlands for my dental appointment. It's a dentist I've been seeing for a while so I'm sticking to her and the distance I need to travel for familiarity. After the quick clean we ventured to the open area nearby and lo and behold, kids on little cars whizzing about like slow bees. I knew the nephew was going to ask, so I easily relented. $5 for 15 minutes of automotive fun. His dreams of driving came true for a short while. He currently wants to drive buses, trains and ambulances. I think the turning of steering wheel that drives kids crazy, or is it the perceived control, a taste of grownuphood?

On his birthday, we happened to be out the Little India (perpetuating the 'where else do Indians go' stereotype) and were at a bus stop about to go home. He kept reading off bus numbers and destinations. "67 Tampines, I want to go to Tampines. 123 Saint Michael's. I want to go to Saint Michael's. Oh look 857 Yishun. I want to go to Yishun." His mum kept repeating that they were going home and they would go out again in the evening. This explanation was of course not appeasing the little monster. He took my hand and gestured towards each bus that arrived at the stop. He just didn't want to go home. So I asked my sister for his space diaper , stuffed into my bermudas' pocket and got on to a double decker with my nephew. Problem solved. Now where were we going?

It was a 23. So Tampines. We sat on the upper deck for the view and the birthday adventure began. We went on the PIE, exited at Bedok Reservoir Road and headed into the Tampines heartland. At Tampines, the nephew was torn between Changi Airport and Jurong East as his next stop. By train this time. I told him I needed to change his diaper and feed him something before we went anywhere. 10 minutes in the loo, 3 buns and a bottle of water later, we were on the westbound to the west. Yes we made it to Jurong East. He would announce each station's name and scan the map for the stations' relative positions to one another. Of course I was the one who had to answer the questions "What station is after Kallang?" "Lavender" "What station is after Lavender?" "Bugis" "Boooooggiiiisss". The tour continued to Jurong East station where I had wanted to get out and get a tea. But no, we got on to the northbound headed towards Woodlands. Yup, the trip turned north. He laughed at funny-named "Bukit Batok", reminisced that his grandmother had brought him to Yee Tee once or twice and counted the seconds through tunnel between Kranji and Marsiling.

At Woodlands, we left the system. I got my tea and got him peanut buttered toast. He didn't seem bothered that we'd been out for hours and away from family. I guess that's the wonderful bit of being so young, it's all an adventure, an epic process of discovery interspersed by food and sleep repeated daily. Wonderful. At someone else's cost too.

He wanted to take bus 965 to my home in Sengkang. I suggested 161 instead because that bus didn't need to pass through half of Woodlands and all of Yishun before joining the highway. It was also a double decker, his favourite. After the first junction out of the interchange, the little monster succumbed to his daily nap. Half hour later he was a bundle of boundless energy once more, tormenting his tired caregivers.

I think we must have covered 40 kilometres at least. 5hrs on road and track. What a birthday. A sufficient present? I dunno.