We all experience some form of monotony in life. However, it is something so widely accepted that sometimes it simply goes unheeded. We breeze past everything quickly before realizing the amount of time that has passed without us doing anything of significance. Sometimes, I find myself thinking back and wondering what I have been doing all the while. This daunting feeling only creeps in when we find ourselves having more time than usual. Which is rarely the case and even if it did, this particular feeling would soon evaporate within the day or the day after when we return to the daily grind of our being.
This compendium is set to address the extremities on time through our senses, experiments and observations. These methods are very much like a weighing scale that could decide if it wanted to tug at one’s heartstrings or tip towards being a little queer. Tapping on our preconceptions on how a certain day should pan out, the chapters are purposely labelled and structured as such. For instance how a Wednesday could feel like a Monday and vice versa.
Chapter 3
All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain- Blade Runner
The objects that wait in silence
An Acquired Taste
At ahma’s house, there was this particular dish called (huzu; preserved beancurd with chilli and sesame oil) where one will always find on the dining table. We are teochews and are known to have this fond affection for watery porridge. Ahma had always lived a frugal life. Sometimes, there will just be a small fish and perhaps a salted egg together with huzu and that will be all for lunch. Do I like it? I have mixed feelings about it. I don’t mind having it however, I probably would never develop the same fondness that ahma have for it. It was not long before I learnt that an acquired taste does not breed on familiarity. Sometimes I wonder if ahma genuinely liked it or she simply had come to terms with it due to the times she went through.
Some foods such as coffee, whiskey, cheese or certain mushrooms would never make it to the plates of the young ones as their palates are still undergoing some “refinery”. It was as though these food were made in apprehension of the evolution of one’s taste buds. However, an acquired taste is something that comes naturally and if a certain taste hits you right, it will slowly mature with time and bring immense pleasure to one’s gastronomical experience.
If I could turn back time..
What's remembered or recorded is never the event, no matter how precise the tool of measurement.
