the long rain had sodden the ground and thinned the crowd; groups of teenagers mostly, and families with young children (older folks had defected for the art galleries.) the film was royston tan’s homecoming (lacklustre, superficial, schoolboyish, disappointing: come now, how could anyone ruin an oral history documentary about pulau ubin, end up with something so banal?) i watch it with mild boredom, and check the time numerous times, and wish the watermelon popsicle i had got from the momolato foodtruck had lasted longer: pink and sweet and dense, and an icy slice of green kiwi packed in the centre. but the breeze was soft, and the national gallery was bathed in coloured lights, and i liked my city enormously.

light paintings on the facade of the national gallery, and open air cinema at the padang. 26 november 2016