This is my favourite part of the train ride to school (when I'm not sleeping, that is). The beautiful green stretches on to a peaceful lake and the waters look especially magical in the mornings when the sunlight glitters over the surface. Only today when I stood on the platform at Chinese Garden was I struck by the beauty of it all. It's really not the same peering from inside the train.

*

In keeping up with my latest campaign to build myself up, I went swimming with J today. The company was great, the encounters were amusing, and the experience at a public swimming pool was enough to convince us to head to a private pool the next time round.

We got off at the wrong train station, walked a distance on, and only realised we were at the wrong place after we asked a man on a bike. So we flagged a cab to rectify the problem. (Note to M: Is this reason justified?)

Scene 2: Into the Blue (not!)

When we were buying our entry tickets, we read a notice on the machine which stated that the wave pool was under maintainance, hence was not in use.

Ooooh what a dampener, we thought sadly.

Scene 3: Army Daze (the prelude)

When J and I entered the lap pool, it was relatively empty, save for a group of young boys. J and I swam a lap to the other end of the pool, and the group of boys made no attempt at discretion by following us as we swam.

Ignore them, we decided, so we started on another lap and swam past them. The boys ducked their heads underwater as we passed. J heard their comments, and till now it still disgusts the living daylights out of me. I feel immensely violated. Urgh. These boys should really have been at last Sat's message on Lust.

Scene 4: Initial D

Since I don't drive, I never quite understood road rage. This is further compounded by a very good-natured father who has never lost his temper behind the wheel. But today, I think I somewhat got it when a young boy flamboyantly splashed across my lane, halting me in the middle of my swim.

You-don't-respect-me-that's-why-you-cut-my-lane-is-it??!!?!!?!??!?!

So tell me, did I get it right about road rage?

Scene 5: The Ghost Whisperer

In the shower, I took the left cubicle, J took the middle one, and a few young girls shared the right one. In the midst of showering, one of the young girls commented to another one: The water like got no strength ah?

Thinking it was J, I replied, YA LOR!!!!

Then I heard a hesitant young voice:...who said that?!?!?! The lights started flickering not long after, and the poor (terrified) little girls cried out, mummy!!! I'm scared!!!

(What a laugh!)

Scene 6: Eyes Wide Shut

While eating dinner at KFC (ok I know this totally defeated the point of exercising), J and I sat at a table on the second level of the Jurong East Sports Complex that overlooked the wave pool. And, lo and behold, the waves just started rolling.

Isn't the wave pool closed for maintenance?! We walked to the ticket machine on our way out to take another look at the notice we saw earlier, only to realise a slip of blank paper had been pasted over.

Tough luck.

Scene 7: A Series of Unfortunate Events

Unable to believe how we were tricked into believing the wave pool was not functioning, we burst out in peals of laughter punctuated with girlish giggles as we walked out.

A middle-aged man walked past us and said cheekily in chinese, What can be so funny till you're laughing like this?

Er... we wasted no time in getting out of the place.