I felt a pang when I saw an ad for the new Clementi Mall in the papers today. It was one of those artist illustrations of the new mall rising behind the bus stop at the MRT station. Instantly it transported me back to our old neighbourhood.

I imagined myself shopping at the NTUC in the new mall, and having tim sum at the Crystal Jade Kitchen. How many times did I ride the 284 to the interchange, daydreaming along the way? And how many times did I walk Ave 5 back home after getting off the train? These were simple diversions and there should be nothing memorable about buying a pair of jeans at Giordano, or bringing home a packet of Brothers Rojak or roti prata. But there you have it. Nostalgia comes easy when times are gone, and now those seem like simple happy times, when the kids were little and it didn't take much to live comfortably.