A True Home

A speaker at a webinar about investing during pandemic thinks that going forward people may place more importance in owning a home that provides comfort. This may include factors like a conducive place for work, proximity to essential services, a place to rest and hibernate for prolonged period (she mentioned a balcony in the least) and closeness to nature.

While daydreaming one day I thought about how I missed traveling. I examined the withdrawal symptom and asked where I really wanted to be that very moment. Turned out it wasn't somewhere in scenic China, nor having a quaint and architectural experience in Europe nor being awed by the vibrancy of a mega city. Given a choice I wished I were somewhere in a remote part of Indonesia or Vietnam, sitting in the balcony of a rustic small resort overlooking muddy fields while a distant old motorcycle occasionally drones past along the dirt road.

The speaker at the webinar makes me really think about Singapore, this clean, convenient, efficient and safe city. Where in this city would I find a rustic home where I can really rest and feel truly comfortable.? I must admit I am already blessed with a home that has a small garden. During this lockdown period I have spent much time sprucing up the garden and now meditate facing the mango tree. It is as close as I can get to that quiet world I am dreaming of.

In the words of Serene Lim of Today:

 "Singapore’s size and, consequently, high-density population amplify what I want to get away from the most: The intense pace of life here, where it feels like everyone’s rushing for something — the next appointment, the latest food fad (is it back to ramen again?), to cash in on the property downturn, register our child at a popular kindergarten, book a ride on both Uber and GrabCar to see which comes first because we simply don’t want to wait ... I don’t know what exactly we’re rushing for; maybe we’re just chasing our tails, but it’s hard to ignore with “kancheong” bosses on our backs and anxious parents to answer to. When this feels like it’s everywhere, we have nowhere else to go to except the airport".....

"Getting out of Singapore is a chance to step out of the system, even if it’s just temporarily. Life is more colourful overseas because things are not as efficient, things are messy, things are dirty, things are different. And you realise that’s absolutely okay. People get by very well — happier and freer, more at ease and at peace sometimes"

Romanticizing rural life? Perhaps, but staying in a rustic slow paced town lets me open my mind a bit more to what I truly need in life. Maybe a second home is the True Home.