Shenton Way

kensongs 7/10/2001

The lights were beautiful
Like scintillating stars
Descended from heaven
Onto Christmas trees
It must be God’s work
To transform Shenton Way
Into a paradise
What a masterpiece
Its painter, our Creator

What a pity,
You weren’t here with me
You would otherwise marvel
At this enchanting scenery
Or would you?
You were here every morning
And stayed till evening
The monotony of the workplace
Has long replaced
Its uniqueness in your heart

When I saw your weary eyes
The numbers you had to analyze
I could feel the stress you did
But I know it’s all worthwhile inside

The world’s just the way it is
It never stops turning
For those who are lost
You can either choose
To spend the evening
Staring at numbers
Searching for trends
Or stroll down Singapore River
Appreciating its beauty
But do u have a choice
Like I do?

Soon I’ll be like you
Stepping out of the freedom
Which I’ve embraced for years
Into a new world
Of deadlines and expectations
Where only the fittest survive
I wonder if I’ll die
From a dagger stabbed into the back
Or will I simply perish
From the face of this world
Onto the one above

Maybe it’s not that bad
The corporate world
That gives every professional
A reputation to be proud of
Then you wouldn’t ask me anymore
“U mean u haven’t graduated yet?”
But the price to pay
For this small moment of glory
Is too enormous to be true
Definitely not worthwhile

But do I have a choice?
No, I’m just like you
We’re born the way we are
Without silver spoons in our mouths
Just be glad
That we’ve got something to do
And do it well
Cause life could have been worse
We should cherish all we have
Before they are lost

I love you
Even though we’re never together
Shenton Way will forever be
A place of remembrance
In my heart
Because of you

Coffee Bean

kensongs 03/11/2003

He came here alone
On a Monday afternoon
Seeping on his favorite Ice Mocha
Reminiscing on old memories
He would rather have forgotten
Yet replaying in his mind right now
He can never forget the ambience
Mixed with fragrance of coffee
Created the romantic experiences
He had with the people he loved

He didn’t plan to come alone
He had arranged to meet her
But she had to disappoint him
By changing her mind in the last minute
He was hurt by her rejection
Did she mean so much to him?
Or was it just bruised ego?
Seemed like as he grew older
He became more afraid of failure
More afraid of losing people he love
And everything he has now


He started thinking of Kim
It has been a few months
Since he first met her here
On 22nd March 2003, 945pm
She was glad to meet him
They started sharing about themselves
And soon found confidence in each other
It was the beginning of a special relationship
He didn’t think it will end so prematurely
He cherished their conversations
And every moment they spent together

But she’s no longer by his side
He had lost her from the moment
She told him to stop contacting her
And even though he still misses her
He knows he has to forget her
And move on with his life


He also thought of Kat
And the numerous afternoons they spent here together
She confided her problems in him
And he gave her a listening ear
He empathized with her
For the dilemmas she faced in her life
And the controversial decisions she has to make
He began to see the complexities of this world
And learnt to handle them with tact and wisdom
She inculcated in him a sense of independence & rebellion
To fight for his own happiness
Regardless of what others think
Now that she has left him too
He has to grow up on his own

An hour has passed just like that
Yet he’s still waiting for her sms
He knows she’ll never turn up
Yet he’s determined to wait for her
To show that he honored their appointment
He caught a glimpse of the two students beside him
Whispering sweet nothings to each other
Oblivious of the pressures of society
And the harshness of life
He would never admit that he love her
Until he knows how she feels
It’s his own self-defense mechanism
To protect his vulnerable heart from being broken

He knows it’s time to leave
This place of emotional catharsis
Where memories when rekindled
Burn with so much warmth & passion
He will come back here someday
And live his life once again

Secret by Jay Chow

On his first day in college, inside an old music room, Jay met a mysterious classmate called Rain. Rain was playing a piece of music on the piano which Jay could not identify. And when he asked her for the name of the melody, she said it was a secret.

Indeed the movie revolves round this mysterious piano piece called Secret and how it binds Jay and Rain together.

As he spent more time with her, Jay found out that Rain has asthma and is frequently absent from class. But they still fell in love with each other. The old music room became the place of their rendezvous and Rain said that she felt sad that they are going to demolish this old campus building on their graduation day. As time passed by, Rain's asthma became worse and she had to stop school. One day Rain saw another female classmate kissing Jay and she became jealous. She stopped contacting Jay from then on. Come the much-awaited graduation day, Rain finally showed up and Jay was so happy to see her. But Rain saw a bracelet on Jay's wrist that was a gift from his female classmate. She became upset and left him again. Jay wanted to clear the misunderstanding, so he went to her house to look for her. But her mother told him that Rain has been missing. In her room, Jay found an old photograph of Rain with his father who is a music teacher in the university. How is Rain related to Jay's father? Will Jay and Rain end up together despite all the uncertainty? And how has the mysterious piano piece got to do with all these?

If this introduction interests you and you would like to catch the movie, STOP READING THIS POST. THE REST OF THE POST CONTAINS SPOILERS.

The story continues with Jay asking his classmates if they have seen Rain but surprisingly no one has ever seen her or know who she is. Jay soon recalled the times they were together and how Rain seemed invisible to everyone else except him. Jay then asked his father if he knew Rain. Jay's father told him that Rain was his student 20 years ago but she was schizophrenic. She told Jay's father that one day, when she was playing the piano in the music room, she found an old music score called Secret. And when she played the melody on the piano, she was transported to the future. She also said that she fell in love with a guy in the future but he broke her heart. She gave the music score to Jay's father and told him that she will not go to the future again. But soon Rain realised that no one believed her and that her mother has been spiking her food with medication from the psychiatrist. She became upset and transported herself to the future to meet Jay during his graduation day. Again she was disappointed by him and while she tried to return to her own time, she had a serious asthma attack and died in the music room. Upon discovering the truth, Jay immediately ran back to the old music room that was about to be demolished. It was at this time when Jay's father took out the old music score, saw Rain's entry about Jay and realised the truth. Jay managed to get into the music room and just as it was about to be demolished, he played the piece on the piano and was transported back to the past where Rain existed. He finally met Rain again and the ending scene was Jay together with Rain in her graduation photo of 1979.