Whether in Vancouver or in Singapore, there’s always loads of laundry to be done. I’ve never really been involved with the laundry before other than contributing clothes, loading or unloading the machines, and carrying the basket.
So I washed my own clothes for the first time when I lived in Sheares Hall (one of the many things I learnt if I hadn’t learnt any in school). There it was, the laundry room down on the dingey ground floor of our 7-storey building, with 7 washers and 4 driers. First thing I noticed, they are free of charge, now where else in the world can you find this! But beyond that I was quite lost. I didn’t really know where to put the detergent, or what detergent to get as a matter of fact. Some seniors advised me on this and told me to get softener as well (I thought about it but ended up not getting down to it so my clothes went without softener for 10 months). The washers were slow. Very slow. Apparently the front-loading washers were slower than the top-loading ones. But this was about 2 hours compared to about 40 minutes with the one at home. Oh well, I guess I can always slee…I mean study while I wait.
Then there was the drying part. This is the worse part. First, you can’t leave your clothes wet in the washer for too long because it will start to smell after a few hours (no exact timing but sometimes you go into the laundry room having to hold your breath hoping it isn’t your clothes). If you are lucky and no one is using the driers, you can transfer them onto the driers. If not, you would wait again. I never risked once hanging my clothes outside. For one, the rain could hit while I am out and ruin the whole purpose. Then there was the problem of the bird that would sit on the ledge for the fear of it doing its business on my clothes. Finally, there’s always the risk of them blowing away. So most of my laundry ended up shrinking, which didn’t matter anyway due to my body size.
Oh, and flicking your tees out straight before you dry them makes it less wrinkly to avoid ironing!
What more can I say about this amazing place but delicious meals and tasty desserts… Casual, efficient and nostalgic. This place seems to have magnets that pull you in. The busier hawker centers seem to be always packed with people yet the stall owners deliver their fresh hot foods with absolute efficiency. It’s something about this place that makes you come back again and again (the price perhaps), but to me it’s a place of memories with family and friends…the family dinners or just a lunch that blends into an afternoon-long chat. I’ll leave the food part for future posts =)
