I was taking a bus down to IKEA Alexandra, when somewhere after Farrer Park MRT station an old man got on.
Upon sitting down, he immediately broke out into song.
A few of the passengers stared. One of them winced. Another simply put on his earphones.
I took mine off. I was raptured.
He sang Teresa Teng’s 月亮代表我的心 (The Moon Represents My Heart):
你问我爱你有多深
我爱你有几分
我的情不移
我的爱不变
月亮代表我的心You ask me how deep my love for you is
How much I really love you
My affection does not waver
My love will not change
The moon represents my heart
His voice was loud and bright, and his rendition proud. He even mimicked the twang of a guitar.
He was unfettered. I hadn’t heard anyone sing like that in a long while.
As we passed through old Queenstown — and past a number of redevelopment sites — I thought, what a most wonderful soundtrack.
The Kym J. Version 