Those afternoons at Nex still live in my head like a loop I don’t want to end. Back then, Serangoon really felt like the center of everything. Once Nex opened, it was the place where all roads somehow led after school.
I remember the routine so clearly. Heading down to the basement, counting coins just to make sure I could afford that $5 Long John Silver’s meal and of course, hoping for extra crispy batter bits. Or sitting at the Nex library, pretending to study while secretly snacking on tibits and talking nonsense. It wasn’t really about the food or the studying… it was about finally having a space that felt like it belonged to us.
I miss those moments watching movies with friends, laughing too loudly, and even that nervous excitement of inviting a guy out for a movie. Everything felt simple, but at the same time, it felt like a big deal.
That whole “Nex era” had its own little rituals.
Choosing between a KFC Zinger or a BK Mushroom Swiss depending on how much money I had left.
Spending forever trying to find my friends near the MRT exit because the mall somehow always felt like a maze.
Digging through my bag in panic, thinking I lost my card, only to find it at the last second just in time to tap through the gantry.
And that beep… that MRT beep. It sounded like freedom. No responsibilities, no pressure just knowing I could go anywhere, or nowhere, and it didn’t matter.
It’s funny how something as small as that old card from 2014 can bring everything back the smell of fried chicken, the noise, the laughter… and that feeling of being exactly where I was meant to be, with nothing else to worry about.
Comments