What do we do for our dream to survive?

I wish you could spend a day with me. We would take a walk at the beach in the morning and spend some time, in comfortable silence, standing between the trees that provide me with so much solace. The sun will will make our shoulders shine and the wind will lift the hair off of our necks. The waves will be our symphony. Then we'd head home for a cup of coffee and anything else your heart desires- oatmeal, cornflakes, toast and honey, pancakes, maybe the blueberry and lemon cake i made in anticipation of your arrival. With the radio on, we'd enjoy the morning sunshine streaming in through the kitchen window and make plans for the day. I would take you shopping in the heart of town and you will marvel at the number of malls we have and the number of people who are free enough to roam the malls at any hour of the day. Certainly, we will stop by Borders so you can see where i stand to browse through fashion magazines i never buy. We will abandon the underpass that links almost all the malls to walk outdoors so i can introduce you to one of many ice-cream sellers who set up stalls all over town. We would have one of their famous ice-cream sandwiches and sit down on a bench, laughing as the ice-cream dribbles down our chin. For tea, i must bring you to one of the hawker centres in the heartlands. You will be astounded at the amount of food there is but i must let you try some teh tarik, or sweet tea. One sip and you will be thanking me profusely for this wonderful, comforting drink. And then we could catch a movie in the cinema, where tickets are cheap and the seats, comfortable. We can buy popcorn, laugh hysterically and be kids again. By then, it will be nighttime. Where should i take you for dinner? What do you prefer? Indian? Thai? Chinese? Italian? Fusion? The choices are numerous. Maybe we could go to Starbucks after that for some coffee and conversation. Or Gelare for some waffles. Or Baker's Inn for some chocolate cake. Or Coffee Bean for their cheesecake. I'm terrible at making decisions so you have to choose. We will then wait for the bus that takes us home. As we stand at the bus-stop, we will be happy and content and you will tell me that this place i call home isn't so bad after all, not what i often make it out to be.

And then you will leave and i will remain in this place. Home. I will remember sitting down opposite Len, with my heels off and my left leg tucked under my right, listening to him talk about his days at Chapel Hill, North Carolina where there were pretty trees just beginning to turn orange as fall beckoned and snow in winter; where skies were bluer than blue and grass greener than green. I will remember listening and longing- longing to sit under a maple tree and read Sense and Sensibility or make a snowman with a carrot for a nose. Longing for seasons and renewal and change.

The next morning, i will wake up early and go for a swim at the pool. On my way back, the smell of freshly baked bread from the bakery will be intoxicating, making my my stomach growl. With haste, i will walk home. I will take a leisurely shower and as i stand in the kitchen to have my breakfast, with the sun streaming in through the window and Madonna singing You must love me on the radio, i will realise that this is home.

And i will be happy.

Where do we go from here?

This isn't where we intended to be

We had it all, you believed in me

I believed in you

Certainties disappear

What do we do for our dream to survive?

How do we keep all our passions alive,

As we used to do?