Just tried the Laksa mix from Primataste, and I must say it's pretty convincing for something processed and packaged. I imagined what it might be like in a few months' time, where a piping hot bowl of laksa would be a treasured commodity. I imagined myself preparing the dish alone in the confines of cramped quarters, looking forward to the rare treat.

The past few weeks have been about meeting up with friends who are flying off to the States, each of them so eager to savour one more time everything that they have loved about this place, to do justice to everything that has built up to this. Everything that we'd known to be in abundance - the company of our families, friends, our homes etc - we are suddenly deprived of, and we long for. A bit of regret probably sets in at this point as well - regret that we didn't treasure the moments here enough.

I have yet to find myself in that position though. With a little less than a month and a half left I suspect the sheer magnitude of the change that will take place has not entirely sunk in yet. Colin and I agree that it never sinks in until you're at the airport with your bags and you think to yourself, "Oh f**k."