Cardiff

Cardiff will hold many memories for us. Man was lucky enough to get a 6-mth contract working with a post production house so barely two weeks after we arrived in U.K., we had to pack our bags and moved to Cardiff

Although it is the capital of Wales, Cardiff is nowhere as cosmopolitan as London. Its town centre is probably smaller than Toa Payoh Central and they only had one building with an escalator. People would expressed surprise that we spoke English so well and Man was actually asked since he was from Singapore, why he did not look like a Chinese. Nevertheless, it was new and exciting for us and it is in Cardiff that we experienced many firsts.

We had a lovely one bed apartment at Windsor Quay. Finally, our own place! No more hotel rooms or bunking over at our friends’ place. The first thing we did when we moved in is to cook and ate with our hands. Nothing tasted better! We also bought our first ever car – a rusty Ford Fiesta which did not pass its inspection a few months later. We were very fond of it since it took us on many adventures and it survived several trips to and from London (a three hour journey each way).

We celebrated the millennium in Cardiff in the midst of Ramadan. Due to the time difference, friends back home called us up when we were trying to break our fasts. They were shouting “Happy New Year! Happy New Year!” “Apa Happy New Year? Ni nak buka puasa ni!”

On weekends, we would pore over the map and try to drive somewhere. Sometimes we went to Caerphilly Castle, which means driving up this steep hill and coming down the other way. We would sometimes stop at the crest of the hill and take a short walk. You can see the remains of Caerphilly Castle, built circa 1200 (some 800 years old) and you can also see the clouds casting shadows on the land beneath. Surrounded by a moat and with its growth of duckweed and cat’s tails, Caerphilly Castle is such a romantic spot. One of its towers leans more than the Tower of Pisa.

Man loved going to Cosmeston Lake. It used to be a quarry but is now filled up into a beautiful lake, complete with swans and seagulls. We would drop by Asda (big supermarket), buy a loaf of 15p bread and go to Cosmeton Lake to feed the swans. In winter days when there are not very many visitors, the swans and the ducks would swarm around us, even tugging our coats if they think we missed them.

The Rugby World Cup came to Wales in 1999 and it was pandemonium. At work, no one can concentrate when Wales was playing. The streets would be a sea of red, with supporters dressed in their Wales jersey and painting green dragons on their faces. They had the brand spanking new Millenium Stadium for the occasion as well, which is right in the middle of town. The final was between Australia and France and the opposing teams were very good natured with Australian supporters brandishing blown-up inflatable kangaroos and French supporters with garlands of onions and berets.

It was in Cardiff that I saw my first snow. It felt miraculous! I was walking back home and suddenly noticed the rain falling looked really peculiar. Man called me “It’s snowing! It’s snowing!” Apparently he went outside and did a twirl with his arms outstretched. Until now, if it ever snow, he would call me up like an excited boy. That night when he came home, we immediately rushed down to make a snowman. The snow wasn’t very thick but by scooping all the snow on top of the car, we managed to make a tiny snowman, almost halfway up our knees. We threw snowballs at one another which was surprisingly painful and walked down to the river to see the water freezing into ice.

Of course, I will never forget Cardiff because one hot day in August, Man and I were married. It was a very simple affair. We were married by this lovely imam in a Yemeni mosque, surrounded by a few friends. Kane came all the way from London, standing 3 hours on the train to and fro, my sister and her soon-to-be husband were there all the way from Singapore and my friends from work. It was perfect. After the short ceremony where both Man and I were crying buckets, we went to have something to eat and went bowling.

I went back to work on Monday. Like she always did, Morag politely asked me “What did you do over the weekend?” I looked at her in amusement and said “I got married.”