At first he was clueless about the location. After a couple more descriptions on landmarks, it started to dawn on him.
"I've totally driven by that statue!" Exclaimed Derek.
"It's the Merlion, the symbol of Singapore!" I joyfully reported. "It's half lion and half fish. It's a mythical creature."
(This knowledge is impressive only to someone who's not from Asia. Or a lover of useless information.)
"Half fish, huh?" Derek was amused. "Is that why it spits water?"
I was caught off guard. Literally dumbfounded. I mean i have never mused on why the creature regurgitates. It just... does! ("Dumbfounded" is such a good word - Dumbness has found you!) (And latched on!) Plus we got a loud background and for a second there i thought he was shedding light on the fact that i had spat while talkin' all animated.
And... as soon as i'd made the last comment, i felt redundant.
"I would think [it is mythical]," remarked Derek. "Otherwise you would've seen it at the zoo... Or Sea World!"
Well, turns out the Merlion is not an imaginative product of some primal tribe. It was an industrially designed logo for the Singapore Tourism Board as recently as the 20th century. (Remember that era??) And to use it you need explicit permission from the board. There goes another one of my bubbles.
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