Where Are You, Sleepy Tree?

 Where Are You, Sleepy Tree?

Once I found you fast asleep,
A little face with dreams to keep.
I came again, but you'd gone away,
Where are you sleeping now, I say?

2024 — The Day I Met Sleepy Tree 🌳💤

It all began during my Chinatown walk in December 2024, when I spotted a rather unusual face on a bonsai tree trunk.

Little did I know that this sleepy fellow would become one of my most unforgettable discoveries! 

While walking around Chinatown, something on this tree trunk caught my eye.

Aunty: “Eh...look! There's a sleepy face on the tree!”

Hubby: “Where?”

Aunty: “There lah! See the closed eye? The nose? The face?”

Hubby: 👀 “……where got?”

Aunty: “AIYO! LOOK PROPERLY!” 

To be fair, it wasn't exactly shouting HELLO! I'M A FACE! at us. You had to stare at the right-hand bulge of the trunk for a while before the little sleeping profile suddenly appeared.

And once you see it... you cannot unsee it! 

And I accidentally created a Chinatown tourist attraction! 🌳📸

I weren't just taking a photo — I stood there studying the tree so seriously that the tourists probably thought:

Tourists: “Excuse me, what happened?”

Aunty: “Look here...can you see a sleeping face?”

Tourists: 👀👀👀

“OH!!! YES!”

📱📱📱📱📱 CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK!

Then another tourist sees THEM taking photos...

“What's there?”

Five minutes later:

🌳
👥👥👥👥👥👥👥
📸📸📸📸📸

HAHAHAHAHA! The poor tree had probably been standing there peacefully for years, minding its own business.

So for anyone reading this and still staring at the original photo thinking, “Simi face?” — don't worry. I've prepared some assistance.

No need to take out your magnifying glass. 🔍 

I have marked it out before somebody enlarges the photo to 500%, presses their nose against the screen and sends me their optometrist bill. 

And after staring at that sleepy little face for far too long, my imagination started working overtime.

I began wondering what the poor tree would say if it could actually talk.

Apparently, it had been waiting for someone to ask. 

Sleepy Tree: “Excuse me, Aunty. I AM working.”

Aunty: “Working as WHAT? Your eyes closed whole day!”

Sleepy Tree: “Professional Tourist Ignorer.” 😌

Aunty: “Huh?!”

Sleepy Tree: “You try standing in one place every day. People come…”

📸 click click click
“Eh! This tree very cute!”
📸 click click click
“Stand beside it!”
📸 SELFIE!
“Eh, move left! Block the tree!”

Sleepy Tree: “And I must pretend I never see anything. You know how stressful or not?” 

Aunty: “Respect. Very demanding profession. Maybe I could join your department. They take in retirees or not?”

Sleepy Tree: “Cannot. I am already in Tourism & Public Relations.”

Aunty: “YOU SLEEP THROUGH YOUR ENTIRE PUBLIC RELATIONS JOB!”

Sleepy Tree: “Madam… that is my brand.” 

Actually Sleepy Tree has the hardest job of all — cannot run away, cannot hide, cannot even tell tourists:

“OI! Enough already! You took 47 photos of me!” 🌳📸😭

Who knew that in the middle of busy, crowded Chinatown, even the tree had enough and decided:

“You all carry on shopping lah...I take a nap first.” 🌳💤

2026 — Where Are You, Sleepy Tree? 

Last month, I returned to the temple, hoping to visit my old friend, Sleepy Tree.

But AIYOOOO! 😱

The temple was undergoing renovation, and all the bonsai trees had been relocated!

So off I went, searching from tree to tree.

“Sleepy? Where are you?”

“Is that you?”

“Eh… no lah, wrong fellow!” 

Finally, I spotted a familiar-looking sleepy face.

But wait a minute…

This one looked MUCH OLDER!

ALAMAK! Did I find Sleepy's Ah Gong instead?! 👴🌳

I studied the trunk carefully. The face looked similar, but the shape wasn't quite right.

Perhaps it was the camera angle. Perhaps it was another tree altogether.

I couldn't be sure.

Sleepy, wherever you are now, I hope you're safe and still enjoying your afternoon nap. 

Your old friend Aunty came looking for you, you know!

And if we ever meet again…

PLEASE DON'T CHANGE YOUR FACE!