The 1st family trip that I can remember of was the seaside holiday in Singapore. I must be about 6-7 years old then, judging from the old photographs in our family album.My aunties in Singapore rented an old bungalow by the seaside for a couple of days. All of us piled into Dad’s car and drove all the way down from Kluang. I had never been more excited in my life. Until then, I had never been to a seaside. Like any typical kid, I was bursting with excitement. The moment we arrived, I changed in a flash and flung my body and plunked into the inches deep surfs lapping on the sandy pebble beach. It was a painful first lesson when my scrawny and skeletal ribcage hit the hard ground. It was also the first time I saw dad swam and he swum far out into the sea. Not having learnt to swim yet, I was greatly impressed.
We stayed in the 3 storey shop house along Jalan Dato Teoh Siew Khor for about 10 years. So I practically grew up there. As a kid, I was very timid, not daring to venture down and out onto the street despite the temptation of the ice cream man ringing his bell down below. Crossing the bridge over the Kluang River was a nightmare. It was a solid 2 lane vehicle bridge with pedestrian path along the sides. While the bridge itself was paved, the pedestrian path was laid with timber planks that had small gaps in between. I had this phobia and fear of dropping into the river below. Every time we approached the bridge, I would get cold feet. I would turn and fled leaving whoever holding my hand bewildered.
There was much recreation in and around the house at that time. There were no electronic games back then. The first black and white television set in the house came much later on. I spent a great deal of my time playing Chinese chess with my invisible friend (i.e. alone) and sitting by the window watching the world went by. Kids were playing games on the street down below. And there was this fruit vendor parked right at the corner. I picked up the skill of cutting pineapples by watching him. Then of course there were the colonies of ants living at various parts of the house. I spent hours on end watching and studying them. I discovered that ants could be dropped from a great height without any harm done.
All my brothers and sisters were sent to Chinese medium schools. I was the only one in the family enrolled in an English medium school, starting from kindergarten and then on to English primary and secondary schools. Every time I asked why I was made the exception, the standard reply from my parents was that because I was too timid as a child. Looking back, I suspect the consideration of job prospect and following the path taken by dad could also come into the equation. In the 50s, someone with a Senior Cambridge Certificate (grade 9) was deemed to be a big deal. In fact, some of my teachers back then only had SC certificates. Dad had his primary education in a Chinese school and then went on to Singapore to continue his studies until Form 3 in an English medium school. I think I was picked as an afterthought, to follow in his foot steps.
Simon -23 December 2009
No comments:
Post a Comment