Thursday, July 24

I remember...

So I guess it's out. Not exactly the way I expected it to get out but I guess it'll just have to do. Who knew indeed, who knew. Whatever that's about to happen, I'm pretty sure won't be a walk in the meadow for me. No biggie really, I'll survive won't I?


WARNING :
You might not want to read the following cause it's just what my childhood was like in words. Well, a lot of words.


Good old times

I remember when I was little, I used to spend every evening outside. In the garden under that old massive mango tree I used to have at home, playing with my dogs I used to have, cycling on the road, or going over to Shaun(my neighbour/schoolmate)'s place to catch butterflies. There was once I dashed out of the front gate onto the road on my bicycle without looking out for cars, the car that was speeding my way honked its horn so loud I rode right into the opposite house's metal gate. Of course, no one at home saw me then and by the time they came out to see what the honk was for, I'd recovered and pretended nothing happened.
I remember Brownie, my dog who died on Christmas of old age; Spot, my dog who got ran over by a car on Easter; Prince, my dog who never came back after going out one night; Roger, my rabbit whom I used to hypnotize every evening when I took him out of his cage; Latte, my dog who recently starved himself to death this year.
I remember reading Disney encyclopedias and my 366 bedtime storybook almost every night before I turned in.
I remember getting yelled at by my dad on my 11th birthday because I was eating too slowly.
I remember my mum tying my hair every single day before she sent me to my kindergarden school.
I remember vaguely all the girls in the kindergarden used to chase this naughty boy during snacktime cause we all disliked him.
I remember playing Monopoly and Barbie with my two sisters.
I remember having one whole cupboard filled with all the toys I ever had.
I remember the Chinese New Year and Christmas celebrations where my family used to get together and the living room would be so noisy cause everyone would be screaming to speak with each other.
I remember that rocking chair we used to have in the corner of the living room, the one I was afraid would start rocking in the middle of the night if I crept downstairs alone in the dark.
I remember my granduncle, Uncle Black who always sat around the gate inside, looking outside every single day if he wasn't outside cutting the grass in the garden.
I remember the small space we had at the back of the house where we kept our tortoises.
I remember bathing and scrubbing our tortoises' shells every Saturday.
I remember those little freaky looking dolls that were placed on the top of the window sill.
I remember the first time Yvonne danced at home when she first joined the house cheering squad.
I remember the nights I packed all the books of every subject into my school bag in fear of getting caned in primary school.
I remember crying before I boarded my school bus when I was in my lower primary school days.
I remember becoming a prefect, then an assistant head prefect before turning into one of the four head prefects in my last year of primary school.
I remember the Singapore visits we made as a family to Uncle Neo's house. Uncle Neo, Aunty Chris, John Ji, John Yang and MeiMei were Singaporean friends of my parents and my dad was about to start a business with Uncle Neo but that didn't work out in the end.
I remember staying over their place, admiring MeiMei's massive Barbie dollhouse I dreamt of having.
I remember thinking Uncle Neo was Keanu Reeves from the movie "Matrix" cause his name was Neo too and theie faces looked alike somehow.
I remember snuggling up to my dad when we watched tv in their room when I was younger.
I remember the nights I stayed up with Lorraine laughing at Yvonne and my grandma's faces while they slept, watching "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" that aired at 2.45am and her Winne the pooh softoy she named "Pooh-y".
I remember calling my grandma "Crazy Big Fat Mama" just for the fun of annoying her and we would both laugh as if we were both crazy.
I remember that big row my dad and grandma had over me once.
I remember myself going to my grandma's room,holding her hand and telling her I'll be home soon before I left home for anything cause she couldn't get out of bed to watch me go before she left.
I remember my granduncle who went a bit senile before he left.
I remember not speaking to Lorraine because I was jealous of the attention my mum was giving her instead of me the night before she left.
I remember standing on the balcony we used to have at home, breathing in the air and just enjoying the view.
I remember that J-shaped computer table we used to have where I could hide under it.
I remember the orange lightbulb outside the toilet upstairs where a huge cabinet of files was laid just outside the computer room right beside the toilet rack and our family swimming bag.
I remember going to this centre in Johor Jaya to swim every Sunday.
I remember the time Lorraine and Mumsy went to Canada for the 2002 World Youth Day.
I remember my primary schoolmates, especially the 4 other girls(Kelly, Janet, Wen Ya & Ying Hui) with whom I was best friends with till some other kid came along and ruined it.
I remember leading the choral speaking team and winning as champions, only cause Convent didn't take part that one year.
I remember the art projects we had to do, there was this one where we had to make this model of a car from a box and then we decorated and made tiny shoes by wrapping sponges around soap.
I remember my teacher who caned a girl's wrist and made it bleed, and when the girl's parents complained to the school, the teacher spent a whole week crying in class.
I remember disliking my std 6 BM teacher, a nightmare she was.
I remember being the emcee of every Monday's assembly along with my best friend at that time Kelly Ong, with whom I shared the duty as head prefects.
I remember arguing with her playfully over our turf as head prefects.
I remember confiscating erasers from normal students. I remember patrolling school grounds.
I remember shouting at students when it was time to go home after a day of school.
I remember the canteen food I miss now. I remember the grumpy canteen people.
I remember the teacher who taught me English from std 3 all the way till I graduated from primary school.
I remember waking up late the day I had to go back to my primary school to collect my reward for scoring 7A's.
I remember the std 6 graduation trip I went with my friends.
I remember attending Julian's birthday party where he turned 12 and onwards.
I remember Yvonne punching me once right outside the downstairs toilet.
I remember the tiny uncoloured tv we used to watch.
I remember my maid caught me and my sisters each a bird from the garden once.
I remember eating microwaved US potatoes and mashing boiled eggs.
I remember one Christmas we three sisters sat in front of the radio and tried calling in to see if we could get on radio to sing a Christmas carol.
I remember listening to Spicegirls and watching Powerpuff Girls.
I remember watching Dragonball-Z, Sailormoon, Blues Clues, Spongebob Squarepants, Hey Arnold, Slamdunk, Justice League, Power Rangers, Looney Tunes, Kids Central mostly.
I remember the Christmas play I acted in 5 years ago.
I remember every single church camp I've ever attended.
I remember every single person I ever called my best friend.
I remember my dad singing to me before I went to sleep real real long ago.
I remember lots of things...

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