My Childhood - Part 2

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We had to shift out of Clementi because the area was developing. We haven’t got a house yet. So we had to put up at my aunt’s house. My two aunts (my father’s younger sisters,) lived together in a three-room flat in Queenstown, Buller Terrace. At that time, I was about 4 years old and was just big enough to be running about and climbing atop everything, irritating everyone. I was always opening and searching either cupboards or drawers, or on top to tables acting Superman. My father then decided to chain me in my playpen. My leg was chained to one corner of the playpen so that I couldn’t get out. I had all my toys in the pen with me, but I wasn’t really enjoying.

About that time, my mother was expecting my brother. Pretty soon, we had our flat in Holland Village and moved in. I was quite sure my aunts were relieved. The house at Holland was a four-room flat. I quite liked the place actually. I had one bedroom all to myself, except for my baby brother. My father bought a double-deck bed and I slept in the upper level. My brother would be occupying the lower level when he is old enough. I always go to my brother’s bed and pretended it was a double-decker bus that I was driving. I would have lots of adventure on this bus, chasing ghosts, being chased by ghosts, driving through war grounds, firing machine guns and cannons.

My sister came intto the family in while we were in Holland. Our neighbours had their baby son at about the same time. There was once I tried to strangle my baby sister. (Hey, psychiatrists might say that was sibling jealousy.) When my sister turned slightly bluish, I released her and hugged her. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I seem to have this tendency to try to destroy, or imagine destroying, something that I loved, and then stopping myself from actually doing it. I even lit a lighter at my sister’s eye. Luckily I didn’t blind her.

I was old enough to go to a kindergarten. Conveniently just below my flat was the PAP kindergarten. I liked that place a bit and the uniforms were a bit cute too : white shirt with flat red ‘tie’, blue shorts with suspenders. And I carry a ‘briefcase’ everyday.

Every morning at 9.30, I would take a bath and change into my uniform. My grandmother will bring me down to school before 10. She will go home and then pick me up later at 12.30. I would take my lunch at home and then do my homework, which wasn’t very much.

I can’t really remember what I did for that 1 year in kindergarten, but definitely learnt the alphabet, some animal and fruit names, learnt a bit of maths and drawing and Chinese language. I don’t remember anything funny or interesting happening.

Anyway, afternoons were my best times. Sometimes I would follow my grandmother to the NTUC (that is National Trade Union Congress for those who don’t know) supermarket. Otherwise I would go to play in the void decks or with other kids around the area. Don’t really know them though, but most of my afternoons were spent watching TVs and playing with my neighbours. She usually had lots of toys and we would play with them. Sometimes I even go to her house to play (but I shan’t tell you what those toys were...)

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