MY LIFE TILL 16 YEARS OLD IN SINGAPORE

My life till 16 years old in Singapore

My parents were married through arranged marriage whereby my dad went out with my mum 3 times and they got married. My dad was a hawker and till this day he is still a hawker selling clothes. He shared with me that back then the Government wanted to give the hawkers a place to ply their trade instead of plying the trade on the roads. His store is located at Albert Hawker center. Till today he is still selling his clothes as he wanted to keep himself busy even though he is going to reach 80. I admire my dad for his preserverence in doing the same job for the past 65+ years. How many people can say that they have been doing the same thing over and over again for 50+ years. My mum was working as a carpark attendant and retire when she was 57 years old. She was also working for Capital Mall for 40 + years before she retire. Although both my dad and my mum only have primary school education and does not understand English. Both of them work hard and togther they got a 3 room flat. 

(From 0 to 7 years old) Kindergarten (Infrant)

I was born during the 1970s and back then life in Singapore is not really as advance as in 2023. My family stayed in a 1 room rental flat back then. I have no recollection of my 0-4 years only. I only remembered that mi and my brother (difference of 1 year+) were put in a house in Toa Payoh whereby we stay with our Nanny and schooled in Kindergarten in Toa Payoh. I cannot remember where is the kindergarten now. It may have been abolished as per so many schools in Singapore due to low birth rates. I've been close to my nanny but unfortunately she passed away when i was 8 years old. I was able to see her for the last time before she passed away. She requested to see mi and my brother before she passed away. I still remember as it was yesterday when she passed away. I believe these memories will never go away as it was an important event in my life. 

(7 years to 12 years old) Primary School (Children)

I recall with fond memories where i study in Stamford Primary School. That was the place that i study and make a lot of friends. Some of them i still keep in contact till today. Total 6 years in primary school. I learn drama, singing, art classes and i was a flag raiser whereby every day i will raise the flag when i was primary 6. Not sure why i was picked as i was also a naughty boy whereby i will disturb other people in class. My academic results were average and i was able to score 232 to go to express during PSLE (Primary School Leaving Exams) I was also helping out with my dad in his shop whereby everyday i will deliver lunch to my dad. My grandmother can cook delicious food where i always recall i would like to join her to go to the market in the morning at Albert center to buy fish, chicken, vegetables. Back then in the 1980s there were alot of wet markets whereby you can see live chickens and fish. There were a lot of negotiations to and fo and i enjoy listening to my grandmother bater with the hawkers for better deals. She will examine the fish carefully and will check whether it can feed the whole family. I still remember my dad will pass her $10 every day to buy the food for the whole family where she will cook the food for lunch and dinner. My mum after work will take over my dad at the store and my dad will come home and have dinner with mi and my brother. We were living in a 3 room flat when i was 7 years old. My dad shared that initially HDB offered him China Town but he decline as his shop was at Bugis and with a 3 room flat in Queen Street is more convienent. In the end, my dad was able to get the 3 room flat in Queen Street. During my childhood, my dad bought me a bicycle and a roller skate which i taught my self how to skate and ride and took me to library and make a library card. Back then i can only borrow 4 books unlike now we can borrow up to 24 books for 3 weeks. I will always visit the national library every Sun. I love the library and the books. Mainly there is air condition and there were a lot of interesting books in the children section, like Hardy boys, Nancy drew, Ronald Dahl. The stories were captivating and i can keep on reading. Besides it is free. The library become a source of resource for me back then. 

(13 years to 16 years old) Secondary School (Teenager) 

I selected Kim Seng Technical School as my choice not knowing how far it was to my house. Back then i thought the postal code is near 183xxx for Bugis, i thought it is nearby. Lucky it was not too far but every morning need to take the bus 32 and it took about 35 minutes to school. I tried to wake up early and go to school but sometimes when you miss the bus and you will need to wait for the next bus. That is where i will be late for school. When i was in secondary 3, the school will give way for other construction and we were combined with Delta Secondary when i was in secondary 4. I will always remember Ms Rosie Lim, my form teacher for Secondary 1 and 2. She taught my class English and she did not give up on us and was always patient with us. Till today i'm always grateful for her. I was made a treasurer and will collect the money for the class. The secondary school life goes by more faster than i thought it will be. There was also a boy name Xiang Zhong and a girl name Suyanti. They are both from Indonesia and they studied in Singapore. Hope that they are all doing well as i lose contact with them. Nowadays the gathering i had with my secondary school friends are a handful. Most of them have their own families and they are busy with day to day. Hopefully i can reconnect back with my friends so we can catch up on old times sake.