Addendum to “At This Juncture in Life” - Part 1

When I posted those pictures, I had planned to write a little about myself at each stage of my life. I wanted to see if I can register the change in my behaviour and character. Well, I got distracted during the December festive period, and after all the celebrations, my mind and body got hijacked by laziness, then work started to get busy. I shall now attempt to back track and pen down those thoughts and memories before I lose them.

Age 1-6
I must say this is the toughest stage to register. I really cannot recall much about myself at that young age. I only know from my mum that as a toddler, I was one of the easiest to take care of. Unlike most babies, I didn’t like to be carried too much, preferring to be left alone to play by myself. Perhaps I wasn’t an attention seeker and my strong character was inborn. Of course this last statement is purely an assumption. But I do have a vague recollection that I was the quiet sort when young, not quite expressive. I believe at a young age, I learnt to listen and observe more than I talked.

Oh yeah, I was also a very clumsy kid. I fell and cut myself on three occasions that required stitches on my face, one on my chin, another on my right eyebrow and a third one in the middle of my forehead. My mum and grandma got so worried as they thought I must have offended some spirits or whatever. A family friend told them I need to be adopted by 關帝 and miraculously, I did stop being a humpty dumpty after being ‘adopted.’

Age 7-12
Schooling age. I suffered when my free-roaming days at my grandma’s place in Tanglin Halt were over. I had a tough time adapting to school life, probably even hated it because I remember getting into trouble with my teachers several times during my primary school days. I wasn’t attentive in class, didn’t do my homework and failed my tests so my mum was called in by the teacher on at least two occasions.

For sure, my natural instinct to protect and stand up for my friends started very early. When I was in Pri 1, one of my classmates was bullied by a Pri 6 girl and I went to her rescue. I think I used a broom to chase the big bully away and she had the cheek to complain to my teacher but the classmate who was bullied explained the situation on my behalf and I got away with “violence”…所謂路見不平，拿掃把相助! Hahahaha!

I had this little weird habit when young; I refused to eat anything that wasn’t mine. Perhaps I should say I didn’t feel comfortable accepting other people’s things. When classmates offered me their snacks, I would always reject them. Kind of weird right? It was ok if they ate my sweets and snacks but not the other way round. I was a serious kid but I don’t think I was aloof as I did get along well with my classmates but I somehow maintained a certain distance from them. Fortunately, a close friend of mine in P4 prompted me about my ‘problem’. She told me there was nothing wrong with accepting things from friends and that I should learn to get closer with everyone.

My stubbornness began to show at a young age. I disliked being controlled or forced to do things I didn’t want. Not knowing how to communicate my feelings, I used actions instead to show my dislike. Incident 1: Piano lessons - my mum got my dad to buy a piano as she thought it’ll be good if her girl knew how to play the piano. I would hide in my room and refused to come out whenever the piano teacher turned up at my place. After a while, the lessons stopped. Incident 2: Tuition - I hated it again when my mum got me a private tutor when I was in Pri 3. The tutor was a former school teacher, a very nice, motherly lady. My displeasure must have been written on my face throughout the period that she taught me because after about a year or two, she convinced my mum that I was coping ok with my schoolwork and didn’t need a tutor. Yup, I got what I wanted…again.