LIV - 1.2 Family

Somewhere between the ages of 3 and 4, Uncle James became Papa.

I don't remember the transition, although I do remember living in a huge bungalow house at Haig Road that had a big garden filled with trees and dogs. Baths were taken in a toilet that had a huge old school ceramic trough. Water was poured on me using a well worn coconut husk. We didn't live here long though. A house was being built.

A place I would call home for the next 12 years.

9B Carpmael Road.

It was a comfortable house, double storeyed semi-detached with four bedrooms upstairs, kitchen, study, living, dining and TV area downstairs. I had my own room, a big room with a wall fully occupied by cupboards and shelf space. The room was painted a bright cheery yellow, the furniture was a clean bright white. There was an attached bathroom with a blue bathtub that I would often soak in. It was truly a little girl's luxury.

We lived fairly comfortably. I went to school at a nearby kindergarden, driven there by either Papa or Mom everyday. We had a live in "auntie" who did all the housework. There was a simple family bliss during this period of time.

On weekends, we would go on photography excursions. Papa was part of the South East Asian Photographic Society and they conducted excursions to various ulu parts of Singapore for photography sessions. I posed for this group on many occasions, two portraits of me even won 2nd and consolation prizes at a competition.

Our relatives continued to visit us and they even had mahjong sessions in our house. I distinctly recall Mom being pregnant, wearing a green sarong dress, sitting in the living room, playing mahjong with Papa and some relatives.

The first birthday party I had in this house was a grand one. Everyone came and I had a big birthday cake in the shape of a sheep. It was pink with white coconut shavings as fleece. I took one bite of the cake and puked all over my party dress. Until today, I don't eat coconut. Especially anything that has coconut shavings.

We went on trips, one of them to Hong Kong, when my Aunt Lina got married. The most vivid memory of the wedding I have is that the frilly, lacey flower girl dress I was made to wear was scratchy. I was sulky and unhappy because they didn't have time to feed me. I needed to pee, but Mom kept saying "Wait". There issn't a single photo of me from that day that shows me smiling.

In a way, this marked the beginning of my growing up process. A childhood that would be shaped by the actions of the adults around me.

People who loved me, people who cared.

People who are family.