Page 124 - Stories from our Grandparents

Mdm Stella Koh Born 1976 y fondest memory are my
childhood memories. There
By Kieran Chan Mduring my childhood.
Pasir Ris Secondary School
were many ups and downs
I grew up in a family of 8 with 6 siblings. When I was about 3 years old, I was
living in a one room HDB flat in Balam Road. It was very stuffy as we were
cramped together with almost no space to move around. I remembered
having to shower with my siblings. It was very amusing as we would splash
water at each other and this would often irritate our mother. Although
we lived in a very small house, we were very happy and contented with
our lives. We had a small coloured TV and we would watch dramas and
movies together. My father as the sole
breadwinner and our family were thrifty in
our spending. As such we were still able to
lead a comfortable life.
During my free time, I would meet up
with my neighbours at the void deck
and we would play games such as
Hide and Seek, Catching and Zero
Point. Sometimes, we would cycle around the park. We played games
that required physical energy. I also enjoyed helping out at
my neighbour’s Soya Bean Milk Store. It was an enriching
experience as I was taught how to make soya bean milk
manually. I also managed to earn some pocket money by
helping out in their store.
However, I enjoyed going to school the most. School was
fun and enriching as I could meet many friends and learn a lot of
useful skills like sewing and cooking during Home Economics classes.
Apart from academic subjects, we were able to engage in sports and CCA.
My CCA was basketball. Playing in the open-air basketball ball court made
me very tanned. I also exercised more and became fitter.
66 Grandma Stories
“I participated actively and frequented and represented
my class for track and field and Cross Country Run. I
remembered getting first place for track and field and this
made my classmates very proud to be in the same class as me.
I could remember the scene when I crossed the finishing line
with everyone shouting my name and cheering for me.”
The extraordinary moment was when was when I raised the trophy
up in the sky proudly as if I won an Olympic Gold medal for my
country. It was a fulfilling journey during secondary school life.
I did not have a lot of pocket money for recess so I did not spend a lot on
food. I usually ate only a plate of rice with some gravy. I would sometimes
order noodles soup. I usually drank plain water to save money. Having
McDonalds meal was considered a luxury for me. This was the case for
Singaporeans back then. These days, my children eat a lot more than me
and meat is their staple food.
There was also a time in the 90s when I wanted to get a job after
my O levels so as to purchase a very trendy sports shoes called “LA
Gear”. I worked as a garment operator for 10 hours per day which
was not easy. After saving some money, I was able to buy the shoes
after saving my salary.
I went through a lot of struggles during my childhood but they were all good
memories to me. It was a fruitful period of time for me as I made a lot of
friends which I still contact till today. I also learnt to cherish what I have and
work hard for my future. I hope the future generation would also be thrifty
and know that diligence is the key to success.
Grandma Stories 67