childhood
so, first off, i want to acknowledge the great game of tetris. i recently rediscovered the joy of arranging odd shapes into rows (especially when you clear 4 at once with the long one! such a 'yes!' moment!). it also brought back memories of playing on a monochrome handheld device, hopscotch, catching, five stones, pick up sticks, lego, nursery rhymes (my favourite, of course, being the correct but not well-known way of singing the alphabet song), and many many more. guess there was a time that computers didn't exist, then.
being a child's weird though. it's when your brain has the capability to learn the most, yet it's when you're the most restricted by authority figures. it's when you're disciplined (ok maybe an asian thing) the most, but is the time you miss the most upon 'growing up'. i remember having 3 canes at home, one for each of us. i actually think it's pretty funky and cool now (in addition to it being a waste of money), but back then i guess they worked pretty well. do something wrong, and YOUR cane would be waiting for you. pretty powerful warning sign.
i guess the one thing that appeals to me the most about childhood is how you get away with things. it's kind of amazing how being a child absolves you of long lasting consequences. and with that comes the lack of self-censorship. which is something that's desperately needed in the adult world. a child who speaks freely is pure. an adult who does the same, sadly, is more often than not frowned upon.
in a completely unrelated thought, when i'm back in singapore at the end of the year, i'm going into tourist mode. i'm going to the zoo, night safari, bird park, science centre, ubin, the flyer, sentosa. it's a little alarming knowing how many of these places i haven't visited in years.
and ok tiff, i owe you a drawing.
posted by wenhui @ 7:12 pm
5 Comments:
I wanted to wait until I finish my essay but I am such a procrastinator!!
Hello! Longish comment for your efforts! And it is an interesting entry which I have something to comment on! So no picture necessary although I wouldn't mind a drawing. :D
I used to sing the alphabet while running around the track, just to keep my mind off things. I get distracted very easily.
I duno...I wouldn't say I was restricted because I spent a lot of time out playing in the playground and learning things. I think this is probably what I took most from childhood, the want for learning and curiousity. I guess my only disappointment is not knowing that there was more out there in the world to acquire knowledge from and I was very limited in what I knew. Or from my perspective I find it limited that I wasn't a street-smart child.
I hated the cane. Because my brothers would fight and my mom would come and whack anyone in proximity. When I was in upper primary I used to find the canes and break them because I didn't want anyone getting caning. I don't think it works because I rebel. :)
I think what happens when you're a child has long-lasting consequences. That's why we grow up to be adults who practice self-censorship. (Or how I became more observant to fit in but I fail at fitting in anyway) Well...if you think about it this way. Anyway, tolerance is a virtue in our society so can't say everything we want to say without thinking about it! Or you can just say what you want to say and other people will do the tolerating. Frowning is not good, gives you wrinkles.
Call me along if you're going flyer! And don't forget to bring your ANU student ID. That is if I'm in Singapore. But I can understand, I went on a similar tourist spree after my first year. I even had a list of foods/eating places I had to eat/visit no matter what.
Yes, go do a drawing and post in on your blog. As a topic for your next next entry?
whoa. even longer than my post.
you THINK you know how to sing the alphabet, but i dare say you've not heard of the proper way to do it! i'm opening up classes soon, come join! haha
ok i see where you're coming from with the consequences bit. only i think as children we don't really care until at some age it hits us that what other people think of us really does matter enough to start installing a red light in our mouths. but definitely growing up's part of finding that out too.
haha and i wanted to draw something awhile back but i gave up too easily. i've been playing hide-and-seek with my artistic ability for 20 years now. it's pretty good at it i must say.
Long post = long comment. Short post = no comment.
I decline. It's JUST the alphabet. :D If however, you know how to do the alphabet in sign language, I'm open to attending that class.
Doesn't everyone? I get surprised by how difficult people perceive drawing to be (not that I'm insinuating that you think drawing is difficult). Ah...now I wonder at my use of the word "insinuate". Is it in the right context? Should I have used imply? suggest? One day I will speak a simpler language than English.
20 years??? Oh wait...you're 20. :)
Your post makes me think of my childhood too, and oh, how much i miss those carefree days :) Anyway, ODAC juz had a ktv session today! And that session juz made me relive so many fond ODAC memories.. how time flies!
haha really! quite happening eh still. yeap definitely, it's been like more than 4 years since all of us met? has been some time. meet-up's a given when i'm back! in the meantime, can you tapao and send over some old chang kee food? 2 sotong heads, 1 prawn nugget, 2 curry puffs. thanks!! hahaha
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