My Kiasu Teenage Life in Singapore (18 page)

During the recent outing, Eric went but he didn't really participate. Instead, he just stood at the back and watched. He looks blur sometimes and he blinks his eyes as if he's confused.

The guys kept catching another guy then rolled him on the grass, pounced on him and opened his shirt then took a photo. How embarrassing. They did it to Eric too.

I feel so sad for the poor soldiers who died in WWI and WWII. I feel sad when I read about how their comrades tried to save them. The British really did a lot for Malaya, especially during the Emergency Period (1948–1960). Oh ya, the Malay word for the Emergency is
Darurat
—I couldn't recall the word for a second.

My Malay is crumbling away, rotting, deteriorating. I've only read one Malay book this year. Jen Nee has read none.

Sometimes I feel so grateful to my parents for giving me so much—their love and all their hopes for me.

Mei Yee, thank you for the years of our friendship. Hope you come to Singapore for JC—there're so many things you'll like here. Meanwhile, enjoy yourself in BM. I find that if you cope with your problems wisely and look for the silver lining it's not that bad after all. Well, at the time I'm writing this letter, I'm in a happy mood—I might just become frustrated later on.

Well, BYE.

Love, Pei Yi

Saturday 18 October

Dear Mei Yee

I'm feeling very bored! Everyone is studying Physics 'coz they have a Physics exam on Monday. Everyone is learning new things but I'm not.

Yesterday I watched a very funny and meaningful show called
Mr Destiny.
It's 'bout a man, Larry, who regrets not hitting the ball in his baseball match years ago. He is not satisfied with his present life 'coz he thinks it could have been much better. Then he goes to this dark bar to drink. The man at the counter, Mike, is actually a magic man. After listening to his problems, Mike gives him a magic potion called Spilt Milk. Larry drinks it. When he leaves the bar, his life has actually changed (from the moment he hit the ball and married the prom queen) but he doesn't know it. So he goes back to his house but it's not his house anymore. His wife is different too. He later realizes that he doesn't have any friends even though he has a beautiful wife and lots of money. Finally he's able to go back to his real life and he's learned to treasure his life. Isn't life funny? If you make one decision, it leads to other events. Even one decision could change the rest of your life.

I've finished Lit. and History papers. Right now, I feel terrible and sad and everything.

BYE. I'll write when I'm in a better mood.

Love, Pei Yi

PS We played a trick on Lily Sim by writing a love letter to her, as if it's from a JC guy. We said, “I just love you to wear your orange-and-black dress. It brings out your femininity,” and showered tons of praises on her. The next day, she wore that orange-and-black dress again! She seldom wore it before. But everyday, she wears white stockings. That
hiau po!

Tuesday 20 October

Dear Mei Yee

The Lancome cosmetics company came to our school for a promotional session. They taught us how to clean our face and apply makeup. We get to try the cleansers out. Everything was so expensive! One tube of washing foam costs around S$40! But still, so many girls were ordering all that junk.

Love, Pei Yi

5

Sec 4 Now!

Saturday 2 January

Dear Mei Yee

Hi! I hope you have written to me already, no matter how boring it is in BM, as you say.

Jen Nee and I reached our hostel on 29 Dec. My new room this year is A320 and now Jen Nee is my roommate—yipee! And the only thing I can see of Eric's room is whether the light is on or not. I like this room. It is very cool and has a pretty good view.

The next day, 30 Dec, we met the Sec 1 Juniors at their Briefing. We were supposed to introduce ourselves and mix and mingle. I certainly didn't enjoy doing that. I guess I'm not a very good senior—certainly not one you'd look up to, like Alisa.

I saw Eric in the morning when Nancy and Eric discussed how much sugar paper to buy. You see, Eric is in charge of the Briefing deco. He's always in charge of things. The deco looked weird. The banner “ASEAN FOREVER” was done by several people and everyone cutting out a letter in his own style. So, letters of every imaginable style in fluorescent green were assembled. Eric's “A” wasn't even cut properly and it was already stuck there!

After shopping for essentials, I rearranged my room.

On the 31st, we met the Sec 3 Juniors (isn't it terrible to be Seniors). Elizabeth is wonderful and so natural when talking to them and their parents.

Oh ya, I'm very happy for Nicole—she did get her scholarship renewed for Sec 3. Remember last year she was in danger of losing it?

In the evening, we went to Orchard Road (both guys and girls). We came back only the next morning 'coz we wanted to celebrate New Year's Day.

We walked a lot, sat in a park and talked, ate and watched
A Few Good Men.
I was tongue-tied, nervous and hated myself for being so — (I don't even know what word to use to describe this stupidity) because of Eric's presence. Sunny was so sociable. She is witty and funny and mixes very well with the guys.

Eric usually “commands” the guys. He is so popular with them and everyone does what he says. I walked beside him once but I screwed up the chance to talk to him. I was very nervous and wanted to think of witty remarks; instead I ended up saying stupid stuff. I'm never going to try to be witty again. Eric asked me why I wasn't with Jen Nee, he thought we're very close and always together. He also asked what room I'm in. I'd already checked what room he is in but I asked anyway. Then I asked, “You went to New Zealand?” He went with some Networking members and didn't have to pay a cent! He gave Nancy, Pau Leen and Nicole some souvenirs. Then he asked how I knew he went. I said, “Nancy told me you gave her a souvenir.” And I hoped he did not misunderstand me to be hinting that I want one too because he said sorry, he didn't have enough souvenirs to give everyone!

In the park also, I sat beside him, but didn't say anything. Uggg. Why am I so terrible!? He just asked me whether I wanted his biscuits. And then later, because my lips were drying up, I asked whether he had water and I drank his orange juice.

Oh ya, he now wears contact lenses and new specs. I told him he looks more intellectual with his specs.

Oh dear, I hope you're not falling asleep with this brain-numbing boredom.

To continue, he is looking as cute as ever! When we ate at Long John Silver's he sat in front of me. We told some jokes. I hate speaking to many people at once, like when we're all in a group, because I'll get so nervous that I can't speak fluently. Guess I'm not made a public speaker!

At 5 am I was very sleepy. We were hanging around outside Orchard Cinema, playing games. I slept so that I could eschew obligations to talk. I asked Cheng Hoe whether he has Science jokes. You know that joke, “Why did the Koala Bear fall off the tree?” Cheng Hoe answered, “Gravity.” He's so funny.

He's always saying Penang this, Penang that: “Are there any juniors from Penang?”, “Look! Penang food.”

On the night of 1 Jan, we took the Sec 3s to the hostel field and played games sitting in a circle. Eric was there.

Today is the 2nd. Jen Nee and I had KFC then shopped at Beauty World for groceries. When someone came up and said, “Give me your wallet!” I thought it was for real—turned out to be Matt, Cheng Hoe and … (tadah!) Eric going for lunch! Unfortunately, we'd already eaten! Anyway, we talked for a while, then we went back. I haven't talked to Eric since.

Well, bye.

Love, Pei Yi

Sunday 3 January

Dear Mei Yee

Hi! Today, on an impulsive decision, I paged for Eric to ask him to lunch. Although I wanted to invite him only, I blurted out, “Jen Nee, Nicole and Sunny are going,” and that he could bring his friends too. I was relieved when he said ok. I rushed back to Block A and begged Jen Nee, Nicole and Sunny to go too. It turned out that he brought a whole batch of guys, fifteen of them, and there were only four girls—me, Jen Nee, Nicole and Sunny. We ate at Beauty World. The guys didn't join us although they sat nearby, but Eric was obliged to sit beside me and walk beside me etc. Poor guy. He's so nice. The five of us sat in this arrangement:

After lunch, we wanted to buy lacy panties for someone's birthday. Eric didn't know if he was supposed to come with us but was too polite to leave us. The other guys went their own way and Eric walked with us.

Actually, I don't know how to tell you how I feel about all this. It's not exactly what I want. I think, now, surely he knows that I like him, and being such a nice person, he's nice to me. That's all. I want to get my mind off this.

BYE.

Love Pei Yi

Monday 11 January

Dear Mei Yee

Yesterday, we went to ECP (East Coast Park) for Signature Hunt. It's an annual tradition but this time we are the seniors and we get to command the juniors to do embarrassing things. Well, actually we didn't have that many ideas of what we should tell them to perform.

Let me tell you all about Eric. At ECP, he was very cool in sunglasses. He really looks like the kind of rich-sociable-highclass-stylish men you see on adverts!! Eric asked a girl to propose to me. Later, I asked a guy to hold a conversation with him for two minutes while I stood and watched. After Signature Hunt, the rest played games but I was too lazy to join in so I sat on the beach with Alisa and Jen Nee. Gaik Teong came and talked to us. I think that Gaik Teong is very interesting and intelligent. He likes to tell people about things. He'll go, “Do you know what those black things are? They're snails,” and he'll show them to you, and “These people are Filipinos” etc. You can learn a lot from him. He's funny too. I feel at ease with him but SO nervous with Eric.

Then I sat with Nancy under a tree. I was reading
The Merchant of Venice
when Eric came and sat beside me. He said he wanted to read too. Naturally, I couldn't concentrate and couldn't digest a single word. Then Nancy saw a caterpillar on the ground nearby and shrieked. She has been shrieking in shrill tones that assailed our ears the whole day, probably to get attention. Oops, I'm digressing from the topic. To continue my account of what happened, Nancy ran off shrieking, so it was just Eric and me under the tree. Eric asked whether I like to read and who my favourite authors are. I told him about Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl and Judy Blume. I asked him to tell me about his New Zealand trip. It seems that that is the only thing I can remember about him when he is around. He must think that I'm obsessed with New Zealand or something. Then his friends came and I didn't talk to him anymore. We went back after a while.

The most interesting thing I asked any of the juniors to do was for a girl and a guy to hold hands, accost some strangers near the beach and say to them, “We're getting married soon. Wish us luck.” I also asked a pair of girls to do the same thing. It was interesting to see the strangers' reactions, like on
Candid Camera!

At night, I was reading newspapers when Eric came to read newspapers too. I went over and asked him to give me $2 because I'm treasurer of our Batch and then I sat beside him. I couldn't think of things to talk to him at that time, so there we were, just reading newspapers in silence, except that I was very distracted and stared at a page for a long time and then I turned the page so that he wouldn't know that I wasn't really reading.

Love, Pei Yi

Sunday 31 January

Dear Mei Yee

Hi! It's been quite a while since I've written to you and such a lot has happened …

Last night, we went to CJC Hostel to give juniors signatures. I was sitting with Miriam (Sec 4, CHIJ) when Eric came to sit beside Miriam. Then he introduced himself to her and he asked her what school she was from. Miriam replied, “CHIJ”. Eric said, “Oh, I was wondering why you are so close to Pei Yi. Won't Jen Nee be jealous?” I asked him, “Who are you close to?” and Miriam said, “She means, ‘Do you have a girlfriend?'” “I mean, guys,” I said. Eric replied, “No one in particular.” For photography, I have to do this exercise and I want to ask Eric to be the subject the next time I see him.

I went to Chinatown to take photos yesterday. I wanted to take photos of people but it's rather difficult if you're not invisible. Old people have a taboo against photo-taking and might scream at you.

Oh ya, the other day, Jen Nee and I sang
Daniel
for the Karaoke contest. Actually we wanted
Daniel
by Wilson Phillips but found out too late that the laser disc's
Daniel
is sung by Elton John in orange sunglasses. The style is so different and horrible! Nancy and Nicole's I
Know Him So Well
was really good!