文彬 Chapter 2: primary school days (1992 ~ 1997)

01 December 2023

August 1994
SINGAPORE STREET DIRECTORY

December 1995
#11121985

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文彬 Chapter 2: primary school days (1992 ~ 1997)   © 文彬 2004~2024. All rights reserved.

#11121985

11 December 2006

December is my favourite month of the year... because it is my birthday (11 December), the beginning of winter, and the season for Winter Solstice and Christmas (X'mas)...

To me, I considered my birthday as the most important celebration of the year. This is because it is the only day and celebration that is dedicated to me. It is the day for me to celebrate my achievements achieved in the past year, reflect on mistakes and set new goals for the next year (advantage of celebrating birthday in December)... These are the reasons why my family takes birthday celebrations momentously.

My first and second birthday were celebrated quite grandly by my extended family. However, from my third birthday onwards, celebrations became smaller and were mostly confined within my nuclear family only. Mumy explained that was because my brother was born and it became more challenging to organize a huge party and to manage 2 young kids concurrently.


1st Birthday #11121986


2nd Birthday #11121987


3rd Birthday #11121988

After I started attending kindergarten in 1990, I was quite envious of my classmates who get to celebrate their birthday during school term. Their parents would wrap titbits in small gift packs and distributed to the whole class. My birthday wish at that point of time was to distribute snacks gift packs to my classmates too. However, I do not have the opportunity to do so as my birthday is in the middle of the December school holiday. Knowing this, Papa and Mumy packed the gift packs and distributed them to my friends before school closed and I am really happy about it. But as I grew older, I am glad that my birthday is in the middle of the December school holiday as I do not need to study or panic for exams on my birthday.

In 1993, I thought celebrating birthday was troublesome and a waste of money, so I told Papa and Mumy there is no need to celebrate that year. But on the actual day, Papa surprised with a birthday cake. He told me that children should celebrate every birthday, which makes me very touch...

Another memorable birthday was my 10th birthday in 1995. Primary 4 was the year of streaming. My close friends and I knew that we were very likely to be streamed into different classes next year. Upon knowing that one of my birthday wish was to celebrate my birthday with them, Bryan and gang decided to give me a surprise on the last day of school. During recess, some of my buddies tried to hold me in the canteen, while they took turn to go to the bookshop to buy me stationery or cute gifts as birthday presents. Although none of these gifts are very expensive, they are all of practical uses and filled with love. It is the sincerity that makes me kept them till now. The cute surprise celebration almost makes me burst into tears (of joy). I am still to thankful to these thoughtful friends.

After entering secondary school, birthday celebration gets simpler at home, with the basic cake cutting and a good dinner at a restaurant. However, celebration with friends became more exciting. I usually celebrate my birthday with respective groups of friends by having dinner at different places every year. My birthday celebration is also incomplete without a ktv session since 2002. I am thankful to friends who remember my birthday.

On my 17th birthday (11.12.02), I volunteered to be an usher for the Fukuoka Girls Commercial High School visit to my school. It was an unforgettable to have so many Japanese girls of my age to sing "Happy Birthday" for me! The event lasted the whole morning and it is an unique birthday experience.

As I grew up, I got used to the default arrangement that my birthday is equivalent to school holiday. However, this default logic of my birthday = holiday started to get threatened since 2004... I am glad that my 20th birthday was during the post-BMT block leave and my Ops Bacinet duty schedule allows me to celebrate my 21st birthday at home. I am thankful to be able to celebrate my birthday with my loved ones and enjoy my birthday with an ease of mind at home. I would like to say "THANK Y♥U" to everyone who remember my birthday and make an effort to celebrate with me.

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#11121985   © 文彬 2004~2024. All rights reserved.

SINGAPORE STREET DIRECTORY

11 August 2004

Time flies... I just realized that I have been reading my favourite book, the "SINGAPORE STREET DIRECTORY" for more than 10 years...

On a humid night in August 1994 (when I was still a primary 3 student then), I casually flip through my father's newly-bought 17th edition of the "SINGAPORE STREET DIRECTORY". I started exploring the book and got curious over the various shapes, symbols and colour coding. I ask my father many questions about the book, how an area looks like in reality and pestered him to bring me there. Through the process, I fell in love with the book. I was so obsess with the book that this 17th edition became mine.

From then onwards, I started collecting, researching and interpreting printed maps of Singapore and related publications on Singapore geography and development history. I also started drawings maps of future new towns, MRT lines and electoral boundaries from my imagination. I photocopied pages of the "SINGAPORE STREET DIRECTORY" with large plots of vacant land to draw up a new town of the future. Such areas include Tampines (N6, N4 extension, N8 extension & N9 extension), Hong Kah, Seletar, Lim Chu Kang & Mandai. I would even draw these towns when my mother gave me spelling, curving the words into apartment blocks…

The announcement on the construction of the Northeast Line (NEL) in 1996 also makes me extremely interested on local geography. I began acquiring knowledge on Singapore geography through various sources like books, newspapers and references from the library. This passion and knowledge cultivated my everlasting love for geography, making it a goal for me to take geography as an 'O' level & 'A' level subject. True enough, I scored straight As for all Social Studies & Geography tests and examinations (except for sec 4 mid-year, which the school intentionally set our mid-year papers to be extremely difficult to prepare us for the upcoming prelim & 'O' level). with 98 points as my highest score for geography.

Currently, I have a mini collection of the "SINGAPORE STREET DIRECTORY". These books have integrated completely into almost all aspects of my everyday life. I would flipped through it during happy or sad moments, whenever I fell sick, eating, feeling bored, when I need to destress, going out, exploring new places...

It is a really big shame for me to throw away the memorable 17th edition after I bought the 18th edition. All the while, I have been trying to lie to myself that I had misplaced the 17th edition in the hope that I might be able to find it somewhere in my house and realise I actually didn't throw it away...

I would like to thank all 5 editions for their contributions to my life. I will always treasure and remember them. always...

I am anticipating for the release of the way overdued 22nd edition of the "SINGAPORE STREET DIRECTORY"...


My mini collection of "SINGAPORE STREET DIRECTORY"

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SINGAPORE STREET DIRECTORY   © 文彬 2004~2024. All rights reserved.