Growing up Act 2
I did have a different childhood from many of us in Singapore.
Since it's more than 10 years ago, it's good to just write it down here, something for me to remember.
I remembered one memorable day when I was 12 where I paid my first income tax. I couldn't recall how much was it. It was pretty scary.
My mother must have found out I have a penchant for chinese and performing and sent me to chinese speech and drama classes when I was Pri3. I did not disappoint and very quickly I was participating in story telling competitions around Singapore.
And it is through these places you see people you don't see in school. Every kid is accompanied by a parent and all dressed up in fanciful costumes, rehearsing their stories over and over again.
I remember this 'Rao Kou Ling' or chinese tongue twister competition held at the Bedok library hosted by Mark Lee. I was startled by the fact that every kid was dressing up in some weird costumes, some the Monkey God, some like KTV hostess, or all the shit you see in those saturday night 'Yi Kang Zhi Ye' children singing competition. Fourtunately, I was wearing just something casual and got second prize. The top 3 took pictures with the press and that was my first time on newspaper.
Recalling the picture. I was standing at the centre with a forced smile, beside me is a kid who's all dressed up like monkey god doing that monkey god stance, the other was a girl with her fingers pointing at her dimples trying to look cute. Too bad i can't show u the pic.
Many trophies followed and eventually there was this big scale chinese story-telling competition when I was Pri4. It was quite exciting as there were over few hundred contestants. The qualifying rounds were held at Hwa Chong JC and the finals would be held at Mandarin hotel.
So in the end I went into the finals and got a consolation prize and I was happy at the fact that I got to tell my story in Mandarin hotel. I was pretty glad that one of the judges in the qualifying round asked me whether I was local. Fuck man, I was so foolish. Sounding like a china mama. Na bei.
I remembered there were chinese newspapers writing about these competition. Of who were the potential winners and stuff. Haha. Story-telling Idol.
Subsequently, I performed cross-talks( xiang sheng ) in different places. Hotels, community centres, so that was my first step. Performing in front of a big crowd.
There was this particular June holidays in Pri2 when the old I-weekly advertised auditions of kids of this particular TV drama starring Chew Chor Meng. My mother signed me up and I was part of the many many kids. An extra. It was a pretty fun experience. I had 1 or 2 lines even. I was a really really fat boy then. All the 'wah's and 'eh's when we see all the TV stars.
My first taste of this television circle.
Since it's more than 10 years ago, it's good to just write it down here, something for me to remember.
I remembered one memorable day when I was 12 where I paid my first income tax. I couldn't recall how much was it. It was pretty scary.
My mother must have found out I have a penchant for chinese and performing and sent me to chinese speech and drama classes when I was Pri3. I did not disappoint and very quickly I was participating in story telling competitions around Singapore.
And it is through these places you see people you don't see in school. Every kid is accompanied by a parent and all dressed up in fanciful costumes, rehearsing their stories over and over again.
I remember this 'Rao Kou Ling' or chinese tongue twister competition held at the Bedok library hosted by Mark Lee. I was startled by the fact that every kid was dressing up in some weird costumes, some the Monkey God, some like KTV hostess, or all the shit you see in those saturday night 'Yi Kang Zhi Ye' children singing competition. Fourtunately, I was wearing just something casual and got second prize. The top 3 took pictures with the press and that was my first time on newspaper.
Recalling the picture. I was standing at the centre with a forced smile, beside me is a kid who's all dressed up like monkey god doing that monkey god stance, the other was a girl with her fingers pointing at her dimples trying to look cute. Too bad i can't show u the pic.
Many trophies followed and eventually there was this big scale chinese story-telling competition when I was Pri4. It was quite exciting as there were over few hundred contestants. The qualifying rounds were held at Hwa Chong JC and the finals would be held at Mandarin hotel.
So in the end I went into the finals and got a consolation prize and I was happy at the fact that I got to tell my story in Mandarin hotel. I was pretty glad that one of the judges in the qualifying round asked me whether I was local. Fuck man, I was so foolish. Sounding like a china mama. Na bei.
I remembered there were chinese newspapers writing about these competition. Of who were the potential winners and stuff. Haha. Story-telling Idol.
Subsequently, I performed cross-talks( xiang sheng ) in different places. Hotels, community centres, so that was my first step. Performing in front of a big crowd.
There was this particular June holidays in Pri2 when the old I-weekly advertised auditions of kids of this particular TV drama starring Chew Chor Meng. My mother signed me up and I was part of the many many kids. An extra. It was a pretty fun experience. I had 1 or 2 lines even. I was a really really fat boy then. All the 'wah's and 'eh's when we see all the TV stars.
My first taste of this television circle.
posted by jingli K at 10:23 AM
2 Comments:
Wah,this reminds me of the National Story Competition when I 1st met u(at the Press Holdings).I dunno if u still remember this :p U were so nice to come n shake my hand when I won(that left me a super gd impression of u :) ).Ur senior from Anglican was soooooo DAO.........(soreloser too...)
u paid income tax when u were 12! gosh! u must earning really ALOT then siah! tsk tsk... LOL
ooooo which senior from Anglican is that Oink Oink tokking abt? haha... maybe i will noe too... hehe
-ww
Post a Comment
<< Home