GRANDFATHER STORIES

Okay, I am not quite there yet but somehow it seems I keep getting that distinction. I was called "Ye Ye" in an elevator when I held the door open for an auntie & her kid, then called "Datuk" by a Malay family when I gave up my seat on the MRT for their little kid.

This is my amateurish attempt at documenting my life, the exciting parts & the boring mundane days too. This is not some grand exercise in self promotion. I never got to know my dad very well as a boy, and I felt a huge gap that kept me wondering. So essentially, this words are meant mainly for my 2 kids, when they are ready & inclined to get a glimpse of who I was, from a boy to that old wrinkly fella they see pottering around the house.

I am attempting to write one mini chapter each day, and that's in the form of one post a day. Within each post (if for some strange reason, you are interested), you can simply navigate around using the NEXT & PREV links at the end of every post. This page will also be updated often and you can get a summary of what ramblings I have done.

It started as quite an academic project but as the days went on, I started enjoying myself reminiscing & getting flashes of memory that get uncovered unexpectedly. I suffer somewhat from hyperthymesia and forgetting is hard, so when a piece gets pulled out of the blue, it surprises me too.

As I go through the decades, some of it won't make sense to you, but perhaps as I travel towards the 90s when I started working, some of the scenery may become more familiar. Perhaps even learn a helpful lesson or two.

If nothing else, this mental exercise keeps me on my toes. I hope you find some distractions in my words as much as I do.

Thanks for reading

THE EARLY YEARS

1. Ben There Done That
2. The Call
3. Trash Bags
4. Pigeon Holes
5. My Level Best
6. My Hero
7. Salary Bump
8. A Little Pick Me Up
9. A Slice Of Life
10. Frozen In Time

THE ARMY YEARS

1. Little Green Men
2. Free Food, Lodging & Uniform
3. Spiritual Awakenings
4. The Grim Trim
5. The First Week
6. And So It Begins
7. Meet You At The Bar
8. The Cook's House
9. The Night Snack
10. Stumbling Block, Stepping Stones
11. The Butt Party
12. Sergeant Chong
13. Tragedy Strikes
14. Let's Go Camping
15. All Night Long
16. Posting Out
17. Rigger Check
18. Showering Spirits
19. The Atmosphere Was Electric!
20. Knife, Cuts Like A Knife
21. Wheels Up
22. Miss Evelyn
23. The Diner
24. Low & Steady
25. Premature Release
26. North Island, NZ
27. South Island, NZ
28. The Pine & Sheep
29. On The Road Again
30. Goodbye NZ
31. Ah-Ler-Ooo-Dee-Loh

THE WORKING YEARS

1. $200/Month
2. I Fell In Love
3. Learned To Kiss
4. F For Fumble
5. Walk The Talk
6. A Place In The Sun
7. The Four Floors
8. Rendang Burger
9. Big Sister
10. The Outsider
11. Game Of Life
12. To Sum It Up
13. Change Was In The Air
14. When There's A Wheel
15. Falling In Balance