Back to my childhood
My cousins and I were all back in Pulau Ubin at my grandma's place where we all grew up. I was supposed to drive my one of my cousins to the jetty cos she needed to go back to mainland Singapore for a test. The walk from my gram's place to the jetty is about 45 mins to one hour. Surprisingly, I was told that there was a black 4WD (dream vehicle!! Very ironic.. since it was in fact in my dream..sheeshh!!) for me to drive my cousin. The 4WD was a manual one and I had doubts about my ability in driving a manual car. In reality, I too doubt my ability to drive a manual car since I have been driving autos since I got my license. Anyway, I managed to drive the 4WD and suddenly I was back at my Gram's place again. Another older cousin and one of my aunts who was supposedly in the car with me when I sent my cousin to the jetty was also with me. I thought it was weird since I did not remember driving the car along the supposed route and how I suddenly ended up at home again. I even asked them "Was I possessed during the drive?" They both said no. I however, was convinced that I was possessed by some being hence explaining the fact why I didn't remembed driving the car beyong a certain point. LOL!! How paranoid could I get right?? And suddenly I was in a boat with a few people and we were taking a scenic tour of the island. I saw mangrove swamps and I even saw my grand aunt's house who lived beside my Grams.
It was good seeing that place again even though it was just in my dreams. My Gram's house was exactly as it is in my dreams. I miss that place. The place I grew up with all my cousins. Where I had my own swing and my own hammock and my own fruit trees. I even had my own treehouse dammit!! All built by my Grandpa :) There, I woke up to the breeze of the sea and the sound of the waves. Yupp... my Gram's had her own beach front property facing Changi Beach on the mainland. We didn't have a care in the world. The "toilet" in those days was a small hut attached to a small bridge about 10 metres extending to the open sea. So the sewer was the open sea itself. About 30-40 metres opposite the "outhouse" was another longer bridge about 100 metres long where you could fish or just sit. I loved doing jumps from the bridge and swimming in the sea. There was a gazebo at the bridge where you could sit down and where my cousins loved to eat our lunch :) The tree where I had my treehouse also grew on the shore so I had a seafront treehouse. How cool is that??
One of our favourite pasttimes when there were guests at the house was to sit around at the gazebo and wait for people to go to the outhouse and watch their shit go plop in the sea. One of my cousins lost interest in one of his crushes after watching her go. LOL! Needless to say, everyone was banned from going to the outhouse when the tide was high and everyone would go swim. This ban was put in place after a floater literally floated past me when we were in the sea swimming.
Occasionally in the evening, when the tide was really low, my cousins and I would walk in the mud and look for oysters and other shellfish. We'd go back, start a fire, cook and then eat by the beach. Electricity was "bought" from our neighbour who had his own generator. What time we started watching TV and went to bed depended on when the electricity was turned on and off. We would be watching a totally good show when suddenly everything would go dark. That meant the neighbour had gone to bed. We would all light our own oil wicks and then crawl to bed. In the morning, we would take our morning baths in the well. There was a well and a metal container with a rope attached to it for you to lower down and fetch the water. There was no water heater. Just pure steel will to take a cold bath in the morning. I hated taking baths. I would go days on end without taking a bath but just stay and soak in the sea water. My gramps had to drag and force me to sit still where she would pour cold water over me to wash away the salt and grime from my face and body. It was always a drama when it came to me taking baths. There was a durian tree at the back of the well and when durian season came, my cousins and I would go to the back of the well to search for durians first thing in the morning. Every morning my Gramps would collect 2 pails of water to put by the kitchen for us to wash dishes, hands or to boil water. We cooked by firewood and we had an open air kitchen. There was always a jar of kerosene and some matches for us to light the firewood to cook. I think that was where my obsession with fire and burning stuff came about. LOL!
Life was simple. Life was good. Until I had to return to mainland at about age 6. Went back to stay with my parents and I started K2. Up till about Primary 6, I went back to stay for weeks with my Gramps whenever school holidays came about. I would always come back really dark cos I would spent the whole day in the sun bathing in salt water and climbing up trees. Basically, just having the time of my life!
Bahhh!! I miss that place. When my Grandpa passed in 1992, my Gramps moved to the mainland to stay with my aunt. The land was also taken away to make way for redevelopment. I went back in 1994 for a short visit to see the house and I broke down the moment I saw the condition of the house. It was depressing seeing the state of the house. My treehouse was gone. So was my swing. So was the outhouse, The bridge was broken and not even stable. I cried really hard. It was hard seeing a once bustling house now empty and rundown. There were so many bittersweet memories I have of living and growing in that house. If only I could go back to it. :(
The house is now gone since the Government took the land away for redevelopment or some shit. and I miss my Grams :( I wasn't there when she passed and I regret it to this day for not visiting her as often as I should before she passed. People never cherish what they have till it's gone. Very true for me. I miss my grams :~(
Just amazing what a dream can do to you....
It was good seeing that place again even though it was just in my dreams. My Gram's house was exactly as it is in my dreams. I miss that place. The place I grew up with all my cousins. Where I had my own swing and my own hammock and my own fruit trees. I even had my own treehouse dammit!! All built by my Grandpa :) There, I woke up to the breeze of the sea and the sound of the waves. Yupp... my Gram's had her own beach front property facing Changi Beach on the mainland. We didn't have a care in the world. The "toilet" in those days was a small hut attached to a small bridge about 10 metres extending to the open sea. So the sewer was the open sea itself. About 30-40 metres opposite the "outhouse" was another longer bridge about 100 metres long where you could fish or just sit. I loved doing jumps from the bridge and swimming in the sea. There was a gazebo at the bridge where you could sit down and where my cousins loved to eat our lunch :) The tree where I had my treehouse also grew on the shore so I had a seafront treehouse. How cool is that??
One of our favourite pasttimes when there were guests at the house was to sit around at the gazebo and wait for people to go to the outhouse and watch their shit go plop in the sea. One of my cousins lost interest in one of his crushes after watching her go. LOL! Needless to say, everyone was banned from going to the outhouse when the tide was high and everyone would go swim. This ban was put in place after a floater literally floated past me when we were in the sea swimming.
Occasionally in the evening, when the tide was really low, my cousins and I would walk in the mud and look for oysters and other shellfish. We'd go back, start a fire, cook and then eat by the beach. Electricity was "bought" from our neighbour who had his own generator. What time we started watching TV and went to bed depended on when the electricity was turned on and off. We would be watching a totally good show when suddenly everything would go dark. That meant the neighbour had gone to bed. We would all light our own oil wicks and then crawl to bed. In the morning, we would take our morning baths in the well. There was a well and a metal container with a rope attached to it for you to lower down and fetch the water. There was no water heater. Just pure steel will to take a cold bath in the morning. I hated taking baths. I would go days on end without taking a bath but just stay and soak in the sea water. My gramps had to drag and force me to sit still where she would pour cold water over me to wash away the salt and grime from my face and body. It was always a drama when it came to me taking baths. There was a durian tree at the back of the well and when durian season came, my cousins and I would go to the back of the well to search for durians first thing in the morning. Every morning my Gramps would collect 2 pails of water to put by the kitchen for us to wash dishes, hands or to boil water. We cooked by firewood and we had an open air kitchen. There was always a jar of kerosene and some matches for us to light the firewood to cook. I think that was where my obsession with fire and burning stuff came about. LOL!
Life was simple. Life was good. Until I had to return to mainland at about age 6. Went back to stay with my parents and I started K2. Up till about Primary 6, I went back to stay for weeks with my Gramps whenever school holidays came about. I would always come back really dark cos I would spent the whole day in the sun bathing in salt water and climbing up trees. Basically, just having the time of my life!
Bahhh!! I miss that place. When my Grandpa passed in 1992, my Gramps moved to the mainland to stay with my aunt. The land was also taken away to make way for redevelopment. I went back in 1994 for a short visit to see the house and I broke down the moment I saw the condition of the house. It was depressing seeing the state of the house. My treehouse was gone. So was my swing. So was the outhouse, The bridge was broken and not even stable. I cried really hard. It was hard seeing a once bustling house now empty and rundown. There were so many bittersweet memories I have of living and growing in that house. If only I could go back to it. :(
The house is now gone since the Government took the land away for redevelopment or some shit. and I miss my Grams :( I wasn't there when she passed and I regret it to this day for not visiting her as often as I should before she passed. People never cherish what they have till it's gone. Very true for me. I miss my grams :~(
Just amazing what a dream can do to you....