Wong Kwai Choo Audrey and Wong Jun Wei Ryan
Wong Kwai Choo Audrey:
I was born in the year 1952, in the era of the Merdeka Generation (1950 -1959), a period which signifies the years in which Singapore worked hard towards colonial self -governance and independence. I was born into a middle class family, my father being the sole breadwinner, supported my mother, my paternal grandmother, and 6 of us (myself and 5 siblings).
My siblings and I did not have the luxuries that our cousins enjoyed. I remembered we were sensible and responsible teenagers, and were content with the very little that we had. I mentioned that we were sensible because we knew that our father was working very hard to support us and provide for our education. So, we saved a portion of our pocket money (which was less than a dollar per day) daily, to pay our own school fees ($7.00 per month) and other stationeries.
We were happy that by our action, we could help lighten the burden of our father. My father would make sure that we got a new set of school uniform and school shoes, at the beginning of each new school year. We appreciated his every effort to provide for us and to bring us up as educated persons. He saved, stinged and skimped on himself to provide for us. He spent only $0.30crs on his daily meal. 10cts for porridge, 10ct for fried long beans and 10cts for braised pork skin. A very simple meal… without a cup of tea or coffee.
It was because we knew that our Father had sacrificed so much for us, that we were also willing to sacrifice a good meal at recess time to save our pocket money to pay for our own school fees etc… So that we could be interdependent and provide for little things for ourselves. We never had new clothes for Chinese New Year. Every Lunar New Year, mum would alter the clothes (which were still very new) passed down by our rich cousins, for us to wear. We were happy and contented because those were “new clothes” to us.
My father had always encouraged and taught us to be good students and grow up to be good citizens. He encouraged us to join the Civil Service and serve the government to the best of our abilities. It was because of our father’s nurturing and encouragement that my elder brother and I remained in the civil service for over 4 decades, till our retirement at 70 and 65 years respectively.
Wong Jun Wei Ryan:
I am what is known as a 90s kid: a decade when cool was still cool! (there were floppy disks, paper bus tickets and many public phones). When I was growing up, there were no smartphones and television was still fat (cathode-ray tube). We used to play games like ‘marco polo’ at the playground and enjoyed swings and slides. Handphones were mostly still black and white (the snake game was huge) and the game boy color was a big hit. Being a 90s kid is cool: we saw the old, the new and the old becoming the new.
With growing up comes schooling. I was from an all boys school and boys… will be boys. Recess time was spent gobbling down our food so that we can have that little bit more time for football. We would play till our white uniforms were dirty and wet, and sometimes our teachers would make us stand outside class (we knew it was secretly because they cared and wanted us to avoid the aircon). When it was time for JC, I would always tell a small joke that because both uniforms were all white, all I had to do was to change the badge.
With schooling came teenage years, hobbies and self discovery. During my teenage years and going to school, I tried my hand at many different things. I developed a deep liking for playing guitar and singing, for playing tennis and bowling, and for poetry and writing. I joined my school’s Chinese drama club (My Cantonese was/is better) in order to brush up on my mandarin, and later even joined the astronomy club to spark an interest in science (nah, I thought it was romantic). It was in those years where I realized I was much stronger in the arts and humanities (as compared to science) and that contrary to what my mum would like, I was not going to become a doctor.
Everyone has dreams and aspirations growing up. I have always been very curious and interested in many things, and so I thought of becoming many things when I grow up. I thought of becoming a pilot to fly cool planes, a psychologist to help people overcome their darkest fears and untie their deepest knots, a musician to provide musical companionship in good and bad times, a diplomat to engage in high level negotiations (like James Bond without the action), and really, the list goes on…
All I knew was I wanted to do things which can benefit other people, make a difference in the lives of others, and which I can be very happy doing.
Which chapter are we at now? For me, I have just graduated from university and I am waiting to take the Bar exams and be called to the Singapore Bar as an advocate and solicitor. I look forward to doing good work as a lawyer, and I also look forward to working with my dad in expanding the music school he started. I am also excited to open my own restaurant one day. There is much to be grateful for . Doing volunteer work and serving the community has also become as constant for me, I look forward to contributing more and making an even bigger difference to the community, our country and the people around me as time goes on.
