Four days after April Fools’ Day in 1991, a baby was born at National University Hospital in Singapore. That baby was me. Fourteen years later, I am still alive and kicking.
My name is Tan Kee Yao, and I live in a five-room flat in Bukit Panjang with my mother, sister and brother. My father has been working overseas in Shanghai for the last 5 years, and he only returns twice a year. I look forward to those times tremendously because for the brief period that he is in Singapore, our family would go out often and catch up with one another over a good dinner. But we still maintain contact with him through the telephone daily. I love my family, and I feel very blessed to have such a good and complete family. Though sometimes there would be quarrels flying across the table, I know deep down that what they do is all for my own good.
I have been going to school as long as I can remember. I went to kindergarten at Seventh Day Adventist Kindergarten, though the memories of those times appear a little vague to me now, I can still remember some specific incidents. Like the occasional potluck parties, P.E lessons where we ran around aimlessly at the playground, computer lessons where I used to enjoy the most, and the end-of-year concert we had to put up where I applied makeup for the first time in my life. During those times there really was no pressure whatsoever, we were literally playing games everyday and even the lessons were fun. Maybe is because our minds were not as developed then and cannot see the “bad” side of life, life to us then was just play, play, and more play. Not knowing that we are in fact learning more about this world every single day. Primary school days were equally enjoyable, though there was homework added to school life, it was still manageable. I transferred to Bukit Panjang Primary from Jurong Primary when I was in primary three as I had just moved house. I was reluctant to leave, but I had no choice. However, I enjoyed my time there even more, staying back after school to play ball, the many friendships I built, and of course the usual boy-girl relationships that spiced up primary school life. Those were the days. But when I was met with geniuses all over the land in Raffles Institution after my PSLE exams, there was a drastic change. Homework started to pile up, lessons were far more complex, CCA activities were more rigorous, and of course one teacher did not teach all subjects anymore. But one has to adapt to what life throws at him, and I did. After secondary one, I had adjusted to secondary school life and made many new friends. Friendship to me is the most important ship in the world, life is all about communication, how can people live without interaction with other people? Sometimes I really wonder how loners manage to live their lives. Although my “friendship” has already steadied its course, my studies are not doing very well. I managed to scrape past some subjects last year, and now in my third year, the pressure is constantly mounting. I guess I have to work doubly hard.
Enough of the academic nonsense, life to me now is all about another thing, soccer. I have been watching and playing soccer since the age of five. My first and only teacher was my brother. He taught me the basics and played with me in my living room using a makeshift ball made up of newspaper and tape. After a few years of intense training, I moved on to the challenge of playing with the kids at the void deck downstairs. That was the place I honed my skills, playing with kids twice my age, and twice my size. But unfortunately, I could not stay there long and had to move to a bigger club, or rather a bigger house, after one year. Then I stopped playing soccer for almost two years, until I was primary six when I rediscovered my love for the game. Ever since I came to RI, I have been actively involved in soccer during recesses and lunches, the total number of times I have played on the astroturf and field is countless. And the proudest achievement I have ever achieved in soccer is the interclass title we won in secondary one. Though we were claimed to have been lucky to win the title, we still won as a class and that deserves some credit. Besides playing soccer, I am also an avid fan of Chelsea Football Club, though recently many people have started supporting them because of the array of stars bought with oil tycoon Roman Abramovich’s millions, I started supporting them nine years ago because of the plain reason that their jersey has a nice shade of blue. I have been following them ever since and my favourite player currently is midfield maestro Frank Lampard. With good skills and good looks, and an eye for the goal, he has become my idol for the past few years and I try to emulate him on the pitch.
The future to me is still unclear, I do not really have a true career I wish to pursue. The most I can do now is study hard and hope something comes across my path that leads me somewhere. I am looking forward to life after my four years in RI at Raffles Junior College and be reunited with the fairer sex. Of course not forgetting the A Levels’ that are just around the corner. Hopefully, I can make lots of money and find a good partner and just enjoy what is left of my beautiful life.
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