Diaries

I used to write almost-daily journals in those big corporate diaries that my father would receive mountains of at the end of every year. I would take one and use it for my journal. I wrote everything that happened to me that day, much like what blogs are to almost everyone today. Only difference is, my journals were for my eyes only so the writing was a lot more honest and raw. (Not that blogs are dishonest. It's just that once you are writing for an audience or the possibility of one, your writing will take a different slant and you may have to slash and burn or sensationalise depending on what your target is.)

A few days ago, my sister opened the top part of what-was-once-my cupboard and (thankfully I was there) found two diaries that belong to me, among many other stuff that I have conveniently forgotten about.

One diary was from the year 1988. I was in Primary 5 then. The other diary was from 1994. I was entering a new phase of life, having just completed my O levels and starting a new life in  JC. I took the 1994 diary away from my sis before she managed to open it.

My 1988 diary was so hilarious! I was studying in Jin Shan Primary School, a school which no longer exists. I wrote about my classmates and I truly hated the boys in my class. There was a boy who threatened to pull my hair out if I attended a certain function and apparently I also threatened to pull his hair out. I knew that I could not and should not sing in public even way back then. Hahahaaa! Growing up, I was very careful about the words I used. A lot of words were taboo to us, even words like 'stupid' and 'die'. Whenever my siblings and I played some games where we would shoot each other to death, I would say, "XXX dah aaaaaaaak." Aaaaaaaak means that the person has died; the assumption is when the person is shot (to death), he'll shout "aaaaaaaaaak" until he falls dead. My mom had a stillbirth in that year and I wrote, "My youngest brother aaaaaaaaaaak."

1994. My handwriting was significantly better. There were entries evey day except for the few weeks leading to the Promos (that's another word that I've just re-acquainted myself with - Promotional Exams, to ensure that we know enough to get us promoted to Year 2). Schoolmates, once again, figured greatly here. It's such a pleasure to read about the beginning of friendships with so many people whom I'm still friends with til today. Then there are friends whom I'm no longer in touch with. That just means that this holidays, I will be doing something that I used to do before life got busier (ie, I started working).  I'm going to write letters!! My younger sister was asking me why I did that. Weren't all my friends in Singapore? Yup. They were. But I just love writing letters and receiving replies. To me, receiving emails will never ever be the same as receiving letters. And you know that the energy invested in letter-writing is also not the same as that involved in emailing. It's just .. different. Back to 1994. There were many, many cringe-worthy reads but still, it was such an interesting year in my life and although part of me wished that certain things had taken a different course, another part of me understood why that was so. Am I cryptic or what. I will not be able to understand what I'm writing about when I read this a few years from now. Teehee!

After spending one night reading my diaries and reminiscing and reviewing a short history of my life with The Husband, I googled those I'm no longer in touch with to find out where they are. One has set up her own company, one has moved to Perth, another one shaved his hair for Children's Cancer Fund and quite a few are completely ungoogleble.

All righty. That's all for tonight!!

(Psst.. I have a pile of work to do but.. ummm.. tomorrow's another day, isn't it? Heh.)