Sunday, January 06, 2008

Intensive (Day)Care

Had the pleasure of seeing my niece Carmen finally make her first step into the halls of preschool - with very little complaint surprisingly ( minimal kicking / screaming ) despite her natural disregard for authority. Though I pity the lil gal for having to contend with unnatural schedules and mindless homework at such a young age, I guess we have to keep up with the Joneses after all.

And I believe they send their kids to kiasu preschool as well.

The sooner to indoctrinate the little children into hating school no doubt. All because of parental anxiety. Now instead of having ten god-awful years of peer persecution, teacher torment and endless mathematical sums, we have at least three added years to that seemingly endless prison term. Is it any wonder that these tortured gradgrinds find themselves seeking psychiatric couches as angst-filled tweenagers?

But I won't get on that particular soapbox.

Penn Badgley!
Do I have to go to school?!

Despite her oddly militant mind-set, Carmen doesn't seem to mind.

After all most kids enjoy preschool. Or at least I think I did since I have particularly fond - though vaguely blurred - memories of those nostalgic, sepia-toned days in kindergarten. And though there were a revolutionary handful who wailed endlessly at the gates, I don't remember the rest of us clamouring to leave once lessons started. There was an antique cupboard where I used to snatch storybooks at random during playtime to read - in between stuffing my face with mini-sandwiches and shoving other rugrats into the sandbox. Yeah, just another fun-filled day in kiddieschool.

Even performed in school plays, including a memorable dance with candles during Christmas. Trust me, it wasn't easy balancing lighted candles on miniature plates while performing complicated routines!

Of course my mother remembers it differently.

Mom : You were an intense kid.
Paul : Intense? Me? You sure you're not talking about some other son? My anal-retentive brother perhaps?
Mom : You were so intense. Thought you'd get an ulcer before your time.
Paul : My God. What kinda freak child was I? No wonder I repressed those memories.

Intense. How odd. Am I? You see, my friends and I back in school always had a game where we looked for single adjectives to describe each other. Gotten wicked and effervescent.

But never intense.

And that's way back in kindergarten? :O

12 comments:

Ryan said...

Oh kindergarten! I performed during pre-school too!! I still remember it was known as ABC-dance. Just because my mother still keep the photo of me dancing that dance.

nakedwriter said...

I danced Mukaa ala la in my kindy days. With make-up and kurta and all.

Until today, I still put make up on every time I perform. It's an art! :)

Where is your email?! Give me a hint *and nudge and wink to go with it!*

A Lewis said...

Let's talk about those "angst-filled teenagers"....can we? Now, are they good looking, are they guys?, needing a little discipline?, hum....hum......

adrien said...

guess she won't need the silly boy with the hat anymore. though i long to be fanned again.

mstpbound said...

oh my god I vaguely remember preschool in China during the late 80's and I HATED it! All I remember are the times when I cried so much that the teachers had to put me in bed and give me candy to placate me. And the weird weird kid who sucked on his index finger so much that it was constantly this little wrinkled stub of flesh....yeah. Not good memories...

Anita said...

hey, feel so pai seh that you came to visit my blog.
I don't remember how I found your blog though, but it's a good read :)

Jason said...

Kindergarten! I remember I fight with my classmate b4. :P Wondered if he turned gay or not.

Aleckii said...

Don't even get me started on my kindy days... I remembered grabbing on the seat of the car, and wouldn't let go. My dad had to physically ply my fingers, by then he had already suffered lots of scratch marks (yeah, serve them right for not cutting my finger nails the night before). Then when they left me on a bench in the kindy, I CRIED! I BAWLED!

Gosh... how embarassing...

Anonymous said...

Well the things I remember during kinder are some of my classmates who pooed or peed in the classroom hehehe. Happy New Year to you dear!!!

nemesis-on-fire said...

i liked kindi :P

*gasp* u were already intense as a kid? :P now why am i not surprised? heh heh...

Quentin X said...

intensely looking at other boys perhaps?

TJay said...

Don't get me started, Pre-school and Kindergarten wasn't around when some of us started school...