Happy Birthday Singapore

These were some of the students. They used to write to me even though I left the school. They were such a jovial group of students. This boy whom I dreamed of was not in this photograph..


It was a dream of Singapore's flag, and a gathering in Boon Lay, the children and teachers singing National Anthem and the school song....

A tall man, his face was very familiar, seems like the man whom I used to see him jogging at Fu Shan Garden. He was very tall. Many people were at a home, a first storey home. All the people in it were very busy. I was trying to get change as well and getting ready. Then this tall man was playing a joke on me. When I was looking at him, he used the Singapore Flag to go round his body as though wearing it. When I was not looking, he was 'naked'. Some other people were around...

Soon, they went out, I was not ready and stayed behind. Richard's mother was around. Ricsson was around. Suddenly I received a big card, someone opened it for me. It was a self-made card, so big, bigger than the card I used to make for Richard. It was so nice, pasted with photographs. It seemed to say 'Happy Birthday'. I was so curious who had sent this card to me. It pasted with photographs of me and the kids.... It was from one of my student. I had even forgotten the names of my students! However, in this card, I saw the name very clearly, and it was named 'zheng xiong' (same pronounication but not the real as in the dream). In the dream, I saw very clearly the surname and the last name. And I recall the face of the boy, and even now. But I wonder if it was really the boy.... a cute boy...

These children should all be grown up now. The last time I saw my tuition kids' mother, she told me her son was in Secondary 4 already. So this boy, the batch of students whom I taught, might be soldiers or even in the Universities or graduated now. I must do some calculation...

Anyway, as I was getting late, I rushed out of the house. I went to join the crowd. They had already began the singing. When I reached, they had finished. All were standing still, teachers and 'students' separated. When I was running towards the class, all the teachers began to move to their respective classes...

I saw Irene among the 'students'. I wonder what kind of school was that, a weird dream.... The place was Boon Lay, but it was not the school. It was the place which Meng Huay stayed and also the place where my uncle used to stay, and one of my relative used to stay too. Those 'brownish' flats there, the car parks was the place the people gathered.....

I came back to the card -- still have not read the full contents. It was written with so much words, with glitters, with photos.... this boy (Big Boy already), his handwriting so nice and neat, had put in so much effort to show his appreciation. I wanted to read what he wrote, but my handphone rang with receipt of SMS from Esprit.......

Never get to read the words written. It was a home in the first floor. The windows were exactly like my old house, those old types of windows with the window grilles (exactly the same as my old house). But it was not my house. In the dream, there were still other scenes, but rather vague and not of much significance.... For example, through the window, I could see a cleaner sweeping the floor and also about the toilet......

Anyway, in this dream, the most happiest part was "Happy Birthday". But it was very strange -- National Day Flag, teachers and students gathering to sing National Anthem and School song, and I received a Big Card....

It is Education of Singapore --the Gift of Singapore, Imparting of Knowledge, talents and skills......