The Special Lot – Friends from Joo Chiat

October 27, 2005 Leave a comment

Many people often listened in disbelief whenever I told them I am going for a Primary School Gathering. These days, it is so rare to find some one around you who are still keeping close contact with their primary school friends. I guess my primary school buddies are the special lot.
 
It is natural that we are closer to friends whom we meet in secondary schools / office. There are many reasons to it. First, we dun discuss much "matters of the heart" with our primary school friends. We weren’t into BGR affairs or wild puberty parties. There is hardly any chance for us to share our minds – just helping one another to look out in between class periods for us to make noise and move around – before the next teacher comes in.
 
What’s more, we only have 4 hours/day for ourselves. Unlike the usual 8 hours/day for poly friends and 10 hours/day for office colleagues. The time gap between primary school days and poly days is wide enough to "dissolve" many contacts, memories and friendship. Moreover, we are city-dwellers, it is hard to find "kampong spirit"… Thus, the term "childhood friends" is often difficult to define in Singapore. Are we talking about friends before 10, 13 or 15? How do you really measure "childhood friends".
 
While we have never pick any of our primary school mates as our best-man or bridesmaid (a sign of close friendship) for our wedding, we aren’t the "hi-&-bye" friends either. My primary school friends have been with me for almost 30 years…a couple of them are even from my kindergarten days. Though there are big window of absence (when the there are lost contacts, overseas studies and working overseas), we are often taking up efforts to come together.
 
Yes, it may not be rosy memory for all primary childhood tales. I remember receiving my first "lady slap" at 12 – though a traumatised episode – I often recalled that incident as fond memory so childlike and pure. Yes, I didn’t dare to speak to the "lady" for almost 12 years- not until our first gathering – Guess her beauty has made me forgot about the slap. Now, we simply laughed over that episode whenever we met up.
 
Well yesterday, there is one such gathering again. ( I can’t attend due to some left-over work in office).
 

My brother "Joachim" has done well reuniting all the lost sheep. For years, without fail, he has been the pillar of my primary school friends and have faithfully + constantly rounding us up. From a small gathering of 7, we have grown to a sizable family now. (We have found Simon, Shujin, Caofa, Tony, Fiona, Lionnel, Huijuan, Lijing, Jinwei, Weijian, Weifen, Zhihow, Wancheng, John, Vincent and more to come).
 
There is nothing prideful / business agenda amongst us. There is no comparison of wealth, status etc. Simply some old friends who want to rekindle old ties once in a while.
 
Guess we came out from the right school. A school that taught us how to cherish old ties – despite all difficulties. That is what friends are for.
 

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