My Kiasu Teenage Life in Singapore (14 page)

Mrs Jean just patted me on the back and said, “This one is working so hard,” 'coz she thinks I'm studying History when I'm actually writing to you. Ha! Ha!

Oh my social life is so deprived! It's not even as good as yours although you don't live in a hostel. I love using this ink pen (which I found). Reply soon.

Love, Pei Yi

Friday 7 August

Dear Mei Yee

Today, there was National Day celebration in my school.

After that, I went to watch
My Cousin Vinny,
a comedy, with Lingling. Ralph Macchio (do you know who he is?) is so, so, so, so cute in that show. But he wasn't the main actor. His face is so cute, his lips look so kissable. He has the nicest lips I've ever seen. His nose is cute too.

Last night, Jen Nee and I missed prep 'coz we were too lazy to go. The Ass-man is so unreasonable. I hate that bitch. When I said I had a headache (my excuse for skipping prep) she said, “Talk too much, is it?” Then at 11 pm, she came knocking on my door. Jen Nee was with me and the bitch said, “If sick, why in her room?! Why after 11, still painting?!” She is so unreasonable. I HATE HER SO MUCH.

Well, bye.

Pei Yi

Friday 7 August

Dear Mei Yee

Hi! I've just posted you the latest letter, and am starting on another one now! I'm in love (and in lust) with Ralph Macchio! Just now, I was really crazy and “panting” for him in front of Elizabeth and Jen Nee. I said I want to kiss him, “Muaks! Muaks!” He is so cute!!! But 200% unattainable. Sigh. Jen Nee said looks are deceiving 'coz the first impression I give people is I'm a studious and quiet girl and she'd never imagine that I'm like this. Betty said I'm such a “deep” person because I listen to classical music, play chess, read books like
How to Begin to Study Literature, Beginner's Guide to Winning Chess
and books on Gandhi and Nehru.

Love, Pei Yi

Saturday 8 August

Dear Mei Yee

Hi! I just came back from a fun and exciting outing with Yoonphaik's church group. We went repelling: we climbed up a “mountain” (about five stories high) then we slid down using a rope:

It was quite scary at first but a great experience! The people there were very nice, friendly and fun. They were very encouraging too. Jen Nee came with me too. We were so happy to have experienced this and to have made new friends. Next week, we're going to Sentosa Island with them.

Right now, Nancy's playing chess with me and she always ponders and ponders EVERY MOVE so I'm writing to you.

Love, Pei Yi

Sunday 9 August

Dear Mei Yee

National Day, so no school tomorrow. Yippee! The National Day celebrations in school on Friday would have filled my heart with patriotism if I were a Singaporean. There was a Mass. Our school, being a Holy Convent, is always having boring Masses. What a waste of time. There was also a concert. Two girls played two songs, which they composed themselves, on electric guitars.

I was thinking, if you were here, I probably wouldn't get close to Jen Nee. And if Jen Nee weren't here, I'd be close to someone else. Which goes to show it all depends on fate. Like, if there was a guy that would just hit it off with you, but if he already had a girlfriend, then both of you would never know what might have been.

Isn't it weird, if you've never seen something you just can't imagine but after seeing, you can. I mean, just a few seconds before I reached the place where we repelled, I didn't have any idea what it would be like. But now I do. Now you don't know what, let's say, Mrs Simons, looks like, but if you just see her for a few seconds, you would know.

Do you think looks are very important in a relationship? I think they are. Let's say Alisa had gone repelling yesterday. With her looks and charm, she'd probably have had guys falling all over themselves to help her. She's someone who can flirt without appearing like she's flirting. That's why the Sec 4 girls think she's so
un-hiau.

I have high expectations in a boyfriend. He must have an intellectual, intelligent mind, speak good English, like classical music (or at least know it)—you know what kind of person I mean, don't you? I hope I will find someone who likes me SOMEDAY. I told Jen Nee and she said the place to search for this kind of person is our hostel. Our hostel is full of people with a lot of potential.

Last night I played chess with Elizabeth for three hours! It was so fun. She moves without having a real plan sometimes but that move can sometimes “check” me or put herself in a very strategic position without her knowing it would! I play too impulsively. I must think harder for the competition. I find that I am very lazy. Let me rephrase. My body is quite hardworking but my mind is very lazy. In chess, I'm too lazy to think further than two moves.

Yesterday I tricked Ass-man. I put many, many pairs of slippers outside Jen Nee's door but Jen Nee was in my room. Ass-man knocked and knocked and shouted, “Warden!” while Jen Nee, Nancy and Elizabeth were actually in my room.

Love, Pei Yi

Tuesday 11 August

Dear Mei Yee

On Sunday (National Day) I went to watch
The Hand That Rocks The Cradle
with Jen Nee, Elizabeth and Sunny. It was a very good movie. It makes you feel very
geram
at first 'coz you know that Peyton is evil but the people in the movie don't. The plot and the planning are very clever.

After the movie, we went to have late supper, and then realized with a fright that it was way past the curfew so we rushed back to the hostel. We got to the hostel at midnight, and the gate was locked. So we started to crawl and slide under it, but when all of us except Sunny were inside already, and Sunny was right under the gate, Ms Lily Sim came out of the office and saw us standing by the gate. “What are you girls doing there at midnight!?” she screamed. We quickly stood right in front of Sunny, who was still lying on the ground, so that Ms Lily Sim would not see her, and replied, “We're just walking around the hostel.” She said, “Go back to your rooms! You're making too much noise!” Then, thank goodness, she walked away, so we quickly pulled Sunny up and then we all rushed back! What an adventure!

Oh Mei Yee … nothing … I think you understand my feelings about guys the most. I think I get crushes easily. I mean, so
kolot.
Talk a bit, then like already. I wish Eric and I were really friends, not acquaintances, and I wish he'd like me.

Today, I got myself into a hideous muddle that I now can't get out of. I'm so frustrated with myself. I didn't bring my lino cut for AEP 'coz I thought I had left it in school. Mr Como was quite displeased and he told me to stay back tomorrow and do it. I had to say yes. Then I realized tomorrow from 2 to 3.30 pm I have the chess tournament, which I've been spending hours and hours and hours practising for. Also tomorrow is audition day for school singers! I'm DEAD. Actually I also have violin lessons but I cancelled it just now. Aargh.

I feel so terrible 'coz:

1  I've so many things to tell you but I can't

2  I wish you were here to talk about Eric

3  I've so many things to do

4  The stupid muddle

I keep wasting time. Better say bye. I feel so
geram
that I've so many feelings that I can't tell you. Either can't write, forgot, or too trivial to write. BYE.

Love, Pei Yi

Wednesday 12 August

Dear Mei Yee

I kept worrying about today but it did not turn out that bad. Or that good either.

Today I rushed everywhere at school. I went to audition for school singers and I was so nervous that I forgot how to start singing. Mrs Loh was very kind though and let me have another audition next week. Jen Nee failed the audition 'coz she forgot the words.

At 2 pm sharp, I rushed to the classroom for chess and I had to play with Nancy and I lost! Losing to Nancy is extremely frustrating 'coz I usually beat her in the games we play. There was this timer which you have to press when you make a move. If your time runs out first, you lose. I was so nervous and panicky about the time that I did not even think. I just rushed headlong into disaster. The second round, I played with a girl from 3A1 and luckily I won. Next week, I can still play two more rounds. Oh, I wish I could play all over again. Then I'll think properly.

After chess, I rushed to the AEP room. Mr Como was not around until a few minutes after I got there, so luckily he didn't know that I was not there on time. Phew!

Do you think it's important to have intellectual classmates? I wish that I were in a better class. My class infuriates me, during Maths especially 'coz they'll waste the whole period arguing with Mr Koh. It's partly my fault—I was the one who told them what a bad Maths teacher he was. They don't know how bad their Maths is compared to students from other schools. Aargh. Also they have no initiative or interest to improve themselves or their studies. The 3S1 girls start doing their work once the teachers stop teaching and are as quiet as mice, while my class is as noisy as a fish market. I have the worst environment, facilities and opportunities of all the ASEAN scholars. I know we should be satisfied with what we have, make the best out of what we've got, and not compare and all, but it just makes me so
geram!

Pei Yi

Saturday 15 August

Dear Mei Yee

I wrote a story 'bout Ass-man. It was a funny story. I typed it out, then let people read. The funny thing was, Ass-man was just standing nearby when I was typing “Lily Sim woke up …”

I hope I'll get a book published in this lifetime.

Last night, I was reading newspapers in the lounge and Eric was also there reading newspapers. Later, Alisa, Nancy and Jen Nee arrived as well so we all talked and Eric joined us. Then Sunny came and dominated the whole conversation and was funny, amusing and interesting.

Alisa is getting on my nerves 'coz she's SO pretentious and everyone sees the outer image she so successfully projects. Today, this girl from CHIJ was telling me that Alisa's an all-rounder—beautiful, smart, friendly, nice and athletic.

If you were here, I'd be telling you these things 'coz they're the sort of the things that are on my mind and bothering me:

1  Last night, everyone was being pretentious while talking to Eric and that I didn't really feel “in” the conversation once Sunny dominated it.

2  I'm bothered about my class 'coz I don't really fit in and also Jen Nee's classmates are a lot smarter. You know what I mean, don't you? My classmates are so shallow—they're not interested in anything, conversations with them are boring and you can't learn anything from them.

3  I'd tell you ALL the jokes I've heard.

4  I like Eric and feel terrible that we're not really friends.

Jen Nee said that I look like I am very comfortable talking and mixing with guys (which is not true). She said I can socialize and talk to so many people but I feel she is the one who gets along so well with everyone.

It's 2.40 am on Sunday. BYE.

Love, Pei Yi

Monday 17 August

Dear Mei Yee

It's prep time now. I feel so, so, so bad and embarrassed about something that just happened an hour ago, before dinnertime. It's so bad that I'm even embarrassed writing about it to you now. I just realized how bad it is to gossip and talk bad about someone. This is what happened: Sunny, Jen Nee and I were in the prep room before dinnertime, and we were talking about Nicole and laughing about her bad points. We thought that we were alone in the prep room because earlier we had checked the aisles between the rows of hutches, and also didn't hear anyone else there. Actually we didn't really plan to talk bad about Nicole. We were just talking about everyone in the hostel, who's dating who and stuff like that and the subject just went on to Nicole. Jen Nee and I totally forgot that a few months ago, we had resolved not to talk bad about people anymore. The bad things that we said about her were:

1  She's very
perasan
and thinks that all the guys like her

2  She is rather plump but thinks she's so slim. I told Sunny about how Nicole weighed 67 kg but blamed it on her shoes

3  She always talks in a
manja
voice to guys

4  She always talks about herself

5  She is irritating

Then, suddenly, we heard someone move from one of the rows near the door and leave the room. As that person walked past the windows of the prep room, we caught a glimpse of … Nicole!!! We felt so guilty, sorry and bad. Sunny, Jen Nee and I skipped dinner to look for her around the hostel but we couldn't find her. She also skipped prep. I feel so, so, so bad. What if she does something stupid like commit suicide?

It's eleven o'clock now After prep, Sunny, Jen Nee and I went to my room again to look for Nicole, and thank goodness she was there. She had been crying. We apologized profusely to her and tried to explain that we were just talking bad about many people and exaggerating to be funny. Basically we didn't have any good excuses, of course. She accepted our apologies. She said that she's aware that many people dislike her and we're the few friends that she has. That made us feel even worse. Mei Yee, I'm never going to bad-mouth anyone again. It's so mean, and really can really hurt someone. Even if they don't find out, it's still bad.