Read My Kiasu Teenage Life in Singapore for Free Online Page B

didn’t answer my questions in my letters at all. Are you going to take Malay tuition next month? What did you get for your birthday? What did your admirers give you?
    I’m coming back to Singapore after Chinese New Year by air. Sigh. So many things happening in BM and I’m not there. I wish I can be in BM and Singapore at the same time.
    That’s all for now and ANSWER all my questions!!!
    Reply soon.
    Love, Pei Yi
    PS No, that’s not all for now. I still have things to write. Actually being here doesn’t make me very much cleverer. No, I mean of course it does. I don’t know what I’m talking about. Sometimes I feel this way, sometimes I feel another way. OK. I mean being here doesn’t mean I’ll become as clever as you imagine, but it’s nicer ’coz the school education is better, there are more opportunities, hostel life is interesting …You know I’ve dreamt of hostel life since I read Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers.
    I even like History more now. I used to detest it so much in Forms 1, 2 and 3. People always ask why I choose 3A4 and not Science classes. I’m feeling bothered at this moment (not about being in 3A4). Bye again, Pei Yi
    Glossary
    Enid Blyton one of the best-selling children books author in Commonwealth countries; she wrote over 700 books. Malory Towers is the series about girls at a boarding school.
    Wednesday 22 January (Prep time)
    Dearest Mei Yee,
    I read Just As Long As We’re Together the whole afternoon. It’s such a wonderful book. You can feel what the “I” in the book is feeling. I cried while reading it. Judy Blume is a really good author! You should read that book—it’s really good. And you’ll see what I mean about her being so wonderful.
    We did chromatography in chemistry—have you done it before? I brought back a bit of the solvent in my pen. It dissolves pen ink so I dipped my pen tips into it for fun. It made one pen write smoother. It stinks too. I rubbed it on a stamp and the stamp faded.
    Alisa received a letter from a guy from CJC hostel. She won’t tell who. It must be one of her admirers. A lot of people in my hostel are couples. Elizabeth looks at guys’ backsides. She even said to Cheng Hoe, “You
    have a cute butt.”
    Love, Pei Yi
    Friday 24 January
    Dear Mei Yee
    The pens are all spoiled because of the solvent. The ink became too light.
    I went swimming after school today. It was fun! I’m in the beginners’ group. Only one Form 1 girl and I can’t swim so while the others learn freestyle, we practiced floating to and fro. I’ve become darker—so fast. Need to buy sunblock. I couldn’t float at first, you know, but after some time I could.
    The teaching you gave me helped. Learning how to do it the second time is much easier than the first time. The coach didn’t teach me ’coz he was teaching freestyle. I could only see blur things ’coz I couldn’t wear specs.
    I got S$400 scholarship money today.
    The woman who collects our laundry has a wonderful memory, and I mean wonderful. She remembers who sends what to laundry! And the man who serves dinner onto our tray also has a remarkable memory. He remembers who has had dinner and who hasn’t.
    I’m really amazed at some people’s memories! Mine is simply terrible. For example I watched the Miss America pageant and Miss Illinois played this song and Miss Somewhere played that song and Miss Texas wore a blue dress or something. But I’d never remember who was who or who did what. I borrowed a book, Memory — How to Improve It.
    At night, we played bridge. Bridge (a card game) is our hostel craze. They even have championships! Do you know how to play? Matt explained the game to me but I just couldn’t grasp how to play it. It took me a long time and I’m still not clear about it now. Then a warden came and warned us not to play cards.
    Love, Pei Yi
    Sunday 26