I grew up with cousins. An extended family of 3 generations living together in a big house. The village was in Bukit Panjang, and our address was No.23 Jalan Pending. (thanks for the info!)
It was a large compound, with our own private driveway, about 100m, towards the garage. I can still remember the slope leading up to the garage. The slope would have been great for tobaganning, is it snows in SGP. And the garage, which house my dad's car and my 3rd uncle's car. A few steps up would take you to the front of the house, concrete floor for the kids to cycle and play. I remember learning to ride a bicycle there, and eating delicious rambutans plucked from the huge rambutan tree. And also the many evenings when my dad would gather dry leaves and build a little bonfire...thought to 'shoo' away the mosquitoes.
Ours was a wooden house with zinc roof and cement floor. The bedrooms on elevated floorboards. The zinc roof, those noisy rainy days with the pitter-patter of rain hitting against the zinc roof. But I love those rainstorms, esp when it floods the area. The blackout days where we played hide-and-seek, blindman and floating little paper boats outside the house.
There were 13 of us under that zinc roof. They were my 3rd uncle's family of 7 and my family of 5, and my grandmother. Never a dull moment.
My closest cousin is now more than a cousin to me, like a friend and a sister, we've seen each other through all these years. It's wonderful to have cousins.
These 2 weeks, my kids had a fabulous time having their cousins over here for a holiday. Gabriel is their 12-year-old eldest cousin and Clarissa is their 5-year-old youngest cousin. Compared to their parents, who have many cousins, these are the only 2 cousins that my kids have.
Tricia and Clarissa, Timothy and Gabriel --- 2 girls and 2 boys, a Perfect Match. But when the 2 pairs do get together, it's all hell break loose!!! MAYHEM --- and that's why they have soooooo much fun!
4 comments:
The road leading to that kampong house is called Jalan Pending. Sound familiar? Bukit Panjang now have a Pending Road I believe.
You might want to tell the kids how you learn to ride bicycle with those 2 side wheels. How you loose control and went down the slope while second cousin managed to save you but end up with a bruised butt. Lastly, the drain incident which left those stitches on your head.
Those were mayhem days.
Oh wow! Didn't know my sis had such a colourful childhood. I guess I was too young to remember much, I was about 4 or 5 years old when we moved out & into our Hill View flat.
Isn't it strange that we are always moving around the same area? Chai Hong moved into Bukit Panjang when she got her place while I am now back at Hill View. West is still the best!
- Chai Hwee
It was 23 Lorong Pending!
SL (aka Ta Yi)
Mine was 2P Jalan Cheng Hua and Dickson's was 9 Jalan Fajar, guess what, it is ZHPS present address.
Dear Chai, we were all from the same kampong, the 'ya sua buay'! My place was somewhere near MaySpring's present site. The big drain,the Esso/Mobil Petrol station and the wooden overhead bridge are still there!
Yes, my house had the zinc roof too. Not only the rain, the cats made a lot of noise up there too :-)
Post a Comment