Why I want to move the whole family to Australia

My dear kids, one day, you might ask me this question. So I guess I'll write down the reasons here before I turn old and forget the real reasons. :)

Life, is about having choices. I didn't have any choice growing up in Singapore. That doesn't mean it's bad. Sometimes, "no choice is good choice" - you just get on with life. True, but sometimes, it's better to have more choices. One of the reasons is also I don't want Didi to go through what I've been through as a man in Singapore - National Service. When I offer this as a reason for moving out of Singapore, many people commented, "NS is good what". But, when I challenged them, "given a choice, do you want to serve NS?", the answer is always a unreserved "no". So yes, I know straightaway that it's the right choice for me, for my family, for my son.

My granddad went to Malaysia from China, and my own dad came down to Singapore from Malaysia in the 1950s. I guess it runs in the family. :)

One day, Tsin and Tsong, if you feel that Papi has made the wrong decision to move you guys to Australia, by all means, look for the place that you feel is best for you and your loved ones (maybe your kids, your spouses, etc.). The best place for you could be Singapore, you know...? Who is to know what's going to happen 20, 30 years from now?

After all, Life, is about Choices, and moving to a new place seems to be a tradition in the Tan family. :)

== Written on a day when Papi is worried that he still hasn't got a job in Australia 3 months after he started his job-search and as a result, is wide awake, although he has been having little sleep the past 3 nights due to work... :(

"U don't know Dollah Kassim"

As mentioned earlier, I came across a blog entitled "U don't know Dollah Kassim" which paid tribute to Dollah Kassim, one of Singapore's finest footballers ever. I wrote to the author of the blog, Ding, who happens to be the director of the local move "Kallang Roar", telling him about my encounter with Dollah. Ding kindly suggested for me to write to Ezaad, Dollah's son, which I did. Ezaad then wrote a very warm e-mail to me. The whole exchange is as follows:

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Hi Ezaad,

You do not know me, but I got to know about you through Directorr Ding.

When researching for materials to write my blog "Tales for my Kids", I came across Ding's touching tribute to your dad - the Great Dollah Kassim - and I shared with him a personal anecdote about your dad. Ding replied me and he thought it would be nice for me to share this anecdote with you.

==
It was 1995. My dad just passed away for a few months. It was him who brought me to my first football match at the National Stadium where Singapore beat Pahang (or Penang) 5-0. It must have been in 1976, 1977 or 1978, I can't remember now. Dollah was one of my childhood heroes together with Quah Kim Song (whom my dad taught when he was a teacher at Naval Base Secondary School), Rajagopal (his famed Banana Kick) and Mohamed Noh, etc.

My mum and I were at a supermarket at Upper Serangoon (near where the Hougang MRT station is now) when we bumped into Dollah shopping with his family. Although he looked older than I last saw him (on TV or papers), I recognized him straightaway. I was very excited to see my childhood hero, and yet was too shy to greet him. I just exclaimed to my mum, "I think I just saw Dollah Kassim!" I think Dollah heard me, because when we walked past him shortly after, he gave me a smile. It really made my day!
==

I am sorry to know about your dad's condition. In this trying time, I hope you would find solace in knowing that your dad was, and is, and will always be a hero to hundreds and thousands of boys of my generation (I'm 39 this year), regardless whether we are Chinese, Indians or Malays. His status transcends the divide in race, language or religion, and whether you support Liverpool or Manchester United (I'm a Red Devil. hehe).

Whatever your dad epitomized in the bygone era - his never-say-die attitude, pride, self-sacrifice - can hardly be found in Singapore these days. To remember him is to remember the Age of Innocence that many of us, the remaining level-headed, down-to-earth and humanity-loving Singaporeans, are missing.

Lastly, I want to wish you all the best and that your dad will wake up soon.



Warmest regards,
Tan Kar Gee
===

Hi Kar Gee.. it's nice to receive ur mesg. My family and I are very thankful for the kind words and well wishes. I'll be reading this mail out to my dad and I know he'll forever be grateful to you for always having him in your thots and prayers. Thanks so much again and do take care...

Regards,
Ezaad

徐文长与橄榄屁股

It's a shame that my Chinese is not as good as it once was. Everything was in Chinese for me when I was growing up. It's sad that the children are not grasping Chinese as well as Yin and I would want them too, but I guess we are both to blame for being too lax at times.

Anyhow, I remember Dad used to tell me jokes about 徐文长 when I was a kid. I'll try my very best to re-tell some of the jokes in Chinese, since it was Chinese that he used to tell me those jokes...

有一天，徐文长要渡江。江上只有一条船，但船已经快满了。徐文长问船夫：“可以载我一程麽?"

“船已经满了，等下一趟吧！” 船夫回答。

徐文长不想等，他灵机一动，对船夫说: “船夫老大，我这屁股是橄榄屁股，占的位子不多，你就让我上船吧。”

船夫想了一想: “噢，橄榄是尖的，应该不会占太多位子吧”，就回答: “年轻人，那好吧，你就上船吧。”

徐文长上了船，竟然躺了下来! 船夫很讶异，就说: “喂！你不是说你是橄榄屁股吗？你怎么躺下来呢？？？”

徐文长慢条斯理地回答： “老大，你有看过橄榄能自个儿站着的吗？你把一颗橄榄放在桌上，它马上倒下来，我这橄榄屁股不就也应该是那样吗？”

"Tales for my Children" wins

Eventually, I chose the word "Children". Somehow, it looks more formal than "Kids", although this blog is anything but formal!

I might just change my mind again one day...

"My mouth is tired"

This is what Didi told Mummy this morning when drinking his milk using a straw. :)

This boy has a sense of humor, just like his dad. :)

I realized my Tales for my Kids (should I rename it to Tales for my Children?) should also contain tales about the Kids that they can tell their Kids. :)

Tales for my Kids? Or Tales for my Children???

A simple question, but I'm finding it difficult to get an answer... :|

Going to watch football with Dad at the National Stadium

Dad has left me about 15 years now, but I will always remember the occasion when he brought me to the National Stadium to watch the Singapore team play in the Malaysia Cup. I must have been 5, 6 or 7 years old then.

I vividly remember that Singapore trashed our opponents 5-0 that night. I don't remember whether it was Penang or Pahang that we were playing though.

Come to think of it, it must have been in 1977 that I started watching football, because that was the year that Singapore won the Malaysia Cup after beating Penang 3-2 (in extra-time, I believe), thanks to Quah Kim Song, one of Singapore's best footballers ever. Many years later, after I started working, I bumped into him during lunch one day, and I was really excited to see my childhood hero. Although I wanted to go up and tell him he was my hero when I was a kid, I eventually didn't as I was too shy to do so. Singaporeans have become too shy, too reserved. Scared of this, worried about that. It makes this a cold place to be in. Sigh...

Speaking of which, in 1995, just after Dad passed away, Mum and I were shopping at a supermarket in Upper Serangoon where we bumped into Dollah Kassim, another of my childhood hero from the 1977 team. Even though it was nearly 20 years since I last saw him on newspaper or TV, I could recognize him straightaway. I was very excited to see him, and I told Mum, "I saw Dollah Kassim!" I think Dollah heard me, because when I walked past him later, he gave me a smile. It's sad to know that he's still in coma...

I want to bring my kids to watch football at the stadium one of these days. Too bad they can't be watching Singapore giving Selangor or Penang a good spanking, but at least they will know what it is like to have been brought by their father to see a football match live.


Postscript

Speaking of Dollah, I just read a tribute to him here: http://blog.omy.sg/dingan/archives/428, and I couldn't control my tears reading it. This passage below sums up my feelings about living in Singapore. I love Singapore, but I think it will be difficult for the kids to live in Singapore next time. I might become an Australian one day, but I'll never stop being a Singaporean...

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A country without heroes, is a country with no need for patriotism, no need for unity,

of self sacrificing for you neighbour, and that is a very scary thought.

Dollah Kassim like all the footballers of their generation did these things

Sacrifice family time, their jobs, putting everything on the line,

to teach us what it means to be us.

to try to fight for everyone else, a world that not many people can understand

Why football is the very fabric of our nation, just like our ARTS industry.

the final missing piece and soul of meritocracy Singapore.

A country cannot live cannot breathe without legends.

Wake Up Dollah Kassim,

The Kallang Roar still needs you…

Football. Manchester United. Brazil.

I don't recall when I started liking football. But I do remember watching local TV programs like "Big League Soccer" and FA Cup finals when I was young (definitely older than 5 since I moved to Lorong 8 only when I was 5 1/2 years old). I even remember supporting the "White" team on a black and white TV!

Back in those days, we didn't get to watch English football live on TV. We only got to see shows like "Big League Soccer" that showed highlights which were probably weeks old, rather than 2 or 3 days old like now. And FA Cup Finals, which is probably the single reason how I started supporting Manchester United.

Back in those days, it was the "in" thing to support Liverpool, the perennial champions, but I chose the perennial bridesmaid - Manchester United - instead. I've got this sympathy for the underdogs since a young age, I guess. It's laughable that Liverpool "fans" these days call us "bandwagon" fans - they probably became bandwagon fans themselves long before they even understood the word "bandwagon".

I remember there was a year during which United won 10 out of 10 games to start the season (I remember seeing the league table on Straits Times), but of course we didn't win the Championship eventually and had to wait until 1993 to be the Champions of England again.

I can't remember when I started supporting United, but my guess is it was 1979 or earlier - I remember being heart-broken by the last minute goal scored by Arsenal in the FA Cup Final that year.

Talking about heart-broken, when Brazil lost to Italy 2-3 in World Cup 82, I remember I cried. 1982 was probably the year I fell in love with the Brazilian football team - the attractive football they played, the nice yellow-and-blue jersey they wore, and the players with mystical names like Socrates and Falcao. I never forgave the Italian national football team for years for beating my adopted team. :)

I can probably go on and on about football, but I'll stop here for now. You have not heard the last of Manchester United, Brazil or football yet. :)