7 November, Monday--See Children Excursion in Town

Today, I am still on leave. Since I eng eng, I jio my friends working at Millenium Tower and Centennial Tower to have lunch.

It is easy to find parking for bikes there. Both Millenium and Centennial Towers allow bikes to go into their carparks. Only thing to take note is to remember to un-insert your cash card because these car parks have ERP-type carpark barrier.

Some times go to town can be a bit troublesome for a bike. Cannot anyhow go into a private carpark. If the carpark operator is those type niao one, then their barrier bar is extra long and does not allow a bike to go through. Then it is very hard to U-turn out because usually the carpark entrance is going downslope. If got car behind then have to lan lan pay to go in.

That's why I like to park at the same buildings so that I know in advanced whether my bike can squeeze pass the barrier or not.

While Waiting

I was early so I waited at the open space in the square surrounded by the Millenium Tower, Centennial Tower and Millenium Walk.


This square, if you don't already know, got a few funny funny looking structures. I don't understand what they are supposed to look like. So I supposed this is what people called art.




It is nearly 12.00 pm, the lunch time for office workers. So office workers from both the Millenium and Centennial Towers are streaming out from the entrances. Wah, I see so many chio bu office girls amongst them.

I see Millenium Tower like got more coming out, so I walked towards the Millenium Tower to wait for my friend. After a while, the Millenium Tower side no more but I see Centennial Tower that side also got so many. So I walked towards the Centennial Tower side and wait. But the pattern keep changing. So I decided to wait in the middle of the square. But after a while, my nose start to pain. I think my nose want to bleed liao.

Then, I noticed there are 3 groups of school children sitting in the middle of the square. They are around primary school age. I think they are on a school excursion. I start to observe one of the groups closer.

The children are all sitting down. The teacher is standing and telling the children something. I can hear like, "Do you know what the structures are made of?" Wah say. I come here so many times liao but it never cross my mind what the structures are made of. I also don't think my friends who work there also know. Since I don't know the answers to all the questions the teacher was asking the children, I feel like joining the children to listen.

The children nowadays different from the children during my time. During my time when I was in primary school, we also got go excursions. We go to bird park and the zoo to see animals. I didn't know that nowadays the school children come into the concrete jungle to see structures and buildings. I think the school children must be so good life that they see the zoo and bird park until xian liao.

The teachers nowadays also different from my time. The teachers will say "Please remember to check you did not leave anything behind." Wah say. My time where got teacher say Please to you one. If they never call your name means you very lucky that day liao. I also noticed the teachers there each carry like a portable loudspeaker. Got a ear-mike connected to a loud speaker the side of a radio, carried on a belt. During my time, the teachers where got need loudspeaker one. They all got parade commander type of voice.

But the teachers nowadays also quite xiong. Not only must teach. Still must double as tour guide. Don't know are they allowed to receive tips from the children at the end of the tour or not.

Then I heard one of the teachers said "I like the helix structure the best..." Wah lao. What is helix? If you asked me now, I still need to look out the dictionary. Provided I can find the dictionary in the house. You mean the children nowadays during primary school can understand what is mean by helix?

During my time, the primary school children also different. I remembered I was especially proud because I learnt how to spell the word elephant. Don't look down on the word elephant hor. It has got 8 alphabets in it. So not easy to master and remember you know. So I go around and boast to my classmates. "You know how to spell elephant or not? I know. It is E-L-E-P-H-A-N-T." I think I was primary 6.

If the primary school children nowadays can understand what is helix, then I wonder at what age they already learnt how to spell elephant?

But the excursion now also different from last time. I see the children each got a booklet or something. I think they are supposed to read the booklet and to answer some of the questions inside. Wah, their excursion so siong one. Like taking exam like that. During my time, I especially like excursion because it means that day I get to escape from the text books.

I also noticed that each group, besides the teacher, there is another adult. The adult is auntie-age one. But she doesn't look like a teacher leh. Orrrr. I understand liao. The auntie must be one of those parents who come and do voluntary work or yi kong. These are the parents who are super kia-su one. Or as the ang mohs will say, competitive. They volunteer to put in a minimum number of hours to do voluntary work, to the primary school that they hope to be able to send their own children to study for Primary 1. If they do voluntary work, they increase the chance that the school will accept their child. But does not mean confirmed will get in. If lucky draw never kena, then the parent lan lan lor.

Seeing the excursion makes me recall one unforgettable excurion of mine during primary school. That day I was supposed to go excursion to the zoo. So I very happy. I don't need to bring school bag. My mother very good. Pack two tua bao in a transparent plastic bag for me to eat during the trip. So I happily, I said bye bye and go to school.

When I reached the school and walked into the class, I see, "Strange, how come all my school mates all kuai kuai sitting at their respective tables and chairs, with their school book in front of them?"

Oh no! I remembered the date of the zoo excursion wrongly!


Then my form teacher walked in. And I liao lor. "Teacher, I got no school bag for the whole day of class. I only got two tua bao."

So I kena from my teacher lor. I don't think she use anything along the lines of Please. And I quite sure she doesn't need loud speaker. So the rest of the day, I just fa zhang outside the class lor. Maybe that's why even until now, I never quite like to eat tua bao.

But I never mind stand outside. At least I don't need to go on excursions where I need to be tested, unlike these poor school children these days.