My Kiasu Teenage Life in Singapore by Ee Lin See Read Free Book Online

January
    Dear Mei Yee
    We were going to watch Doc Hollywood with the guys but ’coz it was a nine o’clock show we wouldn’t be back by the 10.30 pm curfew so one by one, we backed out. Nicole was stubborn and didn’t want to back out. Anyway, in the end, Nicole, Sunny, Jen Nee and I went to Orchard Road. Elizabeth and Jen Nee talked in my room until this morning.
    End of weekends. I hate school—tomorrow.
    Love, Pei Yi
    Monday 27 January
    Dear Mei Yee
    Can’t wait to see you again. I was very depressed today. In the morning I felt very irritated ’coz some of the CHIJ girls are very undisciplined. They don’t wear their belts or button their collars. CHIJ has a cheap reputation ’coz of some hiau CHIJ girls.
    Why do I always go to a hiau school? And why do convents always have a hiau reputation? There’s a very interesting camp called OBS (Outward Bound School) and usually very few CHIJ girls get to go ’coz of the school’s reputation.
    Love, Pei Yi
    Tuesday 28 January
    Dear Mei Yee
    School was better than yesterday. I don’t really enjoy AEP, though, ’coz of the people in my group. Mr Como talked a little ’bout art history and I didn’t know what he was saying. During AEP, I finished first and had nothing to do, so I did some Maths. And one of my classmates commented to me that I was so hardworking! Hardworking! Anyway, I don’t want to try to change their minds anymore. They can think I’m so hardworking and I won’t say, “No, I’m not. In fact …”
    This is who I think is quite cute: Niles (Pau Leen’s brother). I’m writing this sitting beside her and she doesn’t even know.
    Alisa received a love letter from Danny, a guy at CJC Hostel. At first she didn’t want to tell me who it was but I kept asking and asking and at last she told. It was quite a disgusting letter. So straightforward. He even wrote “Hope we can be engaged” and “I have a crush on you”.
    And today there was a New Year card for her from Ekan, a guy in our hostel. Alisa is like you in some ways. The way she thinks is quite like you.
    Alisa is pretty. And she has matured thinking and she’s very nice too. She said that beauty is just an accident of nature and she doesn’t really like being beautiful. And she’s not proud that she has so many admirers. She doesn’t care about having admirers.
    Love, Pei Yi
    Wednesday 29 January
    Dearest Mei Yee
    Two more days before going back to BM!!
    We had a Maths test yesterday. I got OK marks. I feel that studies here are not challenging enough. Maybe ’coz I’m in 3A4. We also had an Accounts test today and two girls cheated.
    The teacher was MAD. She said she HATES dishonesty. She said she’s a trained teacher and can see if you cheat without walking around. She said she came into teaching ’coz in the business world everything was so evil. She could have climbed high in business but she didn’t want to. And she said she now has a bad impression of our class and is going to hold back a lot of things.
    Love, Pei Yi

2
    Niles
    Friday 31 January (Earlymorning)
    Dearest Mei Yee
    It’s now l2.30 am, Friday 31st, the day I’m going home to BM!!!
    Last night, Sunny and I watched Police Academy until the lights and TV went out at 11pm, then we went back to her room. Sunny has a tiny pocket-TV so we continued watching for a while. She told me about her former school in PJ—so terrible. All the BGR (boy-girl relationships), all the kissing and all the yucky things.
    Sometimes, I think I’ve made the wrong choice coming to A4 class. It’s not competitive at all. I’d enjoy school better if I were in Jen Nee’s or Nancy’s class. Anyway, it can’t be changed.
    I bought a Judy Blume book, Iggie’s House. Usually, Jen Nee, Alisa, Nancy and the rest will be mugging (studying) but I’ll be reading storybooks or writing