My Kiasu Teenage Life in Singapore by Ee Lin See Page A

and also most people’s attitude in life is to only care ’bout themselves and their families. And even though some people seem respectable and all, it’s actually only a façade. After reading The Inspector Calls, I think it’s very true. I think a lot of businessmen are greedy and selfish, and they cheat. Jen Nee told me her mother sometimes bluffs that the goods are from Japan so that the buyer will buy. Everyone in this world seems so terrible. Maybe now we don’t think so ’coz we’re not really exposed yet but probably we will when we’re working.
    Pei Yi
    Monday 29 June
    Dear Mei Yee
    I read in the Sunday Mail about an old woman in England buying framed photos of Elvis Presley to rub his private part. They claim that it has healing powers and some even claimed to be cured! Isn’t that preposterous?
    Teens has given me no reply ’bout the freelance writer stuff. I must try to use more difficult words so please tolerate my trying to use bombastic words in my letters.
    Mrs Simons said American magazines like Newsweek and Time are very misleading ’coz they are not neutral. They try to influence you to their point of view, for example how they describe Saddam Hussein. I think America always appears to be so saintly but they actually do things to their advantage. But of course everyone does that.
    Love, Pei Yi
    Tuesday 30 June
    Dear Mei Yee
    Hi! I’m out of my blue mood now. Serena, my classmate, gave me a box of chocolates ’coz she visited USA during the hols. I’m beginning to enjoy school now that I have nice classmates. (No, not because they gave me chocolates.)
    Oh ya, everyone was excited about the chewing gum that I brought them. I was afraid that the people at Customs would question me about the packs of chewing gum but they didn’t.
    Now our canteen, in fact every school’s canteen, is not permitted to sell certain soft drinks and junk food. I think the Singapore government is always concerned ’bout the progress of the nation.
    I’ve finished writing a ghost story. Sometimes I get very afraid when I think about the supernatural, especially when it’s dark.
    I read a book ’bout spelling. Now I can spell diarrhoea, manoeuvre, miscellaneous and lots more. I really want to be very figurative in my writing so I can paint a picture for the reader.
    Love, Pei Yi
    Thursday 2 July
    Dear Mei Yee
    My ghost story turned out to be most unscary. In fact, Huiwee said it was rather comical. I wonder why and how sometimes the ghost stories we read can be so scary, even if the story seems so preposterous. Dean R. Koontz’s novels are very “out of this world” but still very exciting and thrilling.
    Did I tell you, Mrs Simons is going on a Maths course until April of next year. There’ll be a substitute teacher in her place. I hope he or she is as good as Mrs Simons. She makes Maths so interesting and enjoyable. But not all CHIJ teachers are that great. Who says Singapore education is perfect?
    Cheng Hoe is so funny ’coz he is so blur and dense. Last night he went to Jen Nee’s table. He saw a picture that Jen Nee drew of me. Eric guessed it was me and Jen Nee even said, “Yes, it’s Pei Yi.” Cheng Hoe still said, “Let me guess.” Even though Jen Nee told him once again the sketch was of me, he still looked like he wanted to guess!
    Love, Pei Yi
    Dearest Mei Yee
    Tonight, Eric, Jen Nee and I did deco. It was great fun. Sunny helped us do the lettering. Alisa is being so bossy and irritating though. She thinks that she and Pau Leen are the only ones to put any effort into Farewell. She implies this when she speaks and she wants to take all the credit. Pau Leen is equally bossy. She’s already the MC and she’s also a rep for Farewell but she wants to take over everything else as well. She wants us to follow her ideas for deco but we’re not going to. I wish I could show you everything.
    My