A wonder, no wonder: Chip off the old block

A wonder, no wonder

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Chip off the old block

I had a nice dinner with my Aunt and my Dad just now. Nice little dinner, Dad, as usual was snooping up on me, asking me about school and things at home. Stuff a dad would. My Aunt started probing about my love life, asking me about things in the Als' romantic world. Stuff an Aunt would.

It came to a story about old times where my dad would tell me about his stories about him studying. He and his brothers, the 4 of them, one day went to the swamp to swim, despite my late grandfather telling them not to. He told them to study. Instead they went to the swamp to swim. My granddad came home early, found them missing and went to the swamp to find them. He took their clothes that they left near the swamp banks and left. Needless to say, they trooped gingerly and embarassed behind my grandfather, naked. When they got back to the house, he lined them all up in a row and caned them. He beat my first uncle. Moved on, second uncle. Then came my dad's turn. My dad, looked him in the eye and said "Dad, you told us to go study. I did. Then I went to swim." My granddad didn't believe him and beat him. It was then my dad shouted "I DID. I studied!" and grabbed the cane as it swished downward in mid-air. He caught it and broke it over his knee, as my granddad watched in shock, and as my uncles watched in horror. Well, the belt came out after that and sadly, it was much worse than the cane.

We had a laugh with that story. My dad looked at me and told my Aunt: "You know, this fella also did something similar when he was young". I couldn't remember so he told us the story of me. He told us that I was about 9. He couldn't remember what I did that warranted a caning, but anyway, it came to that. He said, as he hit me with the first few strokes, I took the shots on my thigh, refusing to show emotion. My dad was surprised that I was being this stubborn to not even cry out in pain, apologise or beg for mercy. He hit me again and again, until I turned, grabbed the cane in mid-air and scolded back:
"Who do you think you are?! You think you are Lee Kwan Yew is it?!"
"You think you're the president of Singapore?!"
This took him aback so much that the next day he talked to one of his friends, asking whether he might have overstepped his boundaries as a parent.

Yeah, laughed we did.. But it got me thinking. Through the time I spent with my dad tonight, I realised that I inherited so much of his personality. I remember someone saying to me once: "You know, you're so much like your father that, next time, your girlfriend macham as good as dating a copy of your father." I hated that. But I now understand what he meant. I realised today that I'm as stubborn as he is. I realised that I have a certain rebellious streak in me as he does. I realised that I share many of his beliefs. I realised I'm as outspoken as he is. I really AM a chip off the old block.

This brash, cocky, outspoken, stubborn rebel. I somehow feel great that I'm alot like my father in many positive ways. But at the same time I'm glad that I'm my very unique me in my own way.

posted by The Als @ 11:32 pm

2 Comments:

At 8:54 am, Mark Soo said…

Hah! Sounds like my brother's case when it comes to caning, he always refuse to cry.
At 12:49 am, Ying said…

Well, its always good to have the good parts of your parent. :)

Reading this, I must admit that my social and presentation skills do come from my father cos my mum is actually by nature, an introvert.

So yeah..

Tomorrow boys! Buy me some Yami Yoghurt one of you! *scowl*