无喱头游戏之二 ~ 她是女鬼

这种游戏更过份，是表姐发明的游戏，她扮女鬼，我们挤在一起，缩着一团，她用一张大席子与被子将我们盖着，我们必须用手紧紧的拉着其边缘，然后她将房间内的灯关掉，然后鬼声鬼气的静悄悄的将我们没有抓紧的边缘掀起，我们心跳100，叫声震天，一旦发现掀起我们席子的怪手。

又一次，整张被子被掀起，我们乱成一团，鸡飞狗走，逃命去也！，女鬼被我们推倒，不知是谁的脚跟竟踩中女鬼的脸，女鬼也疼得凄厉大叫，后来见她脸颊近眼睛的地方蓝黑一片，她说不用化妆也像鬼了，还口口声声说她跌在地上的时候，不知是哪一个的脚跟将她的脸皮扁扁的踩在地上。游戏结束，我们觉得她又可怜又好笑！

无喱头游戏之一 ~ 鳄鱼

大姨有时候会带她的孩子们来拜访，她的大女儿与哥哥同岁，二女儿与我同岁，还有两个小的儿子。

我们几个比较大的，总会想出一些刺激的游戏来玩。

楼下麻将声鼎沸，这边小孩子的尖叫声喧天，我们玩的是‘鳄鱼潭’，两条大鳄鱼趴在楼梯口，小小的探险家就坐在楼梯级上面，把脚伸出鳄鱼潭抓潭内的宝物，如给鳄鱼咬个正着，就下去变成鳄鱼了！吵到天跌下来都无人理，因为大人们正在专心他们的雀战！！！

小小书虫 Little Bookworm

从公公书橱中抽出来读的第一本书是林语堂的‘京华烟云’，一开始读就书不释手，废寝忘食，一发不可收拾之状态，怪不得五年级就戴上了近视眼镜了。

后来找出图文并茂的‘阿Q正传’以及中国第一位漫画家非常有趣的丰子恺之书。。

‘红楼梦’，‘西游记’，‘水浒传’等等都一一的从书橱中跳了出来，只有‘三国演义’一开始看就觉得索然无味，一下子就被塞回柜子。

翻译小说的‘简爱’，‘草原上的小屋’都看得如痴如醉。。。从未沾那本有着恐怖书名的‘地下的笑声’，直到今天都不知道那是本怎么样的书？

The first book I took out from Grandpa’s bookcase to read was Lin Yu Tang’s "Moment in Peking", I couldn’t put down as I started reading it, read till late at night and wouldn’t want to put it down, can be said out of control of myself, no wonder at Standard 5 had to put on the glasses.
Later digging out from the cupboard the books with illustrations such as 'The True Story of Ah Q "and the first Chinese Cartoonist Feng Zhi Kai’s book. .
"Dream of Red Mansions", "Journey to the West ',' Water Margin ', etc. were the books that were jumped out from the bookcase for me to read, only the ‘Three Kingdoms' was a bit dull to me, and it returned into the cabinet immediately.
The translation novel 'Jane Eyre', 'Little house on the Prairie' were spellbinding . . .

I never touch the book with the title 'Underground’s Laughter', I don’t know the content of this book until now???

镜片后面的浓眉大眼 Beautiful eyes behind the glasses

五年级数学还算可以的我，忽然间不及格了，黑板上的数目题全写错了，除法全除不尽的？？？ 瞇上双眼用眼力才依稀看得到，乱乱抄，细心的数学老师见到我的可怜相，叫我去配眼镜。

妈妈的近视也是很深的，是遗传？一验竟吓了一跳，有三百多度的近视，才11岁嘞，从今以后就与眼镜结下了不解缘，迷人的浓眉大眼从今以后也就躲在镜片后面了！

In Standard 5 my mathematics was not so bad, suddenly the marks dropped, I copied the figures on the blackboard with all the mistakes, the division all had remainder? ? ? I had to squeeze my eyes only could see a little bit clearer, I simply copied, the observant Math teacher saw my misery, she told me to go and check my eyes.
Mamma’s myopia was very deep, maybe it was hereditary? I was shocked when the optician said my myopia was more than three hundred degrees, that time I was only 11 years old, from that time on my beautiful eyes are hiding behind the glasses.

贵饼

有一种饼，妈妈称之为‘贵饼’，是荷兰入口的牛油曲奇饼，圆圆高高浅蓝色的铁罐子，里面装着一粒粒如小漩涡般可爱的饼干，妈妈从来未买过来吃，太贵了！妈妈的二弟有买的时候，开了必定给一小块我们过过瘾。。

比较富裕的三弟与其妻，房内时常放着一罐，只供自己享用，虽然我们有时候眼巴巴的看着他们吃，他们连饼碎也不会弹一些过来。

有一次其妻拿一罐子里面盛着自己烘焙的蛋糕分给我们吃，我们手中拿着还未放入口中，妈妈眼尖一手抢了过来，把饼干丢掉，她说‘都发霉了，吃了肚子疼！’

二舅 Second uncle

喜爱孩子的二舅，自己也如一个大孩子般时常跟我们开玩笑，虽然他的笑话有时怪幼稚的。还有时买些小礼物送我们虽然他的入息不是很多。

有时候傍晚他会叫我们跳上他的小车子，载我们去兜风，兜到‘民天药房’就把车子停下来，下车买一筒糖果分给我们吃，这是我们觉得最幸福的时候了！

有时他放工吃过晚饭后，会叫我们搬几张藤椅出‘五脚基’也就是门口的骑楼，坐着乘凉听他讲故事，西游记，水浒传等等。。。。

Second uncle loved children, he was like a big kid himself, always joked with us, although his jokes sometimes rather childish.  Sometimes he would buy us some little present though his income was not much.
In the evening he would let us jumped into his little car, took a car ride, and stopped at 'Man Tin Pharmacy', got down to buy a tube of candy for us, this was the happiest moments in our childhood life!
When he came back from work, after dinner he would tell us to take a few wicker chairs to the 'five-foot area' that was the arcade in front of the house, listening to his stories telling in the breeze… ‘Journey to the West’, ‘Outlaws of the Marsh’ etc. etc.. . . .

妈妈，妳系得概！Mamma, you are marvellous!



妈妈的铅笔画 Mamma's pencil drawings

妈妈是一个充满艺术细胞及多才多艺的女人，她什么事情都敢做只要是她高兴。

她喜欢做而不应该做的事情就是借她的手为我画画。每一次学校派下来的图工都是她跟我搞掂，晚上伏在桌上还画得津津有味，每一幅画都是贴堂之作，好威风啊！

上得山多终遇虎，这一天的图画课，老师要我们在课堂上作画，题目是‘甘榜’，我拿着铅笔轻轻的描，老师站在我旁边看着这每一次都贴堂的小小画家作画，我的心如打鼓般怦怦大跳，描来描去都不成一幅画，老师以为是他站在旁边我太紧张而画不出，他走开了，我‘吁’了一口大气。

回来告诉妈妈，她竟拿起那张不成画的图画纸继续为我画下去。。。。她画啊，画啊，直到我小学毕业。。。。

此种不是为儿女做牛做马而是做画家的妈妈真是世上难寻啊！我好幸福啊！

Mamma was an artistic and multi-talented woman, she could do anything as long as she is happy.

 The thing she liked to do and shouldn’t do was helping me to draw. Every time the art work I brought back from school she would finish for me, at night she would sit at the table painting a picture wholeheartedly, each painting was posted on the classroom wall, I was so proud!
there is a Chinese Proverb saying ‘as you go up the mountain too often finally will meet the tiger face to face’, today’s Art period, teacher asked us to paint in the classroom, the title was 'Malay Village', I took a pencil and gently sketched, teacher was standing next to my table looking at the little artist whose drawing was posted on the wall each time, my heart was beating like a drum, nothing came out on the drawing paper,  teacher thought he was standing next to me and making me excited that I couldn’t draw well, he walked away, I breathed out  ‘Phew…’.
Told Mamma when I got back from school, she picked up the unfinished drawing paper and continues the unfinished work for me. . . . she drew, and drew and drew… Until the day I graduated from Primary school. . . .
This was the type of Mamma who didn’t work with blood and sweat but she was an artist for her children, it was really hard to find an artist Mamma in this world like her! We were so lucky!

柠檬精 Lemon Essence Powder

这世界上竟有如此难于下咽的东西！小时候生病一发烧，妈妈就往药材铺走一趟买一包‘柠檬精’让我‘吃得苦中苦，方为人上人’，婴孩时是捏着我的鼻子到透不过气大哭时就往口中倒，可以说是虐待小孩子也！

直到懂事之后，就乖乖坐在椅子上，瞪着面前的瓷汤匙内的粉状物浮在清水上面，总之此物是难于溶解于水中的，欲临阵退缩，但虎妈坐在旁边虎视眈眈，最后将双眼一闭，奋不顾身似的将瓷汤匙往口中倒，吞下后，残余的酸苦药粉还黏在舌头及齿间，冲都冲不下去，真是人生一大苦楚也！

过后睡了一觉，出了一身汗，醒来烧全退了，真是祖传的药方灵验。。

There was something very difficult to swallow in this world! When I was sick with fever, Mamma would take a walk to the Chinese Medicine shop to buy a packet of 'Lemon Essence Powder', in order to let me experience the Chinese Proverb 'as you tasted the bitter of bitterness, you will be Exalted', when I was a baby Mamma used to pinch my nose until unable to breathe and cried out loud, then she would pour the terrible thing into my mouth, can be said it was a child abused!
Until I grew a bit older, I would sit on the chair obediently, staring at the powder floating in the water in porcelain spoon, after all this powder was difficult to dissolve in water, I wanted to sneak away, but the tiger Mom was crouching there beside me, finally I closed my eyes, picked up the porcelain spoon and poured the bitter thing down into my throat, after swallowing, the bitter and sour residual powder still stuck in between the tongue and teeth, life is really too bitter for me!
After a good rest, the whole body was sweaty, the fever had gone. The ‘Lemon Essence Powder’ was really an efficacious ancestral prescription. . 

炖鸡蛋 Steamed eggs

如老鸭般的声音由远而近，一路喊着‘炖鸡蛋。。。’一个身上穿着超长衬衫与短裤，样子不是那么老的中年男人，两只手提着蛮大的好几格铝炖盅，一打开盖子，热气腾腾一碗碗香喷喷，浅黄色滑滑嫩嫩的炖鸡蛋就显露眼前，他用小碟子盛着那碗炖鸡蛋，旁边放一个小瓷匙就往客人面前送，姜冰糖掺在蛋内，由口中滑下喉咙，每一个小孩子吞几口下肚，脸上露出还未吃过瘾的馋相。。

A duck-like old voice was calling ‘Steamed egg…’ as he strolled down the street from far to near, he was wearing a wide and long shirt with short pants, a middle-aged man, his look was not too old, both hands were carrying aluminium steam grid, when he opened the lid, steaming bowls of pale yellow slippery and tender steamed eggs revealed before our eyes, he placed the steamed egg on a dish with a small porcelain spoon beside it, and brought the bowl of steaming egg to the customers, with ginger mixed with sugar in the steamed egg, it slides down from the mouth to the throat, every child swallowed a few mouthfuls and yet the greedy looks still remains…

抓豹虎 Catching tiny spiders

最不好玩就是跟着哥哥与他的朋友去抓‘豹虎’，‘豹虎’就是如小蜘蛛之类的昆虫，用来与朋友所抓到的打架，看看谁的比较厉害能打赢，它们的屋子也就是公公的空纸或铁的香烟盒子。

有一次我穿着短裤和短袖的衫与他们一起探险，进入沟渠旁的草丛内，通常‘豹虎’都是躲在两片叶子之间，他们要慢慢的撕开叶子，一发现就连叶子一拼放进烟仔盒子内。

那时的我，白白甜甜的肉，被蚊子叮到全身痒，叫表妹数数看有多少粒肿起来的蚊叮，竟有几十粒之多，如在今日，必定中骨痛热症而入院了！！！

The thing I didn’t like to do was following my brother and his friends to go catch ‘leopard tiger’, a type of insect looks like small spiders, they used the ‘leopard tiger’ to fight with friend’s to see whose ‘leopard tiger’ were the most powerful one, the tiny spiders’ dwelling place were Grandpa’s empty paper or tin cigarette boxes.
There was once I was wearing short pants and a short-sleeved shirt when adventuring out with them, into the bushes beside the ditch, ‘leopard tiger’ usually were hiding in between two leaves, the boys had to tear the leaves slowly while searching for them, once they found the tiny spider in between the leaves, they would put the whole things together into the cigarette boxes.
That time, my sweet and tender flesh was attacked by the mosquitoes, the whole body was so itchy, asked my cousin sister to count the swollen mosquito stings, which were more than 20 stings. If it was today, I certainly would get dengue fever and hospitalized already!

学校的点点滴滴 Some of the piece and pieces of life in School

草场尽头的篮球场铁架是我与表妹休息时候的地点，吃妈妈给我们带去的面包与空口吃小罐子内的乳酪，天气热，乳酪难吃之极，吃到作呕！

食堂通常都挤满饥肠辘辘的学生，没有机会挤进去买，只能用五分钱买一小包的印度豆子吃，此印度人的档是摆在沟渠旁的。

在学校的那几年从未上过厕所，因走过都嗅到臭气熏天，那里还敢进去呢？

~ At the end of the school field there was a basketball court, during recess time cousin and I would run across the field, sat on the basket ball iron frame, having bread which Mamma let us brought to school, sometimes a small tin of cheese, the weather was so hot and the cheese became extremely unpalatable!
~ The forever crowded canteen always full of hungry souls, we didn’t even had a chance to squeeze in to buy anything to fill our stomach, I could only spend 5 cents to buy a packet of Indian Kacang Putih to eat, this Kacang Putih stall was beside the ditch.
~ In those years in school, I had never been to the toilet, because as I walked pass by the toilet the stinking smell made me nearly wanted to faint, how you dare to get in?

什么是爱？What is love?

天主教的学校，每天早晨都要念一遍‘在天我等父者。。’，完全不知道内容是啥？也会念得头头是道。。

放学念的更不知所云，是用客家话念的同样的经文。

‘要理’课也使我昏昏欲睡，不知所云？要传道也是以爱为出发点而不是硬将道理塞进幼嫩的脑袋内的！

In the Catholic school, every morning we had to pray ‘Our Father in Heaven . .’  And did not even know what the content was? But still could recite clearly and logically. .
Before School was over we recited the same incomprehensible prayer in Hakka dialect.
'Bible Study' also made me sleepy and unintelligible?

Sharing the Gospel is to share God’s Love first, and not forcing the Bible knowledge into the mind of young children!

人渣老师 Scum teacher






前排右边第一个就是人渣老师
左边第二排第三个就是我

最听话怕事的我，也会被老师处罚。那马来女老师一定是更年期，找人出气，但她的样子又不像那么的老！

她忽然间把我叫了出去说我讲话，使我一头雾水，我是最沉静的学生，她竟然冤枉好人，自己背对着学生在黑板上写字，后面又没有眼睛，听见吵闹声，就随便叫一个倒霉的学生出来处罚。我站出来，用眼睛瞄他一下，那些讨厌的同学笑得前仰后合，此变态老师以为我跟她做鬼脸，竟用手捏着我的脸颊不放，痛到忍无可忍，我用肩膀将她的手拨开，她手下毫不留情继续再来一次，直到我的脸颊全红透了才住手，此种不分青红皂白的教师是人渣之一也！

I was an obedient and timid type of student, still got punishment by the teacher. The female Malay teacher must be facing the problem of menopause, give vent to her anger in various ways, but her look unlike the menopause age!
She suddenly summoned me out and accused me of talking in the class, I was  confused, I was a ‘silence of the lamb’ in class, I was innocent, her back was facing us while writing on the blackboard, she doesn’t has eyes on her back, she heard the chaos, just simply called a scapegoat out for punishment. I went out, I glance at her, those pesky students convulsed with laughter, this metamorphosis teacher thought that I made funny faces to her, she pinched my cheek and hold to unbearable pain, I used my shoulder to push her hand away, her wicked hand relentlessly continue again until my cheek all red she only stopped doing it, such indiscriminate teacher was also one of scum of the school!

好同学 Classmates

我也有好些好同学，还依稀记得她们的名字。有父亲开烧腊店的彭佩文，住在学校对面大洋房的廖桂莲，校服穿的得整齐干净，梳两条长辫子的古玉萍，老师时常都赞她是最干净的学生，到放学头发还一丝不乱。完全不记得那套我花名的讨厌鬼，是潜意识把她忘记吧！还有一个师奶型白白胖胖叫黄雅莲的。。。以上那些都有来过我家玩，我也曾去她们家玩过，除了古玉萍之外。

I have quite a number of good friends in the new school, also vaguely remember their names. Peng Pei Wen’s father owned a roast pork shop, Liao Gui Lian was living in the big house opposite the school, Gu Yu Ping, the very neat and clean girl, with two long braids, teachers often praises her neatness, even though after school her pigtails still looks so tidy. I couldn’t remember the nuisance who had given me the nickname, subconsciously to forget her! There were also a plump housewife type called Huang Ya Lian. . . These were the friends who had came over to my house to play, and I did visit them once awhile, except Gu Yu Ping。

校服 Uniforms

以前我国的校服还未统一。我羡慕英校生的校服，觉得她们穿起来好帅！‘圣母’的校服里面是白色的衬衫，外面蓝色的裙子，前后都有三个褶，熨起来好辛苦，熨好前面后面又乱成一堆，穿上后扣上腰带，好看极了！不像‘中山学校’的整件是白色的裙子，好单调！为了新校服，要转学校我也高兴了一整天！

In the old time, our country’s uniforms were different from school to school. I always envied the English school’s pinafore uniforms, they looked so smart! 'Ave Maria' s school uniforms was a white shirt inside and blue skirt outside, with 3 folds in front and at the back, very difficult to iron, as we ironed the front the back would crumple, but as we wore and put on the belt, it looked so nice! Unlike the uniforms of 'Zhongshan School', all in white, so monotonous! Just for new uniforms, I delighted for the whole day!

讨厌的同学 Loathsome classmate

我是胆子小又害羞的内向的孩子，第一天上新学校，排队进教室之际，一个眼睛大大的臭女孩，一直回过头来向我眨眼弄眉，手掌还一张一开如抓东西般，然后又掩着嘴笑，还跟其他的女孩子窃窃私语，原来是在笑我的名字，公公为我起的美丽名字‘吴紫珊’被她们叫成孙悟空的‘五指山’，气煞我也！！！所以现在我只告诉人我的名字，从不放我的姓上去！

I was timid and shy，an introverted child, the first day of the new school, when lining up to get into the classroom, a big eyes stupid girl, kept winking to me, both hands opened and closed as if grasping something, then covered her mouth and chuckled, even whispered to the other girls, they were laughing at my name, the beautiful name given by my Grandpa  'Wu Purple Coral’ they used the intonation and turned it into the Chinese Literature’s Monkey King’s ‘Five fingers mountain’, I was so annoyed! So from that time on I just tell people my name without the surname。

转学校 Changed school

妈妈带我与表妹去‘圣母学校’报到，那慈祥的校长是一位修女，她用英文问我们什么名字与几岁？我双眼望着地上，心中猛跳而不敢回答，表妹很大胆的答了，那修女就牵着她的手进教室，我与妈妈跟在后面，心中闷闷，当时的我心想原来不会回答问题是不被受理会的。。。

自小就有一种被拒绝的感觉！

Mamma took my cousin and I report to the 'Ave Maria School’, the Principal was a kind looking nun, she asked us in English “what is your name?” and “How old are you?” In my mind I knew the answer but too shy to answer, eyes looking down, cousin answered boldly, after that the nun was holding her hand and walked into the classroom, Mamma and I were following behind, with a disturbing heart I said to myself those who couldn’t answer the questions will not be accepted. . .

There was always a sense of rejection in me since childhood!

租跌打医生的房间(II) Rented a room at the Chinese Sensei’s house (II)

（II）善良的屋主之女儿

屋主跌打医师有两个女儿，一个儿子与我同岁。大女儿很喜欢我，空闲时很有心机的教我英文。我也很喜欢这个大姐姐。是她叫妈妈把我从‘中山小学’转去‘圣母玛利亚学校’，她说英文程度比较高，妈妈也就为此事奔波，与表妹一起入读圣母的三年级！

II) The kind daughter of the Landlord

The Landlord has two daughters and a son about my age. The eldest daughter was very fond of me, used to teach me English whenever she was free. I like her a lot too. She was the one who asked Mamma to transfer me from 'Zhongshan Primary School' to 'Ave Maria Primary School,' according to her the English level in ‘Ave Maria’ is relatively higher, Mamma was running up and down doing all the transfer of school’s paper work, I admitted to Standard 3 in ‘Ave Maria’ together with my cousin!

租跌打医生的房间 (I) Rented a room at the Chinese Sensei’s Clinic (I)

（I）凶恶的屋主婆

租了一间房在‘高宾’三楼，是跌打医生的诊所，阿嬷还每天煮了食物拿过来给我们吃。

每天早上妈妈下楼用大大的漱口杯买一大杯奶茶回来做早餐，楼下是咖啡店。

并没有见过坐厕的我，依然如在老家的厕所般蹲在地上小便然后用水冲干净。有一天屋主婆正在洗衣服，我想上厕所，撞上她，给她训了一顿，害得我一整天都不敢上厕所，告诉妈妈，她才教我们如何用坐厕，真是大乡里出城！

Ferocious landlady
Mamma rented a room on the third floor of ‘Hotel Embassy’, it was a Chinese Sensei’s clinic, grandma cooked and brought the food for us every day.
Every morning Mamma would go to the coffee shop downstairs with a big mug to buy a mug of milk tea back for breakfast.
I have not seen a toilet bowl before, so I squatted down to pee as in the old house, and then rinse with water. One day I went to the toilet and saw the Landlady was washing clothes, she gave me a good lecture, which scarred me from going to the toilet for the whole day, I told Mamma, she taught us how to use the toilet bowl, I was indeed a country pumpkin!

阿嬷给我五个镭 Ah Mah give me five sen

“阿--嬷--给--我--五--个--镭”（五个镭是五分的意思）

四个小鬼头蹲在楼梯口靠窗的下面，每人轮流讲一个字，阿嬷正在裁衣服，当我们的要求如耳边风，无动于衷。。。最后还是低档不了我们如念经般似的声音，把两角钱给了我们, 一人五分，不多不少。

我们一窝蜂往后门飞跑出去，马不停蹄的直奔‘茂昌’杂货店，这间杂货店对我们而言犹如童话故事中的糖果屋，店铺的前面摆放了许许多多的瓶瓶罐罐的零食，我们要花好长的时间才能决定要用那五分钱买什么，细细一条条红红的甜姜？或大块大块的辣姜？还是我们命名为‘虫唔’外面包着糖衣的小梅子？一放进口，咬碎糖衣里面就是有核的梅子了，各式的饼干并不是我们所爱，五分钱只有几颗有壳的龙眼干也不值得买，打碎外面的壳，里面小小粒带核的龙眼，一下子就被我们吞下肚子了！还有有酱的辣鱿鱼，布满糖粒的腌芒果片，话梅，无花果，鼻屎(像鼻屎似的咸酸零食)等等。。等等。。其实也蛮肮脏的，全部零食都是用旧报纸包的。满足了食瘾，过了几天，又再来“阿--嬷--给--我--五--个--镭”。

"Ah - Mah - give - me - five - sen" (five sen means 5 cents)
Four little naughty kids crouched below the window of the staircase, each take turns in speaking a word, grandma was doing some tailoring at the bottom of the staircase, she treated us as transparent . . . Finally, she couldn’t bear our voices like chanting and gave us twenty cents, exactly 5 sen each.
We galloped out of the back door, rushed straight to 'Mao Cheong' grocery store, grocery store was like the house of Hansel and Gretel’s, so many tins and containers placed in front of the shop with tit-bits, we took a long time to decide how to use the 5 sen to the fullest, to buy the red stripe sweet ginger? Or maybe the large chunks of spicy ginger? Or the one we named it ‘chom' small plum with sugar-coating? One bite in the mouth, cracked the sugar-coating, inside was the plums, the variety of biscuits was not to our liking, 5 sen for a few crusty dried Longan was not worth buying, breaking off the shell, inside only a small dried Longan with seed, and it took only a second to swallow down into our stomach! The spicy squid, pickled mango covered with sugar particles, plum, fig, booger (salted and sour titbit looked like booger) . . And so on. . In fact, quite dirty, all titbits were wrapped in the old newspaper. After the snacks satisfaction, a few days later, we would start the "Ah - Mah - give - me - five - sen." Again!