Pepsi Cola one two three~

My cousin Shin Yee used to stand in front and dictated the game with such vigour that we all end up laughing anyways and losing. She always started with a slow one.

"Pepsi Cola... one..... two...... three!"
"Pepsi Cola.. onetwothree!"

"Onetwothree!" "Onetwothree!" "Onetwothreeonetwothreeontwothreeonetwothree!"

Of course being a kid, you're pretty quick on your feet. But at this point, we would always give up and collapse to the ground laughing our asses off.

Every Saturday afternoon, all the cousins would gather and pool in our "allowances". Although I admit, the occasional coin was picked up from the floor of house somewhere. Shin Yee being the oldest - her brother and sister were too old to play with us, would take the money and run outside at the first *beep* of the bread van. She would come back with an array of goodies and split the remainder of the money carefully. It was mostly just bread and sugar (doughnuts) or those with "icing" (our favourites! but very limited). We would have "tea" on the floor of Ah Ma's house and ruin our appetites for Saturday night dinner.

I was seven and feeling particularly rebellious. During the first half of the year, the entire school was playing "police dan pencuri" in our small yard. It was an accident waiting to happen within those 20 minutes of break time (now known as reccess). The teachers were terrified. Understandable. 150 school kids running around like like there's no tomorrow - I'd dig my own hole and hide. Pronto. Primary 1 kids (me!) through to the Primary 6 kids who at the time, looked like giants to me. We were the good guys and bad guys. This girl Celine who was in Primary 6 was the leader of the other team. I couldn't remember which I was on. Must've been a robber.

It was during one of these sessions where I was pushed to the ground and scraped my knees on the basketball court. I got up, turned around and gave Celine a big push in return, then sat down, and bawled my eyes out. That was the biggest knee injury I have yet. There's a big scar I'd be happy to show anyone - the first signs of violence :)

The second half of the year came with a promotion. I sat next to Gavin in class. He was one of the "guai-lous" whose father was transferred to Miri because of Shell. I forgot what he said to me one day, but we both ended up in the principal's office. Myself with a bruise on the nose and him with several scratches down the face. That's why they call it cat fights when ladies do it. So I guess Gavin and I were having a cat-brawl.

Colin, Phoebe, Annie and I went through the Power Rangers hype with the occasional help from Shin Yeou and Li Kun who alternated as the Black Ranger and August as the Honorary Green Ranger, but although lived further away in the Land of No Return but made it occasionally back to Earth on some Sundays to help us ward off evil creatures.

As a kid I was ankle-sprain prone. I've sprained my ankle more times than I can remember. There was this one time though. The pinnacle of all pains, Dad brought me to a Chinese dai fu to have my ankle "put right". I put on a brave face. That was, till the master pulled at my foot. Then I started to cry like a baby. I was 10.

"Eh.. be brave.. will be over soon.. Blue Ranger mah.. Blue Ranger doesn't cry.."

I was stunned to silence. How in the world did Dad know I was Blue Ranger? I didn't even realize he knew what we were up to. Of course, our bicycles-turned-dinosaurs, fake badges and bandannas did nothing to help point him to the right direction.

2nd Aunt used to have a cat. When Astra, Colin's and Phoebe's mongrel passed away in a freak accident - the cat was the only pet left. One day we found four kittens nestled in the "garage" area of the Ah Ma's house. Blackie, Brownie, Ginger and a fourth I can't remember what we named him became our pets. Every Sunday afer Tang Soo Do lessons at the Che Sing Khor temple at the end of the street, we would feed and play with the little kittens until they were not so little anymore.

Leonardo, Donatello, Michaelangelo and Raphael graced us in their soft green shells after the kittens were gone. We took them out and placed them on the grass in Colin's garden. They would crawl around and we would stroke, tease and conduct turtle races. The grass was so green that one day we lost Raphael. We spent days looking for him, crawling near the big drains outside our house calling his name like he could answer us. One day Donatello died and when Leo and Mic grew too big (3kgs each?) we released them at the "Pek Kong" temple by the fish market in town.

A lot of people I know try to make up for their lost childhood. I've had a whacky one, filled with our own hand-made batu seremban sets, "ice" and fair share of bruises and scrapes. All still fresh in mind.