Glimpses Of My Childhood

Posted by : foongpc | Monday, July 13, 2009 | Published in

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Do you like to read? I assume you do otherwise you won't be reading my blog, right? But then, maybe you just like to look at pictures. Haha!

I have a friend who said that she seldom read books because she will go to sleep after a few paragraphs. So her pastimes are spent watching DVDs on her computer. How sad!

I think people who don't read are missing a big part of life! There are so many things you can learn from books and blogs!

I love to read. Unfortunately, I just cannot find the time to read as much as I wanted to. I still remember when I was a small kid, I had all the time to read! Oh, those were the days!

During my early primary school days, I read mainly Enid Blyton's books. They were my source of joy and entertainment! Although I could not remember most of the stories, names like Big Noddy, Mr Pink Whistle, Mr Twiddle and Mister Meddle do strike a chord in me.

Enid Blyton was such a wonderful story teller! I had so much fun reading her books and all those wonderfully weird characters she created. Besides writing funny and interesting stories, she was also good at mysteries. Who could ever forget her popular Adventurous Four, or The Famous Five or even The Secret Seven?


Image courtesy of worldpeacepoll.com

The Famous Five was a big hit with me. Do you remember that tomboy George who was really Georgina and she had this adorable dog by the name of Timmy? And then of course there were Julian, Dick and Anne that make up the rest of the team!

It was The Secret Seven books that introduced me to the word "password". The Secret Seven were really a group of 7 children who loved to hold secret meetings at secret places. All the members must say the password in order for them to be allowed in for their meetings.

Guess what? I was so fond of the Secret Seven when I was small I actually played what I now call "The Secret Seven Game" with my siblings. Yes, we had secret meetings under the staircase of my house. That's right, under the staircase! haha! Well, that time, we were all tiny enough to gather together in such a small space. I vividly remember my sister actually calling out the wrong password and I did not want to let her in! It was just so fun at that time!

When I was a little older, I lost interest in Enid Blyton's books and got myself immersed in Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators. That was my first introduction to famous movie director Alfred Hitchcock, although I never ever knew who the author of the books is to this day! Well, I just checked Wikipedia and found that this detective series was created by a person named Robert Arthur Jr.


Image courtesy of threeinvestigatorsbooks.com

Do you still remember the names of the Three Investigators? They were Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw and Bob Andrews. Jupiter is the smart one who always lead the way in solving all the mysteries. Pete is the athletic one, while Bob is studious and wear glasses.

The Three Investigators even inspired me to come up my own riddles! I still remember a game I had when I was small. I would hide an object somewhere in the house, and then wrote a riddle for my siblings to solve in order to locate that object! What fun I had!

Thinking back of my childhood days just brings back a flood of memories. The good and the bad, the funny and the embarrassing ones. Perhaps I would share more of my childhood days with you readers in my future posts.

FIRST COMMENTER

(88) Comments

  1. Anonymous

    Haha..what a start to a Monday! I had a childhood games post up today! :)

    July 13, 2009 at 9:11 AM
  2. Anonymous

    I loved reading as a child and Enid Blyton was a favourite author. I 'devoured' books and my visit to the mall would definitely be the bookstores.

    July 13, 2009 at 9:14 AM
  3. khengsiong said...

    Students in Chinese schools don't read English books. I read Old Master Q (老夫子) and Doraemon (Chinese version).

    July 13, 2009 at 9:28 AM
  4. Reanaclaire said...

    last time during my days as teen, it was a privilege to have an enid blyton book, i used to borrow from library and frens who were a bit loaded.. me poor that time.. hahaa.. i read over and over again, Mystery series, five find outers and buster, secret 7, famous 5, as u mentioned, faraway tree and many many others..
    then one time i love mills and boon, later on in life, i read thicker books like Roots, gone with the wind, green mile, and my best author is sidney sheldon.. i read all his books, unfortunately, he has passed on...now i dont have a favourite author anymore, i read less in fact nowadays... glued more to the pc... sigh...

    July 13, 2009 at 9:47 AM
  5. ladyviral said...

    Morning, foong!

    Wow now that does bring back the good old memories. I remember reading them too though I read more of Roald Dahl. I love his book The BFG, The Witches and more.

    July 13, 2009 at 9:50 AM
  6. Che-Cheh said...

    I remember reading Enid Blyton's books... Famous Five. Good ole times. :)

    July 13, 2009 at 10:13 AM
  7. [SK] said...

    reading your blog is more than BLOGGING than reading laa.. hahaha :D

    July 13, 2009 at 10:56 AM
  8. [SK] said...

    i remember one of my childhood hobby was reading - and i guess most probably it was because of the influence from peers.. but not really now that i read a book, perhaps had already enough of the textbooks in school.. kekekeke :D

    July 13, 2009 at 10:57 AM
  9. [SK] said...

    .. not to mention books with lots of words, even for a manga/comic book that plot long story, i wouldn't even have the patient to finish them - i only read short comics, hahaha!!

    July 13, 2009 at 10:58 AM
  10. HappySurfer said...

    Reading wasn't one of my hobbies back then but I did read the occasional Enid Blyton, Nancy Drew series and Mills and Boon. But come secondary school subscriptions to Readers Digest, Time, and Life magazines made up most of my reading material. Yes, reading widens one's perspective on things. I remember submitting an essay on hospitals that brought on high praises from my English teacher.

    I am thankful for a wonderful childhood. Foong, thanks for sharing yours.

    July 13, 2009 at 11:29 AM
  11. Ice said...

    I hardly read much when I was little. Busy already helping doing household work etc. Also with mom's business. Wait till I post my childhood story, you'll probably laugh very hard :o)

    July 13, 2009 at 11:38 AM
  12. Merryn said...

    I like Nody (er, i forgot how to spell it!). And the famous five like u mentioned. Also, many books from ladybird! LOL...

    July 13, 2009 at 12:45 PM
  13. Anonymous

    When I was in school, I used to read Goosebumps and some other books.. and Harry Potter and The Order of Phoenix! That's all! =P

    When I come to uni, I rarely read books.. haha.. =D

    kenwooi.com

    July 13, 2009 at 1:08 PM
  14. .:: Ant ::. said...

    Remembered the competitive environment at school whereby my classmates wld compete to finish whole series of Famous Five, Secret Seven, Nancy Drew, Alfred Hitchcock Books. Yup, Enid Blyton wuz certainly the fav author amongst most students. Ahhhh the good ol' days. ^_^

    +Ant+

    July 13, 2009 at 1:32 PM
  15. day-dreamer said...

    Heyyyyy... I was an Enid Blyton fan too! Started when I was in kindergarten and almost finish reading most of her books before I finished Primary 6 and grew bored of her style before starting to read anything that interests me. Haha.

    July 13, 2009 at 2:23 PM
  16. Jonzz said...

    Enid Blyton brainwashe.. influenced millions of kids into loving western food, baking and sweets, =P

    Sigh!

    July 13, 2009 at 2:30 PM
  17. Mariuca said...

    chop!

    July 13, 2009 at 2:41 PM
  18. Willie a.k.a Reptoz said...

    Looks like u like adventure and detective kind of stories. Unlike me, I like fantasy books. There were a few books i read but i like the "7th Amulet" novel. Can't remember the author's name. It was about three sisters who hold one magical amulet. And how they saved their kingdom from evil using the amulets.

    Too bad, I have stop reading novels since working. Geee

    July 13, 2009 at 2:44 PM
  19. Mariuca said...

    Of couse I remember Famous 5 and Secret 7! My fave mah!:):)

    July 13, 2009 at 2:46 PM
  20. Mariuca said...

    Have a great day Foong!

    July 13, 2009 at 2:47 PM
  21. Mariuca said...

    Dropped ec and clicked adgi today! :)

    July 13, 2009 at 2:47 PM
  22. Tekkaus said...

    Hahaha :D I only read malay story books when I was younger. Weird right? I mean most of the chinese children would be reading either chinese or english books..but I'm different. Ha :D

    July 13, 2009 at 3:57 PM
  23. Tekkaus said...

    I used to read the child detective sort of story books too...but it's in Malay~lar! It's called...3 Penyiasat..whatever...I have forgotten. Haha :D

    But the most special stories I have ever read is Puteri Gunung Ledang.

    July 13, 2009 at 3:59 PM
  24. Tekkaus said...

    I only started to seriously pick up English at the age of 16. That explains why my English sucks. LOL :P

    Anyway a good write up Foong! :D

    Maybe I could write about glimpse of my childhood too? LOL ;p

    July 13, 2009 at 4:02 PM
  25. lina said...

    Foong! I love Enid Blyton too. Used to save my duit belanja just to buy the books. Famous Five and Secret Seven were what I love to read, and St Clare's and Mallory Towers (co-incidentally I read both series before I went into a boarding school at 13, so the books kinda help me adjust).

    July 13, 2009 at 6:00 PM
  26. lina said...

    I was actually influenced by George (ak.a Georgina) and turned tomboy when I was young. :D

    July 13, 2009 at 6:05 PM
  27. iamthewitch said...

    Ohh you love investigator stories eh? I read Enid Blyton too, but mostly on girl stories :) Malory Towers & St Claire boarding schools, if I remember correctly :)

    July 13, 2009 at 6:05 PM
  28. lina said...

    I wish I can pass down my books to my son, but my mom threw them away when I went away to boarding school. She hated me reading story books. :(

    July 13, 2009 at 6:15 PM
  29. Borneo Falcon said...

    Looking forward for your childhood memories. I not too sure if I had some to share though

    July 13, 2009 at 9:32 PM
  30. Pete said...

    Ha ha, I think I still have some of my Famous five books in my bookshelf!

    July 13, 2009 at 9:57 PM
  31. A Common Singaporean said...

    I used to love Enid Blyton too.

    The Naughtiest In Class, The Enchanted Tree and more. Then I stopped reading totally in my teens. I was more interested in chicks ;P

    Now that I am old, I have picked up my reading habits again. The best book I had read so far is "The Time Traveller's Wife". Have u read it?

    Yes, please share your childhood stories with us.

    July 13, 2009 at 11:38 PM
  32. Anonymous

    The Secret Seven sounds very interesting to me.

    I am a late bloomer when it comes to reading books except during anticipated examinations in school. I think I started reading short stories when I am already in college. And I must agree with you that reading is so much fun. :)

    July 13, 2009 at 11:39 PM
  33. Neo said...

    I don't like to read and I play badminton all days long.

    July 14, 2009 at 1:44 AM
  34. Monica said...

    when I was little, my dad bought the whole year issues of Reader's Digest and forced me to read!

    July 14, 2009 at 2:02 AM
  35. Cashmere said...

    What do you know? I used to read Enid Blytons too! I have large collection of it.. Sadly, something happened and everything I owned then was lost.. Even my Archie comics!! Very sad..

    July 14, 2009 at 7:22 AM
  36. Faisal Admar said...

    I love reading and until now I'm forcing myself to find time or squeeze time to read some good books. No matter how busy I am with work and study, my quality time still when I can read a good book :)

    My preference is too general and it's hard for me to list them down :P

    I'd agree with you that reading is good and everybody must read at least a book in a week :)

    I don't believe in "I don't have time for reading".

    It's just the matter of you want to do it, or you just don't.

    "People who doesn't read has no advantage over the one who can't read". I can't remember who said this but it's a good quote ever! :)

    July 14, 2009 at 8:45 AM
  37. annant said...

    when i was young, i didnt really likey reading :( what a shame i only read comics and chinese novel haha...

    now, i do buy fiction at least one per month...so that i could improve in writing :)

    July 14, 2009 at 9:51 AM
  38. xin said...

    i remember reading a lot of story books with beautiful pictures in my childhood. but i think i have no patience for reading thick novels. lol.

    July 14, 2009 at 11:35 AM
  39. Medie007 said...

    famous five, i know.

    three investigator, i don;t...

    in fact, after growing older, i barely even read anymore. sigh...

    July 14, 2009 at 2:09 PM
  40. manglish said...

    a chinese ed like myself read the story of White Snake Jie Jie for about 100 times and also Sun Wu Kong..hehehehee........

    July 14, 2009 at 2:46 PM
  41. Shingo T said...

    My childhood was spent on schoolwork and arcade games. It's pretty sad, didn't read that much fiction stuffs when I was young. =(

    July 14, 2009 at 5:07 PM
  42. nic

    yes yes foongfoong! i love Enid Blyton's adventure series... i remember there is a parrot in there which talks funny things!

    July 14, 2009 at 5:16 PM
  43. JL said...

    Read a few EB books in school days before. Didn't really find them interesting. Maybe that's why my English was so poor lol :P

    July 14, 2009 at 9:33 PM
  44. Bengbeng said...

    reading opened up a whole new world for me. i started reading books not kid stuff as early as nine.

    July 14, 2009 at 9:36 PM
  45. foongpc said...

    mei teng, you like Enid Blyton too? Cool! Oh, you are blogging about childhood games. How come we both blog about our childhood on the very same day? Haha!

    July 15, 2009 at 12:15 AM
  46. foongpc said...

    khengsiong, oh you read Old Master Q and Doraemon? I have friends in school who read them too! : )

    July 15, 2009 at 12:23 AM
  47. foongpc said...

    reanaclaire, glued more to the PC now? Haha! Same with me! But I try to read books at least during the weekend! : )

    July 15, 2009 at 12:25 AM
  48. foongpc said...

    ladyviral, ooh! I love Roald Dahl's The Witches!! : )

    July 15, 2009 at 12:27 AM
  49. foongpc said...

    che cheh, you read Enid Blyton's books? Yeah, the good old times! : )

    July 15, 2009 at 12:28 AM
  50. foongpc said...

    SK, don't read much nowadays? Reading blogs also count as reading lah. Haha!

    July 15, 2009 at 12:32 AM
  51. foongpc said...

    happysurfer, you were not into reading back then? Good to hear that you got praised by your English teacher for a good essay! Great to know you have a wonderful childhood! : )

    July 15, 2009 at 12:38 AM
  52. foongpc said...

    ai shiang, look forward to read your childhood stories! : )

    July 15, 2009 at 12:39 AM
  53. foongpc said...

    merryn, me too!! : )

    July 15, 2009 at 12:40 AM
  54. foongpc said...

    kenwooi, I think a lot of people read Harry Potter nowadays! I don't! Haha! I guess you are too busy now to read any books? : )

    July 15, 2009 at 12:43 AM
  55. foongpc said...

    anton, wow! Your classmates compete to see who finish reading first? I never had classmates like that! You all really love reading! : )

    July 15, 2009 at 12:50 AM
  56. foongpc said...

    day-dreamer, wow! You are truly a fan of Enid Blyton! Finished all her books by primary 6? I don't think I have finished reading ALL her books! But yeah, when I was older, I did not read her books anymore. More for small kids : )

    July 15, 2009 at 12:54 AM
  57. foongpc said...

    jonzz, really? She did it single handedly? But I didn't get interested in Western food, baking and sweets! Though they are delicious! : )

    July 15, 2009 at 12:56 AM
  58. foongpc said...

    mariuca, thanks for dropping EC and clicking Adgi!

    You like Famous 5 and Secret 7 too? Gimme a 5! : )

    July 15, 2009 at 1:01 AM
  59. foongpc said...

    willie, I haven't read that book before! I don't normally read fanstasy books but my brother love reading books by Robert Jordan : )

    July 15, 2009 at 1:05 AM
  60. foongpc said...

    tekkaus, wow you read mostly malay books! You must be an expert in Malay language now! : )

    3 Penyiasat? Is that the malay translation for The 3 Investigators? I think I've seen the books before!

    Wow! You like Puteri Gunung Ledang story? Did you go and see the musical at Istana Budaya? It was a great local musical which I enjoyed!

    Your English is not bad considering you only started reading English books at age 16! Sure, blog about your childhood! I'm sure your readers, including me, will find it most interesting! : )

    July 15, 2009 at 1:20 AM
  61. foongpc said...

    lina, hi 5! : )

    Wah, so kesian, save on your duit belanja to buy books! What! You were a tomboy when you were young? Could not imagine that. Haha!

    July 15, 2009 at 1:22 AM
  62. foongpc said...

    iamthewitch, I've never read Malory Towers and St. Clare stories before. Maybe I'm more into Famous Five and Secret Seven, and also maybe becos I'm a boy. Hehe

    July 15, 2009 at 1:23 AM
  63. foongpc said...

    lina, wow! Your mom so garang! Threw away all your precious storybooks! Must be becos she thinks you spend too much time on storybooks and not on school books, eh? : )

    July 15, 2009 at 1:25 AM
  64. foongpc said...

    borneo falcon, I will post more stories on my childhood, thanks for reading! You have nothing to share about your childhood? Surely you have some interesting childhood stories you want to share? : )

    July 15, 2009 at 1:27 AM
  65. foongpc said...

    pete, I have only two left on my shelf! Don't know what happened to the rest! So you like to read them during your childhood days, eh? : )

    July 15, 2009 at 1:28 AM
  66. foongpc said...

    a common singaporean, you like Enid Blyton books too? Well, chicks sure got you out of that reading habit, didn't they? LOL!

    I haven't read "The Time Traveller's Wife" before. Is it nice? I would love to read it! But you know, I have loads of books collecting dust still waiting for me to read! Sigh...

    July 15, 2009 at 1:31 AM
  67. foongpc said...

    rej, oh, you are indeed a late bloomer! But glad you find reading fun! It's better late than never, right?

    Nowadays, I also like to read self help and inspiring books. I find them more useful than reading fiction, though it's good to read fiction to relax and for entertaining myself! : )

    July 15, 2009 at 1:32 AM
  68. foongpc said...

    neo, how come I have a feeling you don't like to read? You just like to play badminton and chase girls right? Haha!

    July 15, 2009 at 1:33 AM
  69. foongpc said...

    monica, what?! Your dad forced you to read Reader's Digest? You must really hate reading! I guess you are those who will fall asleep after a few paragraphs, right? LOL!

    July 15, 2009 at 1:35 AM
  70. foongpc said...

    cashmere, what happened that caused you to lose all your books? What a pity!

    July 15, 2009 at 1:35 AM
  71. foongpc said...

    brian kinney, wow! A book a week! That's very tough for me! I normally read during the weekends. So it'll have to be a book every 2-3 weeks for me. Which is sad, cos last time I usually read one book in 3-4 days.

    July 15, 2009 at 1:38 AM
  72. foongpc said...

    annant, reading chinese novels is also considered reading right? Good thing you read 1 book a month - I'm sure your writing will improve : )

    July 15, 2009 at 1:41 AM
  73. foongpc said...

    xin, I guess you are those who prefer to look at lots of pictures rather than words! : )

    July 15, 2009 at 1:42 AM
  74. foongpc said...

    medie007, you don't know The 3 Investigators? Very good books, those! So you only read your medical books and blogs nowadays? : )

    July 15, 2009 at 1:43 AM
  75. foongpc said...

    manglish, Madam White Snake is a good story I like! But I read it in the English version cos I don't know how to read in Chinese! But 100 times? That's too extreme, don't you think? : )

    July 15, 2009 at 1:45 AM
  76. foongpc said...

    shingo T, spent your childhood times in arcade games? My, that's such a waste! But you can start reading more now. It's never too late! : )

    July 15, 2009 at 1:46 AM
  77. foongpc said...

    nic, gimme a 5! Still remember about the parrot? : )

    July 15, 2009 at 1:50 AM
  78. foongpc said...

    JL what do you mean your English so poor? Anyone who completed reading Lord Of The Rings books cannot possibly have poor English! : )

    July 15, 2009 at 1:51 AM
  79. foongpc said...

    bengbeng, wow as early as nine? Not bad! I'm still reading Enid Blyton's books at nine! : )

    July 15, 2009 at 1:53 AM
  80. LifeRamblings said...

    EB's books were the first books that I read and loved. They are good enjoyable reading material and most kids will love them.

    July 15, 2009 at 8:04 AM
  81. LifeRamblings said...

    dropping EC here and have a fabulous wednesday.

    July 15, 2009 at 8:05 AM
  82. foongpc said...

    life ramblings, yes, most kids will love Enid Blyton's books! Thanks for dropping by and you have a great Wednesday too! : )

    July 15, 2009 at 11:18 AM
  83. eastcoastlife said...

    I remember all these books! I read all of them when I was in Primary school.

    July 15, 2009 at 12:29 PM
  84. bluedreamer27 said...

    oh yeah i love to read books but not novels..i love to read short stories and one of my favorite storyteller was Roald Dhal...are you familiar with him?
    his creations are great
    thanks for sharing this to us..

    July 15, 2009 at 7:57 PM
  85. Monica said...

    Right!!! I'll fall asleep after a few paragraphs Foong....help me! LOL!

    July 16, 2009 at 10:25 AM
  86. jam said...

    I don't read books but I do read blogs.

    July 16, 2009 at 12:22 PM
  87. ladyviral said...

    Great "children's book" for all ages and truly mind and imagination expanding - The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster and illustrated by Jules Feiffer.

    July 16, 2009 at 2:17 PM
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