The Memory Remains

There are no flowers, no not this time,
There will be no angels gracing the lines,
Just these stark words I find
I'd show a smile, but I'm too weak,
I'd share with you could I only speak,
Just how much this hurts me

I'd tell you how it haunts me,
I'd tell you how it haunts me,
(cuts through my day, as i sink into my dreams)
I'd tell you that it haunts me,
(cuts through my day, as i sink into my dreams)
You don't care that it haunts me

AFI, This Time Imperfect


What! It's a nice song aight. Even if it reads out to be terribly depressing.

I think AFI's supposed to be one of those bands like Blink 182, whereby teens in the states grow up worshipping their anthems but eventually grow outta it; if that's the case I must be regressing, because i've been listening to them nonstop.

I've been up to my fair share of nonsense lately: I dabbled with attempting a graphic novel of my own, and have come to realise that if professional artists and inkers take months to churn out a decent read, it's somewhat impossible to accomplish the feat within a week...

So I had to exercise a teeny-weeny amount of plagiarism (alright, i scanned in ALL the images I needed from my stack of novels) and I did the storyboard myself. But it turned out kinda alright for a 2 day job... I think.

What else have I been up to, aside from the usual drinking at Wala's? Hrmm...

Ah! I went sifting through the cupboard of childhood photographs the other day. Ended up becoming a full-fledged family gathering whereby we reminisced ancient memories. I drew some pretty interesting comparisons... and some fucking embarrassing ones too, but hey - i'll still share 'em!

- - - - - - -
Mark Wong Cheok Plug




Alright, so his name isn't REALLY Cheok Plug... or Wong Plug Man, as Chalk calls him sometimes. But he's really quite a tech wiz, so yeah.

Cheok Plug, when young. For some reason, the phrase 'The Mad Gurgler' comes to mind whenever I look at this pic.




This is me holding my 3rd birthday in 7th Day Adventist Church in Jurong East, a.k.a ACDC kindergarten. Obviously, I am making sure the kid on my right does not attempt to blow my candles out with his foul ogre breath. Kid on my left is SMH, my friend from all the way back then til now... Which makes it... HRMMM.

22 - 3 = a grand whopping total of friends for 19 years, man. Beat that!




Cheok Plug, carrying on family tradition and heading to ACDC.




Back when ACDC held its first ever annual concert, i kay zua and went to volunteer for a starring role as David, which meant that I got to dress up in my own technicolor dreamcoat (don't know why David ought be wearing that, shouldn't it be Joseph), be the lead singer and shoot down a fairly huge styrofoam cutout of Goliath with my very own custom made slingshot. How funky!

In hindsight, I don't know what possessed me to volunteer. Closet attention whore from the very beginning, I guess. Teacher asked who thinks they can sing, I ka ka put up my hand.

10 years later, my brother tries on the same outfit. Of course, he's about 3 years off my age when i first donned it.

Oh yeah - When I was 12, my looks seriously fucked up and went to the dogs. I wish I could blame my parents... But... Aiya, I dunno man. Blame it on growing pains or something. I looked like an outright geekazoid, replete with fishball cheeks and nerdspecks. You ain't seen nothing yet til you've seen my IC photo... But no way in hell am I gonna post THAT here.




If we were both 12, this would be us side by side. Looks like Cheok Plug might turn out to be *gasps* even better looking than me (I look like an idiot, duh)! Girls, make reservations now!


Chalk



Chalk, my screamo-nemo singer cousin. Here's lookin' back to where it all began - A vacuum cleaner pipe and a pair of maracas (unpictured, but doubled as a microphone during childhood singalongs). I can sing fairly well too (I don't shatter glass or induce excessive cringing), but my vocal range is nothing compared to Chalk's.




The Wong trio that shattered Gramma's bedframe during CNY because we played too much wrestling on it. In the background: Travis Wong Cheok Hon... Travis obviously being a contrived name. I think he also looks like Gollum in this picture; bastard Chalk took it one step further and said something about him looking like Silas. At present, the Wong Bastards only number the front 2, really - unpictured and unmentioned is Ryan Wong Cheok Liong (ALSO a self-contrived name - Geez, sup with us Wongs man), who is currently AWOL and womanising his life away in Singapore Poly. That fella, no count yet because he hasn't outright joined us... Even if we do hear alot of fantastically bastard stories about him.


Alright, i'm almost outta comparisons. I'll run some other photos instead.



Late Gramps, in a photo dating back almost 10 years. One of the single greatest regrets I've ever had is that I never saw enough of him when he was around, and I wept beside the hospital bed for all the times I conveniently forgot to visit with my mom and kid bro. If lessons can truly be learnt from the experiences of others, this would be one of the few i'd espouse upon - treasure family who matter, because I know what it's like to start too late.


On a lighter note... While I can't seem to find my qipao picture (I wore one during CNY when I was around 6 years of age - complete with the skullcap-thingy and artificial pigtail. Fucking hot, I tell you), there's always 2nd best:



Oh, hell yeah. PKE meter, Proton Pack, full jumpsuit... the works. Only short of the ghost trap.

I liked Egon the best, and things haven't changed all that much, have they? I still appreciate people with brains and intellect; for the life of me, I can't tahan people with no EQ or who act bimbotically/himbotically. I detest small talk, as many from arts will now know... (cough)


Lastly, tell me - d'ya think there's similarity? Might not be that clear from this (we're smiling differently, for one thing), but when I saw this picture of Dad I was somewhat taken aback. Because other than me having a broader face (and obviously a hell lot more hair, because i'm about 10 years younger than Wong Sr. in this) and perhaps less arching brows, it's almost a direct port of features.




In conclusion?Dig up your old photos when you're free. You'd be surprised at the mellow warmth that suffuses your soul when you transport your mind back a dozen years or so.

And Jole? Take care over there. I shan't be naggy, but just come back in one piece willya?