Commonwealth Essay

This is the Commonwealth Essay post. The CA1 third post will be the next post.

Commonwealth Essay Class C
Topic 1: "Now, when I was your age..."


"Now, when I was your age, I was a playful little boy like you," I lovingly ran my fingers through my ten year old grandson's hair. Little Monkey was his nickname as he was such a bubbly and playful boy, just like a young curious monkey. Noticing that he was waiting with eagerness to hear what I had to say, I continued my story.
"Because of my playfulness, I often got into trouble with the people of authority in school for playing truant and being cheeky with the teachers in school. However, as my mother said, I was a bright boy, like my father. Despite not studying for my exams, I easily aced them all. My teachers did not know what to do with me, seeing that I did not even need to study to get good grades," I paused here, noticing Little Monkey's look of awe on his face.
"No, that does not give you an excuse to skip classes and not do your homework," I said as I read his facial expressions. He sighed.
"Okay, Grandpa. Let's continue with the story,"
"Okay then," I replied. "So, I made many bad friends and constantly skipped classes. My friends, however, were not as bright as me, and their grades suffered, day after day of skipping classes. I realised all this was caused by me, and I blamed myself for it. So after that, I started to resume classes for the sake of my friends. They followed suit and their grades improved. Their parents were dumbfounded at their sudden change of heart and my friends started studying hard. After my primary school years, my friends and I graduated all with good grades. My friends realised that my decision to go back to school last time changed their way of life. They thanked me and up until now, we still remain in touch."
"Were they the ones who came here for a game of poker just now?" Little Monkey asked.
"Yes!" I replied. "Friendship is really important. You should keep in touch with your friends always. As you will know later, they play an important part in my story. Now comes the part you are interested in," I saw Little Monkey's ears cock up, and he smiled.
"Let's carry on then!" He begged. I, too, smiled at him.
"All right. After my primary school years, Singapore's darkest years arrived. The Second World War had already begun, and the Japanese were bearing down on our little island of Singapore. Word had spread that the Japanese were planning to invade our home and my parents were very worried. Despite my parents' pleas, my hunger for adventure got the better of me and I, together with my group of friends, joined the army at the tender age of sixteen. My friends and I were well built due to the constant wrestling with each other in school. In school, this was considered a sport, and my friends and I constantly found ourselves vying for the top spot of being the champion of this 'sport'. After enrolling in the army, we were sent to Malacca in Malaysia, to assist the army there in defending the Japanese wave of soldiers heading south down the Malay Peninsula. However, our time there was cut short by the sudden arrival of Japanese. Using the ingenious idea of bicycles to weave through the dense jungle, the Japanese took us by surprise and we were forced further south, to Johor. History repeated itself, as Johor's defences were too weak to sustain the tide of the Japanese We retreated into Singapore itself, waiting for the Japanese attack. If this failed, all was lost. We could retreat no further. On one fateful night, they arrived. Reverberating alarms sounded the arrival of the famed Japanese Zero fighter airplanes. We got into our positions, waiting for the arrival of the troops as those terrifying bombshells exploded all around us and lighted up the dark night sky. Amazingly, we did not get targeted by the planes, and were safe. Until dawn, the bombings ensued. Finally, the cackle of rifles bullets resounded in the air. We got our rifles ready, and prepared for our counter attack. We hid in the ditch that we dug yesterday, dodging the Japanese bullets overhead. Occasionally, we gave them a few bullets too, but eventually had to pop back into our hiding place because of their huge numbers. To put it bluntly, we were fighting a losing battle. However, a miracle happened as our tanks started their onslaught, destroying everything in their path. Out of misfortune, a bullet ricocheted off one of the tanks, only to hit my leg. I couldn't move and I wouldn't be here to tell you this story if not for that same group of friends whom I helped years ago, who dragged me off the battlefield." Saying this, I rolled up my pants to reveal a scar above my ankle. Horror filled Little Monkey's face, but I rolled my pants down, and continued. "Afraid of death, we abandoned the army and found a small fishing boat willing to help us escape this virtual 'hell'. The boat brought us across the sea and we stayed in a small village in Indonesia. Amazingly, we found our parents there seeking refuge too. Overjoyed, we were reconciled..." I was interrupted by a voice from the kitchen.
"Peter, we have to leave now. It's getting late."
"Alright Mum, just a second," Little Monkey shouted. "Grandpa, please continue," He pleaded.
"The story is ending anyway. Let's continue," I reassured him. "We received news that the Japanese had occupied Singapore and the citizens were getting tortured everyday. We felt so lucky to have escaped. Three years later, the awesome atomic bomb hit Japan, they surrended and the war ended. We returned to Singapore, and rebuilt the town. The result is the Singapore you live in today." I ended my story.
"Wow! That's an amazing childhood you had, Grandpa! Can I borrow your story to write in my school's essay competition?" Little Monkey asked, his eyes gleaming. I could not bring myself to say no, and nodded my head. "Thank you Grandpa!" Little Monkey hugged me. "I am sure I'll win the competition now! I smiled.
"Yes my Little Monkey. I'm sure you will."