Being a Japanophile, I am sometimes asked about how I as a Singaporean view the Japanese after what they did to us in World War II. Since Mum was conceived near the end and born right after the war ended, she was never able to share her own experiences during the war. Hence, my usual answer was that I have no problems whatsoever, and as I grew older, I came to the conclusion that war is a big joke of power struggle between small minded people. There are no victors, just sufferers and I am amazed at how we have still not learnt from those painful experiences.
I did however ponder sometimes about how our grandparents survived the war and I used to brush it off in my mind that they were probably never affected, which is why they never publicly objected when they realised that I was entirely engrossed in Japanese culture. Now, through sharing the stories on this blog, I came to learn that Gong Gong (grandpa) actually escaped through the claws of death through a stroke of luck and just when I thought Po Po (Grandma) was probably lucky not to have to face the dangers of war, Aunt Constance told me that Po Po had a close encounter with the Japanese soldiers as well.
It was a phone conversation that we shared a couple of months back when Aunt Constance was tracing back to her younger days to share the stories that Po Po told her. She said that it was quite a funny but silly incident and Po Po was feeling rather embarrassed about it all, but she could still laugh about it. I am sure most of us can imagine Po Po with her infectious laughter. I miss that so much.
Po Po was with Dua Yee (Big Auntie) at that time when the Japanese soldiers were rummaging through the houses on the street that they lived. Po Po quickly grabbed Dua Yee and told her that they should both use the potty to cover their heads, and then hide under the bed, so that the soldiers will not find them. Well, they did, but thankfully, she met some kind Japanese soldiers who decided to let them go instead of raping them, like most did during that time. It was another close shave.
Another personal incident that made me realise how much they loved us occurred around 1982-3. It was the revival of the Japanese TV series during the 7:30 timeslot and they were showing the 1975 Japanese drama 赤い疑惑 (Akai Giwaku) (Chinese name: 疑惑)starring golden couple Momoe Yamaguchi (山口百恵) and her husband Tomokazu Miura (三浦友和). It was a roaring success amongst viewers and like most, I was hooked by the series. When the “Radio and TV Times” (电视广播周刊) – now “i” magazine - decided to feature Momoe on the cover of its 82nd issue, I decided to buy it for my own.
Being a typical child, I paraded the magazine in front of Jen and Julian, stirring interest and teasing them that I was the lucky one. They protested that they wanted a copy each too, and Mum intervened saying “No, one is enough. Don’t you go wasting my money buying extra copies of the same thing.” I think I stuck my tongue out cheekily at them when Mum wasn’t watching. Just when they were going to protest and Mum would draw out her sword (the cane) or confiscate the magazine, there came a knock on the gate. It was Gong Gong.
As usual, he had made a house call with delicious food cooked by Po Po for us and Aunt Alice who lived in the block diagonally from us. We peered into the basket to see what he had brought and he fished out another three copies of the same issue of the “Radio and TV Times” that we were just arguing over. We were speechless. We each grabbed a copy and left Mum lecturing Gong Gong about the frivolous purchase.
The incident has always remained in my mind ever since because it was an indication of the love that they held for us, and I want to stress once again, the importance of sharing these stories, like they shared they love, so that we continue to honour their lives and love.
Cover of the 82nd issue of "The Radio and TV Times" (1983 publication)
