Teck Ghee Primary School Library

When I was 9 year old, I was granted privilege to stay in school for one hour each week after classes to visit the school library.

The library was located on the 2nd floor of the only building of my school. It occupied an area the equivalent of 4 standard classrooms (which adds up to be roughly 2,700sqft). It was one of the few areas in my school which were air-conditioned (the others being our Audio-Visual (AV) room, and my principal's office, which i have had the misadventure to set foot on one occasion, but that is another story).

I remember the library being like a cocoon, a world of its own. Being air-conditioned, the library had to be enclosed. The shut windows were lined with pleated sky-blue curtains that blocked out a good portion of the sunlight. The mixture of fluorescent lighting and sun-lit curtains, in addition to rows and rows of bookshelves, plus a rare 20 degree-celsius temperature, gave the library a surreal ambience. The library was always quiet and orderly. The children went about their business coyly, almost out of obeisance to the wondrous secrets that were contained in the towering bookshelves that lined the walls. There was never a need for the teacher-in-charge to raise her voice to maintain order. Quite a stark contrast to the bright, airy, and sometimes very hot, classrooms populated by boisterous children and nervous teachers.

It was in that library where I first introduced myself to the ancient mythologies - Greek, Egyptian, Chinese, Japanese, Indian and American. The stories opened a whole new world that was previously unbeknownst to me. I learnt of the 12 labours of Hercules, the battle of Perseus and Medusa, Achilles' heels, long before most of my contemporaries. I learnt that the Greek gods and their Roman counterparts are actually the same, but only differed in names (e.g. Mars is Ares, who was the god of war, and Jupiter is Zeus). I read of the anger and jealousy of Junos (Hera), and the playful little kid that was Ganesha (Indian elephant god). I journeyed with Momotaro and his pets(!?) as they waged battles with the demons......

On hindsight, I am glad I was exposed to such wondrous stories at a young age, when I could accept the stories wholeheartedly, without worldly prejudice, and before material skepticism creeps inevitably into the teenage years and adulthood. I must admit that over the years I have forgotten most of the stories and their contents. I am sure there must be many more hidden meanings that are contained in these stories which I never uncovered. But the most enduring quality that i inherit surely must be the willingness, even eagerness i think..., to believe in the wondrous, the impossibles.