Wednesday, January 16, 2008

commonwealth essay

This is my commonwealth essay on " These are the things which make me who i am"


I am a seventy-nine year old Singaporean by the name of Tan Ah Hock. I am a person who really cherishes anything good that comes my way. This attitude that i have is due to the many trials and problems that i faced in my long life. However, the one thing that has affected me the most is definitely the terrifying years of World War Two...

I was just sixteen when the Japanese Imperial Army invaded the Malayan peninsula. One by one, the cities fell, Penang, Ipoh, Port Swettenham, Mersing, and finally Johor Bahru. The British did not expect Japanese to get that far. However, they still thought that Singapore was impregnable to the Japanese troops. they all thought that they were so clever, placing an enormous amount of guns at Sentosa, thinking that the Japanese would come by sea. they were seriously mistaken.

Then, on the eight of February, midday, the Japanese Army finally struck. They crossed the Johor Straits using rubber boats and rafts and headed towards the North-western part of Singapore. On the eleventh and thirteenth of February, the Japanese took control of Bukit Timah Hill and Pasir Panjang. Finally, on 15 February 1942, at 6.10 pm, the British surrendered. It was terrible news for us all. So many had died, just for the British to give up.

The next few weeks were total hell. We had to learn difficult Japanese words at school. It was even worse than Chinese. We also had to bow to passing Japanese soldiers or else we would be in trouble. People who didn't show 'proper' respect to the Japanese were taken away and never seen again. As if the Japanese even deserved our respect in the first place.

Then came the day, 28th of February, when the Japanese came knocking at our front door. They pushed my tearful mother aside and dragged my father out, accusing him in taking part in anti-Japanese activities. I knew that this was highly unlikely as my father was a kind and peace loving man. Still, the Japanese soldiers remained inflexible and dragged him away for 'questioning'. that was the last time any of us ever saw him again.

The entire family was distraught. it was only after the war that we found out that it was a neighbors who informed on us. Four of my eldest brothers vowed vengeance and went into the jungles, to join an anti-Japanese guerrilla group, Force 136. As usual, I impulsively followed them.

When we reached the training barracks, we were worn out and exhausted. However, the commander welcomed us warmly, saying that they needed all the men they could get. After resting for the night, we started our vigorous training. The training was tough, in all sorts of terrain, but mainly jungle. We use quite out-dated machine guns that would probably be of little use against the Japanese Army's high-tech weaponry. Even so, we trained as hard as we could.

I worked especially hard as my father's arrest was still fresh in my mind. I rose through he ranks and soon became the 2nd top ranked officer, even at the young age of nineteen. On one fateful day, Lim Bo Seng, the top dog, and I were supervising the smuggling of supplies into the camp. Suddenly, out of the blue, came a clattering of machine guns and several men slumped to the ground, lifeless. I instinctively jumped at Lim Bo Seng and dragged him down. It was a Japanese ambush! The remaining men fled as a few dozen Japanese soldiers came out of the bushes, buns smoking. Lim Bo Seng was shot in the shoulder, leaving me to defend the both of us. I raised my pistol and squeezed the trigger... but nothing happened. I tried a few more times but to no avail. These dratted British made guns! The Japanese soldiers just laughed and knock me unconscious.

When I regained consciousness, I found my self in a small cell crammed with people. The fetid stench of sweat and human waste almost rendered me unconscious again. I touched my head and my hand came away bloody. I looked around and saw people of many nations: Indians, Australians, Malayans, Chinese, New Zealanders, Europeans and the like. I was in a prison camp! I couldn't believe it! how could I, 2nd ranked in Force 136 be captured? Just as these thoughts ran through my head, I shook myself. I'm becoming as arrogant as the British. So I just contented myself by sitting on the grimy floor. Eventually, I managed to fall into a troubled sleep.

The next day, iI wsa awoken by a Japanese soldier roughly dragging me up by the hair. He was shouting, " Get up you lazy dog! It's time for interrogation!" I was dragged along a corridor towards a large door at the end. There were heads of prisoners who had died here or were executed lining the sides of the corridor, as if they were trying to say that my head would soon be joining their ranks. Most of the decapitated heads were so rotten that the white of the skull could be seen. They reeked a stench so foul that no mere words could ever describe them. Just the sight of the heads made me sick.

We passed through the door, emerging into an open-air courtyard. There was a desk with two important looking Japanese officers sitting behind it. Bizzarely, it reminded me of my oral examinations in school. It is funny how your brain can remember all these weird things at such terrifying situations. anyway, i was asked about Force 136 and its members. Bravely refused to say anything so I was beaten up until blood ran freely down my face, staining the ground. They also used the infamous water treatment on me. I don't want to write the details down because if i did, this account will probably be too gruesome. Exhausted and more dead than alive, I was dragged back to the cell, my wounds stinging terribly.

This procedure was repeated again and again over the next few weeks. It was pure hell. I couldn't sleep, even if they didn't torture me, my insides still felt as if they were tearing themselves apart. Still, i maintained my silence. While all this was happening, I heard rumours that a man named Lim Bo Seng died from malnutrition.

Finally, the Japanese finally gave up on me. They had decided that I would never talk and was worthless. A few days after the torture had stopped, a few dozen young men and i were dragged out and thrown into a lorry. We passed a pool of water along the way and I saw my reflection. I saw a gaunt, starved and bloodstained man decked in rags. It was a shadow of my former self.

It was only when we passed a signboard marked "Pulau Belakang Mati" did I know what wsa to become of us. When we reached, we were lined up in front of a trench dug some time ago. It was filled with the past victims of Japanese cruelty.

"Ready... Aim... Fire!" Gunshots rang out, shattering the tranquility of the night. Something slammed into my shoulder, probably breaking a few bones. I tumbled into the mass of of rotting bodies, being careful to bury myself deeper inside.

After a wait of what seemed like eternity, I finally dared to venture out. The coast was clear, there were no filthy Japanese around.I stumbled into the forest, the bullet still lodged in my shoulder almost drove me mad with pain. Fortunately, I was found by a kind Malay family They treated my wounds and I stayed there till the war ended.

From that war, I realised how lucky we all are now, living comfortably in nice houses. This is what made me the thankful person that I am today. I really hope that the future generations will know how their ancestors suffered and not take anything for granted...

Friday, January 11, 2008

hey everyone!!! Right now, i'm wondering what i should type for my very 1st post! Unfortunately for me, i have BB (Boys' Brigade to all those ignorant fools out there.) tomorrow. So i'll have to sleep early tonight. Well.... good night.......