The Tan Family Singing Sensation

When I was a kid, my mother sang me many songs. She was a primary school teacher and she used to teach singing to her students. And because of her love for music, she sang to me all the time.

She'd sing whenever we went out for a drive. Of course that was also because Mom's jalopy didn't have a cassette player. She'd sing when we went for walks. She'd sing when she bathed me. She'd sing when she fed me. She'd even sing when she was caning the shit out of me. Hahhaha. Okay, that last one was a joke. But yeah, she sang lots and I'd join in. . I remember lying on my belly totally in awe of this wonderful music that Mom made.

I love to go a wandering,
Along the mountain track,
And as I go, I'd love to sing,
With a knapsack on my back,
Val-de-ree, Val-de-rah....

Ocassionally, she'd tweak some lyrics just to put it in the right context. She especially loved to sing Doris Day's Que Sera Sera.

When I was just a little boy,
I asked my mother, "What would I be?"
"Would I be handsome? Would I be rich?"
Here's what she said to me,
Que Sera Sera, whatever will be, will be...

And since she was a huge P. Ramlee fan (like everyone from her generation), she'd also include this little song in her repertoire:

Aci, aci, buka pintu,
Nonya balik pukul satu,
Jangan takut burung hantu...

We were a riot. And while weren't exactly the Singing Von Trapps, we weren't half bad. At least none of our neighbours complained. These days, I sing the very same songs to Jesse. It's kinda like passing my family heirloom on to my kid. And yeah, I get this warm fuzzy feeling all over. Mom, on the other hand, has moved on. Nowadays she's singing Linkin Park and Eminem. Hahahhah! If only.

Despite not being half the entertainer as Mom, Jesse is amused all the same. Question is, is he enjoying the songs or does he just enjoy seeing me make a fool of myself? Only time will tell, I guess. When he grows up and blogs about it. Hehheh!