Childhood 001 | Toys, books and other things |

I just watched a TV show where some of the actors and actresses from my favourite movie that I recently watch bring some stuff from their childhood to the show. So after watching I thought it was a good idea and went upstairs to rummage for some reminders of my childhood.

Childhood is so important, yet we don't actually realise we have to treasure it until we grow past it. So I'm starting a series of posts about childhood.

Objects, that have physically been with me from childhood. So though water balloons are a reminder of my childhood, I don't actually have the ones I used with me.

Note: photos below are mine unless explicitly stated otherwise.

• Books.

I was all about Enid Blyton when I started reading at 4, (or 5). The Faraway Tree and Wishing Chair,  Secret Seven, Famous Five, Malory Towers,  Adventure series,  Naughtiest Girl, Mystery series, and the miscellaneous ones were basically my childhood. And Protector of the Small, Song of the Lioness when I was a bit older.

• Pop up cards

They're pretty impressive, I guess I liked colouring, cutting and doing crafts. And I created a small (unofficial) business called '(insert name here)'s Pop Up Cards Co.' and actually earned quite a bit of profit, over maybe six years. It wasn't consistent, though.

• Stickers! 

I really really loved collecting stickers when I was younger, and put all (most) of them in this book. I'd just spend time arranging them, admiring them...

As you can see above, I had a rather impressive collection (heh). But why are there some gaps in between the stickers, and blank spaces? 

Because I took some out to do stuff like this: 

Aha! Told you I was a big fan since I was young... even during the collecting sticker age. 

• Good ol' Charlie Brown

When I was really young, I carried him around wherever I went. Before my younger brother was born, he was my 'didi' (younger brother). Whenever there's a baby (or toddler) picture of my, I'd do a 'where's Wally?' search, except it's 'Where's Charlie Brown?'

Back then he was like this: 

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For some reason that I couldn't remember, I asked my Ah Ma (grandma) to give him blue clothes as blue was my favourite colour then. So now he's like this, permanently. A couple of years ago, a friend's mum was clearing her stuff and gave me her Charlie Brown, so now I have one green one and a blue one. 

•  Drawing book 

Even though I wasn't good (at all) at drawing, I still did it when I was younger.

Done when I was 9 

Mine, again *sheepish face*

 My 'jie jie' (domestic helper)'s drawings. She's really really amazing, and I miss her a lot.

•  This wind-up toy

• Blow-up paper ball

This is what it's like when folded up

•  Bookmarks 

Magnetic ones are best because they're small, cheap and does its job well! 

I remember my Ah Gong (grandfather) gave me a series (of four, probably) of aluminium bookmarks he had somehow gotten from Beijing University. I remember it was golden, small, flat, with embossed images and words and a red ribbon, something like this maybe: 

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• Short Pencil Collection

I don't have a picture of it, but I have a collection of pencils. Those really short pencil studs, those you can sharpen with a sharpener and not the mechanical kind. I'd deliberately use until I couldn't hold the pencil any more, then store them in my metal longish pencil case that looked something like this:

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Future posts on childhood:

• Food
• Games
• Memories
• Habits

Any other suggestions? Do you have anything from your childhood?