How God Turned a "You Siao Ah" Dream into Reality

Saturday, 19th July 2025

I have very fond memories of my mom. I was after all her favourite child (being her son, her only son, the son that she loved).

As a tribute to her, I will blog about the huge impact she had on all aspects of my life, be it during innocent childhood, pimply teenage years, arduous time in the Army, courtship to marriage to starting a family, and even throughout my career.  She was the mom who loved me from the time she carried me in her womb for the 9 months leading up to 20 December 1967 to the time she went home to be with the Lord on 23 June 2012.

Today, I shall blog about my mom’s affinity for comedy and cartoons.  Among her favourite shows were Under One Roof (“UOR”), Kids Say the Darndest Things (“KSTDT”) (featuring Art Linklater) and the Smurfs.

 

We will talk about UOR and the Smurfs in another post.

 

Regarding KSTDT, the host would interview pre-teen children and ask them random questions. Being at that age of innocence, they would respond without any filters and cause much laughter (and sometimes embarrassment) to their parents.

 

Here is a sample for your viewing pleasure

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe4xXzzGKeY

 

Well, yours truly also said something “darn” when I revealed to my parents what I wanted to be when I grew up.  Sort of.

 

I recall an occasion when I was at the age of 4 or 5.  I was in the car with my parents when this huge lorry pulled up beside us at a traffic junction.

 

I looked up into the lorry and was overawed. Back then, its side door was very small and i could see the driver with one hand holding the steering wheel, and the other holding a long huge lever. I told my mom, “mummy I wanna be like that uncle when I grow up.” 

 

My mom said “you siao ah” or something to that effect.  God bless her soul :-) 

Like how Joseph’s parents would have reacted when he told them that the sun, moon and stars would bow to him. 

 

Most kids when asked what they wanted to be when they grew up would typically answer “doctor" or "lawyer”. Well, both those professions evaded me.

At 14, being a doctor became out of the question when I was streamed to the sub-Science class 4E, just about missing out. Mom went to see Ernest Lau to appeal for me to get back into the Pure Sciences.  Will blog about that in another post.

 

At 19, I applied to NUS Law but failed the interview (it has to do with the Smurfs, which aired on Sunday mornings during Church service time, so mom would get me to timer-record it on the VCR for us to watch later on).

 

I ended up being an Accountant, but deep down inside I still yearned to drive a lorry.

 

While still attending PLMC (up until December 2017), I had meanwhile applied for an NCC Noah Account sometime in 2012 so that I could book seats at The Star Vista, if so required.  As part of obtaining that Account, I would receive regular emails from NCC Noah Hub.

 

One such email sent to me in October 2016 was regarding the recruitment of volunteer truck drivers.  I felt prompted to sign up, even though I did not have a Class 4 licence yet. Thomas Liau (ex-Trinity Methodist and now also in NewCre) told me that it typically takes 6 months for the Church to get back, so I figured it would give sufficient time for me to take lorry lessons and to pass the test.

Long story short, God fulfilled my childhood dream on 7 May 2017, some 45 years later.  I received my 5-year Long Service Award in 2022 and this year would be my 8th serving in the Logistics & Transport Ministry.

 

Just as Obed-Edom was honoured to serve as a gatekeeper of the Ark of the Covenant, so too it is my great honour to serve as a driver of these awesome trucks!

Better is one day in God's house than a thousand elsewhere, Amen?