Through engrossing, easy-to-read anecdotes, a pioneer-generation Singaporean recounts the significant milestones in his life, including his varied experiences as a classroom teacher, university tutor, vice-principal, senior lecturer, assistant director, Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation International civil servant, specialist advisor and newsletter editor. Koh Kong Chia taught English in Singapore, Port Moresby, Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Tawau, Chengdu and Beijing over a span of 33 years. The sights, sounds and charms of old Singapore as seen through his perspective growing up in the post-war colonial period are also lovingly conveyed, as is his lifelong fascination with Chinese dialect opera. This book hopes to provide a unique appreciation of Singapore's heritage and culture through the lens of someone who had a ringside seat witnessing the birth of modern Singapore from the 1940s onwards.

1. Koh, Kong Chia 2. Teachers ? Singapore ? Biography 3. Teaching ? Singapore