I grew up fast. I was christened in the old Roman Catholic Church of St. Joseph. I'm proud to be one of His nombreux children. I had never chosen Him, He chose me all right even from my mother's womb. I was sprinkled with water in front of the congregation. I cried again. The photographer took some pictures of us. Then I was Antonius. But funny how, Pastor Malachias always called me by my first name Ko Bui.

Five years of age. First day at school. I was in sort of a daily care center with my godmother. GiaoXiJi. That was not her real name, but it was a nick name for her since childhood. She was named that because she cried a lot when she was kid. GiaoXi means maudlin, and Ji means auntie. Actually, in english her name can sound grandeur, Auntie Magdalene. GiaoXiJi was the one who handled my registration, and took me to school everyday. I guess my parents paid her for the service rendered, but I never knew. I was too cozy in her lap. She loves me more than anything. She took me everywhere she went even when she went to sell sweat meat around the little town.

I was always the average student in school. I never have the sense of competition and never managed to get the top of the class. I always get ranked at 4 or 5. I guess I was pleased with that. At grade three, Cousin Andre introduced me to books. He took me to public library and we borrowed books there. First I was enticed with stories of Cergam Komik, HC Andersen . Then when my comprehension of Bahasa Indonesia got better, I started reading translated short stories like Enid Blyton's famous five and novels. Then I get the hang of KooPingHoo's, the serial GongFu Romance written by the KooPingHoo will really take one's breath away with suspense and enticement. His name has become trademark of GongFu Romance in Indonesia, not only to the Chinese, but also to the holus-bolus. I enjoyed Indonesian literature, I bought books on Limerick, and Poetry. I wrote and I quoted from books I read. I memorized and recited them. I'm good at them.

I had to wear blue short now. I like it. That's mean I'm a lot bigger, a lot wiser, an Adult. Blue short was the uniform we wore on Junior high. I was going to Junior High of Amkur, Pemangkat. It wasn't no big time, but most of its alums had made it in big town, the capital of Indonesia, Jakarta. Many stories traveled back denoting how they engraved their successes there. Sure this is the tough year for me, the adolescent year. The kid girl friends started to stay away from me. I hated girls, but loved them too. Funny, then there were hairs growing on some parts of my body. Strange! I have cousin named Hendrianto. We're both librophil of KooPingHoo's. We had a row one-day over some silly poetry. It must be the spelling. He threw my poetry notes into the ditch. I hated him, but I didn't know why I was so easy to forget we're friends again in high school later. I love my English class since day one. There's no other subject I'd done better in school other that English. Funny! English was a nightmare for most of the kid in school.

I got the better of my English and started to join some English penpal service. I got myself subscribed to English magazine, Dialog, directly sent from Jogjakarta in the other island of Java. I was in High school then. I wore grey trousers instead of blue short. I had the liberty of riding on my folk's old vespa. Our family never owned a car. I hope I could change that destiny in the future. So we don't have to be poor again. I worked at our family shop in the morning. In the afternoon, I go to school. I was big eater, I ate five times a day, sometimes six, au contraire, I never get chubby. They warned me about being infected with worms and flukes, though I worried not about that. I loved working in the shop. It kinda keep my body exercised since I have to carry goods in and out the shop or up and down the storey everyday. I enjoyed talking to customer and attending their needs, especially female customer. But the school was getting tougher as I went on to the last year. I studied hard so to pass the national exams and so to be able go to university in Jakarta.

Father was counting the expense that night on his abacus. He could not afford to pay for my education if it means I have to stay in my own dorm in big city like Jakarta. He knew that life expenses in Jakarta was outrageous. But I passed the exams. What am I to do in this little town. "You want me to live and die like everyone?" That's what I had in mind to argue with dad. But I never did say that. Decision was made. I flew to Jakarta with some money from dad and some presents for my relative in Jakarta. I stayed at a family house. My long lost TaKu, I never knew her name. So I just called her Taku, which means, big auntie. I can't say much about Taku, except to thank for her generous and magnanimous heart to have look after me during my early years in Jakarta.