When I was young, I used to imitate the performer after watching the street opera. My father was unhappy because only those children from poor families would be sold to the opera troupe and became performers.

I joined the Singapore Amateur Players when I started work. I was then 19 years old. My father was still unhappy with me since I invited him to watch the first Mandarin Play I took part. Although I told him it was a stage art, but he insisted that I was the performer sold to the troupe. One of my friends was also unhappy with me. He thought that the performers were merciless and I would change my character.

I was retired in 2002. My father has passed away for about 12 years then. I remembered that my father was not happy to see me on stage. In order to fulfill my dream, I took up the Teochew Opera singing course.

In the progress of learning Teochew Opera, I experienced what "merciless" was. Although it was painful for me, yet I kept trying to look for a place that suits me. I ever tried to ask and learn from the experience from a friend in Chaozhou City. I was disappointed as he took me as a very senior person and dared not to tell me anything.

After watching the Teochew Opera performed by Mr. Tan Kok Lye, I wished that he could teach me. There was an opportunity this year. But when I came back from China after my two-week Henan trip, my dream did not come true. Anyway, he was soon became my Teochew Opera teacher when I attended the Opera singing class organised by Pho Leng Club.

I have watched several performances by Kok Lye. I like to listen to his Teochew Opera singing.

I ever communicated with Kok Lye through phone when we planned to have a special programme on Singaporean Teochew Opera Artists for China Radio International (CRI) in 2005. I later knew that a group of Teochew Opera fans loved his singing very much. Therefore I had a special column featuring him in my Chinese website. I met him personally before the concert of "2006 Singapore Teochew Opera Amateur Players".

Until recently I became one of his students, I was delighted. When we were celebrating the Teachers' Day for him on 1 September evening, he taught in singing the song of "Reunion at the Capital". It is a well-known Teochew Opera song usually sang at the opening. Kok Lye observed our singing very carefully. When he came to me, he listened and guided me to singing according to the correct tune.

When he told me that I got it and asked me to remember that was the way to sing, I was excited and moved. I have sung this song for many times, yet I sang it correctly that night. Kok Lye was serious in teaching us although we are not the serious performers.

The Teachers' Day was the big day for our teacher Mr. Tan Kok Lye. But I was very happy that evening. It was my dream for more than fifty years. I have looked for a teacher who could teach me to sing correctly for six years. I finally make it according to what a composer, Mr. Chen Peng, from Chaozhou, China who told me that I could make it. Kok Lye has made my dream came true.

On the first lesson with Kok Lye, I was wondering whether Kok Lye would `dare' to teach me. I called him as `teacher' in the class and as `Kok Lye' after the class. He used to call me as `Mr. Tay'. Therefore I thought he would behave like my friend in Chaozhou City who respect me too much and dared not to even share his singing experience with me.

Mr. Tan Kok Lye is a good and responsible teacher. I feel that I really started to learn Teochew Opera singing from the recent Teachers' Day.