I was reminded only recently of my wonderful schooldays in the 1960s when an old school friend paid me a surprise visit at my shop in Central. She saw my name on the sign and wondered if it really was me. Of course I look very different now - for a start I wear contacts and not glasses - but we chatted away catching up on old times.
I was very fortunate. I grew up in the care of my grandparents who had no expectations of me. It meant I could be very free.
I think it's a shame when you see kids today who are pressured to perform. You should do the right things at the right time of your life otherwise you'll regret it later on.
I'd sing and dance, and anything that was fun was fine by me. I also loved to do calligraphy and was fascinated by Chinese history, the dynasties, palaces and so on. I'd always be involved in some project after school and would be the last to go home.
There were 40 kids in my class, all different and bursting with energy. I was generally a very good student, surrounded by friends and loved by teachers, although academically I could have done better. I'd also study like crazy until dawn before an exam stuffing my brain with facts and then forget them all when it was all over.
We lived in Diamond Hill where there were a lot of artists. You'd see the stream turn bright blue and orange from the dyes they used. There was also a flea market.