Foreword. - Introduction. - Ch. 1. A Sleeping Turtle Awakes. - Ch. 2. In the Beginning. - Ch. 3. My Paternal Origin. - Ch. 4. The Grand Nyonya. - Ch. 5. The Growth of a Family. - Ch. 6. My Father. - Ch. 7. Marriages are Made-But Not in Heaven. - Ch. 8. Enter the "Wild" Side. - Ch. 9. The Child's Environment. - Ch. 10. The Mother at Home. - Ch. 11. Schooldays. - Ch. 12. Mens Sana in Corpore Sano. - Ch. 13. Genes and Spiritual Guidance. - Ch 14. The Calm Before the Storm. - Ch. 15. The Reality.

"This autobiography chronicles the life and times of an affluent Straits Chinese trading family in Penang, part of a unique community in the social fabric of Malaya, at the beginning of the rail-end of the British empire, just before World War I and ending with the advent of World War II and the Japanese Occupation. It weaves not only a rich tapestry of charcacters and conflicts within a distinguished family, but also a memorable, detailed picture of a society that dictated that life. Set against a period of British colonialism and a world in transition, it draws you into a life, a culture and a colourful period in Malayan history. By delving into the fascinating life of an English-educated Asian family against the history of Penang and its people - a society caught in the turmoil of change and progress, and forced to move out of innocence and into the agony of strife - we are made to realise that people are moulded by their environment, education and parentage." - Back cover.