Wong Peng Soon was our favorite badminton player.
Rose
Chan was our favourite performer.
  (Dancer
Rose Chan writhes in a snake "costume" that has stirred up a
furore in Penang, Malaya. )
Because we reared Siamese fighting fishes, the sellerwas our idol.
   
Driving
license renewal was by pasting an additional slip at the back of a
small red booklet
Susu lembu was house delivered by our big friendly and strong
Bahiii ............. on his bicycle in a stainless steel container. The
container cap served as a funnel.
Kacang
puteh man came
apeddling , walking and balancing on his head 6 compartments of
different type of murukus ...and we barter our old exercise books for a
paper cone of kacang putih
F&N
orange was served in wooden crates and displayed on table during
Chinese New Year .
M&M 's was called Treets ..
Eating chicken
was a treat that happened only once on Chinese New Year and once on
"Chap Goh Meh", Deepavali or Christmas and Hari Raya
 
We
always carried in our pocket a packet of fire crackers during the
Chinese New Year
We always carry a one ringgit note at night in case we are stopped by
mata mata(Policeman) for not having tail lights on our bicycles.
One
noodle 'chow kway teow' cost 30 sen and we bring our own egg.
One
'roti canai' cost 15 sen and one banana for 5 sen.
We
bought bangkali bread from the Indian roti man who paddled his bicycle
around the neighbourhood with the familiar ringing sound.
  
Sometimes we
bought cold storage bread wrapped in wax paper. Spread the bread with
butter and kaya wrap with the wax paper and take to school.
Crop
crew cut by the travelling Indian and Hockchew barber; 30 sen a
haircut; all the way to the top. Reason?.. easy to dry when curi
swimming.
During
weekends went swimming in the river, no swimming trucks, only birthday
suit. No one laugh at you whether your "kuku bird" is small,
crooked, etc.
On Sunday morning listen to "Kee Huat" fantastic facts and
fancies and Saturday night "top of the pops" DJ was Patrick
Teoh.
Saturday
go for cheap matinee usually cowboy shows or Greek mythology like
Hercules.
 
Father gave 70 sen for Cheap Matinee screening at 10.30am on Saturday/Sunday;
50 sen for ticket, 20 sen for return bus fare. Nobody pays 1
ringgit for the 'reserve seat'.
5
sen for kacang putih and 10 sen for ice "angtau". Sometimes
ice ball only 5 sen "pau angtau" and half red sugar the
other half black sugar or sarsee.
 
Never, never, never talked or mixed with girls until Form 5.
Learned the waltz, cha-cha, rhumba, foxtrot and offbeat cha cha from
a classmate's sister.
First time dancing with a girl nearly freezed; heart went
"botobom, botobom"...
 
We survived with mothers who had no maids. They cooked /cleaned while
taking care of us at the same time.
  
We
took aspirin, candy floss, fizzy drinks, shaved ice with syrups...
and diabetes were rare. Salt added to Pepsi or Coke was remedy for
fever. Tonic water was taken at the first hint of malaria.
 
As children, we would ride with our parents on bicycles/ motorcycles
for 2 or 3. Richer ones in cars with no seat belts or air bags.
The first time I used a modern toilet I squatted on it for I only
know the bucket toilet. Our children will not know the
danger of visiting the outdoor toilet at night, nor jumping in fright
when the man collect the bucket when you are doing your business.
  
Toilet paper is torn up newspaper on a hook which you have to crumble
first. White toilet paper is an unknown luxury until I left
home.
Riding
in the back of a taxi was a special treat.
We went to the jungle to catch spiders without worries of Aedes
mosquitoes.
The
worst disease you could get as a child is 'lock jaw' which every
child knows is caused by rusty nails.
With mere 5 pebbles (stones) would be a endless game. With a ball
(tennis ball best) we boys would run like crazy for hours.
  
We caught guppies in drains / canals and when it rained, we swam
there.
We ate
salty, very sweet & oily food, candies, bread and real butter and
drank condensed milk in coffee/ tea, ice kacang, but we weren't
overweight because we ran and cycled all day.
We fell
out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and we still continued
the stunts.
 
We never had birthdays parties till we were 21
 
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and just yelled for
them!
   
We don't
know what is "Bumiputra"......
but we were 1 Malaysia 
When parents found out we were caned in school, it's certain we would
get another round. Parents always sided with the teachers.
   
We fly kites with string coated with pounded glass powder and horse
glue and we cut our hands on the string. Happiness is winning a kite
fight with a local samsing. I forgot, we also have to make our
own kites to suit our 'fighting style'.
We
are the last generation to know how to use logarithm tables and slide
rulers.
  
We
had telephones which were really heavy weights
AND I believe this generation produces the best parents because we
remember the hard times.
CONGRATULATIONS!
You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to
grow up as kids, before the government 'regulated' our lives for good
!!
And while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know
how brave their parents were.
P/S: -The big font used is because of Long-sightedness or
hyperopia at our age.
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