Trip Down Memory Lane

Despite my condition, I still follow with interest the political developments in the country. In one sentence, "it's a big rotten mess". I think Malaysia is developing politically, only too slowly. I really look forward to vote in the next 13th General Election possibly towards the end of this year or sometime next year. Another political tsunami? I pray so. I have not been reading any local mainstream newspapers for many years now. I also follow a few political blogs and one of them is my favorite, Bernard Khoo's blog aka Zorrow Unmasked.

I was a former pupil of La Salle School Sentul, a missionary school where I received 9 years of my lower education (1966-1974). The picture shows the modern version of the school. During my time, the buildings on the right (and in the background) of the picture does not exists. Also the picture shows the main block of the school with new roofing. Bernard Khoo was the discipline master back then. Hearing his name give you the chills because he used to cane the students as part of the punishment. I think I was 14 years old then (in Form 2) and the was an examination going on. So certain buildings in the school were off limits. There were a group of us, including How Beng, Chee Meng, Chee Peng and me were determined to break the off limit rule and quietly sneak into one of the classrooms on the 1st floor of the main block to play monopoly, away from the main crowd. Towards the end of the game, there were only two people left, Chee Meng and me. I have amassed lots of properties and build lots of hotels. Somehow, Chee Meng was able to pay the rent every time he landed on my properties. Later, I found out that How Beng was quietly slipping money to Chee Meng to keep the game going! We were not caught by the teachers and it was a thrilling experience. There was another incident where I threw a stink bomb into the teacher's room and then ran for my life to avoid being caught. Yeah, I was not caught. There is another teacher whom we called him Mr Choo. He likes to use those big cane (thickness, the size of a large man's thumb) and I got in trouble a few times and was caned by him. Big after cane marks on the hands and legs. When I go home from school, I would received another caning from my father if he found out that I have been caned by the teacher. It must have been fun then to be anti-establishment.

When I was young, I don't know what danger is. I have climbed coconut trees and other kinds of tall fruit trees. I would also go to disused tin mining pools (picture) to swim without the knowledge of my parents. These pools are very big and also hundreds of feet deep, common sight in the 70s. Yes, I learned to swim in such pools. My brother's school friend was not so lucky because in one of his outing, he was drown. Words started to spread and my father banned us from going to such place for swimming. Still, I occasionally visited such pools. Because we swim by the side of the pool, a thin layer of mud would cover the skin of my hand and legs. My father would would do a simple inspection by scratching my hands and legs. If it left line marks, that means I have been swimming in such pools and would get another caning.

Still my growing up years was one of the most enjoyable time period in my life. Free and could not care less if the world would just drop down. No PS2, no computers, no hand phones, no modern gadgets, nothing. Just pure nature.