Time Just Went

I have just finished reading 'When I Was A Kid' by Cheeming Boey. It is some sort of a comical stuff but based on the childhood of the writer himself. Funny and of course, it brought back so many fond memories from the past. And I would say that reading the book, I'm sure that he wasn't the only one to feel the things he wrote in.

So, I figured out my own 'when I was a kid' series and the changes it has come to. Thank you Cheeming Boey, for inspiring this blog post. =)

When I was a kid...

1. I dreaded Saturdays because mum would make my brother and I sprout the bean sprouts (tauge in Malay). I have always wondered why she has to buy so much of it when there were only four of us in the family. Then I read an article saying bean sprouts leads to long life and thought my weekend is so screwed 'coz it would only mean one thing: MORE BEAN SPROUTS! =/
2. My after schools were spent with my late granddad. Daily, he would bring my brother and I to Ah Choo Aunty's shop and treat us to Mamee, umbrella shaped chocolates and coconut ice cream. The ice cream wrapper had a white woman with really, really thick lips, drinking from a coconut. Weird!
3. My late granddad used to tell that the chickens were going to lay eggs on my head just because my hair was a mess. Come on, curly hair is a pain to maintain, okay. Especially when you are only 5 or 6 years old, and you just couldn't give two fucks about how you look. Lol! 
4. I loved to groom my granddad. Well, picture this: My granddad was bald with very little hair on the sides of his head. And I would comb and comb his hair and tie his bandana to prepare him for his gardening job. And that Man sat still and let me do it even if that meant he was about to lose the remaining hair he had. Yeah, HE IS THE MAN!! 
5. Thylage came to stay with us and so I had a partner in crime. I shall leave it at that. Muahahaha!! 
6. My parents were very strict. Their weapon: The Stare. And when you get stared at, it only meant ONE THING: YOU ARE SO SCREWED! 
7. My mum made a time table for my brother and I, and it was stricly to be followed. Most of it consist of the word 'ulangkaji' all the way till bedtime. Who uses that word now?? Lol 
8. My brother and I used to seek permission for every single shit. May I use the phone? Can I do this or can I do that and even to use the washroom. I know, it sounds like a military camp. But now, we just inform my parents of what we do. That's a huge difference. A reality check for my parents that we are grown ups. Lol! 
9. My house was nearby the beach. Yeah, awesome indeed! We'd go for walks and when we spot shoes, slippers or toys, we would make fun of each other that it belongs to one of us. Usually, my bro and I would get the 'hey, look! That's your shoe! Or toy or whatever that is' 
10. My dad made it crucial for us, the children to memorize the times table. If we did well, answering his questions, he treated us to 7-Eleven's Slurpee. Back then it was a luxury. If any of us fail to answer even 1 question, everyone stays home. Even if the other sibling did it perfectly. Yeah, it sucked to screw up. Seriously! 
11. My parents did spot checks on our school bags. Yeah, military camp. I know. And if there were any very short pencils, my dad would break it by hand and say 'Did I not buy you enough pencils that you have to use these? I never really understood his issues with short pencils. 
12. My brother, Thylage and I loved to play Polis Sentri. We used to make machine guns using the planks and plywoods. Dad would actually help to saw and nail them together and we would use rubber bands as the bullet to attack the each other. *Fun* Who plays Polis Sentri now. I doubt kids these days have even heard of it.
13. Once in a while, the whole family including my grandparents would go for dinner at McDonald's. We would take a bus to Gurney Drive Sunrise Tower, have dinner and the stop by a kuih stall to buy my brother's favourite kuih sagu. And then, take a bus home. After 25 years down the road, the McD is still operating but I doubt the kuih stall is. 
14. If we were to go out anywhere as a family, my parents would sit my brother, Thylage and me on the sofa and warn us : 'We are going shopping. Do not ask for anything. We know what to get you. Do not create a scene. Behave yourselves. And if you don't, you're so done once we get home.' Yes, we have always behaved, never creating any scene. Hence, the reason why I can't and I won't tolerate kids misbehaving. It proves only one thing : Bad parenting 
15. My parents never allowed us to say the word 'bodoh'(stupid) or anything related to that, cacat (handicapped) and 'curi' (steal) They insist us on using the word 'kurang pandai'. If someone has stolen our stationery, they insist that the someone actually 'terambil' (accidentally took) our stuff and did not mean to steal it. To think about it, now, I have learned up profanities and use them to glory when I drive. So much for controlling the usage of vocabularies. Lol! 

I could go on and on if I want to. I understand now how Cheeming Boey managed to come up with the book. It is just a never ending story. Our childhood that is. Even if I lived in a 'military camp' it was simply awesome. Everything was of low expectations and happiness. Now, its basically dealing with crap. Oh well, LIFE!

Complimentaries :

Family, back in the year 1996

When I was 10