1979 - Youthful 18

At the Maxwell Hills (Bukit Larut)

I reached the age of eighteen in 1979. So, what was my life back then in that year?

While awaiting the MCE results, I continued writing letters to my pen-friends, watch movies, jogged or rode my bicycle around the beautiful Taiping Lake Gardens and played football with friends who lived at the government quarters near the Pejabat Penghulu Taiping (opposite the Taiping Library).

I did a little travelling to Penang, Alor Setar and Batu Pahat visiting friends. My mom was worried that I travelled alone by myself. I was young and was not afraid. Fortunate for me, I was not harmed in anyway.

At Wahinuddin's house (Government Quarters Assamkumbang)

When MCE results were out in March, I passed all subjects with some Credit Passes but no Distinctions.It was not very good but not very bad either. I did not qualify for Form 6 so what were my options? Rajisvaran, Hoo Choon Huat and Karunamurthy were entering Form 6 at a private school in Ipoh. They asked me to join them but I knew my mom could not afford it.

My brother-in-law, Abdul Khalid, who was an officer in the Royal Malaysian Navy, invited me to join the Navy Apprentice Program. It was to involve four years of technical cum military basic training (UK course) or two years at other institutions (Politechnic Unku Omar, Ipoh or other countries Australia, India and Pakistan). Well, I made my decision to enter the Navy Apprentice program.

So, off I went to Sembawang, Singapore for my basic training before to be selected for which course and which country for the technical training. When I got there, I met a school mate of mine, Ravindran. Ravi was in the same batch but in a different class. We Apprentice and normal Recruits were grouped together in 4 barracks from A to D. I made many new friends from the other states of Malaysia. Most were Malays, some Indians and a few Chinese. However, my stint with the Apprentice Program was short. After three months, I was allowed to leave and went back home to Taiping.

In June, I was back in Taiping. I pondered on what other options that I could take to progress. My sister suggested that I apply to Polytechnic Unku Omar but I was not interested. Meanwhile, I spent my time assisting the School Band and the Scouts. Of course, mom was glad I was back at home (Well, I was her youngest boy).

Other than those who had gone to the Ipoh private school, most of my other friends had gone to college or pre-university. A few others were in Form 6 at KE VII School - Shahriza, Yuan Lee and Malik.

I resumed my jogging and riding my bicycle at the Lake Garden. I also helped my mom with the household chores like mowing the grass and did the shopping for groceries. I also had to take care of the lawn-mower, cleaned and serviced it (change the spark plug,and oil). For this, my mom gave me a pocket money of RM50 a month.

My eighteenth birthday was even more quiet. I felt very lonely and was not sure of what to do with my life.

My Teen Years - 1978

Class 5 Science 3. Me, mid-row, standing 7th from right.

1978, the final year I was in school. We entered our Fifth Form year with the same registered students as when we were in Form Four. My class was 5 Science 3 and our Class Master was Mr Lim Eng Kiat, our Physics teacher. All the teachers were the same as those who taught us the previous year.

I was looking forward to collect the School Yearbook of 1977 (yes, dear readers. Due to manual setting of the printing press in those days, we could only receive our Yearbook in the following year). Why so? This was because I wanted to see the article I had contributed in the School’s Essay Contest (Bahasa Malaysia) in 1977. I was excited and happy because the article I wrote won the second prize. What was the prize you might ask? It was not of something very valuable, just a story book. Nevertheless, I was proud to see my writing in print.

The four Form Five Science classes were housed at the A Block while the two Form Five Arts classes were located at the Administration Block. The morning session assembly area was located between the two blocks.

How was life in the Fifth Form? Lessons were more intensive to prepare us for the MCE examinations. I attended Mathematics and Add Mathematics tuition held at St Louis Institution. As for the Science subjects, I enjoyed the practical experiments during our time in the laboratories. All students were to pick a lab partner. I was “picked’ by a chap named Jajahan. Jajahan was a transfer student from the Thompson Road school. Our Chemistry teacher, Mr Yow, nicknamed him OBJ (as in Orang Besar Jajahan). He was my lab partner since Form Four. I still remember what he said, “Muz, you do the experiments. I be the observer”.

1978 School Band. Me, sitting, 5th from left.

Senior Scouts 1978. Me, from top, third row standing, 3rd from left.

As for co-curriculum, I divided my time between the School Band practices and the Scouts meeting. In March, the Scout Master, Mr Nadesamy invited anyone who would be interested to attend the Fourth Malaysia Scouts National Jamboree to be held in Kuching, Sarawak in June that year. I quickly got a form and submitted it with my mom’s permission. Those who applied were called for an interview held at St George’s Institution. The interview was led by the Chief Contingent, En Mokhtar. Six boys from my school (myself included) were selected to join the Perak Scouts Contingent for the Jamboree. A total of 40 boys were selected from various schools in Perak. I remember and befriended several of them who were from the Malay College, Clifford School and few others from Batu Kurau, Sitiawan, Kampar and Ipoh. We were required to attend weekend training camps that began in April. The training “camp” was held near En Mokhtar’s house. The housing area where he stayed was newly opened and there were several houses yet to be occupied. We were housed in one or two of the houses as temporary hostels (with permission from their owners). Some 16 of us were chosen to perform a traditional performance called “Tarian Dabus”. Some of the other scouts who I could still remember were – Mahfuz, Zubir, John Boscoe, Rasul, Henry Leong and Mark.

The Jamboree was one of the most memorable events I had experienced in that year. We assembled at Ipoh and boarded the train to Johore Bharu. After an overnight stay at a school, we boarded one of the two Navy’s LST (Landing Ship Tank) that was assigned to transport all the scouts from West Malaysia to Kuching. The two ships were KD Raja Jarom and KD Sri Langkawi. After two nights, we arrived at Kuching Port and were transported by several buses to the Jamboree site at Petra Jaya. On the opening ceremony day, I was proud to be chosen to raise the Perak state flag. We were in Kuching for over one week. Scouts from all contingents were to participate in community work (gotong-royong), cultural shows and some sports events. I remember I went to Kampung Gersik near Kuching to help build a wooden bridge and paint the community hall. Afterwards, we were feted by the kampong folks in a khenduri.

Another memorable event was the School’s Open Day. For the Open Day, the students were to showcase their various skills whether in the aspect of education or co-curriculum activities. Our Biology teacher, Mr Lee Yoke Beng, had asked me to participate in a Biology experiment. I was asked to purchase some materials and assemble my own team of 4 people. The experiment required two fish aquariums, two pairs of fish (at least) and other materials such as coloured paper and cellophane tape. As for my team, I managed to get Jajahan (my lab partner) and  Kuan Kah Soon (who contributed the two aquariums). Kah Soon was also the one who had a driver’s license to transport the aquariums to school. The experiment was to showcase that fish could change their colour to adapt to the environment.

My seventeenth birthday was again a quiet affair. No big parties other than a greeting card from my mom and her gift of RM50.

The important Malaysian Certificate of Education examinations came in November 1978. Most of us sat for the exams in the School Hall. Science practical examinations were held in the Science Labs. The exams were spread over three weeks. After our final paper, I joined a group of boys to celebrate at the “bubur cha-cha” stall near Taiping Bus Station (Larut-Matang Supermarket building). Amongst the boys were, Rajisvaran, Shentilnathan, Hoo Choon Huat, Karunamurthy and Tan Chew Yen.

Thus, we came to the end of my school life. Memories of school life are still quite fresh in mind, as if I had just left school just a few years ago. In fact, it has been over 30 years that I had left school. I will cherish those good memories forever.

In Scout uniform with the 4th National Jamboree badge.

Bird Watching Near Bidor

Blackwinged Kites

I have not participated in any MNS (Malaysian Nature Society) activities since 2008. In January 2013 MNS newsletter, one item caught my interest. It was a bird-watching activity near Bidor organized by the Selangor Branch. It was to be a half-day bird watching at Chikus, near Bidor and I decided to join this trip. The meeting point was at Bidor exit from the North-South Highway, time 7.30 AM.

That Sunday morning (Thaipusam Day), I got up at 4.00 AM, bathed and got ready. By 5.00 AM, I started my drive to Bidor. Along the way, I stopped at a Shell station to buy a canned coffee and some buns for breakfast. The journey to Bidor was a pleasant one, with a bright full moon in sight.

I arrived at Bidor exit just about 7.40 AM and already there were several cars parked by the roadside after the toll plaza. After I parked my car, I went to look for the organizer, Andy Lee. When I found Andy, I introduced myself since this was our first meeting. After registering, I got to know a few other participants. Most came from KL/PJ while a few were from Perak branch. Most are members of MNS while a few are friends of members. By 8.10 AM, we began our drive to Chikus, which was about 9 KM away along the Bidor-Teluk Intan road.

As we neared the birding site, some of us were to leave our cars by the inlet road and to car pooled inwards. I went in with another car, driven by Mahes. We introduced each other and I got to know that Mahes is from India. He is an engineer working in Subang Jaya. The inlet road was sandy and uneven.

When we reached the birding site (it was a former tin mine, converted to small buffalo or cow farms, surround by palm oil plantation), we got out of the cars and began to walk. I admired Mahes’ camera when he took it out from its case. It was a Canon 50D with a medium telephoto lens, mounted on a tripod. Compared to mine, an entry level 600D equipped with a basic telephoto lens (50-250mm), Mahes’ 50D was a superb camera.

Off we went into two groups, guided by our experienced bird-watchers (or birders as they are normally called). At this first site, we noted several flocks of Blackwing Kites and Golden Plovers. We also spotted a few Lesser Whistling Ducks and Purple Heron, White Cattle Egret (Burung Bangau), Kingfisher, Herons, Tekukur, Swifts and Merbah. There were two raptors, one a Sparrow Hawk and a Hawk Eagle, flying quite high gliding on the thermals. The sun was shining bright and fortunate for us, there were some trees that gave us some shade.

By 11.10 AM, we drove back to the inlet road, boarded our own cars and went to the second site, about 1 KM away. The second site was near the FRIM Station Bidor. There were several ponds grown with water-lilies near a cow farm. Here, we spotted 5 small wild ducks, several green bee-eaters, two purple herons, water fowl and 3 cattle egrets. The day was bright and sunny and most of us gathered under the shade of a tree to observe the birds. A few others braved the hot sun to walk some distance way.

By 12.15, there was a debrief to compare notes of all the birds spotted for the day. Andy and Liung, the main organisers, thanked us for participating and encouraged us to participate in the next birding activity.

My Teen Years - 1977

Stage act "The Kedekut Chetty" - myself (white coat), Karunamurthy (left) and Rajisvaran (seated).

The School Band - 1977. Me, sitted, 5th from right.

School Orchestra - 1977. Me, standing back row, 4th from left.

When my dad passed away in the end of 1976, that was a very sad moment of my life. I felt I had lost someone whom I could refer to for guidance. Fortunately, my mother gave me the encouragement to carry on with my life. I also had a few good friends who also helped me in cheering me up.

When the LCE results were out, I was really happy because I did very well in the examination. At the start of our new school year in 1977, all the boys were still formed into their previous Form Three classrooms first. That was because the school needed a few days to assign the students for the streaming into Science or Arts classes. When the list was ready, I found that I was to go to Form 4 Science 3 class. A few boys who were assigned to the Science Stream requested to be changed to go to the Arts Stream. A few of them were successful. A few others applied to go to other schools, such as the Technical Schools or Sekolah Tunku Abdul Rahman at Ipoh. I applied to go to the Royal Military College but was unsuccessful. So, I decided to remain in the Science Stream and at King Edward VII School.

So, of we went to report to our Form 4 classrooms which were at the Sheffield Hostel block. The building was named as such because it was the hostel for students during the early years of the school. The Sheffield Hostel still stands to this day. There were a number of transfer students from other schools in Taiping district as far as Sungai Kerang.  Some of the new boys were from the Thomson Road Secondary School (renamed as Sekolah Menengah Darul Redzuan). One of them became my good friend. His name was Loh Cheng Kiat from Pokok Asam.

Our class master was Mr Liew. He was a friendly teacher who taught us Geography. Mr Liew was also the gymnastics team coach. I still remember most of the good teachers – Mr Lee Yoke Beng (Biology), Mr Lim Eng Kiat (Physics), Ms Tulasi (Mathematics), Mr Foo Eng Guan (English) but forgive me,  I could not remember the rest. One teacher we boys dreaded most was our Chemistry teacher, Mr  Yow. He was a very temperamental man and liked to give students bad names. Such name calling would land any teacher in trouble in today’s schools. However, those days us boys just let it pass (Mr Yow did land into trouble a few years later when he called a student “mamak tongkang”. That boy challenged him to come out of the class. Of course, he dared not and the matter was reported to the Principal, Mr Long, who gave Mr Yow a stern warning).

A few weeks went by and we noticed one of our classmates appeared to be “uninterested” in class. Lim Meng Yew was present in class but his mind was elsewhere. Then, he informed us that his uncle had made arrangements for him to continue his schooling in the United Kingdom. Lim would be leaving for England in a few weeks. So, we boys planned to have a farewell party for Lim at his parent’s house. Unfortunately, I did not go to the party because my mother did not allow. (It was many years later I met Lim again).

While I was still an active member of the School Band, Loh Cheng Kiat stories of his scouting activities aroused my interest. More so, in 1977, he was amongst the few Scouts from our school who was selected to join the Malaysian Contingent to attend the Indonesia’s Scouts National Jamboree. I joined the Scouts troop which caused some disagreement with my School Band Master, Mr Ng. “Why do you want to join the Scouts? How would you divide your time between the Band and the Scouts?”, he asked. I explained that while my heart was with the School Band, I would like to explore what the Scouts experience could give me. I made a commitment that I would attend the Band practices on Wednesday and attend the Scout meetings on Saturday. However, I spent more time with the Band whenever we were to perform, such as our Annual Sports Day or Pesta Taiping. By this time, I was appointed as the Lead Trumpets and Bugles section. I was responsible for the boys training and performance.

As a Scout, I attended the Malaysia-Thailand Border Scouts Jamboree which was held at Alor Setar, Kedah. Had a jolly good time and made many new friends.

Have you ever had pen-friends? Youngsters nowadays might not know what pen-friends mean. Before the age of internet, email and facebook, the older generation had pen-friends. I started to have pen-friends since I was fourteen years old. The first two were from England, Jeanette Vivien Stray and Julie Owens.  By this time, I was still in correspondence with Jeanette and Julie but I would like to have Malaysian pen-friends. What did I do? I submitted a picture and  a few required information to a local music magazine. A few months later,  I received several letters, from a few girls and boys. My mother got concerned because I was writing letters more than I studied.

 

As for my studies, I was struggling with all the Science subjects, more so with Chemistry, mainly because of that temperamental  Mr Yow as our teacher. A few boys just dropped that subject and focused on Biology and Physics. Anyway, most of the boys were quite relaxed as regards to study because there was not any major examination for us that year. I did shared my worries with a friend of another class, Razif. He proposed that I joined him for tuition classes for the Science subjects with him. The tutor lived a the government quarters somewhere along Jalan Istana and the fees were RM50 per subject. That means a total of RM150 per month. I was already paying for my Mathematics tuition for RM80 per month and I felt I could not burden my mom for another RM150 more. Therefore, I just tried to study by myself and asked my classmates if I did not understand. For the final year examinations, I did well in all other subjects. I managed to pass Biology and Physics but failed in Chemistry.

 

My 16^th birthday was a quiet affair. No big parties to celebrate my “sweet 16”. My mom gave me a Happy Birthday card and RM50 as a present.

(Next – 1978).

Back To Taiping For Nephew's Wedding 18 Nov 2012

Made a trip to Taiping for my nephew’s wedding held at a community hall at Taman Seri Kota. I met my old cousins whom I have not seen for many years. In the group picture with my brother Monty, are the sons of my late uncle Ayah Chik Zainal Abidin (who was known to all the late uncles and aunties as John or Abang John).

I also took the opportunity to re-visit Jalan Padang and the spot where we boys and girls crossed the railway track to go to school. The crossing is not there anymore because of the double tracking project. So were the squatter houses by the rail tracks.

The area around Jalan Padang, where the government quarters stood, now looks more like a jungle. The football field has all been grown over by shrubs and trees. Only the Kempe Club still stands.

My wife and kids could not believe that people used to live in that area and the adventure of crossing the railway tracks on the way to and from school.

New Train Station being built, next to the present "old" one.

I am 51 Today!

Woke up today and wham!....I am 51years "young" today. Wow! I really feel old. When I gave a Happy Birthday greeting to  my daughter, Nur Amalina, last night (she is also an 8th November baby), I still felt normal. Today? Oh No!.....I am 51 already......

Celebrate? hmm.....time is running and I got to chase my dreams quicker.

Happy Birthday to Me!

My Teen Years Part 1 (1974-1976)

Class 2A2. Me, from top, standing row 2, third from right. Class Teacher, Mr Hwang.

Now, we come to my teen years. Ah! My wonderful teen years. This was the time when we were most exploring, inquisitive and precocious.

Remember those years (1970’s) when we had to sit for an assessment examination to determine which secondary school that you could go to (similar to today’s UPSR in Primary 6)? Those days, we had to sit for this examination in Primary 5. Even though I passed all subjects, I did not score any A’s. By end of Primary 6 (1973), I was handed a slip by the school’s office to report to the Lower Secondary School, Thompson Road, Taiping (near Aulong) the next year. Since the school was located quite near to my house, I was quite happy. However, when I informed my mother about it, she was not very pleased. She urged my father to make an appeal that I be transferred to a better school.

So, my dad made an appeal with the District Education Office and in 1974, I was to report to the King Edward VII Secondary School, Taiping (Dad’s former alma mater). On the very first day of school, my dad and I was directed to the Afternoon Session Senior Assistant’s office to hand in my form to be admitted into the school. The Senior Assistant, Mr Thong, gladly accepted the form and had a short chat with my dad. Dad got up and went back to work. Mr Thong took me to my class which was Form 1A2. The class had about 30 over boys and most of them were the Hostel Boys, except for 6 who were not. Many of my friends from KE VII Primary School (1) were in the other classes. Since I was in the class together with the Hostel Boys, I was mistakened as one of them by some other new friends and teachers.

(I found out later that Mr Thong was the father of my friend, Thong Chee Meng).

 The Hostel Boys were one year older to me because they had to attend one year Remove Class to learn the English Language. These boys came from other primary schools in Perak based on their good results achieved in the Standard 5 Examinations.  Generally, most of them were friendly but one or two of them just like to pick on me. They had the impression that since my dad worked in the hospital, I came from a wealthy family. In my first few days of school, my new geometry set was stolen from my school bag. I dared not ask my dad for another new one, so, I resorted to using an old set of my brother’s (Mahathir had passed his MCE and had gone to KL to work). I used that old geometry set right up to my Fifth Form in 1978. Our class teacher was Mrs Gomez who taught us History. She mesmerized us with her stories of her visit to Greece, about the Parthenon and other historic sites. Another notable teacher was Puan Nor Azwa who taught us Bahasa Malaysia.

I travelled to and from school by a school bus, just as ever since my primary school days. The bus drivers were two Chinese brothers, which I remember one of them called Ah Ba. The elder brother drove the medium sized school bus while the younger brother drove the van. Their family lived near Jalan Padang and also ran a curry mee and ice kacang stall there. This stall was a favourite hang-out spot for students who lived in Asamkumbang. We would stop there for ice kacang or lai chee kang after school or on Saturdays after extra-curricular activities.

I was not active in any sports nor involved in any societies, so, my Form 1 year was rather quiet. However, it was compulsory for all students to participate in sports representing their various Houses (or Colours) and the Annual Cross Country. Then, came the School Annual Sports Day and I saw the first appearance of the School Band performing. Hey, I thought I could do that. One afternoon, the band teacher, Mr Ng Peng Khoon came to my class announcing that the Band was recruiting new members for the next year. Well, I signed up.

I have a “secret” tale that I have not told anyone, well, except to my kids perhaps. It was during my first year in secondary school that I went to watch a cinema show by myself. A schoolmate of mine, Aziz Hamdan, asked me to watch a war movie “The Longest Day” which was being screened at the Cathay Cinema. We agreed to see the show on a Saturday at 10.45 AM.  What reason did I give to my mother? I told her I had to go to school library to study with my friend.

 

I entered my second year in KE VII Secondary school in the class of 2A2 in 1975. The main historic event of that year was the fall of South Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos to the Communist regime. Before that, the Vietnam conflict could be watched on the TV nightly news. About the TV, back then, there were only two channels (RTM1 And RTM2) and viewing times began in the afternoon until mid-night. The only other program shown during the day was the TV Pendidikan which was on RTM2. Those days, TV sets were black and white screen only (colour TV sets only came in 1979).

 

The boys who sat near me in class were Arjan Singh, Wong Tat Weng and Rajisvaran. Our class teacher was Mr Hwang who taught us Commercial Studies. Our Bahasa Malaysia teacher was Cikgu Razak (who also taught Arts).

My first year with the Band. Me, sitting, second from right (beside senior Zul).

 

This was the year I joined the School Band. The Band practices were on Wednesday afternoon and Saturday morning. Before we could play any instruments, we were taught how to march by three senior cadets from the School Army Cadet Corp. It was only in the second month we were allowed to practice on the instruments of our choice. We had to share the instruments then because there were not many of them. There were 5 side drums, two tenor drums, one base drum, a pair of cymbals, ten flutes and 10 bugles. I chose to play the side drums at first but switch to join the bugles section afterwards.

 The senior buglers were Zulkifli and Yusri (Yusri died later in that year in a motor vehicle accident in Matang). We were taught how to play the bugle using proper breathe, lips and tongue technics.  We practiced hard to perform in the Annual School Sports Day. Hence, on that Sports Day was the first real activity that I performed with the School Band. I felt very happy in spite of the limited songs that we could play at that time (they were all marching tunes). As for uniforms, we wore batik shirts of various designs.

Other than the school band, I played rugby and ran in the Cross Country for my House – Raffles.  I was not that good but it was compulsory for all boys (unlike today) to participate in some sports activities (except for students who were physically challenged).

Class 3A2. Me, sitting, first from right. Class Teacher - Mr Nadesamy with Principal, Mr Long Heng Hua.

 

In 1976, I began my third year in the Secondary School in Class 3A2. It was an important year for all of us because there was a big examination, the Lower Certificate of Education (LCE). Our class teacher was Mr Nadesamy who was our School Scout Master. Mr Nadesamy was transferred from another school, the LSS, Thomson Road (the school which I was originally assigned to go in 1974). He taught us Integrated Science. Other notable teachers were Mr Avtar Singh (Bahasa Malaysia), Puan Azizah (who recited History by heart) and Miss Beh (English). Most of the boys would remember Miss Beh because she was the most beautiful young teacher at that time.

This was year that I began to ride my Chopper bicycle to school. I also attended tuition class for Mathematics in Kamunting (at my friend, Rajisvaran, house. His father was my Maths tutor).

1976 School Band. Me, sitting, first from right.

The early days of the School Orchestra. Me, marked by arrow.

Through the weekly practice, I found that I began to improve my skills in playing the bugle. After senior Zulkefli left for the UK, I became the Senior for the Bugles Section. When the first trumpet arrived, Mr Ng picked me to learn to play the trumpet and to teach the others. It was in 1976, the School Band received new instruments like trumpets, trombones and clarinets. Our uniform was a standardized Batik Shirts with white long pants. We also had a music coach from Ipoh, Mr Kong (the late Mr Kong also taught the Hua Lian (private) School Band). All these were contributed by the Old Edwardians Association. That year’s Sports Day, we performed brilliantly with a simple formation and new repertoire. My mom and dad was in attendance with my little nephew, Izzmi. The School Band was also invited to perform at the KE VII Primary School Sports Day and the Pesta Taiping.

I could not remember  exactly which year but we had lost one teacher who died of stroke. He was Mr Francis Chang, our Sports Teacher. He was remembered for riding his Lambreta on the school field.

I also realized that I was improving in my cross-country runs. I began to earn points for my House which I could not do before. The cross country runs were held at the scenic Taiping Lake Gardens. The children playground at the foot of the District Officer’s hill was the Starting and Finish points. After the cross country runs, some of us would adjourned to our friend, Malik, house near the Pejabat Penghulu Taiping.

Geography Society visit to Butterworth Port. Me, wearing cap,

The Lower Certificate of Education examinations came and most of us sat for the exams at the School Hall. When all exams were over, some of the boys celebrated our “freedom” at the Asamkumbang ice kacang stall.



Dad's 60th birthday in 1976. One month before he passed away. Me, standing behind Dad.

 November 1976 was a sad time for me. That was the year my father passed away due to a heart attack. Just a month after his 60^th birthday and at my age of 15, I had lost my father. It was my good LCE results that helped to cheer me up a bit. I also had my mother’s encouragement and support from several good friends.