The 1960s and 1970s Days Story 2. Catching Spiders

 

For me and my generation, our ideal times of our lives were most likely the ones when we were in our pre teens and teenage days. There can only be one word to describe those 'never going back to those days again' world. A world without  Smartphones, Netflix, Cyberbullying, Scams Impersonation of police and immigration officers and Kpop world domination.

In one word, "carefree" 

Of course if I had a time machine, and I could transport myself to the late 1960s, the first thing I would do I would go 'home' to 6 Adis Road. The bungalow where I grew from an infant till I was 16 years of age.

I would hug and kiss my Mum and Papa that would be the first thing I would do and just talk about my life without them now that they are gone for over 14 and 13 years respectively from the conscious world. Just catching up with them would take at least 3 - 4 days of talking.

Its just a whimsical wish I guess

To grow up in that world that was Singapore, in the late 1960s to mid 1970s - a full 10 years was nothing short of magical in hindsight. Singapore was 3rd world, meaning, our per capita GDP was probably on par with most African nations and below that of Burma (Myanmar), Sri Lanka and the Philippines. We collectively were a poor nation with no natural resources and only a paltry population of slightly over 2.5 million then.  

We had zero (yes zero) homework. That was beautiful for lazy and playful kids such as my brother and I. We did all we had to do in class. So, when we went home, we ate our lunch (on the odd occasion) or had lunch at the tuck shop before we headed home. Then it was play outside all day. 

We alternated between morning session and afternoon session in school. Classes were only half a day long. We would normally return home by 2 pm. After a quick shower, we would then make a beeline outside to the large garden of our bungalow and meet with the neighbourhood kids. 

The games my brother and I played with our neighbours were (and they are long gone I assure you) were (not exhaustive) :

- marbles or Go Li

- general fighting and soldier games.

- catching and fighting spiders

- Dog and Bone

- Flying Kites

- Tin Can Telephones. 

Let me elaborate on Catching Spiders and Tin Can Telephones.

1. Catching and fighting spiders.

Only people who lived their childhood days from the late 50s to the early 70s would identify with this really fun activity. Basically, we would go to plants and small shrubs and look closely at the leaves. If we spot 2 leaves which happen to be 'glue stuck' together, it is likely that a spider has created a nest between those 2 leaves.

Bam ! with our cupped hands we would catch the spider and gingerly place our prized catch into an empty matchbox. We would line the bottom of that matchbox with leaves and some dead or alive ants as food for the spider.

Once we had our 'champion prize fighter', we would saunter to whoever had another spider and then place our prize fighter on the flat surface and like a natural reflex, the spider would eye the other competitor and raise its front 2 legs like pincers of a crab.

The 2 spiders would fight with ferocity and the 2 pairs of 2 legs would be in full flight. It was and still gives me a thrill to watch nature in all its brutal glory.

One spider would back off and run away and that was the 'loser'.

2. Tin Can Telephones.

We had a lot of fun also (even though we didn't know the physics behind the fact). We would source 2 old condensed milk cans, One end would be open (to take out all the contents) and we would clean both cans with soap and water. On the sealed end, we would use a sharp knife to create a small hole on that side. 

We then strung a piece of string between 2 cans and created our own 'telephone'. Apparently the sound of your voice from one can is transmitted by air waves, and some of the sound gets converted to solid vibration mini waves into the string and transmitted to the other can (max is I believe 6 feet away). Upon reaching the next can, the empty can amplifies the sound and you 'hear' the voice of your friend.

I cannot vouch that this 'phone system' actually works, as 6 feet is near enough to hear your friend when we speaks or even shouts !