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 !

 

  

 

    

A Smooth Sea Never made a Skilled Sailor - Franklin D Roosevelt

 

This is so apt. For me at this stage in life, I am charting in open seas. There are times when the sea is smooth and everything is 'hunky dory' (to pen a phrase from a friend). Never take wealth, health, family and the economic situation for granted. Not for a minute. 

Everybody can put up a brave face and smile for the social media. The ones truly happy are the people who have their goals laid out clearly from young and met (at least 90% of it anyway).

Broadly they encompass 

1. Financial independence 

2. Some reserves for a rainy day (at least 2 years or 24 months)

3. Good Health mentally and physically with mobility

4. Strong relations with family and some friends.

5. Relevance to society or the environment around them. 

My small business is in steady waters. However, in an instant there may be a giant gale coming around the horizon and a hurricane or major storm is just around the corner. We have to be prepared for it or we are history.

I was reminded this morning of the quote by the founder of the Scout Movement worldwide 

"Be Prepared"

I will add my additional quote to this 

"Be Prepared and Take Appropriate Action"

 

Its better to be feared than to be loved. - Niccolo Machiavelli.

 

Keep a strong mind and demeanour. There are wolves out there wanting your success and take pleasure in bringing you down. 

Never fear criticism, if it is well intentioned and you act on it, you become a better person.

If it is envy or jealousy, it doesn't matter, as these people are not worth your acquaintence or friendship.

Our Family in late 1960s and 1970s. Stories from those days. Story 1. Kite 'Jute' !

 

Papa and Mum with the 2 Samseng Boys 

This was my family picture taken sometime in the late 1960s or 1970. This is taken at the garden outside our house at 6 Adis Road Singapore 9. The postcode was single digit ! My  brother John is 3 years younger than me, and he is now a successful senior consultant for ENT and a specialist sleep apnoea surgeon at one of Singapore's largest public hospitals.

We called ourselves Samseng (Gangster) Boys as we lived practically every day after school outside our house as there was absolutely no homework to do after our half day school. Boy those days were so carefree and fun !  

We played outside with the neighbourhood kids, who were a motely bunch of Chinese and Indian families living in terraced houses beside our house. Directly next door to the left of our house was the Nan Hua secondary girls school and to the right was the Methodist Girls School (MGS). 

Our family owned 3 pariah dogs name Jippy, Scamper and Mickey.While Jippy was the mother dog, Scamper and Mickey were the dog kids of Jippy. Scamper was my pet while Mickey was John's. 

I recall we made friends with   'S', Liang Puck, 'R' (pronounced R er) and Poh San to name just a few. There was also a Jacob John who is now residing in the USA. There was also a special needs kid who lived  along  one of the terrace houses (in between 'S" house and Jacob John's house)  and he was kept always at home like a prisoner.

We played all those memorable games. Kite flying was a favourite of mine. Essentially, we learnt to line the string with powdered glass pounded by hand by us and mixing the powdered glass with some glue (which stank to high heaven). We would wind the string round the trunk of one tree, line the string (these came from sewing reels) and bring it around to the neighbouring tree. Then, we would paste the glass glue mixture on the string. This was the means to 'weaponise' the string when we flew the kites.

Most kites would cost around 5 cents to 10 cents. They were made of tracing paper, with the stem and bow made of pliable wood across. There was  fancy 'tail' which gave the kite balance and steadyness. 

                                                              2 small 'Samseng' Boys (1969)

Story 1 ;  Kite 'Jute' 

On windy days, we would then hoist our kites up, catch the updraft of the wind and up it would go !  The sky would be littered with kites of all colours and swinging all over the horizon. I had grown quite 'skillful' in flying my kite and could even fly the kite from our 2nd floor balcony which was a huge exterior like room of easily 100 ft2. 

Up and up it would go. If someone far away saw my kite, we would engage and whoever had the 'sharper' string would win and the loser would have his kite string cut. You can see the when a kite has had its string cut, it would waft down with no direction. When the kite has no 'master' controlling it, it is termed at kite 'jute' and wherever it lands, whoever is the first to pick up the kite, is now the new owner.  That was the rule of the game back then. 

There was so much joy in getting a free prize like a ' Jute' Kite.  

That's where the fun starts. Whenever a kite is 'jute', there will be hordes of boys (Malay boys from the nearby kampong, our neighbours who lived in the terraces and some from outside of our neighbourhood) who would be literally running throughout the neighbourhood to be the first to own the fallen kite. Sometimes there will be a fight as to who got to the kite first, and the kite may end up torn up.

Once, we noticed a kite wafting merrily into our big house compound. Quickly, I went and donned my karate clothes and asked my brother to come and follow me down. Outside there were the hordes of Malay boys who bravely ventured into our house compound, knowing there were 3 dogs around.

I charged head long into the mass, did some karate katas and should "Heiya" to confuse and frighten them. 

My brother John who was behind me, merrily picked the 'Jute' kite and up we went back with our prize.

True Story and a Happy Ending for us. 

   

 

Form Good Habits for Life ; then become the best version of yourself.

                                        With 2 times SEA Games Marathon winner Rui Yong 

Life has a funny way of telling you what is right and wrong. When we were young, we played catching, looking for spiders in the neighbourhood yards and trees, fought battles with the neighbourhood kids, basically every little thing, we did was outside of our house

It was such a carefree time, the 1960s and earl 1970s. I wouldn't have traded this time for anything else in the world. However, because of lack of parental minding in those days, we kids learned everything by ourselves from taking care of cuts6, scratches, dog bites so on and so forth.

They were indeed carefree days of yore, and those times, I would never have traded them for anything else, the mid 60s all the way to the mid 70s.

I developed many habits, of course, and there were many bad ones together with the good ones. Now that I have learnt the basic 3 step process, I can unlearn the bad habits and replace them with the good ones. Some of the bad habits I have learnt to control and change over the years are 

1. not wanting to snack before dinner and holding my hunger till dinner time. 

2. Having an after dinner aperitif or alcoholic drink 

3. Watching less mindless entertainment like football, or Netflix. 

4. Avoiding a nap when I reach home, as this would mess up my sleep routine and sleep hygiene. 

5. Not snacking in office. 

6. Less eating of any fried food. 

7. Sugar in my coffee 

Instead I have tried or am trying to replace the bad habits with

1. Walking or doing some light exercise to kill off the hunger before dinner

2. A drink of Vit C instead of beer.

3. Reading books

4. Have a shower and play mind games like Sudoku for 1 - 2 hours at home

5. Still trying to find a replacement to snacking in office.

6. Healthier choices of food during dining, and eating more vegetables.  

.The cues for all these habits, I need to be mindful. Once the cue sets in I need to replace the behavior pattern with a new healthier or more mindful alternative. If at the worst case,if my eyes and brain is tired, I will head to bed early or take a nap.

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One Quote for the Weekend.

 

There has never been a more true statement than the one above by David Goggins. Many a times, leaders, and especially people like myself have to do things which I do not like to do at all in the interests of meeting team objectives, assisting the less capable and giving back when I could have taken the easy route and slack off.

At this age, I want to be remembered for the right things and not to be just a digit in the page of history.

We are blessed that we have 2 Laboratories which are full to capacity and we have potential orders coming our way to maximise till the end of the year.

Rather than stay chill and cruise till the next phase, I am pushing my team hard to get up to the next peak, we must, in order to be better than last year and the year before.

1. Dilligence

2. Working Smart

3. Staying Focussed

4. Being Humble

5. Seizing Opportunities

There is no time like the Present.

Carpe Diem.