My Childhood Days ...
Just remembering back the days in the estate I was growing up...
Idlylic and rustic. Carefree days with childhood friends. Conversing in tamil and telugu with neighbours is the norm. Growing up was so easy then, where I do not have to think for tomorrow. Teluk Buloh Estate. The gravelroads, the muddy paths. Surrounded by coconut and cocoa trees. Swimming in the parits. No pollution, electricity comes on only at night for 3 – 4 hours. Black and white tv at the community hall. Oh the disgusting communal toilets!
Fishing with friends after school is a past time – and earning some cash alng the way. Haruans and ikan puyu is abundance in the parits. All you need is a bamboo pole, some strings, a hook and some baits. In those days baits are so easy to find, just stomp on some tall grass, you get the grasshoppers or dig some soil you get the worms.
The smell of freshly cut grass by the estate tractors once a month. Playing with the dried grass, throwing at each other. It’s simple games that keep us kids entertained. Round up – police sentry – hide and seek. We built our own tractors and backhoes using some cut up cans and some sticks. When the US TV program called COMBAT came to our shore, it became our favorite game instantly. VIC MORROW! KIRBY! Oh yes, hiding behind a cocoa tree is still considered safe while u play this game!
Catching those colourful fighting fish in the longkangs and parits is so scary at times. You’ll never know what is beneath those weeds. Snakes are abundance in those canals!
Our parents had some cows, goats and pigs in those days. Caring for pigs are the worst chore that I hated most. The smelly area around the pigsty, the dirty and murky water we used to bathe the pigs, the food we feed them … it’s so disgusting. Probably one of the reason why I’ve not come around to love the meat until today.
My parents sold all the animals before we moved to the first division. Money was used for our education and buying a piece of land in Simpang Ampat and Seberang Perak. By then, Maggie, Peggy, Philip and Tony were already in Singapore. With 8 mouths to feed, our parents have to keep the family together with hard labor in the estate.
My father was working as coconut harvester and later when he had accident and lost his sight in his left eye, he was transferred to taking care of the coconut drying kiln. My mother was working as day laborer and later transferred to take care of the kiln when my father retired from his position. Working in the hot and humid kiln was a 2 shift job … there were days I followed mom in her night shift jobs. At night the place could turn out to be an eerie place for me. Mom herself had some accidents working there. As far as I remembered the kiln was burnt down twice during the night.
My brother Robert was working as coconut harvester and I’d help him on some Saturdays. Peter, Alex and Christina was still schooling then. We do our share of helping whenever we could.
Those were the days ....
( to be continued ... )
Idlylic and rustic. Carefree days with childhood friends. Conversing in tamil and telugu with neighbours is the norm. Growing up was so easy then, where I do not have to think for tomorrow. Teluk Buloh Estate. The gravelroads, the muddy paths. Surrounded by coconut and cocoa trees. Swimming in the parits. No pollution, electricity comes on only at night for 3 – 4 hours. Black and white tv at the community hall. Oh the disgusting communal toilets!
Fishing with friends after school is a past time – and earning some cash alng the way. Haruans and ikan puyu is abundance in the parits. All you need is a bamboo pole, some strings, a hook and some baits. In those days baits are so easy to find, just stomp on some tall grass, you get the grasshoppers or dig some soil you get the worms.
The smell of freshly cut grass by the estate tractors once a month. Playing with the dried grass, throwing at each other. It’s simple games that keep us kids entertained. Round up – police sentry – hide and seek. We built our own tractors and backhoes using some cut up cans and some sticks. When the US TV program called COMBAT came to our shore, it became our favorite game instantly. VIC MORROW! KIRBY! Oh yes, hiding behind a cocoa tree is still considered safe while u play this game!
Catching those colourful fighting fish in the longkangs and parits is so scary at times. You’ll never know what is beneath those weeds. Snakes are abundance in those canals!
Our parents had some cows, goats and pigs in those days. Caring for pigs are the worst chore that I hated most. The smelly area around the pigsty, the dirty and murky water we used to bathe the pigs, the food we feed them … it’s so disgusting. Probably one of the reason why I’ve not come around to love the meat until today.
My parents sold all the animals before we moved to the first division. Money was used for our education and buying a piece of land in Simpang Ampat and Seberang Perak. By then, Maggie, Peggy, Philip and Tony were already in Singapore. With 8 mouths to feed, our parents have to keep the family together with hard labor in the estate.
My father was working as coconut harvester and later when he had accident and lost his sight in his left eye, he was transferred to taking care of the coconut drying kiln. My mother was working as day laborer and later transferred to take care of the kiln when my father retired from his position. Working in the hot and humid kiln was a 2 shift job … there were days I followed mom in her night shift jobs. At night the place could turn out to be an eerie place for me. Mom herself had some accidents working there. As far as I remembered the kiln was burnt down twice during the night.
My brother Robert was working as coconut harvester and I’d help him on some Saturdays. Peter, Alex and Christina was still schooling then. We do our share of helping whenever we could.
Those were the days ....
( to be continued ... )
Comments