Monday, March 06, 2006

Review: Malaysian Babies of the 70s/early 80s

I receive this via email some time back.. I enjoy reading it and thought some of you might enjoy reading it as well.. Especially those who are born in those eras. Remembering those good old days :) The one written in brackets in black italic font style is my answer..

You grew up watching He-man, Transformers, Thundercats, Silver Hawk and Mickey Mouse. Not to forget Ninja turtles, Mask and Smurfs too. (Anyone remembers "Cumi dan Ciki" - the local Malaysian muppet show in the early 80's (I don't like the show, and can't remember it well.. Is Cumi and Ciki a butterfly and a monkey or vice versa? The show just suddenly pop up in my mind when I write this post.. I'm just wondering anyone remember the show?) and "The Muppets" (with Kermit the Frog, Piggy the Pig etc..)? )

You grew up brushing your teeth with a mug in primary school after recess time. You squatted by a drain with all your classmates beside you, and brushed your teeth with a colourful mug. (Hahha.. I stand by the drain, didn't squat :P)

Remember the days when the school nurse comes with a list for the dentist appointment.. the sound of the drilling when ur friend has a fill in his tooth. (Err... I hate fillings during my primary school times..)

You remember the packets of milk we get in primary school to encourage us to drink more milk. (The yummy chocolate milk drink (Projek Susu Sekolah).. at least it was yummy during those days.. Can't remember exactly the price.. I guess it was something like 30 cents per packet? )

During primary school days, the teacher will punish you using a ruler to hit your palm. (Teachers those days used to hit the pupils hands with ruler if the pupils were naughty or disobeyed the school rules or didn't do homework etc.. Hehhee.. I am a good student, so I hardly get punished.. ). A bowl of noodles soup cost only 40c in primary school days. (Most of the time, I bring my own food (bekal) to school, prepared by my mum in the early morning. So, I seldom bring pocket $$ to school. Things and food are cheap during those days, but I can't remember the exact price of the food stuff..) When you were in primary school, girls like to go to the bookshop to buy cute stuff such as animal erasers, sharpeners, notebook etc. (I don't have extra $$$ to buy all those cute stuffs.. So, I don't have any of those).

In secondary school, girls go to the library to borrow their favourite romance storybook. In secondary school, girls altered their school skirt to shorten it and guys will go to the school appointed school uniform tailor shop to tailor make their school trousers to the then fashionable "baggy pants"! (Hahhaa.. I seldom read romance story book.. Prefer reading the fiction or detective story books).

In secondary school days, you buy the Bata BM Turbo school shoes. Some guys like to wear those china made ankle high shoes. Some even like to wear those very thick socks with their school shoes. (Bata is a famous brand during my days.. One of my friend/classmate's father is the owner of the Bata Shoes Shop in Sarikei during those days).

Internet? E-mail? What the hell is that? So you thought a decade or more ago. Your friends don't have pagers or handphones in school. (I only get to know about internet and email during my university days - in the mid 90's ).

CDs? What's that? Cassette tapes were the norm. Movie tickets used to cost less than $5 last time. (I still have the Sony walkman with cassette tapes.. Followed by the Discman (I don't have any of those). Nowadays, school kids have mp3 or mp4 players..)

The goodies from Mama shop used to be Mamee, Ka ka,Kum Kum, Ding Dang choco balls (with toys in the box), colourful hard "egg", "cigarette" chocolate, pink bottle of bubbles, and small tubes with orange sticks to blow "more lasting" bubbles that you can pop more air in or slam it on. (I'm sure many of us still remember all these things.. Hahhaa.. the colourful hard egg candies, the cigarrette chocolate, blowing bubbles from the orange sticks...)

When exams are over, the board games (eg:UNO,Monopoly) & hand held video games will be all over the class room. (What I did after exams? I can't remember.. might be reading story books? The only handheld video games I have during those days was the "Octopus" video games... Hahhaa... I guess most of those who were born in the 70's have played this game before... How about you? )

Your favourite sound is the bell! For it's the homemade ice cream man. The cream that tops Haagan Dazs! The pink colour ice-cream with eyes plus a wide smile. Another bell is the recess bell, a time to get away from school work and to eat. Another time when there is no bell but all guys will anxiously wait for it...The PJ/PE time. (I guess everyone of us love the recess bell and the "school is over" bell..)

Your favourite childhood games were playing "guli"(marbles), five stones, zero-point, catching, Police & Sentry. (I remember we used to play the hide and seek and chasing games.. During recess time in my primary school days, I love to play the five-stones game with my classmates.)

The best thirst quencher of all times is the yummy colourful ice tubes you can buy from provision shops. To eat them, break the tab and suck while holding the freezing tube! (Another nostalgic ice cream I have during my days are the syrup filled in long plastic tubes with an assam or soey boi at one end of the tubes, and knotted at the other end.. This frozen ice cream only costed 10 or 20 cents per tube).

All gals have a barbie doll/strawberry shortcake/my little pony/pound puppy, while all boys have a star wars figurine or a rubber band catapult thatshoots folded paper! Once was the era whereby ice-cream sticks were valueable items, than came the paper aircrafts, chalk fights. Some boys made their own guns from wood,and used 'Bacali' as the bullets. (I don't have any of those dolls.. But I remember the days playing with paper aircrafts or making wonders with pieces of papers..)

Everyone envies the class monitor and his assistant, cos they were the ones who can come up with the daily duty rooster, giving names to teacher on who makes the most noise. The elite group are the prefects, the one with license to move around, they consider themselves above the law. (mmmm... I don't envy my class monitor.. hahhaha... we are good friends)

And your favourite holiday was Lunar New Year! New clothes, ang pows, shopping, junk food and family outings! (During my childhood days, CNY means new clothes, nice food, angpow, fire crackers, lion dance etc etc .. Love CNY during childhood days but not nowadays...)

Cheers to the Malaysia 70's & early 80's babies... Anyone want to share their feedbacks and review on these matters? I would like to hear your stories :)

*Side note:
I have written a similar post previously (in Octorber 2005) with the title Those were the days - talking about the old days. Those who are interested can have a look... Included there were the monochrome computer screen with green coloured text and picture display, the 5 & 1/4 inches floppy disks, snail mails, queueing up at the phone booth when wanting to make phone calls, etc etc....

28 comments:

@ロウ 。LOW@ said...

Oh now I know why I just loved your blog!

...not sure about cumi dan ciki and muppets, but maybe I just need to refresh my brain a bit...

...now the teeth brushing time may be exciting -- we get to get out of the horrible classroom!

...what can I say..those nurse are EVIL!!! What's wrong with my teeth anyway???

Oh I can't really remember the price of the susu...but I still prefer Vitagen, even at that time!

Punishment...I remember my English teacher -- she use her nails to pull our ears!!!

Boy kept their hair long, funny looking only to be cut off after weekly morning assembly. And hiding long pretty nails, perhaps, ladies?

Movie - 3.50, if I'm not mistaken. It was once in a blue moon, anyway.

I like gasing most. Prefer Ding Dang. Insist on BATA shoes (pity my parents!). I still kept some game like Octopus (hopefully it's still there)!!!

Many more. Wow. :)))

Sharl612 said...

That Octopus game, it is now available in PC format. I downloaded this and others (popeye, dong kingong, firefighter etc). Th movement and the sound are all like the yesteryear handheld game machine.

Jellyfish said...

headache

kekekeke...

Cynthia said...

hahhaah...most of them were my childhood activites...fuuny!!!

Furkids in Hong Kong™ said...

Ah, memories! Though I hail from an even earlier era. :(

Seems like your memories were mostly good ones, and ones we'll forever treasure.

Anonymous said...

I miss catching tadpoles and guppies! And the 3 legged pyramid game made with 3 slippers and a hard ball. Ouch

Alicia said...

thundercats/transformers -_- i could remember how much i hate the cartoon that i can actually tell the whole story over and over again for my sis who likes it..

story goes : "pai lang" wack "hoh lang".. "hoh lang" lost and "pai lang" won.. at last.. "hoh lang" revenge and world peace until the next episode..

Selba said...

Oh my.... that held video games!!! I remember I had 2 of it, can't remember anymore the name (is it gamewatch? hmmm... not so sure, hehehe).

Jellyfish said...

alicia...
those are robots la
kekekeke....



*cabut*

Jellyfish said...

*come back again*

and thundercats not even human oso
keekkeke

*cabut again*
:P:P

Chen said...

@ロウ.LOW@,
your english teacher very "fierce" - use nails to pull ears :D I know some kids buy Ding Dang for the attached free toys :)

sharl612,
I have that octopus game in my PDA too :) I took the picture for the game from my pda ;)

jellyfish,
why headache thinking of those days? kekkeke.. u have bad times ah during those days ? :P

cynthia & Furkids in HK,
Recall back sweet moments are always interesting.. But, I don't want to go through it again.. Prefer life as adult than childhood :D

Chen said...

Daniel,
Remembering those days - catching tadpoles & guppies from the drain or longkang :D

3 legged pyramid game? mmm... I can't remember what is it about :)

Alicia,
Hahha.. I don't like those cartoons too..

I watch Mickey Mouse, Donal Duck etc.. and Ghost Buster too.. The cute, slimery and greedy Slimer :D

Selba,
I can't remember the name as well :D
whatever it is, it will always remain in our memories :)

Jellyfish,
aiyah...
in cartoon world, robot = animal = human :D

Robin CHAN said...

Good morning yesterday..

You wake up and time has slipped away...

hmmm.. times of your lifes.

Strange, it is almost the same in Singapore too.

Francis Ho said...

Robin! Don't steal your fellow sporeans tagline!

Doc, what happened to your chat box? Now cannot wish u good morning liaow!

Chen said...

robin,
I guess we are close ( + good? ) neighbours, that's why things are similar .. :)

fh2o,
that chat box "Rest in Peace" liao :D

u can always wish me good morning in your heart :)

Robin Wong said...

My goodness...
your entry sure brings back a LOT of old memories !! I consider myself to be somewhere in the transitional era, where internet was introduced, discman replacing the walkman, and starting of mp3 players.
I love thundercats !!! Think they are simply awesome !!
Not to mention power rangers started showing in Malaysian TV when I was in Primary 4 !!
Gosh, how I wish I could relive those innocent sweet days.
Things aure have changed a lot ever since.

Chen said...

robin,
yeah.. it is good to recall back those good old days :)

c a r c a r said...

lately, a lot of blogger's article and some real life incidents put me into deep thought... the 'walk' that i am going thru, really makes me slow down my path. no no no, don't get me wrong, it is not meant to be '-ve' here...it is sometimes we need to slow down and counter check our walk, are we on the right way? where it'll lead you to? and etc...

i read thru this post, twice...

and confirm im the 70s/early 80s 'baby..haha...haha, it seems so familiar to me all the details your put down there...all...it bring me back to the past...

thanks for sharing...

Chen said...

carcar,
There are times in life whereby we need to sit down & ponder..

Yeah.. don't get carried away by things..

Glad u enjoy the post :)

Anonymous said...

Those were the days when kid actually still having fun..

...still have my octopus game, it's not functioning but just keeping it for sentimental values..

Chen said...

anonymous,
Most kids nowadays are pressurized with exam and other stuffs...

I still have the octopus handheld video game few years back, but now I guess it was gone already since my family shifted house. But I do still have some other figurine toys with me.. My collection since childhood time.

janflower said...

Wow..great post. Walking down the memories..I keep recalling those days by talking to my sisters and brothers and my hubby.And to know that some one or a lot of them shares the same era,I simply feel Good. Thanx.

Chen said...

janflower,
Glad u enjoy yourself reading the post.. It is nice to recall back those good old days :D

Kristopher said...

those were the day....*sigh* how i miss it...the only worry is exam and homework....:)

Chen said...

kristopher,
I prefer working days then studying days.. :)

Anonymous said...

I met Wazata Zain (the man behind the hand puppets) while I was working at a hotel in the East Coast in the mid-90s. I wanted to gush about how I loved Cumi dan Ciki when I was younger, but he didn't seem like he was in the mood to hear it. And I did have to have some semblance of professionalism. XD

Chen said...

Sharlini,
I have a friend called Sharlini too ;)
I dunno who is the people behind the hand puppets ;) Never bother to find out in the past, hahhaha.. still young & innocent during those days. Too bad Wazata Zain is not really interested to hear what u wanna told him :(

Anonymous said...

Hello, I was thinking of building a scrapbook wt memories of the 70s and 80s. Here are some of things which I had or used to do back then :

1) Watched Black & white P Ramlee movies, Empat Sekawan,etc.
2) Coca-cola yoyo
3) Card games - Old Maid/ Donkey/Happy Family
4) Casio hand held games
5) Clorine mouth rinse during the Berus Gigi campaign in school
6) BMX bicycles
7) Watched Ultraman
8) Sang endlessly the Kuda Kepang song and those "lagu-lagu patriotik".
9)Bata shoes was a must have.

.......I'll post more as the memories come rushing back.......