The article below was written by Patrick Teoh , a sharp-witted butt-kicking true Malaysian and taken from his blog ' Niamah'....
This is so true. This is the childhood that most of us went through. survived it and still savouring it.
Thank you for summing it all up in this article.
To all those born in 1940's, 50's, 60's, and early 70's
First, we survived with mothers who had no maids. They cooked /cleaned while taking care of us at the same time. They took aspirin, candy floss, fizzy drinks, shaved ice with syrups and diabetes were rare. Salt added to Pepsi or Coke was remedy for fever.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets.
As children, we would ride with our parents on bicycles/ motorcycles for 2 or 3. Richer ones in cars with no seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a private taxi was a special treat.
We drank water from the tap and NOT from a bottle. We would spend hours on the fields under bright sunlight flying our kites, without worrying about the UV ray which never seem to affect us. We went to the jungle to catch spiders without worries of Aedes mosquitoes.
With mere 5 pebbles (stones) would be an endless game. With a ball (tennis ball best) we boys would run like crazy for hours. We caught guppies in drains / canals and when it rained, we swam there. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually worried about being unhygienic.
We ate salty, very sweet & oily food, candies, bread and real butter and drank very sweet soft sweet coffee/ tea, ice kacang, but we weren't overweight because....... WE WERE OFTEN OUT PLAYING!!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, till street lights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. WE DID NOT HAVE HANDPHONE S TO BUG US. And we were O.K. AND WE WERE SAFE.
We would spend hours repairing our old bicycles and wooden scooters out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem .
We did no t have Playstations, X-boxes, Nintendo's, multiple channels on cable TV, DVD movies, no surround sound, no phones, no personal computers, no Internet. WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and we still continued the stunts. We never had birthdays parties till we were 21 We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and just yelled for them!
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law! Yet this generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!
The past 40 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned.. HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!
And yet, there are those who still think that NASI LEMAK 2.0 is a hazardous, national security-threatening movie. I think it is really unfair of them to judge that movie in a negative light. They must understand what the story line is all about. Why ask cinemas to have it removed ? It is a piece of art in cinematic form. It is a story about Malaysia. It is a story about ordinary people who learn to live with each other's different beliefs and cultivating respect for each other. We learn to see people as persons, rather than the race or religion. I often forget that my Malay, Chinese, Indian, Eurasian friends are Malay, Chinese, Indian and Eurasian. I see them as persons, as friends. No race. But I am mindful of their religious beliefs.
So ..those who motioned the move on removing Nasi Lemak 2.0 from the cinemas..Don't they like to eat nasi lemak ? I love nasi lemak..for breakfast, for lunch, for dinner or even supper !!!
Note : To avoid any case of misunderstanding, the words in italics are my own expressed opinions. Not of Patrick Teoh's.
