Chapter 3 The Long Hoildays

,We were now residing in a room of a wooden house at Pasir Pedamar Road.Many families dwelt there and we occupied a room.

For food we were eating at our Auntie's place.We have the bicycles to cycle to school.That was why we were always indebted to our Auntie.True our mother did pay her but those payments were insufficient,I know.

Poor Auntie had to suffer the blunt of the Uncle for entertaining us.He was a good man though just grumbling slightly whenever there were some problems.Just a show of a little anger nothing serious.Anyway I was there only two months or so.

The house where  we stayed was also another lovely girl.Tall,slim and beautiful.We very often crossed each other. When we meet we only agreed each other only nothing more nothing less.Apparently she was interested in me but unfortunately my mind was filled with only a certain girl. 

My mind was also concentrating on only my studies with the examination  drawing near.I had to do well That was why I was burning midnight oil. That girl apparently knew that I was studying very hard despite my roaming around town with my friends.For when I went down stairs to ease myself she seem to be awake in her room.

The one I loved was then not talking to me although I still saw her at Church services. I really do missed her.In desperation I would ride the opposite as she ride home with her school mates.When we crossed each other I would looked straight into her eyes.

That certain glance was all that mattered.at least I got the consolation and  inspirations to continue studying hard.The examination came and I sat for it.As expected I did badly in the maths papers but reasonably well in all other subjects.

I knew I would performed badly in Mathematics yet I offered it as a subject.That was out of grudge for that Mathematics master Loh Swee Kee.Undoubtedly he was a very good in maths but that does not give the right to abuse poor students like me with filthy languages and physically.

Agreed,I do not deny that I was a slow learner or just dumb and could not  grasped that subject as most students do.In short his teachings were too fast for me to understand him.It was his duty to teach me slowly not shouting at me or threw chalk or duster at me.

To me he was the worst teacher in the whole school and should not be one.I took the subject to pull down the percentage of good grades among the students.That would mean he was no bloody good.

The only thing good about   him was that he had a lovely daughter.Diana was her name and I was positively sure most students of that school agreed with me wholly.Anyway there was no interest in me for her that was for sure.

My friend James encouraged me to join all the Church services at the Protestant Church.Linda was also there most of the time.The Pastor was than Padre Fostor and assisting him was his wife.Later we had another Pastor,a Padre Hilliet.We were also members of their youth group.

As soon as the examination our auntie sent for us even though our grandmother had now passed away.Most obviously memories of her dear mother still lingered on within her mind.It was the third term holiday therefore it was to be a long one.

One of our distance cousin was around at that time.This rich kid was always a big show off.Showing off in front of us.I hate to confront him whatsoever.Studying in Victoria Institution and think he was hell lot smart.Maybe smarter than all of us then because his father was a rich contractor.

He would throw his things around carelessly.so I found a way to make fun of him.One day he threw his purse about and I just picked out fifty dollars and hid it in my dirty pair of shoes.

He came back from swimming in school the following day on finding his money missing.In panic he looked high and low for it.Our auntie questioned us about it and both deny any knowledge of it.

When we were out of the house our auntie's servant went through our belongings to find nothing.We knew because our things were wrong replaced after her searched.How would she knew it was in my dirty pair of shoes.That was never the last place she would find or ever anyone would?. 

True, I was bad  and had a criminal mind.For the first time I was a thief.My auntuie was equally smart she knew I was the culprit but could not proved it nor maybe she never intended to dispose me.What was fifty ringgit to a rich man anyway.Sparing it to a poor relative was surely nothing big - no big deal?.

For days that note was left in my smelly shoes an excellent hiding place.Even when we went out I wore those shoes with the note within,walking and running as if nothing in them.I only removed it when we were about to go home weeks later.

Meanwhile a confidence tricter came into my auntie's house one day claiming to be from Taiping,Perak.He said he was coming in just to say "hello".Our uncle, he claimed was his long time friend and that he was one of the son of a rich family from Taiping.

He was talking with much confidence claiming this and that.Our auntie seem impressed by his yearning.Then they touched whom and whom he knew - actually all bluff.Our Auntie was interested in getting me fixed with a job.This man promised her on the spot that he could easily fixed that and can take me immediately to see those big shots concerned.

He also convinced our Auntie that he could get her premium rice cheaply from Taiping and our auntie thinking that he was genuine and honest gave him some money to purchase them. Then he left with me purporting to see some big shot in the Arm Forces to get me a job.

He left me at a coffee shop in Setapak and bolted, never to be seen again.I returned  home empty handed.Only then our auntie knew we had been cheated.I felt extremely bad because she was very anxious trying to help me secure a job.

Few weeks later the real guy from the Taiping came a calling after hearing of our auntie's plight.He was coming to clarify himself that no others from that family came to cheat our auntie.

A good look at him really bore  some familiarities The confidence man looked and actually talked almost like him but it was not him.Seeing me our auntie asked him whether he had any position for me in his  plantation.He offered me a job on the spot and I was to report to him in Taiping the following month after the Chinese New Year.

The holiday was soon going to be over and we needed to return home.Before that we went out to town by bus.Now that I had some cash in hand a cheap shirt for myself from Globe Silk Store,ate something nice and returned home.Then finally we were homeward bound.


Once back home in Teluk Anson I gave some of my pals a treat now that I had the money.I always wanted a nice pair of shoes and therefore I brought a pair of Apache shoes.The tyoe "Elvis Presley"wore on film.The pair of black shoes with white topping.The fashion that time.My brother was never aware of what I did.


With me going to Taiping,my brother was shifted to stay with our Teluk Anson Auntie.In Feb.1960 I joined Synn Lee & Co,m and was employed in their plantation namely Hurst Esate,Ulu Sapetang,Taiping,Perak.

Chapter 2 A beautiful Girl called Linda

I was not a Christian then but the school I attended was a initially a missionary ran school.That was why I became involved with Christianity.

In that school every Friday afternoon we all  had to attend chapel services before school over.Muslim students cannot join us and were released to go to their Mosque to pray.

That was why I was exposed to the Bible and the hyms.In fact I offered Scripture (St.Luke) as one of my subjects for the Scholol Certificate Examination.Easy to score in this subject,of course,in fact a certain credit from it.

I was in form 5 then when I met James Ong.He and his family were staunch Christian.Very often he invited me to visit him at his house.It was he who first introduced me to the Church.

We attended the evening services as well as the other one on Sunday morning.One morning I surprisingly dropped into his house and there she was a very,very lovely girl.She was so charming and attractive so much so I could not lift my eyes away from her. 

She was simply stunningly beautiful Immediately I fell in love with her at first sight.James introduced her to me and teased me and her.What said were the truth because I actually fell for her that very instant.

We spoke a little sheepishly but got along fine.James invite her to Church which she agreed immediately and I was to escort her.It was an excellent start for us.That evening I escorted her to Church.We had a lovely outing although we were just going to Church.

That was to be the best part of my life although I was so young then.I was sixteen,perhaps too young for love or was it????.No never it was a love forever.I knew it from the very start that that was the girl in my life.True enough it adhered to me for life even there were no good ending.All good things never ended well in many cases.

There is a God and He has his ways of doing things.Who then were I to question it?.

Every moment of my escorting her to school in the morning and back in the afternoon.To Church services etc.were all treasured by me.All very happy memories.But life were never a bed of roses,at least not for me.

For before long another handsome tall youth had an eye on her.He was seen waiting and looking at affectionately at her as we passed by every morning.I was  mindful of him but just ignored him because she was a beautiful girl surely there were many admirer.Most important he was from a wealthy family.That family was a famous coffee merchant.

During those time her mother also requested me to tuition  her and brother in their lessons especially maths.Now how awful was that,because I myself was never good at it neither was I was I a top grade student.As it was I myself needed  tuition . In short I was just simply not a good sudent myself..

Observing that their mother and with the new rich boy after their daughter the mother just told me off in a nice and politely way to get lost.Got lost I did,but as I left the house that morning,the tears flowed down my face  drenching it non-stopped.

The tears kept pouring out even when I reached the main road and cycled on and on.Linda sensing some thing drastically wrong did called out to me as her young brother looked on.I was badly hurt that day.In sorrow and in tears which I did not wish her  to see me in that position just simply waved  to her without turning around and walked on.

That was the saddest day of my dear life. I cycled and cycled for miles,until I reached the far end of Selaba Estate some five miles away.My tears were then drying up.Then only I did turned back to ride home ward.Thereafter I went back to fish in a secluded place where no one could locate me that day.

After much deep thoughts I now know that poor boys should not fall in love.There were no place for them there.I became angry and frustrated at my predicaments I turned bad,real bad.An angry young man hunger for any fights that may come along.THere was nothing to prove but to vent my anger whosoever cross my path.

For from that day on I joined another group of boys.Together we made a fearful foursome.There were Wei Sang and the two brothers.Hardly into a week of moving with them  most people knew us.None dared challenged us to any fight because they know we would all fight together.

Should there be trouble we were the one to question them,"If you are looking for trouble.You have come to the right place".Once we were almost involved in a gang fight near the rice mill of Teluk Anson.We were to assist another gang in their fight against another gang whom non of us knew.

We went there at the appointed time but we were smart in taking another route to that spot.However before we reached that spot we notice the police in full force lying around.It was a Police trap set for all of us.

As we noticed that we broke up and ran away in two groups.Those two brothers cycled towards town and I took Wei Sang to run off the other way.We escaped that dragnet.Wei Sang stayed with me at the Plantation.

Next morning I attended school as normal but was pointed out by a Police  Officer to the Principal in class from out side the class.No arrest was made as they had no prove against me.From then I knew I was a marked man.My friend I sent him fishing  while I went to school.


A few days after I split from escorting that girl.that girl confronted me after Church service for starring fiercely at her new friend,the coffee boy.That really stunned me and I replied,"Well I only looked at him as he at me.Noting more". No threats whatsoever..

However,from that day on ward that boy stopped at escorting her.  Apparently he considered myself a threat to his well being. Cannot blamed him because I was already a well known thug. 

Just imagine even  a murderer who absconded from Ipoh when hiding in Teluk Anson also seek us out .Maybe he thought we could protect him from others.We relaxed and just allowed things be as we became friends.

So I turned bad and my worst enemy  those days were members of the Horse Shoe Gang of which Loke Weng Cheong was  a member.They never dared dreamed of  going round town alone because they know I would fight them anytime any place.I can now fight my own battles . At last I had left the shell of the protection of Suan Leng.

The School Certificate Examination was drawing near and in the eyes of all others I was bound to fail - no way I could passed,I wanted to prove all of them wrong.I studied after my roaming in town nightly.Yes,I was burning midnight oil studying in silence until 5.00 a.m daily.Could I still failed?..

By then we had shifted house again.We moved to a room upstairs in a wooden house along Pasir Pedamar.We moved in with our father while our mother went to tap rubber at another small holder some distance away from town.She only comes back to see us during her off days.

Soon the examination was over and almost immediately we left for Kuala LumpurThis was the third term holidays and it was longer.

Chapter 1 The Days After The Passing Of Our Grandmother

Our living conditions remained as it was after the demised of our dear grandmother.We still had to reside at the Plantation quarter.

The plantation however had changed hands.Being taken over by a Chinese owned concerned.In place of the Manager they placed a "Kapala"or headman who resided next to us,not in the Manager's bungalow.That was reserved for the Boss to stay whenever they visited the plantation.

Our mother was slightly better off for only a a short while,when our sister was offered a temporary teacher position by the Convent School.That was because she had been the best student most the years.

When the Overseas Cambridge Results came she scored the best results for Lower Perak.Later she was accepted to be trained in Brinsford Lodge,U.K.Of course she went on with that,so we were back to square one.

When "Cheng Beng" came we went to the 9t.mile Cemetery by our Teluk Anson uncle's car. He was kind to do us that favor  but we just had to top up his petrol tank,that was all.He was driving a green color Morris Minor then.

As I grew older my days in running around the plantation became lesser.I was developing a little interests in girls.So I began teasing them all round.For example there a beauty living in the plantation's shop.

Trying to get near to her we often hanged around her house,eying her.She was friendly but we found out that she had a boy friend who came in a car.Ah -anyway she was slightly older than us,we lamented.Sour grapes,maybe.

She still had a younger sister,but too young though she might grow up as another beauty.That small girl was eying our younger brother.My brother at that age had no interest in her.

The Yap family had a couple of daughters ,whom we knew more intimately but I for one had no interest in either of them.Their father was a building contractor who had closed connection with the European Plantation Manager.

Their sons were our fishing partners.Much of our tricks were learned from them.Now that I was much older I do not go out fishing or venture into catching spiders and fighting fish with them.

I joined my  cousin's group in roaming the town in the early evenings.Just p[lain roaming looking at at beautiful girls,no chasing.This was where I met a guy named Johnnie Tan.This chap can sing very much and I learned how to sing from him.Well he seemed very familiar with many then top hits.We sing along as we cycled round town.This group retired back home by 10 p.m..

Thereafter, I joined another group,a rather timid group.One of the friends was Yusof, a half Bengali/Malay youth while another was P,M.S.Moorthy. There was another Chinese youth who walked with a slight limped.

Most of the time we would loitered around the Great World Park.Should we had sufficient money we would enjoy ourselves eating Assam Laksa at fifteen cents or twenty cents per bowl or we went for "sup kambing" or 'Sup Ayam"or "Sup Lembu".

All very tasty those days and all affordable.Those days those things were very tasty unlike today's.Got money we all enjoyed ourselves together or whoever can afford to give the rest a treat.The treat would be on him.Those days I was always broke.Should all do not have enough money we all just simply go for a plain cup of "kopi O".

We were just want to have a little fun loitering around until midnight.Nor we interested in any girls though some girls might  had seco0nd thoughts  at our odd behaviors around town.

I admit that at that time I was developing some interest in them.Stealing some fleeting glances at them sometimes.No harboring of bad ideas about them.No anxiety over them just plain adoration.Admiring young girls no harm.

At the bicycle of the Great World Park were a couple of sisters tendering to bicycles parked there.They were eying us and we looked back affectionately.That was all.No attempts were made to contact them.

I thought our trips of holidaying in Kuala Lumpur were finished after our Grandmother's passing away.No how wrong I was.For before long our Auntie requested our presence there.

So we went there during our school holidays.WE tagged our cousin along.While there we were also taken to Port Dickson for a short stay.For the first time we faced the vast sea.

There we spent hours walking in the sand.Those days Port Dickson was very clean unlike today.Broker bottles and rubbish littered along the beaches.The water murky and highly polluted from nearby hotels,restaurants and homes.The water in fact smiled dirty.

Those days we could walked for distance looking for sea shells.Fishing was quite out because we d not know how to fish in sea water.The distance of shallow water seemingly without end.We walked until we got sun burnt.

We actually went in a big group of uncle's relatives and good friends.They also brought along their children.Non interest me what so ever only our cousin was infatuated by a certain girl.A closed friendship developed between them.

I had no interest in all of them as I had something else in mind.My brother was all time near our cousin sister and the other girls.He was then too young to have any interest in any of them,though some girls I think liked him.


We all had a good time there.

When we returned home I told our cousin about it and he was anxious to join us.So the next trip we went we took him along.WE did not pay for his trip,I think his brother-in-law did.