Adolescent years in Seremban.

I spent my adolescent years shuttling between Seremban and Pekan Pedas (read more on My 'Kampong' life ~ http://superbiker48.blogspot.com/2012/09/my-kampong-life.html

I can recall a lot of my days in Pekan Pedas and am now trying to recall some from Seremban. Sigh...memory is eluding me day on day. Good news is I am growing older slowly, not so good news is I am ageing 'gracefully'. Here are things I used to do:

School activities  = I was very active in school. During primary school, I represented my school for Badminton (doubles) and table tennis, it was called ping pong back then. Perhaps, there weren't many sport-girls around, so I shined....well, who cares! I had a ball! Used to train & competed in competitions for Badminton at the NSCRC hall. Glad that the building is still in existence today. It should be retained as a heritage site....left a lot of sweat there. Hehehehe... 

~ In Secondary school, I represented my school in Hockey & Basketball. WHAT??? Basketball? Yes, I did....yayaya...I know I am short but I am darn competitive and I played center OK? Go figure.... oddly, I can't recall the other basketball players....too self-centred, I guess. Right! 

~We used to train for Hockey at the NS Padang just across our school. Training starts around 4pm, I think....it never occurred to us of the hot scorching sun...all it mattered was hockey! We also had a fantastic cheering team & had our very own cheer-leading songs!!! We were state champions in many competitions and were a mighty team to be reckoned with. OOoooo....those glorious days, basking in the limelight & travelling by bus to compete in schools within the state. 

~ By the way, apart from sports, I was also active in dramas...perhaps, that's why my blogs are so dramatic and personally, I can also be melodramatic !!! Hehehehe....

~ Incidentally, apart from my active lifestyle in sports, apparently I was also notorious in school for practical jokes (which I've no recollection but my former schoolmates insisted I was as they happened to be my victims!!!). One of them related at our recent reunion that they would be searching high and low for their schoolbags after recess as  I would hide their them in several places or placed them on other schoolmates seats. Naughty naughty. Back then, I was cute, bubbly and friendly so I guessed I got away easily.

~ Ahem! I was also the cutest and shortest prefect in primary school as well as lower secondary. Unfortunately, I can't post the picture as I have no consent from my former schoolmates but I can assure you I was really cute! Really! :)

School = Unfortunately, my alma mater did not survive the onslaught of development. Notice that I didn't write as former alma mater? It is and will always be a BIG part of my life, my developmental life that is. Originally, the plan was to tear down my old school for a mall. Due to strange happenings, it it's now a huge pool of water and nothing more can be done. There is a write-up on it in a local daily if you want to know more. My only contention is that at least my daughter spent a year in the school before the tragic & painful news. When we recently raised the subject at the reunion, everyone was saddened by what happened. All we have is memories and it will eventually be forgotten & erased when we all passed on...I feel really sad just thinking about it now.. :(

This just came in as I was about to publish my blog. There is an on going petition to : "Renaming Dataran Seremban to Dataran Convent". Initiated by Sharen Seneviratne. Please log on to FB to sign in your petition. Photo credits : Sharen Seneviratne.

My alma mater...BEFORE

 

 

What it is now....... A sorry sight.

Camping = Went camping in Port Dickson. It rained and the sulfur powder we placed surrounding the tent dissolved into the sands and guess who came visiting? Mr Centipede came hiding inside meeeee!!!  In panic, I shocked Mr Centipede and he wasn't too happy, so he bit me!! I was feverish and in pain the entire night. Only went to see the doctor the following morning as the bus service doesn't operate at night. With meds and a jab, I continued with my stay. Such persistence, young mah!!! Small sacrifice if you know how to have fun. After that, I was pampered by camper friends....so nice.

House parties = We held house parties before Disco was introduced to Malaysians. We played music from vinyls, then to big black cassette tapes (akin to video tapes) and then 'graduated' to smaller transparent cassettes. Sometimes it is so odd, one minute you are dancing frantically to the fast beat and suddenly the song turned into a ballad and we had to quickly move to waltz or go back to our seats if our partner didn't want to dance anymore....hahhaha...I can really imagine the sudden switch. Not digital edge mah...so had to go with the flow i.e. what was pre-recorded.

To add glamour, we 'innovative-ly' wrap the ceiling lights with colored transparent paper to add hue & ambiance....ooohhh so romantic. And we had home cooked buffets...no catering ya...poor moms... had to slave in the kitchen and when the party starts, they have to 'disappear' from sight. Lest the boys are too shy to ask 'wall flowers' to dance. Frankly, most times, the pretty/ slimmer ones are quickly snapped up for dancing even though they may have two left feet. So unfair. And some good dancers but not so good looking are left behind to 'decorate the wall'. Sigh....guess that's why first impression is such a big thing! Mind you, I am not lamenting but merely stating facts of life.

Bowling = the ONLY bowling alley in Seremban for years and now defunct. I think per game cost us about RM1.40 It was also a good way for girl meet guy venue...I think many dates were sealed just from bowling :)   Not me! Too tom-boyish to get a date :)   I had my fair share of bowling.

Skating = roller skates!!! Boy, did I skate & skate. The local municipal council built a skating rink in the lake gardens and I would go there regularly with my two skater friends (sisters) and we would try all sorts of style. Back then, no protective gears but it didn't deter us from falling and getting up to try and try again. Such sheer will to perfect a style. Guess that is why my butt is so versatile now ^^ 

Open houses = we visited our friends during festive seasons. Many a times, we would spent two days visiting one house to another during Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Christmans & Hari Raya. It was so much fun despite having to take buses and subsequently, the richer ones brought us in their parents vehicles. Mind you, we travelled in packs!! Easily 6 to a dozen at a time. Oooh, how I cherish those carefree days....sadly now a dying trend amongst school children.

First fast food restaurant in Seremban. Photo credit : Wikipedia

A&W = opened its doors in Seremban in 1980s, it was THE meeting point! So happening back then. Strategically located at the Seremban Lake Gardens, it is still operating in its original site, thankfully. A lot of buildings has been torn in the name of development, luckily this wasn't one of it. Sadly, my school was slated for development. My kids grew up with A&W before Mc Donald's emergence in Seremban then it was McD all the way   :)  We used to frequent A&W when we had our weekly jogging session at the lake gardens. It was family time to chill, relax as well as to grab a bite. My kids also attended a few friends' birthday parties there too...(ahem, you should know this happened AFTER I got married and NOT during my adolescent years....I couldn't resists sharing how A&W was apart of my life 20 odd years ago)

Well, I hope you enjoyed reading my adolescent years. I know I have brought back fresh memories to my schoolmates, i.e. those reading this. Do feel free to drop a line or two on your memories of your adolescent years or Seremban per se. I look forward to hearing from you.

Until the next blog. Ciao, CARPE DIEM!!!  

My 'Kampong' life.

Blogging about the past started me thinking of my childhood days living with my maternal grandparents (during most weekends & school holidays). A small kampong called Pedas, approximately 13miles from Seremban where I resided for 35 years. I cherish my childhood memories and would love to share it with you (also for my own benefit when I'm much older).  

My grandpa owned a huge 1 1/2 double storey corner shoplot, still in existence today. At the rear of the shops (1 for rubber trading & the 1/2 selling household items, apparels, etc), it has two rooms with a huge opened air-well kitchen, living, dining and a huge 4 car garage plus a toilet and bathroom as well as a 5x10x10 feet reservoir at the rear of the shophouse. Upstairs, there's a huge living room, 5 big bedrooms & a store room. We loved playing hide & seek in this enormous house. I have many fond memories:

• my grandpa owned a few properties in Pedas. When I was older i.e. still a young teenager, I was assigned to collect rental from his tenants. He would give me the invoices and I was to collect the rents. 1 shop unit was 20-30 Dollars per month. (FYI, Malaysian currency changed to Ringgit and Sen in 1975). So, you can imagine how much my grandpa trusted me....ahem, how else can I not be his favourite grandchild then.... I was his first grandkid and I was the apple of his eye.
• Every Sunday, my grandma would ask me and my uncle Alex (I am 5 days older. He is my grandma's nephew) to clean the entire house. Can you imagine? Two tiny tots carrying 3/4 pail of water (several times) upstairs and we have to mop the entire upstairs (wooden floors) on our knees with two pieces of rags? We have to do it not once but twice because my grandma was a clean freak! Not only that, we also have to wipe each staircase steps and the balustrade. And there were two staircases!!! On top of that, we had to wash the entire ground floor using pails and pails of water from the rear reservoir and having to dry the floor with 'lidi' i.e. coconut leaf's stem! Hah! If there were a child abuse center call line, I would certainly call up for grandchild abuse!!! hehehehe....
• My grandpa was quite well to do. He drove a Mercedes Benz! He was also the first in the kampong to install a telephone & owned a television set. The phone number had only 3 digits. Each call made or received had to go through the operator :) The entire kampung would utilise the phone as if it were a public phone! Many a times, we had to run some 10 minutes to get the person to come to the house & wait for their son/daughter/relative to call again. One day, grandpa put a stop to it. Boy was I glad it was all over....felt like an unpaid, errand girl! Well, its true, not paid but merely doing a favour and good deed for the neighbours! And the TV....our house was like a miniature theatre every evening with kids coming over.
• I was also the weekend paper delivery girl. Boy, my granny sure does know how to 'use' me. I hated being awaken at the break of dawn, waiting for the bus to drop the stacks of newspapers and then sort out the papers for door to door delivery. Couldn't carry many, so had to make many trips.
• Not only that, I was also needed to help oversee granny's shop selling apparels, shoes, household items, etc. See, I was already an enterprising entrepreneur at a very young age. Thanks to granny. Muaks!
• We (my uncles, aunts & friends - all similar ages) would go swimming in the rivers only in our underwears!! We stopped swimming half naked after we reached puberty....shy, mah!! That's how I learned to swim ~ kampong style.
• I also had to learn how to cross the river on a coconut trunk! It was awesome. And if we fell....we get drenched! So, we learned fast.
• We would dig for earthworms & then go fishing in the river & catch tadpoles in the padi fields. Not forgetting feeding the leeches in the process. We used salt on them leeches so that it will drop off, smart eh?
• We stole fruits from the villagers' home grown fruit trees...those low hanging fruits...oooohhh...so tempting and irresistible... rambai, langsat, rambutans, mangoes and even coconuts. It was so fun! We would run helter-skelter when caught..the villagers would shout first before chasing us...oooohh such thrills and risks we take just to have fruits.
• I learned how to cycle on a bicycle. After many scars & wounds later...I could finally cycle. Due to my height and size (petite then), I had to cycle under the horizontal bars...Despite the hassle, I persisted. Sometimes, I sat at the back (carrier below the seat) when I am tired of peddling from the side but I had to strain myself as it was difficult to peddle on short legs from the rear of a huge bicycle ....Alas, poooooor me!



Photo credit : motorbyclying.com

• I was also taught how to ride the 70cc 'kapcai' aka Honda/Yamaha motorcycle by my uncles (of same age). I recall having only to stop whenever there is a rock or a huge boulder so that I can rest my short legs!!! Errr...How else did you expect me to stop then?? DUH!!!
• We would go swimming in the waterfalls & small dams for padi field irrigation. We would bring our bottles of Kickapoo / 7UP / Green Spot and place them inside those cold waterfalls water....Viola! Chilled bottled drinks after half an hour! Kickapoo and Green Spot was my favourite drink. So, eco-friendly.



Old Green Spot. Photo credits : Mudah.my

• We also ate hard-boiled eggs cooked from the hot springs at the Pedas Hot Springs...now a recreation/entertainment water park. Those days it was just a well. It was much more fun then.  
• We made household utensils from clay taken from the river banks, built a 'home' from branches, twigs & could spend entire day playing HOUSE in the woods. We "cook" berries, hibiscus, etc and 'ate' them for meals. 
• We caught spiders in the wild and then would put them to 'fight' in matchboxes / bowls. I love catching dragonflies...I catch them in assorted colors and place them in a jar with punctured holes on the lids so that they can breathe. I would feed the spiders and dragonflies leaves collected from the woods....well...at that age, I wouldn't know what was their diet!!! Now, would you? I also love catching cicadas and love squeezing their behinds just so to hear them 'crick with the buzzing sound'

Oooh...I missed those carefree days. Life was so much fun, so carefree, and we would spent hours outdoors without having to worry about sunblock, what SPF +++ to put on.We played from sunrise to sun set, only to go home for meals. Best of all, no adults supervising our every move.

I'm glad Rocker57 and I let our kids live their childhood with minimum restrictions & supervision. We never stressed on them bringing straight A's home but we were more concerned on raising them to be good & all rounder adults. 

Unfortunately, I can't say much for this & next generations....sadly, these days, people are too competitive, too bogged down with results, too focus on being the best in this and that but not focusing on bringing out the best in their kids' ability, capabilities and characters.

Bring back them good old days...let kids be kids. Don't let them grow before their time and rob them off their childhood!

Things Malaysians do!!!

Last Friday, I experienced some premium service and that set me thinking of some of the annoying things Malaysians exhibits : 

Photo credit : Dreamstime.com

At a Restaurant :
~ talking loudly,  sometimes I can barely hear what is said! To be heard, we have to speak a decibel or two higher and then you'll notice that the entire restaurant patrons are talking 2-3 decibel louder! Well... you get what I mean. When we were in Italy, Rocker57, my son and I had to whisper in the restaurant as the patrons were so QUIET!!! What a change and oh so refreshing!
~ calling the waiter "hello, hello" or "Waiter!" I read somewhere that this is the two MOST annoying things waiters HATE! Why can't we give them the respect and just say "Excuse me?" They are not slaves, so treat them with respect....pluzzzz. Even if you have slaves, please call them by their name. Alternatively, restaurant owners should give the waiters a name tag or coach their waiters/waitresses to address themselves before taking orders, that way, no egos will be bruised.
~ answering the phone; the entire restaurant/cinema/shopping mall knows the whole content of the conversation because the conversation is LOUD! Please, respect yourself & the person calling you! Not forgetting the 'unwilling' audiences. Excuse me Sir/Ma'am, we are NOT at all interested in your conversation! Duh!

Photo credit : Dreamstime.com

On the Road :
~~ not giving way even after signalling, in fact most even step on it just so you can't get in. Why? As if they can get to their destination much much faster by not giving in, why the selfishness???
~~ driving at 110kph on the extreme right lane! Yes, speed limit is 110km but please move to the inner lane once you have over taken, haven't you heard of road courtesy???
~~ double parking!!! Do unto others what you want others do unto you!!! If you need to get to a place to eat, find a proper parking then walk to the restaurant. Not park near the restaurant at YOUR convenience but at the expense of others!!! And when the 'victim' honks, please have the courtesy to come out and check if it is your vehicle that is blocking or have the "brains' to leave your contact number on the windscreen! I doubt you would do it again if you encounter a road bully or have your windscreen smashed for your selfishness. :)
~~ yellow box in Malaysia means "come join in the fun!" Malaysians in general do not respect the yellow box. Everyone is rushing, rushing....flaunting the law is nothing! Arrrrghhh.... Maybe it needs to be changed to RED BOX?...(but then that is the name of a Karaoke chain ....hehhehee...)
~~ speeding at the sight of amber traffic light! Excuse me!!!....it means get ready to stop, not step on it. Do you need to go back to driving school for a refresher course?
~~ not stopping at Zebra/pedestrian crossing. In Europe, they even stop for an animal. Here, its just another 'drawing on the road'! Please, be mindful why these pedestrian crossing come about and RESPECT it! You may need to use the pedestrian crossing one day, perhaps then you will learn to respect it. (hopefully)
~~ parking in front of a person's house, blocking its entrance. Just because you are here to see a friend/relative doesn't give you the royal card to park anyway you wish! Please, please, do respect others.
~~ conveniently throwing their rubbish out of their car window!!!! How I wish sometimes I have a bag full of rubbish and throw it into their cars, just so they get a taste of their own medicine! Perhaps, then they will learn to keep the city/streets clean.

Getting in/out of Elevator/Lift/Escalator 
~~~ do not allow those inside to come out first. Excuse me...hello??? If they can't come out, how are you gonna get in??? DUH!!!
~~~ first to enter but do not hold the lift for others to enter. Would it break your finger to hold on to the elevator buttons so that others can get it? Can't read? They have it in easy readable icons!! Even kids know how to do it. Thank you.
~~~ do not check if anyone else wants to come on board. Selfishly closing the door shut without checking if someone else may need to use the lift. C' on...what's the rush? Pluzzzz be considerate. It doesn't cost you a sen to hold it open for others.
~~~ Please stand to one side so that those in a hurry can pass through, do not obstruct the entire escalator. Stand on the left, so that those in a hurry can pass through. One day, you may be the one rushing, so.....

Etiquette : 
~~~~ spitting on the road! Ewwww....so so disgusting! 
~~~~ open house rush. Excuse me, ever heard of QUEUING?? I know food is free but I am sure the host knows how to estimate number of people attending, right? After all, they have been doing it for years...
~~~~ piling up food at buffet!!! There's plenty to go around, so take it slow and easy okay, lest you get choked! Worse still...hoarding food and then can't finish it!!! Selfish!!!
~~~~ squeezing fruits. If you need to squeeze, please go squeeze a stress/tennis ball, leave them fruits alone!
~~~~ slurping. We are NOT Japanese. It's not our culture to slurp to show appreciation for the food served. It is disgusting! So, please eat quietly and politely. Thanks!
~~~~ talking with a mouth full. Errr....I don't like to know what you are gnawing, thank you. There's no rush. Take your time to gnaw & swallow your food before speaking.
~~~~ starring. Why? Do I look like a freak to you? If I don't then STOP starring!!!
~~~~ smoking indoors!!! Grrrrr....
~~~~ throwing rubbish at the signage stating no rubbish throwing zone. I guess literacy is still low....?!?!?!?!? Am perplex as all Malaysians have to learn Bahasa Malaysia yet many can't read....sigh....

Customer Service :
~~~ "I don't know". Guess it is easier to say "I don't know" then to learn more or take the effort to find out before saying "I don't know". If you don't know then why are you here in the first place????
~~~ calling patrons or customers "uncle or aunty" or "Ah Sow or Low Sai aka boss". Errr...hello, since when did I marry your uncle? Or since when did I become your boss??? A simple Sir & Ma'am would suffice. It is more pleasant and appropriate. 
~~~ Errr why are we charged service tax when there is NO service??? Can we claim it back? How come there is no complaint department to handle such complaints??

When will we ever learn & change??? If you have any annoying habits that irks you, drop me a line to share your thoughts....

Until the next blog...Take care and let's all think before we act. Cheers!!!!

What has changed?

For the past few days, I have been reflecting on some of the things that has changed in my life in the past 3 decades or so (for borderline baby boomers like me) : Take a look, are we progressing, digressing or are we going in circles?

Lifestyles 
School days :  
     THEN : some walk or cycle to school, others used the school bus. Roads had fewer vehicles, lesser CO emission. Crime is extremely low or unheard of. We had walking friends, cycling buddies & school bus chums....We spent most of our time in the open air playing....so carefree & happy.
     NOW : a lot of parents fetch their kids to & from school. Then, most drive used cars, nowadays so many new/branded cars!! Friends? Yes, if only there is extra time left over from tuition, piano classes, swimming lessons, etc....sigh. They also learn stress at a very young age, stress over getting As for exam! The parents has raised the bars. Why? Let kids be kids! Please....
     SO...We have progressed indeed...more affluent, more protective over our loved ones thanks to higher crime rates compared to yesteryears and yes, we are also progressively contributing carbon monoxide to our ever friendly earth...so sad that our future leaders are "robbed" off their childhood, at the same time robbing mother nature apparently in the name of "progress".
Residential homes : 
     THEN : we used to lived in huge homes as we had big families. We also have vast land for kids to play.  Most kids only go home when it is dark.
     NOW : Due to high cost of living and change in lifestyles, our homes are getting smaller & people are getting to be loners...staying at SOHOs and studio apartments. People back then get married before 30, now, many choose not to be hitched. And kids still play, they play in front of their computers at the comfort of home!
     SO...with progress we digress in our lifestyle? :(
Telephone :
     THEN:we talked on the phone to stay in touch & communicate on urgent matters. We keep the calls short because it was expensive particularly to call interstate and overseas. We write to stay in touch. Ring tones were standard. All phones in the 70's & 80's were black!
     NOW : call/text/chat/WIFI/video/camera = ALL in 1! Calls are cheap or FREE! People text/chat 24/7!!! But they don't talk!!! You get my drift. I see family or group of friends dinning together yet, everyone's head is down...busy texting or playing games on their phones! Talk people, talk!!! Songs are ringtones. Phones in different shapes and sizes!
     SO : I choose TALKING and interacting anytime! When I'm tired of talking or lack of interaction or alone, only then I play with my phone. Progress? Yes. Digress? Astounding YES! We are speaking lesser and lesser but we certainly text/chat more. A price we pay for moving forward. The faster we progress, the more we pay in return for a compromised lifestyle.
Postal services :
     THEN : our post offices sells first day covers/envelopes, stamps, collect and post our mails. Our mailman cycles to our homes and are our friends. I know my postman as I had to wait for my pen-pals and boyfriends letters...ahem! They take time to smile & introduce new stamps or first day covers and take time to chat or even wish a 'good morning".
     NOW: my 'mailman' comes on a bike, drops the mails and scurries off. The post office's focuses more on miscellaneous stuff like collecting payments for other establishment then their core business. We are just the next number they have to serve!
     SO: the postal service has evolved and improved over time. They need to & have adepted well by introducing new services to stay afloat to compete with technology & current pace. Kudos!! With ICT & 'going green', lesser mails/cards are sent, therefore they need to change or they may face 'extinction' soon.

Sports
Rules> Rules of many games have changed to suit present needs and wants. No right or wrong.
Spirit of sportsmanship> The spirit of sportsmanship is now more of moneymanship!!! The amount of money to "buy" a player is OUTRAGEOUS!!! Personally, I feel this is not sports but money making, period. Steroids & strenuous workout sessions are used to boost/enhance better time, better performance. But at a hefty price and a heavy toll on the body & mind. Progress? Yes, we are getting better results but do  we really need to? At what price? You tell me.
Objective> Gone are the days we 'fight' for our nation. Its now $ $ $ $. Look at the amount of sponsorships available to elite players. The huge sums clubs/country pay to get top players to play for them. Most games have price tags for winning. Those days we play for the nation, pride and spirits of sportsmanship....now....sigh....:( :( :(

Food 
Healthy= we have gone from eating healthy organic food to hyper growth and now back to organic. Full circle? Yes. In the first place, we should have stayed at organic! Now, we are paying high price to eat organic food! So odd isn't it?
Traditional to Fusion = we have grown from traditional home-made recipes>to fast food>to gourmet>to fine dinning and now fusion food. To explore food is certainly good as people become affluent, they desire better food. Progress? Yes. Digress? Yes. In the process we also 'kill' the eco system to satisfy our needs. Example : Shark fin soup! Stop eating them now! WHY? Imagine you are a shark, can u swim without your fins?? Go figure!
Local vs global = those days when you yearn for Penang Char Kueh Teow, you GO to Penang to eat them. Now, every 1 out of 10 hawker stalls, you can get Penang CKT of course, remember not to question the authenticity of it. But where is the fun of traveling there to savour the food? I can eat pasta or pizza every week and I don't have to go to Italy to have it, we have Italians cooking for us here! I relish the fact that I can get almost all types of food locally but it beats the fun & authenticity of having it at the country of origin. Even my nearest convenience store sells Penang Tau Sar Pheah!! Can you beat that? Foodwise, borderless is good :)   that's why so fat lor....
Mode of 'take away" =  back in early 70's, we used to bring our own bowls! The peddling hawkers come to our door steps. And if we lived upstairs, simple : we used a rope & basket to hoist the food from the mobile hawkers, same mode for payment > downwards! Ingenious and so practical. Then, we moved on to tiffin carriers and then waxed paper with banana leaves. Subsequently to plastic bags and more recently Styrofoam boxes. Let's not destroy our earth any further. Best alternative is to eat in or if you must take away use tiffin carriers. Obviously, we can't possible use our own bowls now ....think of the distance and spillage in YOUR car!!! Ewww....the stain and the smell. 

In conclusion, if we all start doing a bit here and there, we can all make small changes to improve our lifestyle and in the process save mother earth so that our future leaders (our kids, grandkids & great grandkids) can appreciate what we have saved for them! With technology, we should improve our lives not destroy it by drowning ourselves in technology and "isolation". We need to talk more, walk more, play more, smell the roses more and interact more or soon the earth would be filled with walking "zombies". Sad & stressed zombies for everyone is so engrossed in keeping up with modernization and technology that we forget where we came from and how to live a fruitful life.

For better or for worse, you be the judge. Playing the devil's advocate....If all things remains status quo, we have not progress but if we have to pay hefty price to progress, then why progress? or digress in life just to progress? I had a good & memorable childhood and I wish that the present & future generation can live like how we used to live in the 70s & 80s before all these 'improvements' started to 'eat' up our lives.

The changes starts in you, in me, in each and everyone of us. Let's change for the better. Let's take small steps now....in a year or so, you will be glad you made the change. I did! I spent 4 hours today catching up with a former schoolmate. We lost touched for 33 years, I caught up with her life in just 4hours! ....so come join me in my pursuit to encourage a change in our present lifestyle...talk more, interact more, see more, touch more, and learn more, not forgetting destroying less (use lesser tissue paper or replace with handkerchief, use tiffin not styrofoam, use lesser paper so print less....etc)

For a start, why don't you share what has changed and your recourse to turn things around for the better? Drop me your comment, I would love to hear from you.

I want my old bank(s) baaaack!!!!

Photo credits : 123rf.com

I started saving when I was young, encouraged by my parents. If I remember correctly, my first 'piggy bank' was some nicely painted porcelain cockerel bought from the local wet market. To get to the money, one would have to smash the piggy bank into pieces. So, I had to know when to drop the coins in or to save aside for some 'rainy day' else, it would take a long time before I get to see those coins again. Dollars were hard to come by then. Those days for 10 cents, I could buy me a bowl of noodles and two sweets in school. Back then, we used the term Dollars and Cents for the Malaysian currency until 1975 when the Malaysian currency act changed it to Ringgit and Sen. Until I changed my profession to real estate 4.5 years ago only did I begin to change my terminology to Ringgit and Sen. I was always confusing my potential foreign buyers & tenants with the USD!!! Serious! Well, old habits certainly die hard or you can say can't teach old dogs new tricks....whatever! As long as you are happy, I am happy { taken from Rocker57's message to me}

When I got wiser, I used hair pins to dig out some coins out of desperation or for my spending spree. YAY!!! Obviously, these dug-outs were done discretely. But sometimes, the 'cling clang' of it often give me away.....sigh.....But, I got smarter. I wrapped the towel around the piggy bank to 'soften' the effect! Hehheehe.... bet you did the same, didn't you? Com' on admit it, ya!

When I got married, we did all our banking needs with a multinational bank. I adore the bank and I will tell you why. And also share why I want my old bank baaaack!!! As I blog this, FYI, am still banking with them but the adoring part is now 'just another bank'...sadly.

PERSONALISED ATTENTION~~~
The bankers addressed us by our names! Over time, our relationship developed into friendship. Until today, my personal banker back then (he has since moved on to another bank) still remembers our account number! Can you beat that?? NOW : I am just another serial number punched out from the machine! After 10 years in Subang, I do not know any staff in the Taipan branch! And I can bet, none of them know we exist until and unless I go to the bank personally. Even then, they will just serve me just like how they serve others, no personal touch. Back then I knew almost half the bank staffs in Seremban and vice versa!! 

Fast forward to present banking situation : to ensure you get personalised privilege services & facilities, one needs to register as their privilege member with minimum account balance of RM150K or RM200K at any one time (can't recall exact amount). If the amount falls short, the bank charges RM150 as service fee!!! Com' on....I have better use with my RM150 then give it to the bank just because I have overdrawn a bit from the agreed amount. Who knows, maybe the rich may in the future get the walk of fame tile in the bank like those in Hollywood!! A token of appreciation from the bank for having the rich bank with them???

On special occasions, the bankers will save 'angpows' & calendars specially for us as we were regular customers. NOW : I have to 'beg' or wait in a long Q just to get some. I missed the personalised attention & the bonding I once had with my bank which is sadly missing in ALL the banks due to ICT :((

After initial automation, banks used to have coins machine to count the piggy bank savings. As a kid, I loved the sound of coins clinging and clanging and then wait impatiently for the teller to tell me how much I have saved. Now, the bank changes for depositing coins!!! What the....????

SPECIFIC JOB SCOPE ~~

Those days, bankers have specific job scope, NOW : everyone multitasks! A certain mortgage banker friend of mine called me recently to asked if I needed extra credit card. His bank has asked that of them now! Hey, where is the focus??? No wonder there are lesser jobs available now as everyone everywhere is multitasking...STRESS, STRESS, STRESS.

AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINE ~~
Although I was skeptical about this and still am, the ATM has served its needs well over the past two decades or so. But little has change over the years except now we have cash & cheque deposit machines. I particularly like the special cheque deposit machine in Citibank. I like that it doesn't require me to key in any details like other banks' machines. All I need to do is to insert the cheque and VIOLA...cheque is scanned and data captured. Super efficient and effective. This is a plus point but I still miss interacting and talking to bankers instead of machine!!!

INTERNET/TELEBANKING ~~
This to some is god send as it is so convenient and easy. Although I do use both services but am still skeptical and not trusting these giant computers. Have heard many unsolicited transaction carried out, I  personally encountered an incident recently which was quickly resolved following my persistence to resolve matters ASAP.  Within 5 days, money credited into my account and they apologised.

I hate for the fact that I speak to machine instead of people! And when the people do answer, this particular multinational bank that I still bank with....the telemarketers, more often then not are Filipinos!!! I have nothing against them but their heavy accents and the over rolling of some words can send my nerves to @#%& and back. Arrrrgh...can't we get locals to do the job????

I laud these change as I can save on fuel & time as well as do my banking needs anytime, anywhere but the lack of human personal touch, interaction and socialization is making more and more people becoming loners. People in general nowadays do not seem to need companion, just a smartphone/iPad/iPod would suffice.....aaaahhhh...what are we becoming????

I want my old bank(s) back!!! But after reality check, I must admit the current banking services & facilities has moved on for the better but the part of personal touch is severely lacking. If only we can turn back the clock....oh...I do missed those days when things were much simpler, laid back and people TALK!

Come share what you concur/ missed about your banking days, drop me a line or two...