About Me

I have done a lot of things in my life and have also worked in many different jobs to make a living and to experience life. This blog is just some of my musings, sometimes funny, sometimes inspirational, sometimes sad, sometimes angry, sometimes simple but all the time, it's just me.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Chapter 3: When I was growing up and now ..... Beano, Dandy and a Coke - salted, not stirred


Do you know who the cartoon character above is? His favorite food as you can see him eating was Cow Pie - yes with the horns and tail intact. Desperate Dan was the main character in Dandy comics. And Beano had some other characters.


If you do not, you're too young, go ask your mom or dad to buy you a beano or in this day and age, show you one online.

When I was growing up, it was a weekly treat to go get a comic book at the magazine vendor in Sri Intan in Pulau Tikus, Penang. It costs perhaps 15cents to 30cents, but the old man would always buy it for us.

And sit there and go through the magazine with a coke, salted, not stirred.

If you have not had coke from a bottle with some salt in it, try it the next time.

These were the days when you'd go out with parents to eat a 15 cent roti canai or a 15 cent thosai. Idli was not my thing.
There was a fried mee/mee hoon seller in Fettes Park that sold a plate for 20 cents.

And you would down that with freshly squeezed sugarcane water.

It probably had bacteria but we lived.

The plates, those famous melamine plates, not plastic but not glass. Some even served on bended aluminum plates.

We were out a lot, we seemed to have a lot of time.

Our parents were not always there for us. In fact, I think parents are more conscious about this quality time thingy nowadays then they were then.

They did not know what quality time was ..... the just did quality time when they had time.

Thus we are left with wonderful memories imprinted in our minds.

But as we grow, the big ego starts to be the devil's advocate.

And God get's set aside.

Money from the root of all evil become the root of all happiness.

Happiness becomes having the fanciest car, the fanciest phone, the fanciest gadget.

Sadness become lack thereof.

The world has become a sad place. You see it everywhere. People complaining about one thing or another.

The simple pleasures in life are not there.

People do not drink coke with salt anymore.

Now even coke is coke zero - emptiness like their lives have become.

You want happiness?

Seek simple pleasures, praise and glorify God daily, be grateful for each and everything in your life including the fact that you are breathing.

Do not over-indulge in heavy sweet desserts and a heavy fat laden meal and then order a diet coke or coke zero. Instead, have a salad and have a coke, salted, not stirred.

You still want a 50cent roti canai when everyone else charges a dollar? Come over to Bangsar, behind TMC, the best roti canai I have had.

Get away from that computer, from that facebook page, leave your phone at home and go out for a walk in the park or even to the nearest coffee shop and relax and observe others.

Get a Dandy or Beano or any of the newer comics (check out http://www.facebook.com/sheldongohart) and buy some new comic book.

We are all blessed, so be blessed rather than blur.

Take care and be well.

1 comment:

Jaded Rebel said...

Jeez!! I love your blogposts. Do check mine too . They arent as good as yours but then u humble hearted ppl always find out a way to help the ones in grief which is me in this case:-):-)