Musings of Suresh “Great Baron” Jeyaverasingam

First check out this article from Citizen Nades of The Sun . After reading them, I decided to reminisce about my life as a student from 1990 - 2001. This is my attempt to recap what was good when we were young.

Now in school, I remembered that exercise books used to cost around 40 sen. You could get sweets for 5 cents each (some time 2 for 5 cents). A Yeo’s drink would cost somewhere around 50 -60 cents. An eraser would cost 10 cents (or upto 30 for the better ones).

Remember the magic card trading days when Malaysia’s economy was much better. Sadly I did not trade in magic cards but my friends who did made tidy profits. I remembered a friend of mine who managed to sell a card worth RM 50 while we were in standard 6. Whew….he made a record! Belief me!

Remember the street fighter books. You have to buy stickers and paste them on a special sheet. If you collect all the stickers(and paste them appropriately) you’d be given a book. If you complete the book you will get something else. I can’t really remember what it was. Yup, I was involved in it. I remembered withdrawing my money from my secret stash and asked my friend to bye a big stash of stickers. I sold some of them though. Made about 2 ringgit. I wasn’t sure whether I made a profit, but I sure did learn economics that day. My parents still do not know about this…hehehe…yeah I was a devil back then…and that was just a wee bit of my naughty side. I’ve done worse.

If you were from SRKDU, remember the story about ghosts trolling around the school compound. The most poignant one was the Banana tree crop. It was located at the end of the school field. It was planted on a raised ground and that gave to rumours about a grave being situated underneath. Hyuk Hyuk….yeah we and our imaginative minds. Some punk kid threw a challenge to go inside the mini Banana tree grove. No one dared ofcourse. Even the bravest (read bully) did not dare to go inside.

It did not help also when stories circulated that there were apparitions wondering around the school at night. A male teacher perpetrated this rumour. Why I don’t know…but when I was in the afternoon session, all kids wanted to go back before 7.30. Woe befall those who stay back behind.

Hahahahaha, it’s really silly to think of such things now. But back then, we would have swored to follow every single restriction, imagined though they may be, about our ‘visitors’.

Remember the cartoon shows back then. Ultraman, Road runner and a bunch of others which I can not recall. TV 1 and TV2 were our sole entertaintment then. Back then, I think movies and cartoons were good. Now, you got to pay and even than, you’re not assured of quality cartoons.

I’m not sure whether this practise was popular among other schools but in SRKDU, my class came up with an innovative way to pass our time. As most of us were football(soccer to you westernised people) fanatics, one bright spark created a football game made of paper. I’m not kidding. Ofcourse the paper version does not resemble the players that it’s supposed too. This invention is rather unique. The paper version of each player resembles a frog…if my memory serves me right. If you want to move the ‘player’ and / or pass the ball, you got to tap its bum (buttocks or bottom for you politically correct people). Ofcourse, this fad quickly got the axe when the teachers got wind of our ingenuity and banned the game. Sigh….that goes the end of our football game. Oh btw, this version is played on the table. And you use your hand (thus tapping the bottom). The more crude way would to just roll pieces of paper in a shape of a ball and kick it. This ofcourse would have been more difficult to play as the teachers would notice it the instant we start the game.

Remember the days when we could play police and thief. The funny thing is even the bullies like to play the game. And belief me, this is the best time to make friends with them. It sure helped me. Not only was I spared a couple of time during my primary school days, it helped me immensely during my secondary school days. When I was a prefect, I struck a deal with them so that they would not come to the area that I’m guarding. It’s pretty tough to keep this fellows off restricted places. So I had to strike a deal with them. hehehe…I came out smelling like roses while my other fellow prefects had to do their best to prevent them from entering the restricted places.

Making friends with the ‘Taikos’ have an added advantage more so if you’re a prefect. If you have no choice but to ask them to leave, a simple talking to them would do. It’s not really easy if you don’t know them. Prefect or not, they don’t give a hoot about you. This is when having an inside contact help..Yeah..I know…I’m a sly person….but hey…I got to protect my ass in secondary school. Now these ‘Taikos’ are actually sweet people. It’s just that they put up a tough image. They’re really nice people and some of them, when I got to know them are very honest. Thanks guys.You know who you are.

If I go down memory lane, I’d write them here. If you happen to think of any, please leave comments.

Nature’s Fury

It’s very disheartening to see the news reports that are currently flooding the internet on the recent devastation which has afflicted New Orleans. People are being killed and women are the most susceptible among the victims. They have been raped and killed. The Astrodome has been witness to such indespicable crimes.

Racialism…?

The rescue services have been lambasted for doing a slow job in evacuating the stranded. Who would have thought, that the world’s most powerful nation have been brought down to its knees not by a human but by the power of god. Doom day sayers would again come and say that the world will end citing references in the bible and the famous predictor (not soothsayer mine you) Nostradamus. Personally, to me and as it’s also mentioned in Hinduism, Doom’s day will not happen soon. Our world will see more and more unrest and disasters but such things will not happen for many more years to come. I would safely say that for the next several hundred years, our civilization(human) will continue to prosper.

Black Americans (note the descriptive term black) are perhaps the most disadvantaged in this part of New Orleans. They’re poor and have been stuck like savages. Who would not turn to their basic instinct when all forms of humanity have been stripped. When laws are non existent, the environment devolves to the Survival of the fittest. The larger you are, the stronger you are, you have a better chance of living.This is unfortunately what’s happening in New Orleans.

I’m not commenting on what should be done. Instead my viewpoint is that of an outsider looking in, based on the reports that are being published on the internet (via news sites).

Should have done this….that…

Politicians and people of such ilk would be quick to point out what the Government should have done. There were reports that such an event would occur have been said back almost 5 years ago. Bush cut fundings meant for flood controls and instead diverted it to the war in Iraq. Now all of us can say that Bush is at fault. But let us not run away from the current issue. When something bad has happened. Deal with the current situation. The priority now is to help and not point fingers. Once the disadvantaged has been helped, then you can start the blame game. Help them. Help humanity.