Those were the days...

Oh what a life the blogging world bring, nostalgic, reading Awanggoneng's blog bring back memories of the past...For my generation reliving the past in our mind from time to time is just like going into cyberspace, beautiful, color and wonder with endless possibilities, the difference is that we are back in time, like going into a time machine and be there to witness the happening in real time..How I wish the machine in the book Timeline by Michael Crichton is a reality, ...But then when one look at the damaged done now in the name of development, I became sick, real sad indeed. I grew up on the coastal town of Kuantan in the forties, went to school just after the war....Had a wonderful time as a child in this small coastal town once call Teruntun...A small town with a coastal port, where ships from other parts of the world stop from time to time. There were then two streets, the Main Street and the Wall Street...The Wall street is name after one of the British District Officer, a Mr.Wall...It is a well laid town, with a big green[common] surrounded by trees...On one side of this common are the government offices, that includes the District Office, The Public Works Department and the Court House...This institutions have their own building that still stand till this days...The British administration plan the town well...Situated beside the Kuantan river is a garden, with green and colorful flowers, well maintains and nearby is the PCCL Head Quarters, a big British company that had concession to mine for tin in Sungei Lembing...The largest load tin mine in the world at that time...There are of course the clubs, the European Club, The Kuantan Recreation Club or KRC and a Malay Club, The European Club were exclusive for the European only, the others had to use the KRC and as for the Malay a small club was built for their activities...The Non Malay had their clubs all over the towns..The Malay Club is no more there now but the European and the KRC are still there...The name of the European Club has been changed to Kuantan club and membership are now open to all, the KRC is still there with its playing field [padang] still in use till these days...On the river bank sat a huge house,beautifully built facing east beside the Kuantan river...The home of the British Authority in the District of Kuantan then, the all powerful District Officer or the DO....I had the opportunity to visit this house and awe with excitement the first moment I step foot into the house being welcome by the Mrs. District Officer, an English lady...It was on a Job Week days where we the Boys Scout normally visit the DO's house to do odd jobs to collect money for the Scout Association Fund...We all are eager to do just that and would visit as many houses as possible to do odd jobs during the weeks.. In the early days there were only electricity at night and as far as I could remember it did not makes any difference, for that was living then and as we progress the town began to have new streets lighting...On the first day this huge new street lighting was lighted, we kids were delighted and we all crowd around the pole to play under the lamp poles in front of our dad's shop...There were not many cars then, so it was alright for us kids to play in those 'new' light up area...Before the shop houses were fully supply with electricity, the refrigerator were fuel by kerosene, One had to light a kerosene lamp below the frig, to start the process of storing energy...Life was simple then, so who really need electricity to live then..There was no TV or radio then, so when evening comes, it is time to get home and have dinner and then just goes to sleep or study under the 'bright' oil lamp and then off you goes to sleep...That was life and no one complain...And of course no bills to pay, like now....Those were the days...