Nostalgia 3: Ma-ma-sak 家家酒

     As a girl, this is another favourite childhood games of mine!

      The name Ma-ma-sak was derived from Malay -  "Masak-masak" which carries the meaning of "Cooking".

     So, from the name itself, you would know that this is a game that involves cooking.

     I believe, there are still many children who are playing this game nowadays. However, they get to enjoy a more "luxury" game, where better "cooking tools" are used compared to my era.

     Having said that, the experience of playing my version of Ma-ma-sak still put a nostalgic smile on my face, until today!

     Living in a poor family in a small town, we don't get a chance to own "luxury" cooking tools, instead we played with some unwanted or broken kitchen utensils given by our parents.

     Although the cooking tools look shabby, but being country kids, we got to play with real "ingredients"!

     Vegetables = leaves picked from the trees;

     Fish = small fish caught from the drain; (thinking back now, urrgh...how cruel were we...but kids being kids)

     Soup = water took from bucket;

     Money = little rocks pick from the roadside.

     Ready? It's play time!

     Role playing: 2 girls (most boys think this is a girl thing, very few will enjoy playing it together with the girls)

    "I will be the papa, and you will be the mama."   "Ok, ok!" 

     Scene 1: At the market


     Leaves were being tied into small bundles, putting on the table (that served as a stall)...

     "How much is this choy-sum*?"   * cabbage in Cantonese


     "20 cents."

     "Wah, so expensive... 10 cents la..."

     "Ok la...ok la..."

     "And I also want the fish."

     "Here is the money." (handing over the rocks)

     Scene 2: Back home 

     The leaves were being chopped into smaller pieces. And the fish....Nah, you don't want to know about it.

     "Hmmm... nice smell, what are you cooking?" Papa walks in pretending he just came home from work.

     "Choy-sum soup and fish curry." Mama answers while stirring the leaves in a pot of water.

     "I'm so hungry." Papa said while rubbing her* stomach.

     "Ready to eat now!" Mama put the pot of soup and the fish on the table.

     "Yummy!"

     And both of the girls eat happily (pretentious of course!) 

     These are just two of the many scenes we played in the game, we were so creative back then that we created interesting storyline for our game.

     Sometimes, when I do my grocery shopping in the supermarket, picking up vegetables or fish as the ingredients for my meals, I can't stop but recalling the wonderful game I was preoccupied with as a kid.

     Ma-ma-sak, anyone?

Nostalgia 2: Seven Stones 七粒石

     Being a girl, this is one of the games I liked and played the most as a kid.

     How to play? It's simple!       

Tiny rice-filled sacks made of colourful rags.

     But first, you need to get yourself a set of 7 stones. During the impoverished era, we don't have the luxury of making rice-filled sacks like what they did for Batu Seremban now; so we do we get our stones? 

     Well, we normally get it from the roadsides, personally, my favourite spot would be a place where a house is in construction, with sands and tiny rocks piling up at the site. Sometimes, I can spent hours picking and choosing the tiny rocks of my preference! (Tips: the rocks must not be too big nor too tiny, best to be roundish in shape)

     Now, we are ready to play!

     1.  Throwing
         * Throw the 7 stones on the floor;   
         * make sure the gap between the stones are not too wide, or else it would be difficult to pick it up later;
       * For those who enjoy challenges, they would purposely throw the stones with wider gaps; during the catching process, they will then pick up the stones by swiping across the gap. If they succeed, they will be cherished by their playmates.

     2. First Catch

        * Throw 1 stone into the air, quickly pick up 1 stone from the floor and catch the first stone that being thrown into the air earlier.

     3. Second Catch

       * Then, throw another stone into the air, this time to quickly grab 2 stones from the floor before catching the stone in the air.      

     4. Last catch
       * 1 stone is thrown into the air, but to quickly pick up the remaining 3 stones from the floor before catching the stone in the air again.

     5. Flipping

       * Once the throwing and catching are completed, hold all the 7 stones in your palm, then flip your palm so the stones are now on the back of your hand;

       * when you do this, not all stones will stay as some might fell off)

     6.  Dan （担） - to count the points gained
       * Then comes the trickiest part, now you have to throw the stones directly from the back of your hand into the air and quickly catch it, the numbers of stones to be caught must be even i.e. 2,4,6. Each of the even numbers of stones caught is consider your points, 2 stones equal to 1 Dan, 4 stones equal to 2 Dan and 6 stones equal to 3 Dan;

       * if you think this is easy, then you might want to think again. More than often, you might end up catching an odd number which gains you nothing at all!


     7. The player with most points WINS!

     This game is being labeled as "girlish" as it's more popular among the girls, however, there are also some boys who enjoyed the game too!

     Back then, almost every kid has their own set of stones and they normally don't share their stones.

     Due to frequent practices and playing, the stones which were once rough and thorny can be easily polished up to be roundish and shiny in no time!

     Sometimes, I wonder, instead of swiping their fingers on the iPad, isn't it nicer for the kids nowadays to swipe the 7 stones from the floor?

     Is it my wishful thinking, or will it be a reality as retro is slowly emerging into our lives again now?

     Ough, I should have kept my set of 7 stones from my childhood!

Nostalgia 1: Running freely in the rain!

   

     
      This definitely top my list!

     Even when I recall it now, I simply couldn't hold the smiles on my face!

     Being an active kid living in a tropical country, nothing beats running freely in the rain, enjoying a cold shower from the sky, without worrying of falling sick!

     The adults called us 旱鸭子 in Chinese, which carry the meaning of landlubbers, in their eyes, we look like the wild kids who have never seen the rains in our lives. The feeling of rain water rolling down our body, kicking a few splashes of mud water with our feet......simply amazing!

     Sometimes, we got scolded badly or even grounded by our parents when we returned home like a drowned rat! But, we normally played dumb to all the nagging, and sneak out to play in the rain whenever there is a chance!

     "Hey look, there is a little crab here!" a friend of mine shouted while pointing her finger to a pool of rain water in the field.

     "Hey come, there is a little crab in the rain water!" another kid shouted in excitement, attracting more kids running towards the same direction.

     Everyone circling the pool of water with the little crab in it, all the faces looked excited, like they have discovered a new world!

     "Come, let me pick it up!" a young brave boy reached out his hand to the little crab.

     Then, he swing the poor little crab towards the girls! 

     "Ahhh........!!" the girls screamed and ran.

     "Ha ha ha...!!" naughty laughs donned the boy's face.

     And we didn't even know where that poor little crab came from, guess it was our lucky day, and a bad day for the little crab!

     Running in the rain used to be one of the most favourable activities of mine during my childhood, and I have tonnes of sweet memories of it!

     Have you ever run in the rain when you were a kid?

     Perhaps, when it rains next time, I should keep my umbrella and enjoying the great feeling of showering in the rain again! :)

Nostalgia of A Country Kid 一个乡村孩童的成长记忆

     I was born and grew up in a small town far away from city, and I'm proud of that!

     Now reside in Kuala Lumpur, the heart of Malaysia, I have a balcony facing the jungle, that always makes me feel like home.

      One day, I was at a friend's home playing with his 3-year old daughter. The little girl was preoccupied with his dad's iPhone, when she saw me taking out my phone, she immediately asked me: "Got Angry Bird?"

     My mind was distracted for a few seconds, then I replied her: "No dear, I don't have Angry Bird here."

     She looked a little disappointed with my answer and continue to tap on the iPhone with her forefinger, at a (I would say) super-high speed!

     At that split second, I recalled a joke that I shared with my friends some time ago, "The only bird that children nowadays know, most probably is the Angry Bird!" 

     As much as it sounds like a joke, it is in fact a reality that is happening around us. That reminds me about another real-life incident of mine.

     Once, a friend and her son from city visited me in my hometown. Her son couldn't stop but keep running up and down at the compound surrounding my house, perhaps for a kid living in the bricks and mortar world, the country life is really an eye opener for him. Her mom watched him running happily while sharing her stories with me.

     Suddenly, the boy stopped and yelled at his mother: "Mom, what is that?"

     We looked towards the direction he was pointing to, there stood a handsome rooster and a few hens kept by my mom.

     "Those are the chickens, dear," my friend answered her son.

     "That's the chickens?" he sounded like he couldn't believe what he just saw.

     I burst into laughter, perhaps in his little mind, the only chicken that he knew would be Kentucky Fried Chicken! I bet he has never seen a real chicken (alive and kicking) in his life before!

      While today's children were being bombarded with technology gadgets, all the products that start with an "i"; me being a 70s child, has a more colourful and unforgettable childhood.

     Last week, a friend of mine who live in Penang sent me an MMS (picture message), it was a nice photo showing she and her daughters helping out at her father's rubber estate. "I want them to be close to the nature, I would very much like them to know what hardship is all about!"

     She truly earned my respect, for sure!

     After the Angry Bird incident, I felt an urge to pen down the good memories of my growing up years, allowing the iChildren to have a glimpse on what had took place in the past, and how wonderful it was!

     If you too are a 70s child, I would like to invite you to walk down the memory lane with me, embarking on a nostalgic journey which will never fade from our life; I really hope you like what I'm going to share, I welcome your comments and input to make this series of stories more enjoyable!

     Are you ready? Let the journey begin, shall we?