An Insight of Adventures, Mysteries and Challenges of Living “Po”

By C S PO

These are extracts of activities, events, and challenges of living from the 1940s to the present day in 2017a span of seventy-two years experienced by C. S. Po. He recollects memories of his young daysfrom the communist insurgence from 1948 to 1960 to the racial riots of 1969 in the Malaysian peninsula. He shares his experiences on some paranormal phenomena arising from cultural beliefs and practices that have intrigued and indeed mystified him and have remained unexplained over the years.

He relates his emigration to Melbourne to face new challenges and savor Australias mateship, happy hours, and odd work practices in the 1980s and 1990s, which have been progressively eroded over the years. Further, he mentioned his simple, effective response to counteract racial taunts at work and in the streets of Melbourne.

Through highlighting some heart, bladder, kidney, and other health issues, he alludes to be cautious in the use of certain medications, contrasting dye, and chemotherapy that can adversely affect kidney functions from his personal experience and observations.

He has adopted a lifelong philosophy of experience with no regrets, and this book includes many near-death situations that he faced in his life and is happy, glad, and contented that he has had his fair share of nine lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: May 30, 2017
• ISBN: 9781543401226

C S PO

C S PO , an Australian, born in Peninsula Malaysia in 1940’s and has lived through Communist Insurgency and the Racial Riots of 1969 to tell his story. He migrated, with his family, to Melbourne in 1981 to experience Australian Mateship and “ True Blue Aussie” work practices in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Now retired with some health issues but adopt a positive contented attitude towards life.

Book preview

Part 1

Childhood Memories and Adventures

First Conscience

My first memory as a child is when I was in the arms of Mom [Sim] together with my aunt and a number of cousins, standing outside the barber shop along PUDU ROAD in KL. Behind the barber shop from a side entrance is the residence of my aunt and cousins which we spend many a days. I do not know my exact age but I would guess that I could be a couple of months old. On this occasion, I note, throngs of people – mainly adults men and women running down the road carrying items of belongings and I recollect, cooking pots, pans and dulang pans as well. I do not know the cause of the mass exodus to this day and I missed the opportunity to find out from those who were present then, the cause of the event. Being born in 1944 and being a few months old then, I surmise that that could be the event celebrating the End of World War II [WW2].

Even though my first memory was that of PUDU ROAD, KL we were living in a bungalow provided by Kennison Bros in Batu Caves some 16 km to the North, where my dad [Howe] was working as an Office Assistant. It was there that many of my childhood adventures and happenings in life open up.

However, Mom took us children to visit and stayed with our Aunt and cousins in KL fairly often and there were many events that I can recollect and relate to later in this Book.

Recollection of Events and Life of Childhood in Batu Caves

Playing with Birds

One of my treasured moments in life is play with birds. The house windows were seldom closed because of the warm humid climate of Malaya. As I recollect, when around the age of three or four; in the cool misty light of dawn, a flock of small birds would fly into my bed room. I would awaken and slither out of bed to chase the birds around the room. It was great fun but I never got to catch any of them. As the day brightens and the sun began to shine, the birds would fly away. It was with a furlong stare and wonder that I watched the birds fly away, but they would be back the next morning. As I recollect, this daily joyful event continued for many months and then the birds stopped coming altogether. I missed them. This has never gone out of my mind and to this day, a silent hope that the birds will once again fly into my bedroom to rekindle my childhood’s joyful feelings.

Communists, Check- Points and Jungle Squadron

After WWII and from 1948 to 1960; Malay Peninsula was under emergency rule when the federal government remained vigilant for agitations and insurgent movements of the Group of Bandits which the government labelled Communists. There were police check- points and raids in remote areas. Most of the Chinese in rural areas were rounded up and made to reside in new villages surrounded by barbed-wire fences. Any ingress or egress of residents was checked to ensure that they were not carrying subversive materials or food in support of the communists. Any sympathiser would be interrogated, kept under surveillance or jailed.

Batu Caves being on the outskirt of KL was a rural area. With the surrounding limestone, granite hills and jungle; it was a Communist suspected area. Moreover, there was a government controlled rice godown [warehouse] directly opposite the Bungalow that we were staying in. As such, Jungle squad was very often stationed around the godown.

During our stay in this bungalow, very often military airplanes flew low to drop -leaflets and to broadcasts over loud speakers- asking Communists to surrender. When these airplanes were flying around, Mom would drag us into the house and hide in a room -even under the bed at times,- saying that the Communists were near it was better for us to hide. When the drone of airplanes was gone; we would go out to get a few of these leaflets to read the message or information being disseminated – not that I could fathom or really read what was written.

Occasionally, the soldiers would approach the house and ask if had seen any communist terrorists and to inform them if we did come across any or if we suspected any of our neighbours were sympathisers. We would say No, we have not seen any nor do we know of any sympathisers. However, there were occasions when shabbily attired and weary young men would appear and ask for food or old clothings. Mom would normally offer them whatever left over or spare food we had and they would go away quietly and peacefully. Now on reflection, these poor dreadful souls could well have been communists or terrorists wanted by the government, but there was no way that we could say so as they were not aggressive and were begging for food or old cloths.

At night fall, the jungle squadron would light up its kerosene or carbide lamps and we, as kids, would occasionally mix with them to see what they would do. As the soldiers knew that we were local kids, they did not mind our presence and even played card games and talked to us

Another act of juvenile activity that we local kids got involved in was the taking rice from the rice godown. Now; one would classify this act as stealing but back in the old days, it was just good fun. Whenever the lorry arrived to delivery rice or even to take rice, a number of kids would hide behind the lorry and then drill or dig a hole in the jute gunny sacks to siphon some rice into a container. The rice would be taken home to our mothers for cooking. The lorry driver would shove us off whenever he saw us but being kids, we would soon return to commit the act again.

Occasionally the godown doors would be opened and we would see workers sweeping rice off the floor. On such occasions, the workers did not mind us kids going in to help sweep the floor and putting the rice into our own containers to take home.

Of Rainbow Colours and Caterpillars

As a kid till the age of ten years, I often wondered and was intrigued by the weird sense that if I tilted my head or eye at a certain angle, I would be able to see the world and things in rainbow colours. I never did consult anybody regarding this weird sense but found it interesting and even enjoyed this mysterious phenomenon. It was not until I as much older when Mom took me to an optician to have my eyes examined and when I asked about my rainbow view, I was told that my eyes were not properly focused. At that inspection, I was told that I was short-sighted and had astigmatism. With proper corrective lenses; I lost my rainbow perspective of the