INCIDENT IN THE BUS

         In Form 6 I had to attend classes in Anderson School in Ipoh as there were no such classes in my home town. Therefore I had to get up at 5.30 am, cycle to the bus station in Batu Gajah and then take two buses to reach the school.

            The return trip was the opposite. I would normally reach the Ipoh bus staion at 1.30pm or even 1.45 pm. Then there would be another 15 minutes for the bus back home if I was lucky.

            On one of the trip back to Batu Gajah, I was seated with my friends who would usually be Chan Yit Meng. The buses did not have air conditioners in those days. The only cool air was from the breeze or wind from the open windows. It was stuffy and hot and the ride was a bumpy one. We would normally doze off or nap during the 45 minute journey. Most of the time, our heads would rock to and fro with the rhythm of the turns and stops made by the bus. We frequently knocked our heads and at time onto the windows. We were lucky was neither or heads or the glass windows shattered.

            On one occasion I was dozing off when I felt someone or somebody touching my shoulder. I thought it was a dream or just a prank. The hand slowly moved and the fingers reached my shirt pocket. It was actually trying to pinch something that was there.

            I opened eyes and saw the fingers trying to retrieve my bus pass or card from my pocket. I slapped the hand and quickly turned around.

            The hand belonged to a girl seated behind me. I was furious and I shouted at her for trying to pinch my bus pass. I gave her a stern warning and if it happened again, I wouldnot hesitate to show her my fist. She did not apologise but looked away sheepishly. The other students looked at me approvingly.

            As a student I bought a monthly bus pass or ticket in the form of a card. It cost 12 dollars in those days. It could be used everyday including public holidays or weekends. Each time I boarded the bus, the conductor would check my card and punch a hole on the date. It was done again during the return trip. It was a real convenience but the fear of losing it always lingered in my mind.

Better late than never

           I spent two or rather one and a half years in Anderson School in Ipoh attending Sixth Form. It was not a long time but I had wonderful memories; studies and activities there.

            The short period provided me much experience and the opportunity to explore Ipoh; the short cuts and the different locations to famous food and shops. It was not because I wanted to taste the food but to know where the stalls were located.

            Monday mornings were miserable as many would agree with the feeling of ‘Monday morning blues’. Each Monday morning there would be the usual assembly with the same speeches, announcements and the advice biven by the principal and other teachers. Mr. Lam Kok Hon was then the principal of the school.

            For your information, I had to leave my house at 6.00 am and cycle to the bus station in Batu Gajah. Then I would have to take a bus to Ipoh.  There were two buses provided by the bus company and they were always packed like sardines in cans. The bus usually left at 6.30 am or even later. I would then reach Ipoh at 7.00 am at the earliest. Finally I had to board another bus (either one that goes to Ipoh Garden or Fair Park or even Greentown) to reach school. That would take another 20 minutes or more; if we were lucky because the buses were always packed with students and workers. So we were usually late or just in time for classes or before the first bell. The assembly was held at 7.30 so we were either just in time or late.

            It was indeed exhausting getting up at 5.30 am and arriving home again at 2.30 pm or even 3.00 pm.

            To avoid attending the assembly my friends and I stayed at the waiting area of the General Hospital in Ipoh. For your information, the hospital is opposite the school and a stone’s throw across the road.

            The friends included those from Batu Gajah and Gopeng. All of us agreed that the assembly was a waste of time. So we chose the idea to stay there until the assembly was over. There were Yee Kee Mun, Ho Chee Weng, Ng Moo Chee (all from Gopeng), Chan Yit Meng and I (from Batu Gajah).

            The other reason was that by the time we arrived at the school gate, the assembly would have started and we had to wait there until it was over to join the classes. The prefects at the gate knew that we were always late or rather just in time for the assembly. So we chose to stay away from the assembly every Monday.