My Childhood Hobbies

Old Dollar Notes and Coins:-

Other than local currency, dollar notes and coins of other countries, old or new, are also in my list of collections.

Phone Cards:-

Introduced in early 90's, many designs were launched. There were the designs portraying Singapore landscapes, food, culture and traditions; there were also advertisements from companies.

"True Singapore Ghost Stories" Book:-

My father first bought it as a gift on my 7th birthday. Written by the mysterious Russell Lee, the series of True Singapore Ghost Stories consists of 21 editions, spanning more than 20 years. The supernatural stories had ranged from local folktales to foreign myths, and were extremely popular among the students.

Till today, it remained my all-time favorite book.

Catching Fish and Spiders:-

Catching fish, snakes and spiders was indeed one of my favorite past times those days.

I remember how I caught fish at Sungai Simpang Kiri at Yishun (now converted into a canal). It was very different from the usual method of holding the rod and waiting for the fish to bite. I would usually use a short bamboo rod and short fishing line, and coil the line around the water hyacinth and then go away. When I come back after a couple of hours, I can see a catfish hooked to the line. I had to be very careful in unhooking the catfish because its sharp pectoral fins were reputed to give a painful prick. Sometimes, I wade quietly to the knee-deep, murky water. Using a net, I scoop any fish such as guppies that can be easily caught. I will keep it in a mug contains water and brought it home. 

The spiders catching from Pandan leaves at Sungai Simpang Kiri (forested area) was definitely more interesting. I will usually put two spiders in a match box and watched it 'fight'.