LEon の话: Retro

Classroom Flash Back

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 00:22:38 GMT

My friends and I was sharing about our old school days and that gave me an idea to blog this down. I came from a time where a classroom had a Blackboard (but actually is dark green) which used Chalk for writing and a Duster for erasing. Tables and chairs are essential of course and so are the basket bin, brooms and dust pan. Of course there were fan (2 from where I came from) in the classroom for air conditioning.

Blackboard

To the teachers, writing on the blackboard means lesson but when teacher is not around, that is where and when the creativity begin. Ranging from writing wording from Who-Love-Who, names of pop idols to drawing graffiti of any kind. The golden rule stands that "Don't get caught" especially if you are making fun of the teacher in writing or drawing.

I recall as a student, I find it hard sometime read what was written on the blackboard. Logically since the background is black (actually was dark green to be exact) white wording should stand out but that was not the case. Most of the time due to light reflection, the writing on the opposite side of the board were too hard to read. When it get frustrating, you will just switch off and do your own thing and worst my eye sight got worst!

Down side of blackboard was that chalk won't work on the surface when it's wet. After sometime, they(MOE) replace the blackboard to a whiteboard and since they are using markers.

Chalk

Beside using it to write on the Blackboard, chalk has many unofficial usage.

It can be used as ammunition for throwing at classmates.
Take one home so to be able to play group game called "Jump Airplane or HopScotch" 跳飞机 by drawing the lines on the floor or to keep track of the scores.
It also was used as a whitener on our white school's shoe especially after a muddy soccer game so to prevent ourselves from getting a scolding from our parent for dirtying the shoes.

Teacher beside using the chalk to write on blackboard sometime will abuse it to throw at dosing off student. Please note that came from a time where education system back then was very different from the education today. Another "urban legend" usage of the chalk by teachers in that era was an form of punishment to talkative student. Go figure.

Duster

The duster deserve it's name. It may clean the blackboard but it will dirty the user. It was such a chore that every duty student to clean the blackboard after every lesson. Everyone drag to do that duty. If happen to have good teachers, he/she will do it themselves but one can only wish for such teachers.

Since the Duster clean the blackboard, how do the duster does it cleaning? That is a good question. Manual cleaning is require such as dusting the duster on a chalk box or at open air area.

Like the Chalk, this piece of equipment can be abuse as well such as wake up calls and booby trap to make some student hair white as snow. What happen in Stephen Chow movie "Return to School" is true in some sense, sometime.

Tables & Chairs
Unlike nowadays, tables and chairs were not made of plastic but wood with metal structure for support. The table top was wood but the lower compartment for you to put your school bag was made of hard cardboard. We hardly use that compartment for our School bag as our school bag was big and hardly can fit it in. We only use it to put some books or to use it to hide some comic or story books to read during lesson.

You can know more or less what and how the student was like by looking at there "Workstation" (Tables to be exact). You can see their hobbies (what they like), their emotion (who and what they hate) and most of all their honestly and integrity (Any exam answer) just looking at their tables. This is only true if the student always sit on that table and there is no predecessor before. That was the reason why every new terms in the beginning of the year, a new paint was painted over the table.

Eventually the table top were get thicker and a good reason for some students to move on from writing or drawing graffiti to craving with 15cm metal ruler.

A funny phenomena during those time was chairs sometime became a karate chop practice board (wooden seat and back support) and sometime table were not spare either. Yes something to do with this.

Sometime chairs were made for student to stand on (Unwillingly by "request" by the teachers) and tables were made for sitting (willful action to sit and talk chit chat).

Now everything has moved on. Replace the Blackboard was the Whiteboard. Chalk with Marker and Duster with.. duster remain but it's a different type. Everything more cleaner. I wonder if there are still Duty Roster for student to do the duty to maintain the cleanliness of the classroom?

I am so tempted to say this... "Nowadays Kids are so GOOD Life!"

Toy soldier piggy bank

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 06:31:39 GMT

I received this Toy Soldier piggy bank as a gift during my final year of my secondary school days. It was a gift by the secondary one cadets in St John Ambulance Brigade. I was their NCO and it was a pleasure coaching them in foot drills and first aids. I still can remember they are really interested and serious about learning to be a good first aiders. Their enthusiasm make the other senior cadets pale in comparison. They are really a self-discipline branch.

Actually I chose to take care of the secondary one cadet as they are to coach. Of course I also exercise lot of understanding and grace as they are new in everything. Because of my time and attention given to them, I became their favorite Sergent.

On the last day of my service in St John, they prepare a card and a gift to me. I was very touched by everyone of them. I am glad that I can earned their respect. Actually the pleasure was all my to have such a wonderful branch of juniors who are really sincere in learning to be a good first aiders.

Time flies. I kept this piggy bank for years as a memories of everyone of them. They would have been in their late 20s by now. I sincerely hope everyone of them are doing well in life.

旧铅笔盒

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 09:13:18 GMT

这是我求学时用的铅笔盒.

第一次看到时就被那纯普的设计给吸引住了. 虽然有同学笑他土,但他们也同时说他很特别. 当毕业后就没用了. 割在一旁. 一放就十七年了. 虽然看起来已陈旧但还坚固的很. 但已经没什么用的着了.

盒上的詩句字体也模糊不清了. 你还能看清那詩句吗? "人生岁月 _ _ 空, 斤斤计较又如何"

My Aiwa CA-W35 Mini Compo

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 03:55:14 GMT

I was at my old apartment the other day, doing some clearing and there were some things that I have kept it for a long time. Most of them I kept are for sentimental reasons of course. Like the sayings goes "A time to keep, A time to throw away", I decided to throw away some stuff that day. However before I do that, I can't help but to take some photos and blog it for memory sake. I will be doing more listing of my "treasures" in time to come.

Mini Compo in the mid and late 1980s were COOL! It was a great things to have especially during gathering like BBQ or overnight stay at outdoor. However due to it portability, some teen had used it inconsiderately on public places like bus stop or even on bus. Nothing seems to change from then and now right? Except now is using mobile phone speaker playing MP3 while then was using Mini-compo.

I wanted to own a mini compo which has a double cassette deck in 1987. I found a attractive offer on the local newspaper ad and request my father to get one for us. He did but it was not the one that shown on paper but a better one. My dad got a Aiwa CA-W35 for us for less than S$200.

See the red stickers on the cassettes deck? they were not the original stickers. I use other aiwa stickers to paste on it. I had some aiwa brand stickers from some retailer uncle back then. Should I do a informal review of this 20 years old gadget?

aiwa CA-W35 come with a Built-In Graphic Equalizer, a headphone jack and microphone input which you can see on the picture below.

These are the double cassettes decks which I take about. It allow record song from radio and from other original cassettes to customize my on the go music album for my walkman. You can also do some extended version of some songs if you know how. The Dual Cassette Mechanism complete with Continuous Play (After the cassette play finish side A, it will auto switch to play side B without removing the cassette from the deck).

It also come with High-Speed Dubbing that is when you are recording from cassette to cassette, it will play and record as the cassette will spin in double speed which sound like the Alvin and the chipmunk version. The result will be on a acceptable range but I always find it will not be as clear as it should be. Normally I do not use that function.

The Cassette Mechanism also come with One-Touch Recording, and an Automatic Stop System.

The AM/FM Stereo Tuner come with it own extend able antenna which can give a good reception most of the time.

In cases where you still do not find the reception really that clear to you, you can use the fine tunning node.

The mini-compo can be break a part also should you want to remove the speakers and place it in a room to give a stereo effect.

The last time I on this devices was in the 90s. The cassettes did not perform well like how it used to be and thus I stop using it. It was a CD time anyway in the 90s. I only used it to listen to radio in my study room.

Guess what cassette was in my 20 years old mini-compo? It is a "Beyond" album cassette which was 18 years ago!!

Talking about cassettes. I had many cassettes back then but along the way I threw some away during spring cleaning. Here are some that are still with me today.

Michael Jackson was BIG in the 80s and 90s. I had his Thriller, Bad and Dangerous album cassettes which is still with me now. One day will give a more detail review on that.

Another Beyond twin cassettes which is still with me. This album was the best of the lead singer, Wong Ka-kui who had met an accident and passed away in the early 90s. Sigh... after that I hardly hear the later part of the Beyond's songs.

That all for now. :)

Sony Walkman in the 90s

Sun, 01 Jul 2007 14:12:30 GMT

For a long time I wanted to blog about my 2nd walkman that was a gift from my father after I passed my O levels. This walkman has been serving me for 6 years before I got a Discman in the 1997. It was one of my faithful gadget that I owned.

As you can see the condition was rather beat up. It runs on 1 AA battery and back then this fella has a AUTO REVERSE feature that was a plus point. That mean no need to open the walkman and change the cassette tape from Side A to Side B. This beauty had MEGA BASS which was what I love since I was into ROCK music. THe louder the better. Like all walkman, it has a FM/AM Tuner as well. Back then to save money, we often use rechargable battery. However the consumtion of this fella was low to me.

As a cassette walkman, Fast Forward and Rewind was important and is a must have. How to play the song at where it should be? You have to try by luck and listern.

Above is how it look from the Top view. Rather standard. Some walkman has a record function.

This is how it look from the inside.

Is this gadget still working? I do not know as I do not have any cassette. I will still keep it for the memory that I have. Hope those who do not how and what is a walkman are will see this entry. :)