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PLAIN OF JARS, LAOS.

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 A MAD COMIC  AND  A MAD WAR ON THE PLAIN OF JARS. “We write to taste life twice, in the moment, and in retrospect." --Anaïs Nin THE FIRST JOB - A TEMPORARY TEACHER. A NEW BICYCLE. A DEVASTATING WAR IN A NEIGHBOURING COUNTRY. A COMIC BOOK FROM THE DISTANT LAND THAT CAUSED THE WAR. 53 YEARS PASS. FINALLY A DREAMED TRIP COMES TO FRUITION. T'was the 1st of July 1964.  Six months after completing my OSC or Form V, me, the eldest son of the family reported for his first job as a Temporary Teacher at NTPS* English, Taman Eng Ann in then Klang, Selangor, Malaysia. (Pic 1) My classmates and neighbours were happy and excited about my success. The school was 5 miles from home and I cycled there proudly, excitedly and enthusiastically five days a week on a new top of the range UK made Raleigh bicycle complete with bells and whistles-  Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub gear, hub brakes, a pump and bag attached behind the seat. The pump was carefully kept at home for obvious reason...
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THEN AND NOW

  WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD! When we were little, my poor mum prepared our meals. She cooked whatever she could buy from the Indian vegetable man who brought vegetables and fish in his basket which he carried on his bicycle. We, especially the boys had voracious appetites and happily ate whatever she cooked for the day. It was food for our sustenance. My mum never went to college or uni but she knew what was good for us. Today people consult nutrionists, refer to health books and culinary texts and blindly follow fads. REMEMBER? 1970s- Aloe Vera juice - supposed to have been a life-saver for every ailment. Then cave Noni juice- (this shrub grows wild in many countries) another life saver, quickly followed by Xango juice _- the juice extracted from the fleshy part of the shell of the mangosteen fruit which is then laced with huge amounts of sugar to camouflage the extreme bitterness). After that came the vegetable Kale followed closely by the spice Turmeric which was another cure all a...
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