BABY BOOMER - THOSE WERE THE DAYS

Born in 1961...

I'm part of the tail-end of the Baby Boomer generation, if in the western context they referred to as "Generation Jones".

While the young generations of today are proud of their Gen X, Y and Z, I would like to share some analog experiences of Malaysian Baby Boomers in the 60's to the 80's.

My generations hold a unique and powerful position in the modern world. It's aren't just about timing, we are rooted in the specific economic and social shifts they navigated.

My generations are "Digital Immigrants"... my generations were the pioneers who built and first implemented the tech (personal computers, internet, mobile phone etc....).

We are the generation that uses typewriters, telegraphy, telex, public telephones, PDAs, pagers, radio cassettes, video tapes, walkmans, brick games and many more that the current generation may never have seen or used.

And we are also the generation that is lucky to be able to experience using the latest technology such as the internet, mobile phones, Yahoo, Googles, Facebook, Instagram and so on...

My generation of baby Boomber provided "the foundation layer" of the modern digital world (Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, Tim-Berners Lee and others).....

THE KAMPUNG LIFE

Growing up in a metropolitan city like Kuala Lumpur doesn't mean I don't have a "kampung life experiences".... My late father's hometown at Kg Nerambai, Lubok Cina, N.Sembilan and my late mother's hometown at Kg. Sungai Siput, Lubok Cina,Melaka are also considered "MY HOMETOWN", eventhough I was born in Taiping, Perak and raised in Kuala Lumpur...

The "Kampung Spirit" - neighbours were like extended family in those days.Traditional wooden houses that allow hot air to escape and protect from floods, lush greens surroundings with coconut, mango, rambutan trees.

Before the internet and mobile phones, life revolved around face-to-face interaction and community gathering.

As a child in the 60's and 70's , playing outdoor from morning until dusk are common, games like catching spiders, flying kites, playing marbles, playing in the rain (later hide and seek with an angry mom), swimming in the nearby rivers.

Those were the days of Kerosene lamps and firewood, and food were simple for Kampung Life those days, often with fresh fruits from the backyard and seafood from local rivers or seas.

At night, gather around a single radio to listen to news or horror drama... before unable to bought a television set...

For those who grew up during my"Baby Boomer" generations will always remember it as "golden time" = tougher in material terms but rich in community, freedom and closeness to nature....

Hj Zulheimy Maamor

Lembah Keramat, K.L

2 September 2026: 12.10 p.m