Midnight hour brings back memories...

or shall I say, Tunku Abdul Rahman College's 40th Anniversary brought back memories of Midnight hour in 1969, by wicked, wicked, Wilson Pickett as introduced by Rod Stewart in 1993 in this video clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvYK1pIHius&feature=related

There were only 4 Arts classes, I think, when TARC first started operations in 1969. We were then the pioneering students (or guinea pigs, if you like) preparing for Higher School Certificate examinations to be taken in 1970.

It was such a rush job that we had to use borrowed premises at Specialists Teachers' Training College (or Centre) in Jalan Kuantan, opposite what is now the National Theatre. I was quite lucky to be given a Mini Minor (Reg. No. BG 5457) to use, after having convinced my father that I am able to change a tyre in case of puncture! Who would have thought the BG would have led me to settle in Batu Gajah 25 years later?

Anyway, after only a couple of months (I think), we were told to move to Cheras Secondary School, off Jalan Cheras, while the Science students had to go to a technical institute nearby. I was then given a Wolseley 1500 (Reg. No. JC 1581) to use, and the privilege of taking care of transport for 4 outstation female classmates: 1 from Alor Star, 1 from Ipoh, 1 from Kuantan and 1 from Muar, as suggested by their chivalrous flatmates at the recently demolished Pekeliling Flats.

Our class, HSC 2 had 33 students: 22 girls and 11 boys or ratio of 2:1 exactly. Come inter-class football, every boy had to take part, including the nerdy me! But, what I learned behind a sawmill as a kid, from a KL football club (Sunrise) player, surprised some of the girls! The best part was a compliment from a then girl friend of Malaysian player, Richard Choe, I think! Now, I can claim anything I like (the wonder of having my own blog)! It was not too far fetched because, as I have mentioned earlier, everyone thought I was a nerd, nobody expected anything from me to start with. So, to be able to stop a high ball and to dribble and stop advancing opponent coming with the ball meant something.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, out of the 22 girls, one of them when in UK, happened to introduce to me someone who later became my wife, for better or worse!

The connection with Midnight hour? One day, I brought along a tape-recorder/player to class and a Wilson Pickett tape (no CDs then). I was drumming away with my hands on the desk. She was sitting in front of me, and probably listened and must have liked it. On another occasion, at her house party, she played a WP record, and Midnight Hour was the most memorable song in it.
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