Paradise in the City

In the hustle and bustle of the city, William and I found paradise in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. That was a place where for brief moments of our lives, we could run amuck like small kids again. Fishes were aplenty in the creek. The water was cool and refreshing. We were at our creative best, hatching mischievous plots against other neighbourhood kids, against teachers and our poor suffering parents who had to put up with our childhood misdemeanors.

It was a paradise like no other. For several hours, we were totally engrossed, witnesses and witting participants to the exploits of an innocently mischievous six year old and his furry pet tiger. We chuckled. We sniggered. He was fun. He was entertaining. He is a kid I would like to be but not one I would like to be a parent to. He is the ingenuity of Bill Watterson let loose in the adventures of the sardonic Calvin and the ever unflappable Hobbes. Yesterday was one Saturday well-spent at Borders in Berjaya Times Square. I am already looking forward to my next trip there. William?


Paradise in the city.
Photo by Wuan.


Transfixed.
Photo by Wuan.


Immersed in the world of Calvin and Hobbes.
Photo by Wuan.

Author: Peter Tan

Peter Gabriel Tan. Penangite residing in the Klang Valley. Blissfully married to Wuan. A LaSallian through and through. Slave to three cats. Wheelchair user since 1984. End-stage renal disease since 2017. Principal Facilitator at Peter Tan Training specialising in Disability Equality Training. Former columnist of Breaking Barriers with The Borneo Post. This blog chronicles my life, thoughts and opinions. Connect with me on Twitter and Facebook.

7 thoughts on “Paradise in the City”

  1. I correspond more with Lat’s Kampung Boy. Didn’t discover C&H till I was… 16? Borders better or Kino?

  2. Suanie,
    C&H was the comic I looked forward to every day in the newspaper. After so many years, it is the one that I still like best. I do not know about Kinokuniya but the comics in Borders are not wrapped and they have many of those. You can practically spend one week there going through the each and every copy available.

  3. Bill Watterson, if I remember correctly, has discontinued C&H in 1995. We won’t be able to see any new material from him. Yeah, C&H is my favourite too. Another discontinued strip that is as good as C&H is Liberty Meadows by Frank Cho.

  4. I’m a big big fan of Bill Waterson’s Calvin & Hobbes. Have a collection of his comics. Amongst my other favourites are Charles Shulz’s Peanuts & Greg Evan’s Luann. 😉

    Glad you enjoy the moment at Borders. Hmm..have yet to go there.

  5. During my childhood i was passed down the whole collection of ASTERIX & OBELIX adventures. is good reading. later to Datuk LAT’s Collections. C&H was the first comic that sometimes, a dictionary beside you was good to explain his text….big words for small boy

  6. Willwolf,
    I have not read Liberty Meadow before. Will check it out when the opportunity arises. Thanks.

    dementedchic,
    I am not a fan of Peanuts but I like Luann. You should go to Borders. They have a lot a lot of books.

    Bkworm,
    I did. Thanks.

    Terry,
    Asterix and Obelix are cute. I used to read them a lot. Yes, that is what I like about C&H – his vocabulary and skewed ideas.

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