Between Then and Now
When Pokemon Go was first launched in early August in Singapore ( after it has taken over the rest of the world by storm), I pooh-poohed the idea in righteous indignation. Over dinner some days later, I found out both son and daughter were on to it, with the son leading by a mile at level 16.
Last week, we met a dear couple with advanced teenage children like ours who, at last count, were sane, rational, sensible people. They started playing Pokemon Go with their big kids and became big kids themselves. The wife started running to stalk the Pokemon creatures, and the entire family began to get together to play the game, something which has eluded them as a common activity since the morphing into teenage-hood. That got me ready interested. I sat up, paid close attention as the game was explained to G and I. Immediately, we both downloaded the app and made up for lost time. I repented of my past error.
It has been four days. Bleary eyed from waiting up at night for creatures that only appear at specific places at specific times, and from shooting at targets in the car while G was driving across Pokemon Stops, we were well and truly hooked! It remains to be seen when the son returns from his military camp next week which level he has progressed to. Hopefully, we are not too far behind.
That is NOW.
THEN, during the pre-internet and email era, I was collecting stamps, playing board games like Risk, Monopoly, Pictionary, and Chess.
More reminders of a forgotten age were brought back to bear after we cleaned out a flat for stuff to be shipped to Love The Children Foundation in Davao, and found a bag of stamps, diligently torn out from correspondence in times past. They were stamps from several decades ago; from an era where love letters were drafted and sent halfway around the world. The postman was a face G and I longed to see back in the 80s when he was in UK and I in Singapore, nurturing a long-distance relationship which saw us through 33 years as best friends and soul mates.
Both G and I collected stamps when we knew each other, with G being a far more avid collector. Our albums and first-day covers are now kept in a corner of the store-room,, tucked away but fondly treasured as a phase in our life story.
Between Then and Now
We played Contract Bridge on Saturday with the Cuzzies from the next generation. Again, that brought back a flood of memories as G and I first played this game when we were at their age. Over Bridge, there was a lively discussion of Pokemon Go and how to land those creatures. Is this where past and present meet? What will we be talking about and doing together in 20 years from now? Will Pokemon Go survive? Whatever the case may be, I am thankful to be able to enjoy activities that can straddle across generations and bring families together. As long as it works, and we can all have fun, I say, let’s do it!!!
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