Snippets

My father, now referred to as Ah Gong, is the youngest of 10 children, I don't know my paternal grandfather; I was told he had a wife before my paternal grandmother. This first wife bore him two girls - 1st Auntie and 2nd Auntie - I don't know them as well... I think they all died before I was born. All I knew was that my grandma gave birth to 3rd Auntie, then Uncle Ah Pek, then 4th Auntie, then 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th Auntie, followed by my father.

7th Auntie also stayed at Bukit Purmei. Go up the road, pass the church, walk a bit more, there's a path to the left. This path led to some houses and that's where 7th Auntie stayed. I remembered going there once. A lot of people were gathered there that day to listen to the radio ( or maybe it was Rediffusion.) This was when I was about 7 years old, so should be 1959... I think that's when we got independence from British rule. Everybody was cheering..

8th Auntie also stayed nearby - nearer the church but on the opposite side of the road. She had a large family and her home was small... I think she rented the room... All her three daughters slept on one wooden platform.. Don't know where she and her husband slept, nor her two sons .. I spent a night with them.. only once.. too cramp.. I felt bad.. they were poor and there I was eating what could have been their share of food... sleeping in an already crowded bed.. so one time.. I didn't stayed over after that. Don't get me wrong.. They are my cousins and I have no quarrel with them.. I did visit their house often though because I had to pass by the area to go to 3rd Auntie's house.. Their neighbour made peanut cakes (the small round type, like a carrom seed) and to this day, that's one of my favourite snacks.

3rd Auntie stayed a bit farther away.. From 8th Auntie's place we followed the railway line, walked for about half an hour and we would get to 3rd Auntie's house.. 3rd Aunti moved a lot and I also stayed over once or twice. I remembered having to collect water from a tap some distance away.. The well nearby had yellow colored water...only suitable for bathing.. You collect the well-water in a pail, let it stand for a while and then carefully scoop the water on top.. Halfway through you would get muddy water.. Would you stay many days in this condition? I think not!! Their neighbour (maybe the landlord) had a television though! One of the first few in Singapore! 4th Auntie's house had a well that was within an enclosure and we could bathe while directly scooping water from the well... The water is icy cold and very clear... Didn't bathe there though.. Someone carried water up the stairs and I bathe in another bathroom next to the kitchen.. hot water added.. pampered!!

Also somewhere near 3rd Auntie's house was a place where we watched open-air movies, quite like the drive-in...[My husband told me he also went to THAT movie 'theatre' - karma? ].. When we were living at Margaret Drive, my father was also in charge of running the movies at the community centre at Strathmore Avenue.. People had to pay 10 cents to enter the compound, we got in free...( and when television came to Singapore it spelled the end of open-air movies).. It was kind of nice and fun to sit under the stars and watch a movie and cheered when the hero appeared, and booed and hissed when you see the villain.. Of course when the projector broke down.. you get an "Oi!" and clapping when the movie came back on.. REAL FUN!! Even when it rained... just hold an umbrella over the head!!! Screening would only stop if the winds was strong because the screen would flap and once, it even flew away!!.. Also the wind blew rain to the projector... My father was afraid that the projector wouldl be damaged... When this happen, there would be a repeat screening the next day.. Free entry... Later a TV was put up and that's the end of that! BORING...