Never Bored as a Child (2E4 Rabiatul's grandmother)

               This is a biography of my grandmother. I interviewed her at her apartment on the 15^th July 12, 2006. Her name is Pon Bte Abu. She was brought into this world in the year 1938 and lived in a ‘kampong’ in Batu Pahat, Johor with an older sister and parents. Her elder sister is still living in Batu Pahat and she often visits her especially during Hari Raya.

            Her father worked at the jetty for ferries as a supervisor. She can hardly remember him. Her mother was a housewife as well as a cloth seller. They were not rich but neither were they poor. They lived a happy life together. In those days, parents were very strict particularly in terms of manners. My grandmother said that her parents never smacked or whacked. Instead, they would glare at her for a long time before pinching.

            My grandmother was never bored as a child. There were a lot of games to play. Some examples are ‘congkak’, five stones, catching, throwing rubber bands and many more. She also learnt how to cook and sew at a young age. I was told that cooking and sewing were a “must” for a girl in the past. She was not mischievious and did not play any pranks.

Escaping War and Poverty in China (2E4 Si Ying's maternal grandfather's story)

Interviewer’s name: Wang Si Ying

Date of interview: 09/07/2006

My Grandfather’s Biography

  My name is Lee Meng Chew, aged seventy-four years old. I am a Buddhist. I am currently living in Blk 329, Clementi Ave 2. I was born in China, in the city of Guangzhou on the 1^st December, 1931.

  Today, I relax in my comfortable chair drinking coffee and eating snacks. The familiar smells make me think of the past when I was in China and how I later moved to Singapore. Suddenly, I am back in the past.

  I lived in Guangzhou with my family. I had a younger brother and an older sister. My brother’s name is Lee Meng Khew, he was born in 1933. My sister is named Lee Meng Chee and she was born in September 1927. 

  I have little impression of my mother as she died when I was very young. She died after giving birth to my younger brother. My father, Lee Kett Meng, was the only one to work to support us. He worked as a hawker selling fishball noodles. My father liked to drink and gamble a lot with his friends so in the end, our monthly household allowance was very little. We were very poor and hardly had enough to eat and because of this, my sister had to apply for a job as a washerwoman to support us. Although the pay was not much, it was sufficient for us to at least to have meals every day.

 My younger brother and I were very close. We frequently played marbles that were borrowed from other children in our village. Although we enjoyed ourselves very much my sister would always nag us to go home for dinner. Everyday was happy for us and the world was peaceful until...

Singapore: from Third World to First World (2E4 Shi Hao's father)

     My father Ong Chin Yek was born on December 30^th 1953. His father’s name is Ong Kim Choon. His mother’s name is Neo Hwee Tee. He has eight siblings. He used to live in Old Jurong Road in a kampong at track eight. His family ran a provision shop selling foodstuff and toiletries. Every day after school, he had to go to the provision shop straight after school to help out in the shop until eight in the evening. After that, my father had to study. As there was no light, my father had to rely on kerosene light to study. There was also no time to play as they had to tend to the family business.

     My father attended a primary school called Yu Hua Primary school. He also attended St Theresa’s Secondary before going Ngee Ann Polytechnic. There were also no such things as extra activities in those days. My father is a strong believer in Buddhism, which was enforced by my grandfather. My father still goes to temples to pray whenever he is free. My father also rarely went out with his friends because of his responsibilities. My father lost his father at the age of twenty when my grandfather’s vehicle had a head-on collision with a truck which was coming from the opposite direction. He was killed almost immediately. The whole family mourned the loss.

A Carefree Childhood (2E5 Lin Xueqi's Father)

My dad, Lam Koon Pang, was born on the 4^th of September 1959, was the youngest of nine children. They lived in Strathmore Avenue and stayed on the ground level. Whenever it rained, it attracted a lot of worms and rats into the house. Therefore, kerosene was used to kill and to prevent such pests from crawling into the house. My grandmother was a thrifty person, so instead of using kerosene, she used a rolled up newspaper to get rid of all the worms. Blackouts occurred frequently but my dad enjoyed them a lot as that was when he could scare his siblings using a torch light and making funny faces and noises.

From Farm Boy to Coast Guard (2E5 Marcus Mah's Maternal Grandfather)

Interviewer: Grandson

Name: Marcus Mah Kang Yuan Gerard

Date of Interview: 26/07/06

Location: Interviewee’s house

Interviewee: Grandfather

Name: Gerald Ong Kim Soo

Present Address: Block 81 Commonwealth Close 

D.O.B: 11/1/1931

Place of Birth: Singapore

                                          Present Age                                          Present Age  

Brothers: Ong Kim Joo         (82)              Sisters: Ong Joo Huay      (81)

               Ong Kim Yeow      (76)                           Ong Joo Hiok      (80)

               Ong Kim Luck       (74)                           Susie Ong            (68)

Background Information of Interviewee’s Parents:

Parent’s Name: Ong Teng Cheng (DECEASED)  Lin Sye Chong (DECEASED)

Occupation:  Director of Post & Housewife respectively

               My grandfather was born in Singapore. In the year 1936 when he was five, he moved to Sabah, Malaysia, via steamship.

              During his childhood days, life was very simple and enjoyable. My grandfather was a very active and sporty person. He would usually play soccer with his friends of many other races, getting very dirty playing in muddy fields. Other games for example, would be “hide-and-seek” and “catching the thief”. During his holidays, he would just help his father out in the fields watering the crops under the blazing sun. My grandfather was a very obedient boy; his obedience due to his father’s strict upbringing, scolding him for the slightest mistake. My grandfather’s responsibilities were very simple; it was just to study hard in school and get a good job to start a family. His father did not want him to follow in his footsteps to be working in the fields the whole day under the sun not earning much money.

Of Weddings and War (2E5 Celine Soh's grandmother)

I interviewed my grandmother on July 15, 2006. My grandmother named Tan Chin Tee, was so glad to take up this offer of an interview. She was born in Singapore in April 1934. She used to live at Bukit Ho Swee. Not being born with a silver spoon, she lived in a squatter settlement. But all that did not stop her from enjoying her childhood. My grandmother loved to play games such as hide-and-seek. She also enjoyed skipping and riding the bicycle. She was given the chance to receive an education. However, she was not willing to study because of certain reasons. So instead of going to school like everyone else her age, my grandmother stayed at home and helped out with the housework such as fetching water from the well to and from home which was quite a distance away.  She would also pass her time sewing.

Growing up in post-war Singapore (The Koh Triplets' Mother)

My name is Koh Zhi Wei. I interviewed my mother on 26 July 2006 at home. My mother's name is Sherry Lim Poh Lay. She lives at Choon Guan Street. She was born on 3 June 1958 at Kandang Kerbau Hospital. My mother has three brothers. The eldest is Lim Teh Hian , born on 20 October 1956. My mother is the second child. The third is Lim Teh Keong, born on 1st April 1960. The youngest is Lim Teh Yeong , born on 1st October 1962. My grandfather's name is Lim Sai Phiow. He is a chef. My grandmother's name is Ong Wee Chan. She is a housewife.

In her childhood, my mother used to play with skipping ropes, five stones, tops and catapults. She and her family spent their holidays in Johor Bahru. My mother was a filial and obedient child. She has never been punished by her teachers or parents nor been up to mischief.