Our Bedok Kampong House Singapore

Our cousin, just 8 years old then told us this interesting story. In December 1958 when our paternal aunt got married, she happened to be the first one in the family to do so but at that time our father, the oldest sibling was still unmarried. There is a Chinese tradition to be followed when such a situation happens. Our mama (grandmother) instructed that the bride and groom walk under the older brother's trousers, literarily. The purpose of this ritual was to show respect to the elder brother.  We checked that the Chinese word for "trousers" sounds like the word for "wealth," so the item is also associated with bringing prosperity. The trousers are typically hung across the main door of the family home and the bride and groom had to walk underneath as they enter the house. In our case it was a pair of pyjamas our paternal aunt and Ah Tio walked under as they entered our Bedok kampong house! Our mother told us it wasn’t a brand-new pair! While we don’t have phot...

This writer, the older of the boys was in Jakarta, Indonesia a few years ago, when he was in his early 60's. One evening back at my suburban hotel, I heard a familiar sound ringing out into the neighbourhood and it instantly brought me back to our childhood days living at our kampong house in Bedok, giving me a sense of familiarity and comfort – the sound of the call to prayers from the nearby Masjid Bedok Laut mosque. This mosque was close by within a very short walk from our house. I was informed by my Muslim friend that the calls to prayers are now only broadcasted aloud from the Sultan Mosque at North Bridge Road and not elsewhere but still audibly available via radio broadcasting five times a day. Thanks to this precious photo of the mosque (probably taken in the early 80’s after we moved out) and being able to share this by permission of the National Archives of Singapore, we are indeed grateful. Approval to reproduce was given by the NLB/National Archives upon submission req...

A fitting way to start the new year is to honour new beginnings when a man and woman come together in holy matrimony. Here is a tribute to the beautiful wedding studio photographs from the late 50’s, 60’s and early 70’s celebrating the union of 18 of our relatives - from both maternal and paternal sides of the family - our parents, aunts, uncles, cousins. Several are no longer with us, but the love and commitment on display is everlasting and lasts for all time, and the remaining partner carries on emboldened by the love of their marriage that strongly endures still to this very day. Enjoy this gallery of 18 couples celebrating their blissful day captured in time, originally in black and white, and now brought to life in colour

Just sharing this memory of one of our house treasures with you. This was the first known vocal LP (33 1/3 rpm) that our father owned. He bought it not long after its release in 1956 and our mother just loved “I’m In The Mood For Love” as she sang it. We kept this LP with us until now.. In case you are interested, the back sleeve copy reads: Arthur Godfrey has an eye and ear for unusual talent, and his latest discovery—Miyoshi Umeki—is probably the most bewitching “bird of paradox” he has ever presented on TV. Visually, the tiny Oriental nightingale possesses the fragile beauty and delicate grace of a Japanese print, while vocally, she displays all the modern technique and polished phrasing of a really hep Occidental canary. Godfrey first introduced Miyoshi to American audiences on his CBS-TV show “Talent Scouts” at the beginning of 1956. The doll-like performer—attired in a quaint kimona—astonished both the famous red-head and his audience by singing a sultry version of “How Dee...

Not long after we moved out of our Bedok kampong house to the Marine Terrace HDB flats in October 1974, we passed by ‘Jodhi Book Store’ at Block 58 and saw a familiar face inside. How nice to have met this vendor once again then. Oh yes, he reminded us he came from Bedok kampong like us and had a mama stand along the wall of the terrace shophouses where the smaller road turns into our kampong from the Bedok corner turn-around. How nice to see his business expand like this. Oh yes, we loved to visit him back at Bedok (everyone had to walk by on route to their house) and amidst the usual sales of sweets, snacks, drinks and the usual offerings, he also sells and rents books, magazines etc – and we bought this second-hand Disneyland magazine there.. We read lately of the closure of this bookstore in 2019 after operating for 42 years.. but then it was time for him to retire and enjoy life! Thank you for those memories indeed Sir…  this colourised photo (by Copilot) indicating where the ...

This is a 28-year table top calendar that began for the year 1948, (and ended in 1975) most likely belonging to our grandfather which found its way onto the display cabinets at our Bedok kampong house but somehow still kept till today with us. It was a year-end corporate gift from the “Holland-Indonesia Shipping Agency”, non-existent today. We took some time to remove the grime from over 77 years, got it polished somewhat and now sharing it with you! The month on display is set to November 1954, the month the family moved into that old house of ours. Imagine the pairs of eyes gazing on its dial all those years ago to check the dates… Polished somewhat, and set to November 1954, the year the family moved into the house How it was, after 77+ years