tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post4415404035352445370..comments2024-03-28T15:13:45.925+08:00Comments on Good Morning Yesterday: Edward Williams remembers Sembawang Hills Estate Part 4Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-63473841595079608692009-09-17T17:26:26.103+08:002009-09-17T17:26:26.103+08:00I had a very good impression of Malaysian hospital...I had a very good impression of Malaysian hospitality. I went to KL many years back to attend a cousin's wedding. Another cousin brought to one of his girl friend's home. Being a total stranger to this girl, but nevertheless I was treated like a VIP. Her mother cooked a variety of peranakan dishes for us to eat, meanwhile made sure that we at ease, like in our own home.Zenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07489706873295639555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-38481379596878234532009-09-16T09:59:36.325+08:002009-09-16T09:59:36.325+08:00Sorry, 4th para. should read, "their country....Sorry, 4th para. should read, "their country."ANDY: Pop Music Not Pills. ©https://www.blogger.com/profile/10946638825812052608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-56032896887300102822009-09-16T09:57:06.562+08:002009-09-16T09:57:06.562+08:00Been reading your blog a bit, Chun See. Find them ...Been reading your blog a bit, Chun See. Find them absorbing and informative. So just my two cents worth on these postings and about people in general.<br /><br />One conclusion though, it's never about race, language, religion or even culture. It's always the individual. <br /><br />A Canadian caucasian friend drove two days, all the way from Winnipeg, to meet me in Vancouver. Then he drove home with me in the car. We took 10 days sightseeing as we travelled eastwards. He paid every dime without even allowing me to settle a meal. He was my university mate and a neighbour in Winnipeg for some years.<br /><br />It happens all the time. I've had Canadian, Kiwi (NZ), Scottish and British neighbours who were all so kind and helpful when I was in their countries.<br /><br />I got the same treatment when I lived in Indonesia and Malaysia. Great neighbours.<br /><br />Shouldn't we be just as helpful and neighbourly too when they are here? <br /><br />It's always the individual who may be nasty and quarrelsome... or the nice guy who makes our global society a lovelier place to live in.<br /><br />"When I walk through that door,<br />Baby be polite,<br />You're gonna make me sore,<br />If you don't treat me right,<br />If you don't want me to be,<br />Cold as ice,<br />Treat me nice!" <br />Elvis Presley.<br /><br />Cheers.ANDY: Pop Music Not Pills. ©https://www.blogger.com/profile/10946638825812052608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-52652027449478549022009-09-15T11:49:56.289+08:002009-09-15T11:49:56.289+08:00Presently we live in an estate that has at least t...Presently we live in an estate that has at least two third of its residents caucasians (mostly as tenants). Some of their kids are very exuberant, kicking football in all direction, which at times land into our houses. I complained to Mr W, our nearest neighbour, of his two sons who areapparently are the ring leaders of this group of kids. Mr W promised me that he will control his sons and after incident we become good friends. One day we found his wife, who appeared to be an aloof lady, was unable to go to work due to torrential rain, and Mr W was unable to fetch her to work as he has only a motor-cycle for transport. My wife and daughter saw their predicament, promptly offered Mrs W a lift to the MRT. Now the couple becomes our good neighbours as well as friends. They even seek my daughter's advice where to shop (at various towns) in Indonesia which my daughter knows well after making many business trips there. Sometimes we need a little initiative to break-through the wall that divides people.Zenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07489706873295639555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-75416381612329736672009-09-15T00:50:49.690+08:002009-09-15T00:50:49.690+08:00What? You got topless shows half a century ago wit...What? You got topless shows half a century ago without going to a <a href="http://victorkoo.blogspot.com/2009/09/singapores-first-topless-car-wash.html" rel="nofollow">car wash</a>?Victorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10339178864363140977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-37210243038694240342009-09-14T20:43:52.465+08:002009-09-14T20:43:52.465+08:00Actually, the situation is quite similar in Serang...Actually, the situation is quite similar in Serangoon Gardens too in terms of British and Australian servicemen staying at the estate. I remember a few of my neighbours were Causasian when I was staying at Portchester Avenue in during the 60s. I would see their kids running around the street barefoot. They seemed to like that. I never talked to them though.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-32889903854846974592009-09-14T10:23:37.279+08:002009-09-14T10:23:37.279+08:00Our parent's generation sometimes "to be ...Our parent's generation sometimes "to be blamed". They associated anything about Caucasians do like "kissing in public", showing more cleavages than necessary, sexy panties, smoking, etc as revolting. Today everything has changed. Generation Y should have it better than Baby boomers like us because your parents have seen it all and done it all. Hurray! <br /><br />One time I told a friend from Britain that I accompanied a white girl to church, the congreation raised their eye brows. "What, you not afraid their children not Chinese anymore?"peternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-7932748901830390342009-09-14T10:13:59.356+08:002009-09-14T10:13:59.356+08:00Brian's observation that very few British serv...Brian's observation that very few British service families would have had any real social dealings with local people is probably true. My friend <a href="http://goodmorningyesterday.blogspot.com/2006/07/john-harper-remembers-singapore-part-6.html" rel="nofollow">John Harper</a> was probably an exception.Lam Chun Seehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01762020157703342970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-65356516909938099462009-09-14T10:02:53.392+08:002009-09-14T10:02:53.392+08:00I think in the 50's, when guys of my group wer...I think in the 50's, when guys of my group were still very young, we generally regarded the white man as living in a world totally removed from and beyond us. Let me cite two examples.<br /><br />1) On a couple of occasions, some Caucasions rode horses (slowly) through our kampong. It was an unforgetable sight for us and the dogs went wild with barking. Wow .. horses. We have never even seen them before except in movies; we didn't even have tv back then.<br /><br />2) Whenever we saw a plane in the sky, we chanted a rather offensive dittty in Hokkien about the 'red haired' (ang moh) people. (I repeat, I was very young.). Actually I am very tempted to repeat it here just for sake of education, but I'd better not. Who knows what this could lead to? But notice that we associated aeroplanes with White man.Lam Chun Seehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01762020157703342970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-34768748253622824922009-09-14T09:28:00.792+08:002009-09-14T09:28:00.792+08:00Edward gives a very vivid account of social events...Edward gives a very vivid account of social events in the sixties(?). I believe every race has its positive and negative sides. A case in point was my aunt who worked for a Japanese expatriate as a amah, and his wife who trusted my aunt so much that she left her son to care of my aunt almost 100 percent. Her son was so attached to the amah that he addressed her as 'mummy'. Subsequently the family moved back to Japan, not without a free flow tears from both parties. Before my aunt passed away, she showed me photos of her grown-up 'son' returning back to shower her with much love and appreciated gifts. This shows that a little love, kindness, tolerance, and understanding can go a long way, cutting a path through the race barrier. Are we not all human beings? Our government fully knows the power of kindness in the world of human affairs, therefore started a 'little kindness'(to others) movement particularly aimed at school children for a start, but as far as I know some people are quite skeptical of its success, saying that this campaign has no significance.Zenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07489706873295639555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-32275304663251674052009-09-14T09:10:41.404+08:002009-09-14T09:10:41.404+08:00There was always an air of 'exclusiveness"...There was always an air of 'exclusiveness" when it comes to British Servicemen and locals relationship. As far as I know and I hate to generalise all things, those that lived off the bases/camps were married personnel holding the ranks of NCOs and officers. Naturally officers and families lived in places like Prince George's Park, Rochester Park, Alexandra Park and Medway Park. NCOs could live anywhere close to their place of employment. Officer families tend to be more conscious of their origins than NCO families.<br /><br />There was also variations, whether the private estates were dominated by RAF or British Army families. Somehow, the RAF were more gentleman than the British Army personnel (even today, within the SAF, army is less polished than air force perosnnel).<br /><br />In those days, British spoke English and as a local unless you could speak English there was no way you could communicate. If you could not communicate in English, you could never join in the fun with the chidlren of the British Servicemen.<br /><br />One experience I can never forget growing up was to witness family squabbles between husband and wife. I got to hear plates flying in the house, the wife screaming as she was beaten up by her husband, raised voices, and the presence of the Provost who had to intervene in the ealry hours of the morning.peternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-15254205341970044272009-09-14T00:36:57.393+08:002009-09-14T00:36:57.393+08:00Hello Brian & Tess, Have you read "Out In...Hello Brian & Tess, Have you read "Out In The Midday Sun" by Margaret Shennan? I'd recommend this book to those with a historical interest of the British in Malaya and Singapore.Edwardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-92214897464810443732009-09-14T00:15:13.654+08:002009-09-14T00:15:13.654+08:00Could I make one comment on Amahs. I hope my paren...Could I make one comment on Amahs. I hope my parents treated our amahs well but they would have been unused to dealing with servants. In the UK a family like mine (and my father had only recently been made an officer and my family was very much what would be called 'working class') would never have had servants. <br /><br />My general comment would be to agree however that very few British service families would have had any real social dealings with local people. We lived largely separate lives, meeting only Amahs and perhaps the grocery delivery men on any regular basis. And I would not deny that many British people would display prejudice against local people and it could be said that this was typical of a colonial relationship. Such attitudes are usually the result of ignorance but also sometimes the result of embarrassment at having to deal with unfamiliar customs and surroundings.<br /><br />I for one am very very glad to recognise today's Singaporeans as every bit the equal of British people and with 50 years of achievement that few people's can match.Brian and Tesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00208616667962513171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16760936.post-83179169189540927822009-09-14T00:00:55.535+08:002009-09-14T00:00:55.535+08:00Chun See, A cousin of mine worked as an amah in on...Chun See, A cousin of mine worked as an amah in one of the British homes. On several occasions I accompanied her when she had to babysit their children at night. They treated her very well indeed.Edwardnoreply@blogger.com