Jalan Membina
It is indicated in my Birth Certificate, I was born on 13 January 1969 at KK Hospital at 5.01am. The home address I got then was Blk 16 Jalan Membina, unit 183A, Kampong Tiong Bahru.
I have no idea how was life back then in Jalan Membina, as I shifted to Toa Payoh new town one year later in 1970. The flat, simliar to the one in the black and white photo, I have the memories of it only when I returned to visit the old neighbours there together with my parents.
Unit 183A means I was staying at level 2 back then. Below was a confectionery shop where breads were baked everyday. My mum used to say that brother and I suffered from skin rashes easily, due to the heat created from the shop. There's a wanton mee stall at the corner coffeeshop, whereby we could place orders by shouting down, and the stall owner would bring the food right up to our doorstep. There's no such thing as self service back then, of cos we would automatically wash the bowls before we brought them down to return to the stall owner. Kampong spirit was very strong then.
The kitchen has a balcony, enclosed with grills. When I was learning to crawl, my mum has told an exciting story about my father crying for help. I must have seen a cat downstairs which made me trying ways to reach it. I struggled to slid out of the grills. My tiny body was able to slid through the grills, but my bigger head got stuck at the neck. I must be crying in pain then. Father saw me like this and he was too terrified what to do. My mum helped me back into the house in the end. The kitchen grills were covered with wooden planks after that. If not, I might not have lived so healthly today.
I knew the old flat was not demolished yet when I was growing up. I used to boast about my top 3 standings at the Kindergarten class when I visited the old neighbours. Madam Goh, who is also known as Ah Kim, has four children to play with me. The big brothers and sisters were my best playmates then. We would take the swing, climb the metal globe, running about the playground that was just behind the flat. I am happy and honoured to have invited Madam Goh to my wedding dinner 2 years ago.
Po Po (grandma), was another good neighbour who would look after me when my mum could not cope with the works she brought home to do. Po Po would help to feed me with the glass bottle. At one time, when mum and father took time to go for a cinema movie show, I cried so loud when the colour lights were turned off. They have no choice but to leave the cinema before the show began. Not until Po Po initiated to take care of me, mum and father would have to miss the movie show. Thanks to Po Po. I was told the movie title was 负心的人.
Another old neighbour who stayed near the other stairway has 3 younger children. I could remember he was the only neighbour who owned a colour television in the 70s. The brand of the television was Telefunken, a big conventional television in a wooden case that stood on the floor. Ah Hong was one of the children, about the same age as my brother, and neighbours like to made fun of them by saying that they were a heavenly matched couple. I love their peddle car instead. I can peddle along the long corridor from one end to another, but Ah Heng, the owner of the car, did not like me to touch his car often.
I think Block 16 was finally demolished in the 80s, and new flats were built after that. The Block 118D in the colour photo is the exact spot where the Block 16 last stood. The slope was still there but "modified". It is actually very close to the Tiong Bahru MRT station now. I used to walk to my grandmother's place at Lim Liak Street myself, not very far from Jalan Membina.
Today I am already 46 years old. Maybe I should pay a visit to my old home one of these days, to bring back all those good memories when I was a kid.
I have no idea how was life back then in Jalan Membina, as I shifted to Toa Payoh new town one year later in 1970. The flat, simliar to the one in the black and white photo, I have the memories of it only when I returned to visit the old neighbours there together with my parents.
Unit 183A means I was staying at level 2 back then. Below was a confectionery shop where breads were baked everyday. My mum used to say that brother and I suffered from skin rashes easily, due to the heat created from the shop. There's a wanton mee stall at the corner coffeeshop, whereby we could place orders by shouting down, and the stall owner would bring the food right up to our doorstep. There's no such thing as self service back then, of cos we would automatically wash the bowls before we brought them down to return to the stall owner. Kampong spirit was very strong then.
The kitchen has a balcony, enclosed with grills. When I was learning to crawl, my mum has told an exciting story about my father crying for help. I must have seen a cat downstairs which made me trying ways to reach it. I struggled to slid out of the grills. My tiny body was able to slid through the grills, but my bigger head got stuck at the neck. I must be crying in pain then. Father saw me like this and he was too terrified what to do. My mum helped me back into the house in the end. The kitchen grills were covered with wooden planks after that. If not, I might not have lived so healthly today.
I knew the old flat was not demolished yet when I was growing up. I used to boast about my top 3 standings at the Kindergarten class when I visited the old neighbours. Madam Goh, who is also known as Ah Kim, has four children to play with me. The big brothers and sisters were my best playmates then. We would take the swing, climb the metal globe, running about the playground that was just behind the flat. I am happy and honoured to have invited Madam Goh to my wedding dinner 2 years ago.
Po Po (grandma), was another good neighbour who would look after me when my mum could not cope with the works she brought home to do. Po Po would help to feed me with the glass bottle. At one time, when mum and father took time to go for a cinema movie show, I cried so loud when the colour lights were turned off. They have no choice but to leave the cinema before the show began. Not until Po Po initiated to take care of me, mum and father would have to miss the movie show. Thanks to Po Po. I was told the movie title was 负心的人.
Another old neighbour who stayed near the other stairway has 3 younger children. I could remember he was the only neighbour who owned a colour television in the 70s. The brand of the television was Telefunken, a big conventional television in a wooden case that stood on the floor. Ah Hong was one of the children, about the same age as my brother, and neighbours like to made fun of them by saying that they were a heavenly matched couple. I love their peddle car instead. I can peddle along the long corridor from one end to another, but Ah Heng, the owner of the car, did not like me to touch his car often.
I think Block 16 was finally demolished in the 80s, and new flats were built after that. The Block 118D in the colour photo is the exact spot where the Block 16 last stood. The slope was still there but "modified". It is actually very close to the Tiong Bahru MRT station now. I used to walk to my grandmother's place at Lim Liak Street myself, not very far from Jalan Membina.
Today I am already 46 years old. Maybe I should pay a visit to my old home one of these days, to bring back all those good memories when I was a kid.