today, i brought my mum for her hair cut and perm. the lady that did her hair was an old neighbour who lived at the 11th storey. after dropping mum off, i decided to take a walk to 9th storey, my old home. a place where i moved in in 1974 and eventually left in 1998. my brother has now rented out to an indian expat and his family.
as i stood outside my flat and looked across the corridor, scenes of my childhood flashed by. but the corridor looked somewhat shorter and smaller than what i could recall... i used to run from my house to the opposite corner unit. but now, i cannot imagine how that could be possible. it seemed so short... hmmm, or perhaps it's cos i am now an adult.
other than the newly upgraded lift and the coat of paint, the place looked somewhat similar. but the ambience was different. my neighbours had changed. when we first moved in, almost all the families on our floor had an open door policy. and as a kid, i was able to run from house to house, especially to my next unit. it was some kampong-like. but now, it is dead. every unit's door was closed. shut. locked. it felt familiar yet foreign. cold.
the immediate unit beside my (ex) home has moved out. it used to be a malay family who sold satay at the market. i would play with their children and helped them make ketupat and satay back then. and also, i would babysit their grandchildren... that was some 30 years ago. the family have since moved out. the encik and mak chik have both passed on and their children have all got married and moved out. theirs was an interesting family. amongst their children, one was super duper religious, one murdered someone and is still serving time in jail, another married johorean and migrated there, and 3 others who had rather similar dramatic lives. as for their grandchildren that i used to babysit, they too have all grown up and got married. hmmm, for that matter, even the chinese old man that bought over the unit some 8-9yrs ago has died. the flat is now empty and unoccupied.
down the corridor, the eurasian family that used to live there has also disappeared. their flat is still there. but the eurasian uncle and auntie have both passed on too. both died of complications from diabetes over the last 2 years. their house should now be owned by their eldest daughter (the younger one got married and moved out years ago). the eldest daughter used to study in katong convent. that was in the 70s. she used to be rather flashy and havoc in her teens. i remember how i would see her in her prim and proper chij pinafore one day and the next day, in her flashy sequined dresses. well, now she's still a spinster and works at ck tang.
similarly the 2 units further down was also deserted. families have moved in and out over the years. the only one family that is still there is the nurse, her husband and her only son. she is the second generation. her mum bought the place and moved in at about the same time as we did. 1974. the mum died years ago. the nurse's son was born in 1988. the boy should now be doing his national service or in university.
hmmm, it was an interesting revisit to my past for me. cannot help but reminisce. as i stood there, my past flashed by. the generation that moved here in 1974 have either died or is dying. the next generation is now in the 40s-50s. and the third generation is the one that is up and coming. and i cannot but have to accept that this estate, once the newest and most happening, has also changed. it has aged. and despite the recent upgrading, it still cannot shake away the old familiar feel. the community too has changed. the people are getting older. most of the old ones have gone, new ones have moved in. nonetheless, it is the ghost of the past and the physical surrounding that kept me connected to it. the place had defined my past. and it had accompanied me through the years... in my heart, this will always be home.
this, is marine parade.
as i stood outside my flat and looked across the corridor, scenes of my childhood flashed by. but the corridor looked somewhat shorter and smaller than what i could recall... i used to run from my house to the opposite corner unit. but now, i cannot imagine how that could be possible. it seemed so short... hmmm, or perhaps it's cos i am now an adult.
other than the newly upgraded lift and the coat of paint, the place looked somewhat similar. but the ambience was different. my neighbours had changed. when we first moved in, almost all the families on our floor had an open door policy. and as a kid, i was able to run from house to house, especially to my next unit. it was some kampong-like. but now, it is dead. every unit's door was closed. shut. locked. it felt familiar yet foreign. cold.
the immediate unit beside my (ex) home has moved out. it used to be a malay family who sold satay at the market. i would play with their children and helped them make ketupat and satay back then. and also, i would babysit their grandchildren... that was some 30 years ago. the family have since moved out. the encik and mak chik have both passed on and their children have all got married and moved out. theirs was an interesting family. amongst their children, one was super duper religious, one murdered someone and is still serving time in jail, another married johorean and migrated there, and 3 others who had rather similar dramatic lives. as for their grandchildren that i used to babysit, they too have all grown up and got married. hmmm, for that matter, even the chinese old man that bought over the unit some 8-9yrs ago has died. the flat is now empty and unoccupied.
down the corridor, the eurasian family that used to live there has also disappeared. their flat is still there. but the eurasian uncle and auntie have both passed on too. both died of complications from diabetes over the last 2 years. their house should now be owned by their eldest daughter (the younger one got married and moved out years ago). the eldest daughter used to study in katong convent. that was in the 70s. she used to be rather flashy and havoc in her teens. i remember how i would see her in her prim and proper chij pinafore one day and the next day, in her flashy sequined dresses. well, now she's still a spinster and works at ck tang.
similarly the 2 units further down was also deserted. families have moved in and out over the years. the only one family that is still there is the nurse, her husband and her only son. she is the second generation. her mum bought the place and moved in at about the same time as we did. 1974. the mum died years ago. the nurse's son was born in 1988. the boy should now be doing his national service or in university.
hmmm, it was an interesting revisit to my past for me. cannot help but reminisce. as i stood there, my past flashed by. the generation that moved here in 1974 have either died or is dying. the next generation is now in the 40s-50s. and the third generation is the one that is up and coming. and i cannot but have to accept that this estate, once the newest and most happening, has also changed. it has aged. and despite the recent upgrading, it still cannot shake away the old familiar feel. the community too has changed. the people are getting older. most of the old ones have gone, new ones have moved in. nonetheless, it is the ghost of the past and the physical surrounding that kept me connected to it. the place had defined my past. and it had accompanied me through the years... in my heart, this will always be home.
this, is marine parade.
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