Little Aunty: “Mama, why you keep rubbing the clothes?”
Mama: “If I don't scrub, how to get them clean?”
Little Aunty: “Washing machine leh?”
Mama: “Washing what? You come and help me wash lah!”
I can still picture Mama sitting on a little stool, washing our household laundry by hand, scrubbing each piece against the wooden washboard.
Washing machine? Never heard of it! Laundry detergent and fabric softener? Don't even mention them!
Just a bar of Labour soap, water and plenty of elbow grease. Every clean piece of clothing came from Mama's hard work.
That little wooden washboard must have heard more scrub scrub scrub than all our modern washing machines combined!
Chinatown's Miracle Medicine Man!
💠Aunty Remembers...
Sinseh: “Aiyoh! You again? What happened this time?”
Little Aunty: “Nothing serious lah! Just a little injury.”
Sinseh: “Come, come! Clack, clack! Okay liao!”
Little Aunty: “Wah! So fast? No need see doctor ah?”
Little Aunty was rather accident-prone, thanks to her endless outdoor activities and occasional fights. A visit to the Chinatown sinseh, a few clack clacks, and off we went!
Of course, we couldn't leave without buying one or two bottles of ointment.
According to Mr Sinseh, those little bottles seemed able to cure practically everything!
Little Aunty: “Wah! One bottle can cure so many things ah?”
Sinseh: “Of course!”
Little Aunty: “Then why got so many different bottles?”
Uncle, Wait! My Cartoon Show!
💠Aunty Remembers...
Little Aunty: “Mama! Grandma! Give me 10 cents, please!”
Mama: “Whatever for?”
Little Aunty: “I wanna watch cartoon! Faster lah! Uncle riding away!”
My Uncle: “Watch what cartoon? You look like a cartoon yourself, chasing after him!”
Back then, cartoons sometimes came to our neighbourhood on wheels! Children peeped through little viewing holes in a wooden box to enjoy the show.
But first, Little Aunty had to get her 10 cents and catch the mobile cinema before it disappeared!
And thanks to my cheeky uncle, I became the cartoon before I even got to watch one!
My Very Own Cartoon Studio!
💠Aunty Remembers...
Little Aunty: “Wah! The cartoon is moving!”
Classmate: “You can make your own, you know!”
Little Aunty: “Really meh? Show me how!”
After watching those silent black-and-white cartoons through a little peephole, I learnt a clever trick from a schoolmate.
Draw a matchstick man at the corner of each page, changing his pose just a little on every page.
Once finished, flip the pages quickly and… HEY! My matchstick man was moving!
No television, no projector, no fancy equipment. Just a book, a pencil and Little Aunty's very own homemade cartoon show!
Uncle, Got Ghost Story or Not?
💠Aunty Remembers...
Little Aunty: “Uncle! Today what story ah?”
Storyteller: “Sit down first lah! Haven't started yet!”
Little Aunty: “Got ghost story or not?”
Storyteller: “You dare to listen meh?”
Little Aunty: “Dare! But… can I sit nearer to the other people?”
Before television became common, street storytellers entertained crowds with nothing more than their voices, expressions and lively gestures.
Little Aunty was especially interested in ghost stories. Scary or not, must listen first!
But if the story got too frightening… aiyoh, suddenly everyone sitting nearby became my best friend!
The Chestnut Seller — Smells Good, For Hubby Only!
Chestnut Seller: “Hot roasted chestnuts! Come, come!”
Aunty: “Wah, smells so good!”
Chestnut Seller: “Then buy some lah!”
Aunty: “Sorry, Uncle! I'm a selective nut eater. Chestnuts not on my list!”
Hubby: “Never mind, I eat!”
Roasting over hot pebbles, the chestnuts gave off a lovely aroma that could easily catch the attention of passers-by.
But Aunty and chestnuts were never good friends. Hubby, on the other hand, loves them!
Never mind lah. One less person to share with — Hubby gets the whole lot!
The Indian Traders of My Neighbourhood
💠Aunty Remembers...
Aunty: “Mini stores, spice mills, textile shops… all familiar sights around my old neighbourhood!”
Cherry: “Wah, Aunty! No need shopping mall, everything also got!”
Aunty: “Of course lah! Just walk towards Blair Plain!”
Growing up in Tanjong Pagar, I remember many Indian traders running different businesses around the neighbourhood, especially towards Blair Plain. Those little shops were part of the everyday sights of my childhood.
Fresh Milk, Straight from the Source!
💠Aunty Remembers...
Little Aunty: “Mama, why are we bringing this big mug to the temple?”
Mama: “Wait lah, you'll see!”
Little Aunty: “Eh?! A GOAT is coming!”
Goat: “Meeeeh! Milk delivery has arrived!”
I remember Mama bringing me to the Indian temple in our neighbourhood, carrying her big mug with a cover. We would wait for a goat to arrive with its owner, then buy fresh goat's milk right there on the spot!
Cow's milk was a different story. An Indian man dressed in a white tee, white turban and checked sarong, would arrive on his bicycle, selling milk in glass bottles in Yishun.
Uncle Susu: “Susu! Susu!”
Aunty: “Our milkman is here!”
That was how we came to call him Uncle Susu. Even Ah Boy had the chance to drink his milk when he was young.
Then, eventually, Uncle Susu stopped coming. No more bicycle, no more familiar shout of “Susu!”
Just another familiar voice from our neighbourhood that quietly faded away.
Mama especially loved the milk delivered by Uncle Susu, and she really missed him when he stopped coming.
But one thing never changed — Mama's habit of drinking milk.
Uncle Susu may have disappeared from our neighbourhood, but Mama's love for milk has lasted right up to today.
Wherever life took you, Uncle Susu, I hope you had a good and happy life. Thank you for those familiar cries of “Susu! Susu!” outside our home.
Three Cinemas & One Grand Nightclub
💠Aunty Remembers...
Cherry: “Aunty, how many cinemas did Chinatown have?”
Aunty: “In my memory, three — Metropole, Oriental and Majestic!”
Cherry: “Wah! You visited all three?”
Aunty: “Of course lah! Grandma and Mama were regular cinema-goers!”
I had the pleasure of watching movies at all three cinemas during my younger days, thanks to Grandma and Mama.
Beside Majestic Theatre stood the Southern Sky nightclub, a glamorous place for the well-to-do. Aunty? Just admire from outside lah!
The former nightclub premises later became Yu Hua Emporium. Different businesses, different times, but plenty of memories along the same street.
Street Wayang, Pocket Money & Getai!
💠Aunty Remembers...
Little Aunty: “Got street wayang? Good! Got chance to earn some money!”
Food Stall Uncle: “Come, help out first lah!”
Little Aunty: “Can! But later let me watch the show hor!”
To little Aunty, street wayang wasn't just about colourful costumes and Chinese opera. It also meant a chance to earn some pocket money by helping out at the nearby food stalls.
Of course, I would sneak in some entertainment too, although half the time I didn't understand what the performers were singing about!
The happiest moment was usually the getai on the final night. So many artistes to watch, including Wang Sha and Ye Feng!
Work first, entertainment later. Little Aunty certainly knew how to make the most of a street wayang!
Vintage Street Signs — Black & White Memories
Aunty: “Hello, Trengganu Street, Eu Tong Sen Street and Pagoda Street! Long time no see!”
Street Signs: “Aunty, we may be old, but our names are still around!”
Aunty: “Of course lah! Only your uniforms have changed!”
These familiar black-and-white street signs eventually gave way to green ones, improving visibility and making street names easier for motorists to read at night.
The streets remain, but their old signboards have become another little piece of Singapore's past.
Aunty Remembers — Tikam Tikam, Win or Lose?
💠Aunty Remembers...
Little Aunty: “Uncle! I won 50 cents!”
Tikam Uncle: “Wah, lucky girl!”
Little Aunty: “Wait ah… I spent 80 cents to win 50 cents…”
Tikam Uncle: “Hehehe… come, try again?”
Of course little Aunty played tikam tikam! The excitement was pulling those little paper slips to see what prize was hiding underneath.
Winning 50 cents felt wonderful… until I remembered I'd already spent 80 cents!
Never mind lah. Lost 30 cents, but gained one childhood memory that still makes me laugh today!
Still more childhood surprises waiting upstairs! Continue to Level 3, Part 5
