Babies & Vipers Generally Don't Mix but...WTH, TIT!

[Torneyboy]

Hope so

[sayjann]

Jahore Baru....i know not exactly Singapore but i didn't have a say in where we lived.

[Vintage_Kwai]

Back then, Singapore was still part of Malaya, you didn't need a passport to go across the causeway.

 

The Amahs that took care of the kids had a white tunic and black silk trousers. They kept their hair in a long ponytail.

 

The cooks had a light blue tunic, otherwise the uniform was similar. They all spoke Cantonese and never married. All the servants in my household eventually went back to China...

 

Remember the women construction workers? Dark blue tunic and trousers and the red hat that looked like a roof...

[Nervous_Dog]

The women workers, and I have a lot of photo's of the last of them, taken in the 80's when they started to disappear, were called " Samsui Women".

 

They also came direct from China, had red or dark blue funny looking turbans, can;t remember the colour!

 

Can you remember the "Letter Writers" Old men who sat mostly in China town writing letters for illiterate workers. Interestingly we now see at our sites something the same happening with young people writing emails on behalf of "Computer Illiterate" people!

 

I also loved the barbers, single chair shops. I lived near Chong Baru markets, great area, both as a kid and as a older teenager.

 

DOG

[sayjann]

didn't realise you needed a passport to cross the causeway these Days.

 

my Mum was pretty relaxed and never bothered with uniforms for our Amah.

her attitude was i'm in your Country and i want you to dress as you normally would and go about your daily business as you normally would.

i have photo's of her wearing her ankle length dress and looks so elegant.

 

the Amah taught me Malay and it seems i was pretty good at chatting to locals.

i hated sitting in chairs as i was more used to squatting down as the locals did.

she taught my Mum to cook the local food and my Mum was an avid pupil.

in the early 60's there weren't many chances to learn to cook that type of food.

 

even now she still likes to try her hand and cook meals she was taught how to cook 40+ Years ago.

and i remember the Amah used to put me to bed and sing me what i presume was a local lullaby.

 

speaking to my Mum and she said the Amah was never a servant,she thought of her as the Sister she never had and she was included in all parties and celebrations as a guest.

 

 

[..]

Selamat tengahari. Apa khabar? Bolehkah anda bercakap Bahasa Melayunya? :hubba:

 

Permisi! Ma'afkan saya! Sampan saya penuh dengan belut! (�ฮ�วอร��รา����อ��ม���ม����วย�ลา�หล)

 

Ma'af,

Tuan SD

[Nervous_Dog]

Sayjahn, sounds like your mum had a good had on her shoulders,

[sayjann]

Dog.

my Mum is a salt of the Earth.

at the time my Dad was in the Navy and would be away on exercise for 9 Months + at a time.

she took the chance to travel around Malayasia,Vietnam,Cambodia,Japan,Australia and New Zealand on her own which was a big adventure for a White Woman on her own aged around 22 in those Days.

she used to chat to the local flyboys and get free or cheap flights all over the area.

 

her stories of what she and friends got up to in Bugie Street make me blush.......

i'm bringing her to LOS in a couple of Years and she will have a ball.

her 1st request to me was that i show her a LB Bar,she is interested in seeing them.

 

i can tell you now she has many great stories of SEA in the 60's.............