Poh Say Chian Vincent BBM and Tay Yee Ting Felicia

Bedok

Sep 22

Written By Shahril Hassan

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My Past, Our Present, Your Future

Poh Say Chian Vincent BBM:

Living with siblings & cousins in a pre-war bungalow with large compound, strict discipline with lack of freedom is certainly not everyone's dream. That was my upbringing in a suburban Geylang area, together we lived under one roof. We spent our free time running around, catching spiders, playing marble & hide-and-seek since these were a few kind of games for the children like us whereas our senior enjoy listening to songs & news broadcasted from a sound-box only later I learned it is called a rediffusion set. We started watching non-colour TV when it was launched in 1963.

A nursery & kindergarten does not exist in our era. My very early education was in 1958 when my parents enrolled me for Primary 1 where I started meeting new friends around my age, together enjoying a 10 cents Nasi Lemak & 5 cents Kopi-O.

Moving up to Secondary school and a set of new friends, one has to be smart to mix around with good & friendly ones. Prior to a working life, I was enlisted to do my NS for 2 solid years at the age of 18. Moving home to an HDB estate was a new environment for our family with neighbors from other ethnic groups.

A year later, I enrolled to be a volunteer for PA organisation. Doing volunteering works with friends from other ethnic groups - Malays & Indians. Sharing their festive moments in Hari Raya celebration & enjoying the festival of light during Deepavali. I had learned a very important part in my life, their cultures & beliefs. The meaning of living in a multiracial gracious society regardless of race & religion.

Tay Yee Ting Felicia:

Time flies and I am in year 2021. Singapore underwent a huge transformation and entering into the digital age. I entertain myself by watching online videos instead of stories from the rediffusion radio. I enjoy shopping on e-commerce platforms and making cashless payments for my meals in my favorite hawker center.

The community work I am involved in is able to reach out to more people through social media and online conferences. I feel proud of the many refreshing ideas from the young people. They built community gardens and organized recycling campaigns.

Children around me are excited as they see electric buses and cars running on the roads. Their teachers have taught them about renewable energy. With their boundless imagination, they dream of a future where cars can go underwater and high tech watches that can control their home appliances.

Young couples look forward to their new BTOs in greener estates. I am encouraged by their aspirations to build a better home for themselves and their children. Indeed, each generation has their dreams they want to pursue. Just like my own life, each of them will fight hard and build a stronger foundation for the next generation to build on top of.

And most importantly to remember… That everyday when we return home, after a long day of hard work, to sit down and spend time with our families and friends, to share a cup of warm Kopi-O and a plate of sedap Nasi Lemak.