The Singapore Chapter.....58, Jalan Mas Kuning and the people .around us.

The above is the house my late father bought when he retired. It was at the time when I graduated from the Singapore Teachers' College. It was also the time when ASH graduated from the Singapore University and started teaching in Yusof Ishak Secondary School which was situated very close to No 58.

It was strange then to to have 'next-door' neighbors - something we never experienced before when living in kampung houses ! We felt that people are watching each other ever so closely - and we were also guilty of that.

My right side neighbour was a Fillipino family. The man of the house was working for Caltex . The couple had something like 4 daughters and a son if I remembeted correctly and they were so noisy. But the children never play with other kids. They kept very much to themcelves.

My left side neighbour was a problem. They are a Chinese family who came from a deep rural area and had to move out because of development. They were famers With the compensation money, they bought the house---cash ! However they could not adjust to the new environment. And my family had to pay for their adjustment in having an eye-sore in their garden which was filled with knick-knacks from their kampung house. I swear that the stench of urine that sometimes pervade the air in the morning comes from their garden. I can only guess that they used urine to water their plants.

We remembered they had a dog. One evening, there was a howling from the dog and the next morning, we saw that the poor dog had lost its tail.! Don't ask me how and why ! Any theories from any 'experts' of practices ?

Two doors away was a Eurasian family.  It consists of the mother and two siblings, The elder one, the son was an engineer. He loves the Saab cars ( Acar from Sweden I think) . He has three of these cars and was involved with motor racing activities.

When ASH sold her two-seater MG Midget sports car ( for want of a faster car ), she bought a Morris Mini Cooper which was already 'souped-up' by the previous owner. (you see , in her days....she was 'eeevviilll'  - and fast ). Anyway I remembered asking the guy to test out the Cooper. He took the car out , with Abah and me in the car---and showed me how to drive a fast car. He was something else !

from this

to something like this with 2" wheel spacers, straight-through 2" pipe exhaust system and if I'm not wrong , a twin Stromberg or Webber carburetor in racing green..

Now , his younger sister was a musician. Every sunday morning, I would listen to her playing the piano and that would be the time for me to wash the car . Between us was a well kept secret which both families and neighbour didn't know --- we were going out together -- for about 6 or 8 month I think. Yeah, that was fun. A lot of cloak and dagger movements when we want to meet or coming home from an outing. How we pretended with just a nod of acknowledgment whenever the families see each other.

Our front neighbour was an English family . He was attached to the British family and another square peg in a round hole.....but thats another story.

Anyway way here are photos. Unfortunately , photos of me are in ASH's camera and  it will come later..---

the driveway .

ASH at the gate..

....and below....just received this from ASH..

Since we're on the topic of no.58, let me dig up deep into the archives and these are what I retrieved....two photos related to this post. Of course its black and white. In fact these photos were processed, developed and enlarged in my own dark-room. Colour processing was impossibly expensive and not within a hobbyist's reach.

Me---with cigarette in hand (I don't smoke indoor) and always doing something. Thats ASH's Cooper

 

Front view of No 58 then.. ( don't bother about the back view of someone leaning against the car )

In no 58, in front of the main door. Next to me are my Minolta 35mm and the SLR Praktica Nova B, and on the table is the casing for my Soligor 200mm. telephoto lens. So you see, my hobby actually goes way back when ...