The first picture showed my mother and my aunt posing in front of a television set placed in a cabinet. This was very common in the 1970s. At that time, TCS which is commonly known as Television Corporation of Singapore Mediacorp, did not exist yet. It was called Radio Television Singapore and later SBC (Singapore Broadcasting Corporation). The first colour television signal was transmitted in 1974. Back then, there were no 24 hour programmes. Shows usually started in the late evenings and ended at 12 midnight during weekdays. Children did not spend much time watching television. It was a luxury being able to watch a 30 minute programme in a day.
The second picture showed my mother growing up in a kampong at Jalan Kathi, commonly known as Bedok Kampong. Life was simple. Children played spider fighting and shooting using stems from papaya trees. In the background, is my grandmother's house. There were hardly washing machines in most households. Laundry was hand washed which was then lined on a tightrope to be dried under the hot, merciless sun.
The third picture depicted an event in Bedok Primary School. My mother attended this school which was just a stone’s throw from her house. There was a one 4-storey main building used as classrooms and a canteen cum school hall. Pupils assembled and had recess at the same place. There were no air-conditioned rooms, computers or other electronic items which are commonly available in schools today. A plate of rice only cost 20 cents. The school had since closed down.
The fourth picture was a scene at a beach. It is currently near Bedok Army Camp. It was just a walking distance from the place in which my mother grew up. The sea had been reclaimed and roads and buildings were built on it. My grandfather would go here and fish in his 'sampan.’ Unfortunately I do not have a picture of him.
