On my way back from Japan, I've taken a detour via (a) Singapore and (b) Pontian in Malaysia, whence this message is typed. The purpose of the detour is to commune with a former doctoral student of mine, Tan Kok Yang (TKY) who is on the verge of retirement and has just published, last April, his childhood autobiography through National University of Singapore Press. It received a rave review in the Straits Times and indeed was featured again today in that same newspaper.
But I have another reason to visit here. I reviewed the manuscript for TKY and was then asked by the NUS Press to write the Foreword. Moreover, I'd like to write our family history of when I and my two brothers were growing up, and I've just received three more copies of the book "From the Blue Windows" to expedite that. If Phillip and Brian didn't know of this plan, they do now! And, finally, I wanted to see the public housing estate where TKY grew up, Queenstown - named after UK's Monarch, Queen Elizabeth just after her ascension to the throne. His family of 10 lived in a 2-bedroom apartment!
Well, Queenstown is being re-developed and many of the locations mentioned have vanished. I came to see what was left before that, too, expired. Well the second junior school TKY attended is still going, along with the wet (i.e. fish and meat) market. But a lot of the local shops and service premises have been erased along with TKY's house and first school.
I attach a few photos of what's left:
.jpg)
The wet market (above)
.jpg)
The site of TKY's first school
.jpg)
Encroaching HDB high density apartments (HDB is similar to the NSW Housing Commission)
.jpg)
The site of TKY's school which he accessed through a chain fence from his nearby home
.jpg)
And TKY's second, and much more successful for him, second primary school. I've been staying with TKY's wife, Lee Boon, and daughter here in Pontian - a seaside resort, and even took her ageing mother out to a meal last night. By the way, TKY runs an acoustical engineering business in Singapore. One final comment. We have just experienced Singapore's birthday as a nation and Malaysia's "new year". Both seem to explain the load bangs I've heard as people let off crackers.
AS
But I have another reason to visit here. I reviewed the manuscript for TKY and was then asked by the NUS Press to write the Foreword. Moreover, I'd like to write our family history of when I and my two brothers were growing up, and I've just received three more copies of the book "From the Blue Windows" to expedite that. If Phillip and Brian didn't know of this plan, they do now! And, finally, I wanted to see the public housing estate where TKY grew up, Queenstown - named after UK's Monarch, Queen Elizabeth just after her ascension to the throne. His family of 10 lived in a 2-bedroom apartment!
Well, Queenstown is being re-developed and many of the locations mentioned have vanished. I came to see what was left before that, too, expired. Well the second junior school TKY attended is still going, along with the wet (i.e. fish and meat) market. But a lot of the local shops and service premises have been erased along with TKY's house and first school.
I attach a few photos of what's left:
.jpg)
The wet market (above)
.jpg)
The site of TKY's first school
.jpg)
Encroaching HDB high density apartments (HDB is similar to the NSW Housing Commission)
.jpg)
The site of TKY's school which he accessed through a chain fence from his nearby home
.jpg)
And TKY's second, and much more successful for him, second primary school. I've been staying with TKY's wife, Lee Boon, and daughter here in Pontian - a seaside resort, and even took her ageing mother out to a meal last night. By the way, TKY runs an acoustical engineering business in Singapore. One final comment. We have just experienced Singapore's birthday as a nation and Malaysia's "new year". Both seem to explain the load bangs I've heard as people let off crackers.
AS
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