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My mother was born in Singapore in 1957, the very year this video was shot. It's a tourism promo video aimed at Westerners, but it shows a lot of street scenes of how Singapore was like back then. My mum tells me about how it was so different back then, and videos like this show that clearly. Even in the 70s it looked a lot more like say, what Vietnam looks now, with more markets, less high-rises...some look back nostalgically to that time, but I think Singapore has become a great nation as it is now.
My grandmother was also born in Singapore, and lived in a very different Singapore than even this video shows. When she was born, in 1923, Singapore was still largely covered by virgin jungle and tigers still roamed the island. She grew up on a farm in Singapore raising hogs and crops. Her family lived in a 'kampong' which is the Malay word for a village. Her mother, my mother's grandmother and my great-great grandmother, arrived from China around the end of the First World War. She was born in 1900. My grandmother never went to school and only learned to read and write in middle age, and from a child worked collecting firewood and cockles. She lived quite a hard-life, working hard to raise 10 children on a meagre income.
My mum's mum was a bus driver in Singapore for quite a few years. I don't know as much about his family history, except two of his brothers committed suicide and depression runs in the family.
I was born in Singapore in 1986, and it's changed a lot since then too, although I left when I was just over a year old. I still recall how it was like in the 90s, things like old Sentosa and even the theme park at East Coast parade, which fill me with nostalgia.
and here's old Jakarta video, with a Dutch old theme song. Jakarta was the capital of the old Dutch East Indies then were called Batavia, as the heart of old and current Indonesia the city posses many stuff that are both old and new
and if pictures are allowed, this is how the city looked like with the current president's palace (the current Monas square area which were then called Koningsplein or King's square):
other town with high concentration of old buildings are namely: Bandung, Medan, Padang, Semarang, Sawahlunto
and my grandparent's family used to work for the Dutch in Padang city, we actually adopt their family name... we even posses this Padang city land ownership paperwork and certificates which were handed over to my grandad when the Dutch left this country, which now becomes a mere showcase of the former Dutch possesion in Padang
^ Is that Dutch? Nasi Goreng, kueh lapis? lol...Indonesian and Malaysian shares a lot of things in common.
hehehe that is true afterall Malaysian and Singaporeans shares alot of similar background and there are great influx of migration from Indonesia to Malaya during the colonial times which strengthened their position in there, nasi goreng remain Indonesia's old favorite even until today... the Dutch loved our food so much that they actually brought alot back to the Netherland, you will find no trouble finding Indonesian snacks and restaurant there
hehehe that is true afterall Malaysian and Singaporeans shares alot of similar background and there are great influx of migration from Indonesia to Malaya during the colonial times which strengthened their position in there, nasi goreng remain Indonesia's old favorite even until today... the Dutch loved our food so much that they actually brought alot back to the Netherland, you will find no trouble finding Indonesian snacks and restaurant there
Yep, similar cultures...I think Malay/Indonesian are based on the language of Eastern Sumatra if I'm not mistaken. Indonesian food is yummy!
Yep, similar cultures...I think Malay/Indonesian are based on the language of Eastern Sumatra if I'm not mistaken. Indonesian food is yummy!
yeah the Malays in Malaya is totally based by Sumaterans and originally did come from there, the differences we had is caused by our former colonist and the fact that Indonesian have various different tribes and ethnic... Malay language have English loanwords while Indonesian have alot of Dutch loanwords (kalkun, kantoor, oom, tante, gratis)
My husband was stationed in Singapore in 1960 with the Royal Navy. My first trip was in 1982, i fell in love with the place, loved the old Raffles with their Curry Tiffin Lunch held in the beautiful ballroom dinner on the verandah surrounded by orchids.Loved the Colonial buildings of a bygone age. Much has changed now, hope to go back soon.
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