This used to be my playground
I visited my old abode weeks back. Was waiting for the missus, so i thought why not.
My family used to live in Jurong West Street 41. For 12 good years. This was an emotional revisit for me. So bear with me for awhile.
We went through so many events. Happy ones. Sad ones. You name it, i treasure every single bit of it. When i was younger, the area was so peaceful and quiet. Those living around the area would agree with me, i bet.
- My parents had a stall selling satay, mee rebus, nasi lemak, prata..the works. I was freaking young but i definitely remember. It was fun running around the kopitiam and giving my dad ‘orders’. “Boss, satu roti prata!”
- I was 4 years old when dad passed away. I didn’t understand what death is. I remember looking out of the window waiting for him to come back home.
- Mom started working night shifts. Me and my elder brother would play ‘masak-masak’ when mom is not around! How naughty.
- i wanted so badly to slide down the..ummm, slide. It was raining and my brother said no we cant. After doing a fake cry (haha), he brought me down to the playground. I went up, slipped and ate some sand. (yes kids, ol skool playgrounds had sand back then)
- First week of primary school, my elder brother had to become mom and prepare me for school as mom was working night shift. She gets home at around 9am. Not easy being a single parent. My brother would wake me up, wait outside the toilet (cos i was scared of going to the toilet alone!) and at the same time prepare breakfast. Most of the time i’m late and i’d usually make the bus driver honk so many times, he woke the whole of jurong west street 41 up!
- Directly opposite us is the train track that is in between chinese garden station and lakeside station. When they were still building the MRT track, i thought they were building a space shuttle or some sort.
- The barber never took my money. Never. Back then i don’t understand why. Now i think he did that out of sympathy. Nice man, nice man indeed. (he and my late dad were friends)
- I love it when its the hungry ghost festival! There’s this huge empty field in front of our house and they’d set up getai stages. So lively. So colorful. I love it!
- In primary 6, i’d walk home with this cute girl. I think she was in Secondary 1 and was from Yuan Ching Secondary, i was still in Primary school. It just happened. Hahah oh my god! I don’t know how, but i remember vaguely that we cross paths all the time. So yeah a mutual understanding was formed and we were ‘walk home’ buddies.
Entrance to the kopitiam. The man is preparing satay. So satay is still a hot item there. 
Mom and dad’s stall is now home to claypot delights. Ooooh..
Another kopitiam at the opposite side. Used to buy kick ass rojak there.
I gotta say these ‘huts’ are iconic. They are small shops around the market.
Ahh. Rebrand. Jurongville.
I miss you, you know.
My Playground from Mr Malique on Vimeo.
Well that’s my childhood.
Where did you grow up? Do you miss the place? Do you ever do random visits?
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about 3 years ago
I grew up in JB, spending most of my time at my babysitters’ place since my parents work. I remember spending a lot of time playing in the sand, going up to where the squatters stayed illegally at the land at the back of the house, listening to Alleycats and Search play on the radio.
I remember going to the city and having prata every morning in a coffee shop next to a drain filled with stagnated water.
Of course, there’s the requisite playing in the longkang and trying to catch fish, which were actually tadpoles.
Ah, how I miss my childhood.
about 3 years ago
Ah… What a sweet entry.
I do sometimes miss my old neighbourhood, and I’ve stopped there once a while when passing by.
I lived there for about 12 years (or 13, I can’t recall) as well, and although the move from Marsiling and Woodlands isn’t very far, the whole camaraderie between neighbours back there is missing here.
about 3 years ago
Nice post, dude. I used to be a ‘westerner’ too. Taman Jurong for 7 years. At least your block is still there. Taman Jurong now is so very different from back in the early 80s. I hardly recognise it these days.
about 3 years ago
I grew up in Jakarta. On this quiet street in West Jakarta. It was quite secluded from the city centre because mind you, Jakarta is bigger than Singapore. It was secluded so I couldn’t get around easily. The only (public) transportation means that was reliable enough was bajaj. Besides the family car of course.
I totally, totally miss those hawkers that sell their food door-to-door. They push their pushcarts around the area. Each of them has different “scream”. Satay sellers will of course scream Saaaaa…tayyyy…. Bakwan sellers will scream Wwwwwaaann! Other hawkers have their own instrument to make sounds. Those mi-tek-tek (selling the fried kway teow, mee, bee hoon, rice..) got their name from the sellers hitting the back of the frypan using a stick, producing the sound tack…tack..tack… And even when there are no hawkers selling around, there were always sellers that stay in one place, usually near the “parks” near my house. There are 5 parks near my house. One of them has these stones for reflection.
I miss it terribly coz i’m not going home this year =(
about 3 years ago
The huts are really iconic! I am so glad they didn’t remove it after renovating the area so many times!
about 3 years ago
y u moved if u ar so happy there????
about 3 years ago
An old school post … nice
Dulu dulu kecik, we might be miskin but happening eh
I might have jogged past your old place w/o knowing
about 3 years ago
So nostalgic!
I used to love Clementi and Jurong back in the 80s… maybe coz I had a cousin my age who lived there and I used to visit her often and play… we basically grew up together.
Lost touch with her now [due to her family and work commitments] and I have not been to Jurong since last Raya. Those were the good ole days!!
about 3 years ago
I remember your late dad as a kind, generous and funny man. Always had a smile on his moustached face and a good word for everyone.
Your mum is really a strong person. And her kids are, too.
about 3 years ago
dude, nice entry. almost brought me to tears (really!)
I used to live in the west too. actually i still am.. only dat i grew up in the ol’ Queenstown. Lots of memories there too. I really hated my parents for moving out of that Terrace House (if u ride the MRT from Q’town to Commonwealth, you can see the 2 storey terrace houses lined up beside the road below).
My old neighbour still lives there. I used to go down there to reminice (how to spell that?) the good ol days, but not anymore. Some blocks were already demolished.
Things i did with my brother were catching guppies in the canal, playing with fire (shh!), play extreme hide and seek, make houses from discarded furniture, catch spiders, went on playground hunting and many more.
ahh those were the days. I WANNA GO HOME!
about 3 years ago
jurong west st 52!!!!
gerek gerek!
and there’s this kedai runcit , at the voideck next to my blok, and i dread buying ‘cuka’..cos i always ended up bringing home ‘sugar’ and having to make 2nd trip to get vinegar.