“This perfume bottle belongs to my jia po (mother-in law). If she were alive, she would have been over a 100 years old.”

I am 78 years old this year. I’ve lived in Whampoa for over 40 years. My eldest son was born here. I used to live in the old, crowded houses in Muar Road and relocated here when the government moved us. We chose this small flat because we were poor. This home is very convenient and I wouldn’t want to move. My legs are painful. I don’t have to walk far to buy food from across the street. I try to stay independent and not bother my children. Their lives are stressful already. Tsao Foundation organises a lot of activities. I don’t feel bored. They keep me busy. This perfume bottle belongs to my jia po (mother-in law). If she were alive, she would have been over a 100 years old. It reminds me of my jia po. This is what she had because she was from a poor family. She left the perfume bottle for me to use but I don’t use perfume. I’m not used to perfume. So there is still quite a lot left. The scent is very strong. I think a lot of people now may not be used to this scent. I find the glass bottle very interesting. If I’m not here anymore, most probably the perfume bottle will be thrown away. My children won’t use it. I’m happy to donate if anybody wants it. As a souvenir from the past. My mother also had one quite similar to this. It’s also very old. I’m not sure if she bought it here. It was already with her. She came here from China. My mother is from Malaysia.

This a buttonholer. You attach it to the sewing machine. I think it’s still available now. You can make different sizes of button holes by turning and adjusting the knob.

Here is a photo of my mother taken in Malaysia. It was taken in a photo studio. She was 20 years old at that time. Her name is Soo Si Mei. She was an only child and was adopted. I cherish this photo and don’t want to throw it away. I have 3 other sisters. They are still in Malaysia. The oldest is over 90 years old. I visit them a few times every year in Ipoh. But I can’t go back this year and rely on the phone to keep in touch. My son sets up video chats for me. We had a party and sang birthday songs. I also have relatives in other parts of Malaysia, like KL. If I travel to Ipoh, I would make stops along the way to visit them. I came from a big family. I have 7 brothers and sisters. I also have relatives in the U.S., U.K., and China together with my sister and her daughter. I visit China very often. U.K. is the only country I’ve not been to. I went to California in The U.S. to visit my sister’s daughter 2 years ago. After that I travelled to Canada to visit my daughter. She went there to study, work and got married. She’s staying in Winsor, a small city. I prefer Toronto. It’s busier. One trip is enough for me. It was 26 hours but we stopped over in South Korea before flying to the U.S. and Canada. I don’t like the U.S but enjoyed the food. I loved the cheese pizza. My daughter asked me to move to Canada but I refused. I’ll be very bored there. It’s very cold too.