The Yongs - Robyn, Jin and Alvin in 2005: Geylang Serai Provision Shop Closes

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7th Year: 2005

Jan
- Robyn starts Primary One at De La Salle School

Feb
- Dining @ The Old Parliament House

Mar
- Tree Top Walk

Apr
- Bintan Retreat

May
-

Jun
- West Sumatra Adventure

Jul
- Fun at Botanic Gardens

Aug
- Birth of Cousin Skye Yong

Sep
-

Oct
- Robyn turns 7

Nov
- Geylang Serai Shop Closes

Dec
- X'mas @ Tg Sutera

>> 2006

Nov 2005 (7 yr 1 mth)

1 Nov 2005 - Helping Out at Geylang Serai Provision Shop

Geylang Serai

As it gets closer to Hari Raya Puasa, the streets at Geylang Serai get crowded and busy. This will be the last year of this annual sight as the flats here will all be demolished by early next year.

The last few days leading to Hari Raya Puasa would be especially crowded - the phenomenon of last minute shopping. Another phenomenon is that the energy of shoppers seems to be endless - that they could last till the wee hours of the morning.

Geylang Serai

	The street food hawkers are always colourful, innovative and they work hard overnights!

And Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle Jeffrey and Aunt Jojo worked very hard too, given that this is the last burst of business for this 40 year old provision shop business...

Grandpa, the Chairman

Grandpa, the 'Chairman'

Uncle Jeffrey, the MD

Uncle Jeffrey, the 'MD'

Auntie Yin Choo, the VP

Aunt Jojo, the 'VP'

Rice & scoop

Coffee grinder

Robyn, the child laborer

Child labor

Grandma, Jin and Robyn

Robyn, the child laborer

This is the small upstair dining area cum rest area. We shall miss having our dinners here...

3 Nov 2005 - Last Day of the Provision Shop

The A Team that endured overnight doing multiple tasks of serving the customers, dismantling the shop fittings and soaking in the Hari Raya Puasa festive feel...

Uncle Jeffrey, Mummy Jin, Daddy Alvin, Grandma & Aunt Jojo

Jeffrey, Jin, Alvin, Grandma & Jojo

Jin & Ron helping out at the shop

Uncle Jeffrey dismantling the shelves

4am: All wooden fittings must be dismantled according to HDB ruling. So out came the hammers and we started smashing the shelves into pieces.

Closing the shop for the last time at dawn

6am: It's almost dawn now... time to close shop for the very last time.

Unsold prata at dawn

Unsold prata at dawn... there were also kebabs, burgers, etc. The hawkers looked tired too after a round-the-clock operation...

Geylang Serai hawkers at dawn

It was a busy sight at dawn outside too. All the make-shift store owners and hawkers started to clear up, keep their unsold goods and make their way home for a well-deserved restful sleep...

6 Nov 2005 - New Lease of Life for the Provision Shop

Mummy, Robyn and Grandma at the Geylang Serai shop

Gelyang Serai on Hari Raya Puasa Sunday became a deserted place. This picture will be remembered for a long time to come. Daddy, Mummy and Robyn have had many years of fun helping out at the shop during Hari Raya every year... This block will be gone forever by early 2006.

L: Mummy Jin, Robyn and Grandma outside the dismantled provision shop.

Emptied Geylang Serai shops

L: Like mother, like daughter...

New Lease of Life...

But just when we thought Grandpa would head for retirement, he decided to rent a shop space opposite in the Malay Village to give the provision shop a new lease of life...

New Provision Shop in the Malay Village

The space was rather cramped. It would take much effort to tidy up the goods and get the place ready for operation. So the Provision Shop lives on... from within the Malay Village...

Interior of New Provision Shop