HDB Flats
2 mothers in a hdb playground ah beng is so smart, already he can watch tv and know the whole story your kim cheong is also quite smart, what boy is he in the exam? this playground is not too bad, but I'm always so worried, car here and car there.
at exam time, it's worse
because you know why?
kim cheong eats so little.
give him some complan. my ah beng was like that, now he's different, if you give him anything he's sure to finish it all up.
sure, sure, cheong's father buys him vitamins but he keeps it inside his mouth & later gives it to the cat. i scold like mad but what for? if I don't see it, how can I scold?
on saturday, tv showed a new type, special for children , why don't you call his father buy some? maybe they are better.
money's no problem, it's not that we want to save, if we buy it & he doesn't eat it, throwing money into the jamban is the same. ah beng's father spends so much, takes out the mosaic floor & wants to make terrazzo floor or what.
we also go new furniture, bought from diethelm the sofa is so soft, I dare not sit, they all sit like don't want to get up, so expensive. nearly two thousand dollars, sure must be good.
that you can't say, my toa-soh bought an expensive sewing machine, after 6 months,it is already spoilt, she took it back but.....beng, come here, come, don't play the fool. your tuition teacher is coming, wah, kim cheong, now you're quite big.
come cheong, quick go home and bathe.
ah pah wants to take you chya-hong in a new motor-car
-Arthur Yap, from down the line, 1980
Picture taken from: http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/iconic-dragon-playground-toa-payoh-escapes-demolition
As Singapore transitioned rapidly from a traditional country to a highly modernized state back in the 1970s, it is perhaps unsurprising that materialism begins to arise as a consequence to the influx of money. Alvin Pang's 2 mothers in a h d b playground encapsulates the culture of materialism perfectly. In the poem, two mothers have a boasting session in the guise of a civil conversation. The conversation revolves around the women one-upping each other with increasingly expensive possessions, from vitamins to a two-thousand-dollar sofa and finally a car. The exchange includes the phrases 'money's no problem', 'spends so much' and 'so expensive' to emphasize on the obsession with material wealth. Furthermore, the idea that anything expensive 'must be good' is a classic symptom of materialism. In stanza ten, Beng's mother cuts Kim Cheong's mother off mid-sentence to call out to her son. This suggests that the entire conversation was impersonal, and neither woman was actually listening to the other. Beng's mother uses her son to disengage from the conversation abruptly, a borderline socially acceptable but rude gesture, and Kim Cheong's mother, not to be outdone, also uses her son as an excuse to announce that her family just bought a new car. The entire exchange portrays Singaporeans as a people more concerned with material pursuits than interpersonal connections, a stark contrast to the old days of tightly-knit communities. Perhaps materialism is inevitable in modern urban countries. However, the scene depicted in the poem was a fictional snapshot of some of the earlier development of the HDB as a main housing staple in this tiny island-nation.
The language use may seem peculiar to a foreign visitor, but most Singaporeans understand and speak our local tongue, fondly known as "Singlish", on top of proper English.
Why You Should Visit:
What trip to a country is complete without a peek at the the living styles of the locals? The HDB flats house most of the people in Singapore. While current playgrounds may look very different now, the iconic HDB playgrounds are still very much ingrained in Singapore's heritage.
What To Do:
Take a walk through a HDB neighbourhood, have lunch at a neighbourhood kopitiam (coffee shop). Older neighbourhoods may have a central area with clusters of small shops. Many HDB neighbourhoods are easily accessible from MRT (Mass Rapid Transport) stations.
Read More: On the iconic playground in the picture: http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/iconic-dragon-playground-toa-payoh-escapes-demolition
