history is fun

Hi Mr Leo here! I am sorry about this. There is an amendment to the requirement in Part III.

Besides a one or two line write up on each photo, you are to select 3 of your most 'meaningful' and 'interesting' photos and do an inference on each one. For example:

From this photograph, I can infer that Chinese street opera was very popular in the past. This can be seen from the crowd who were standing and watching the opera right in front of the stage.

In addition, I can also see that Chinese street opera could attract audience of all ages in the past. This is evident from the kids, middle-aged and old people who gathered to watch the opera.

Hence, the new marking scheme:

1. Effort (number of photographs submitted) 10%;
2. Aesthetic values (current photographs, i.e. those you have taken) 10%;
3. Write-up and infernece 40%
4. Relevance of the photos (to your topic) 40%

This additional inference activity is deemed as a good practice for your exam as well as to help you look beyond and seek out meanings in the mundanes and nuances of everyday's life, which has often been taken for granted.


For the last part of this project you are required to integrate the interview and photographs of your chosen subject and reflect on the following themes:

(I) Past and present
(II) Change and continuity
(III) Future (a prediction)

This is to be typed out and submitted in hardcopy (A4).

Number of words required: 400 - 600

Deadline: 15 Sept 2007 ( We want you to finsih this asap as SA is looming around the corner 5th Oct!!!!)

A more detailed guideline will be posted soon. But do go ahead if you are confident enough.

Thank you.

Brought to you by Mr Thiru again!

The intention of this section of your project is to give glimpses of how people went about their everyday lives. How did people amuse themselves? How did people perform religious rituals and what were their customs? What kinds of homes did they live in? What and how did they eat? What was school life like? How did they get around? What was family life like and how has it changed?

Through this endeavour, we hope to take you away from what is often written about Singapore history – its political and economic development – and see for yourself how life has gone about over the years. We are talking about a way of life that is of Singapore – some has vanished and some still remain.

You may say that we are creating a sense of nostalgic; looking for a Singapore that only the older Singaporeans remember. But, by drawing on our historical imagination, these photographs will tell us more stories of the people you interviewed. What were the tensions and contradictions they faced? How has life changed for them? Are they still able to continue or revisit their past in our fast-paced society?

Of the places you studied, the photographs will be able to give you a sense of time as a place may be thought of as a process, a ‘process of becoming’ (Pred, 1984).
Of the cultures you came across, the photographs will draw your attention to change and continuity. Are cultural practices, events and celebrations still acted out collectively or have they become more individualistic and voluntary?

Look at them through the historical, sociological and anthropological lenses and let your imagination tell you more about the social history of Singapore.

Details:
Requirement:
1. Acquire 5 to 10 photographs (e.g. 3 of the past, 3 of the present);
2. Provide a short write-up for each photograph (one or two lines will suffice);
3. Hand in either the hardcopy (i.e. scanned images on A4 or photographs pasted on A4) or softcopy to your respective teachers.

Marking scheme:
1. Effort (number of photographs submitted) 20%;
2. Aesthetic values (current photographs, i.e. those you have taken) 10%;
3. Write-up (you need to know what you are submitting) 20%
4. Relevance (to your topic) 50%
Given the above, you won’t fail as long as you do your part and we do ours.

Dateline: 10 Sept 07

You may acquire your photographs from books, newspaper cuttings, magazines, internet, postcards, archival and private collections. Of course, those you have personally taken too.

All in all, this section may sound easy. But, to make sense of history, places, people, culture, processes, change and continuity may be difficult – be selective!

Thank you.

This is again from the man himself, Mr Thiiiiruuu!!!

This is brought to you by our one and only, Mr Thiru!!!

Pulau Ubin is probably the last wilderness of Singapore. Just ten minutes away by ferry from Changi, this island is the only place where traces of kampong life and little known paradise of nature and Singapore’s past still linger.

Pulau Ubin, literally means ‘Granite Island’ in Malay; as the island is known for its granites that provided much needed supply to the building of the Horsburgh Lighthouse and the Singapore-Johor Causeway.

Undoubtedly granite quarrying was the main economic activity that supported a few thousands settlers in the 1960s and eventually saw its demise probably in the 1980s when the last quarry was closed and people started moving out.

Today, the island is still sparsely populated by a hundred over villagers who have adapted over the years and eke out a living renting bicycles, selling drinks, opening restaurants, operating taxi vans and only a handful still farm and fish to make ends meet.

What is interesting about this island is also the many legends, ghost stories, the fact that it used to be a hideout for secret society members and reports of animal sightings that give this island its mysterious charm. On our visit to Ubin on Friday, we paid our respect to the German Girl whose spirit is still blessing the people of Ubin even so many years after her death; we also visited many temples where Na-tu Gong (Lord Datuk, a tutelary deity of the Earth God) is worshipped; we trespassed into abandoned temples and homes; studied Chinese graves; pondering over why Chinese worship rocks and some cliff that looks like Kuanyin (Goddess of Mercy); spoke to an uncle who told us that elephants can seek revenge if disturbed as well as tigers from Johor that swam over for a holiday and fed on wild dogs…

We were glad to make the trip. Me particularly. I learnt just as much more than the guys. I learnt that Yufan can be trusted with duties as he was made to be last guy most of the time when we were cycling. Tian can be vulgar and cheeky, but harmless still. Din is an open-minded Muslim who didn’t mind stepping into a Chinese temple and smelling incense. Dorigo is loud and easily excitable, I couldn't forgive him for scaring off a wild boar thus depriving the rest of a chance to see it. Alvin is smart and funny; he was so scared when he thought he stepped on a grave. Jeran is a team player and 'careful' when it comes to the unknown as I caught him putting his hands together praying to the graves…

This oral history project has turned out to be more fun and interesting than I expected. Lastly, I am thankful that I was there and everyone went home safely accept for a few dengue-look-alike mozzie bites. Oh yes, I still have not tried ayam penyet. ; )

Hi all, this is an excerpt of an oral history interview done several years ago by a few seniors of yours. The original transcript is much longer and more detailed. This is just a section from it. At the end, I have written a reflection based on that encounter. As a whole, this is how your transcript and reflection should look like for the second part of your project.

Thank you. Here we go.

Oral History Interview with Pak Ismail, a retired boatman

Hamdan: Uncle, we’re here to interview you so as to know more about your life and history. Can you tell us your full name?
Uncle: Yes. Ismail Bin Awang.
Hamdan: And your age?
Uncle: Seventy-five years old.
Hamdan: Now where do you live?
Uncle: Hougang, St. 78
Hamdan: Is there any more family members whom you still live with?
Uncle: Yes, I live with my children.
Hamdan: How many children do you have?
Uncle: I have seven children altogether. Two boys and five girls.
Hamdan: Do you have any grandchildren?
Uncle: Yes, I have fourteen grandchildren.
Khairul: What did you like to do when you were young?
Uncle: I loved to fish at Coney Island.
Khairul: What school did you come from?
Uncle: I came from a Malay school named Aruzu, an old school under a shelter, but I stopped during the time of the British.
Khairul: How was education in the past?
Uncle: We sat on the ground.
Hazreen: Were there books?
Uncle: Yes there were, but as times were hard, we used cloth to wrap our books.
Hamdan: What were the subjects taught back then?
Uncle: Two Malays were taught.
Hazreen: Was there any Co-curricular activities then?
Uncle: No, there wasn’t.
Khairul: Who were the people or friends you mixed with when you were of our age?
Uncle:I mixed around with Indians and the Chinese when I was around twelve years. After that, I followed my dad to sea. My dad was a fisherman back then.
Hazreen: What were the games you played when you were young?
Uncle: My friends and I liked to put attach strings through the top of a sardine can and we liked to watch them being pulled. We also liked to push the metal rim of a bicycle wheel by using a stick.
Hazreen: Did they have any special name for the games?
Uncle: No, they weren’t. We invented those games.
Hamdan: Now we would like to ask you more about the Japanese War and the Japanese Occupation. How old were you when the War occurred?
Uncle: I was about nineteen when the War started. I was here in Punggol when I saw that there were cannons near the ford, which was being set up. All the cannons were pointed to Pasir Merah, which is now known as Pasir Gudang. When the setting up of the cannons was finished, the British came to out Kampong and told us to leave. That was part of their good; it showed that they cared for us. Everyone in the Kampong was shifted to Johor. My aunt works in Johor as a rubber tapper. One day, as I followed her, I saw a flag. It was a Japanese flag. We were on an island called Pulau Tukang. My father gathered the people who originally lived in the Kampong and we went to see the Japanese. What did the Japanese say? They told us to hunt for pigs and chicken. So we did and we gave them our catch. They gave us a portion of our catch back to us. Then, the Japanese told us to go to the other side of the hill, so that if there were gunfire, we would not be shot. At a point of time, an officer came to us. We were afraid as we thought that we would be shot, but no. This officer was good. Instead, he told us to look out for boats. Officers who were not good were those who were bald.
Hamdan: What were your feelings then?
Uncle: Oh, at that time, it was very difficult. We had to hide in the fort. The water we were in was equivalent to half my height. We had to wait because if we came out of it we would be shot. That time the surrounding and scenery was very terrible. Once the Japanese surrendered, we heard on the radio that those who originally lived in the Kampong in Singapore were allowed to return. However, we had to return to Sembawang instead to obtain a letter of agreement not to live there anymore because of the smell, which had come from the dead bodies of people who have been shot. The dead bodies were everywhere.
Hamdan: Who do you prefer then, the Japanese or the British?
Uncle: Oh, definitely the British.
Hazreen: Whom did the Japanese like to attack? The adults or the children?
Uncle: No, they liked to attack mostly the women of all races. However, some of the women put charcoal on their faces. The Japanese would not attack such women. If pretty women were spotted, that’s the end of them. Goodness knows what they do to them.
Hazreen: How was the food then?
Uncle: We ate ubi kayu.
Khairul: Were there any harm done to your family members?
Uncle: No, all of them were safe.
Hamdan: How often did the killing take place?
Uncle: We did not see any of them died, but when we returned we saw many dead bodies all over the place.
Hamdan: How did you feel when the Japanese surrender and the British took over?
Uncle: I felt happy, because we could buy better clothing.
Hamdan: Was there anything the British did that was not fair to the Singaporeans back then?
Uncle: No, we liked their way of ruling.
Hamdan: Lastly, is there any incident that you cannot forget?
Uncle: Yes. I remembered a time I went to the sea. I saw elephants in the sea near Changi. I was around ten to fifteen years of age back then. I saw the elephant raise its trunk, and I saw water sprout out of it. I also remembered another incident. It also happened when I was in my boat. Its arms were very short ant it had a triangular head. There were three of them. I didn’t go towards them. They would kill me if I did. There was also an animal called the “mawas”. It looked exactly like an orang-utan except that it eats people, was very tall and the face was at the back of its head. They can be seen around 3.00a.m.
Khairul: That’s all, uncle. Thank you very much.

Reflection
It was our very first attempt at oral history interview, to be honest, we were rather nervous. We started well with the warm up questions and then went on to talk about Pak Ismail’s childhood and adulthood; experiences of life under the British, Japanese Occupation, the communist insurgency, merger and life now. We were very fortunate to have him as he had many things to share. The interview, as a whole, went on smoothly. We communicated in Malay throughout. Mr Leo was the only one who felt a little left out.

We like our choice of interview site as it was just right by the beach at Ponggol end. At times, Pak Ismail would even point at the beach and describe to us how bloody the beach would be and the numerous dead bodies lying around after the Japanese had carried out their execution.

We really enjoyed our time with him and if there was one thing we could improve on, then it would be our questioning techniques. We feel that our questions were a bit restrictive and did not have much room for Pak Ismail to expand the scope of his answers. For example, instead of asking: ‘How was education in the past?’ We should have just said: ‘Tell us more about your school life.’

Nevertheless, to us, we really learnt something useful and meaningful. This encounter has taught my friends and I that everyone has a story to share and this story adds realism to our history and through Pak Ismail’s memory, he has brought us back in time to see what we would never see, hear what we would never hear, feel what we would never feel. His words were not his alone, but were of everyone of his era. His words were theirs and his-story.