our lives begin here

Reading The New Paper story on Sunday of tai-tais looking for Vietnamese husband reminds me of this PEN PALS column i use to take charge while working with Classified Ads of this newspaper called WEEKENDeast.

Male and female single, divorcees, widows, widowers will call up or come down personally to our office at News Centre to place their advertisements. For example, the ad will read like this:

SINGLE MALE, 38, looking for female friends for companionship. Please write to P.O.Box xxxx.....

Letters will come in for them and I will redirect all the correspondences to the respective advertisers.

At times I became an aunt agony, when they called up to place an ad, they will also pour out their problems to me. Like what am I going to do?

Though, there's this particular Malay man who will come down personally to our office but I really wish i could just disappear whenever he turns up. He was Mr Singapore I think in the 60s and will be so proud of it telling me of his glory days. He even had a photocopy picture of him in that bodybuilder pose that he insisted on putting it in the ad. He look and dress funny. And when he comes wearing his really short sports short i like wanna DIE!!!!

He was also coaching tennis and his daughter was then a well-known tennis player. So besides advertising for pen pals column, he was also looking for people to learn tennis from him. Euwww..i wouldn't even think of learning tennis if he was the coach!

I've seen him in Geylang. He had set up his own little space with his music keyboard and various photos of him in picture frames surrounding his space. It's at the traffic light crossing over to Joo Chiat Complex. Spot the big umbrella sheltering him and his possessions.

And good thing he don't recognise me...cos if not I'll *rrrrruuuuuuunnnnnn*