Back to My Birth Place Padang Serai to Send off Tony Lew Hoy Siong

Life is too short. Tony has left us too sudden I just could not believe it.  He was one of my best buddies during my teenage years.

It has been a long time I have not seen members of the Lew's family I was close to them as if I was one of their family members. I would cycle to their shophouse almost everyday and spent most of my time with them.

Tony's last journey at Jalan Bagan and may his soul rest in peace forever. Exactly at this spot on the left was a wooden shop where I was born 56 years ago.

Here am I with my friends since teenage they were classmates of Tony and I was glad to meet them again.

One of the many wooden houses at Jalan Baling and it is a matter of time these houses would not be seen anymore.

It used to have a huge telecom cable drum made of timber sitting over the drain exactly where these stuff as seen here and it was one of our meeting places in this cowboy town.

Old Lee commonly known as Lau Lee, a Teochew Tai Chow stall that serve delicious food. My late dad used to cater meals from them as there no one to cook for us when we first returned to Padang Serai. Me and my brother Yong Lim spent most of our childhood days in this town.

Wow! the telephone booth is still around I used to try my luck for shillings by pressing the coin release button and sometimes I get lucky.

One of the two hardware shops in Padang Serai the other one was ours but has ceased business for a long time ago. Tan Boon Chang now runs by my primary classmate, Tan Eng Kim.

Next to Kim Eng's house was Hung Meng's. I remember seeing how taugeh (sprouts) is produced at his home.

Mr. Khoon you were the one who helped me get my driving license and that was 1976.

The Sim's 'family a prominent trade name in this town "Aik Hwa". Everyone in this town knows them.

These houses have a lot of nostalgic memories for me, as a kid I used to hang around these areas.

Everyday when we open our shop we will see these shops standing right across us. Theirs are still around where ours has been demolished and developed into new ones. I use these old shops as my reference point to get the orientation of my birth place. One of these old shops were selling Vespa scooters and electrical appliances.

It was really nice to see you again my dear old friends.