Once upon a time in Singapore

Edric Sng, Today Online 23 Jul 09;

I AM surrounded by dusty photographs, family mementos, memories. Every day I come to work to see a fresh stack of yellowing pictures on my desk, and my email inbox is creaking under the strain of dozens of attachments sent in daily.

The Today "My Life: Then & Now" photo contest has tapped a rich vein of nostalgia, and thank you, dear readers, for responding by the hundreds to our call for pictures which demonstrate how life has improved in the 50 years since Singapore earned the right to self-rule.

In my pile there are panoramic shots of Singapore's impressive skyline of today, contrasted shots of the bumboat-packed Singapore River of the '60s, taken by someone's father, someone's grandfather.

There are lovely yellowed pictures of policemen (you guessed it) wearing shorts, looking a far cry from the security forces of today.

Somewhere in the stack is a picture of a young, sprightly Elizabeth Choy - "look how pretty she was," says the caption - in a picture so old she wasn't even a national hero then, just a daily hero to the students she taught. Then there's a black-and-white snapshot of a young Yaacob Ibrahim, submitted by a classmate from days long past.

On my desk, in other words, are this nation's memories. You were there. Thank you for giving us a glimpse of how you saw the world then, and what you love about the country today.

Tomorrow is the deadline for entries. I can't wait to see what might sneak into our inbox at the last minute.

And for those of you who are unwilling to let go of those photos on your mantelpiece which are your family's most precious heirlooms, here's my promise to you: If you submit your old, priceless photographs to us by snail mail we will make sure you get them all back intact. We'll accept all entries as long as they're post-dated by tomorrow, July 24.

So, go on. Make us laugh, make us cry. And we hope, as you dig out your old photo albums and talk to your parents about The Way Things Were, that you'll savour the memories as much as we