Poster Kids

Thursday, 10th September 2026

In recent weeks, I have been speeding up on the decluttering of items that have accumulated in my dad's house over the past 48 years.

It has been a long-drawn process and a learning journey, which over the course of time, made me become less sentimental about what to keep, and consequently more resolute on what to discard, especially since we will be scaling down about five times, from a landed house with a built-up area of approximately 5,500 square feet to a condominium of around 1,100 square feet.

In other words, we have had to dispose at least 80%, or 4 out of 5 items we come across. 

Well, 2 such items encountered while clearing out the study and storeroom are shown below, and are definitely keepsakes to migrate to our new abode, haha.

The first is Singapore Island Country Club's monthly magazine known as the Islander, March 2000 edition.  

Sometime in February that year, I had brought my then 4-year-old daughter and 2.5-year-old son to watch a CNY lion dance and snapshots of them (and other kids) were being taken by Sook Wai, the photographer.

When they were featured on the cover of the magazine, I was of course pleasantly surprised, but what surprised me more was that they were the only ones there!  I spoke with John, the graphic designer, and he told me that he had to photoshop / airbrush the other kids out because they all had frowns or looked grumpy, and my kids were the only ones who were smiling, haha.

This was in 2000, way before the advent of AI or Apple's clean-up utility, so I take my hat off to John for his surgical skills.

Wait a minute, some of you may say.  How come you know the names of the photographer and graphic designer.  Well, that is because they were my ex-colleagues.  I worked at the Club from December 1994 to July 1997, and both my kids were manufactured during my time there :-)

The 1st item may have a tiny shade of kehlong-ness, but this 2nd item definitely does not.  I had taken my then 6+ year-old daughter and 5-year-old son to Serangoon Gardens Country Club's 2002 year-end Christmas party, and a gentleman approached my wife and me, asking our permission to "borrow" them for a photoshoot.

He told us that he was hired by the Club to take photos of the party and also to feature a cover photo in the December 2002/ January 2003 edition of CLUB spirit, the bi-monthly magazine.  The photo was to have a Christmas tree in the background and children of various ages (from kindergarten to primary school) in the front exchanging presents.

The photographer also approached another couple and they also consented to have their 2 primary-school-going children featured.

So once again, my kids became the poster girl and poster boy.

I had the magazine cover cut out and placed into a photo frame.  This frame will also be moving with us into our new abode. 

These 2 occasions were definitely orchestrated by God Himself, and I thank Him for my 2 poster kids.