October 2020 - IpohWorld's World

Famous Names (13)

By felicia|2020-10-30T15:56:02+08:00October 30th, 2020|Categories: history, Identify Photographs, People|

He made the best use of his time in the colony by learning Cantonese, and later Mandarin and travelled extensively in China. He held a number of Senior posts in Hong Kong, British Guiana and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), before being appointed as Governor of the Straits Settlements and High Commissioner of the Federated Malay States in November 1929, taking up the appointment in February 1930, in place of Sir Hugh Clifford who had retired due to ill-health. (read more here)

Who’s our featured celebrity today? He is none other than Sir Cecil Clementi!

1

that Brewster Road photo studio….

By felicia|2020-10-28T16:10:00+08:00October 28th, 2020|Categories: Identify Photographs, Ipoh Town|

No, I wasn’t talking about Chan Sam Lock. I was referring to Majestic Photo Service (130 Brewster Road, Ipoh). According to the above receipt, the customer bought one set of R. C. A. 23″ Newport television for $1,030.

A photo studio seling televisions? Hmm……

7

Dining at the…where?

By felicia|2020-10-26T13:05:04+08:00October 26th, 2020|Categories: food, history, Ipoh Town, Memories, tourism|

The Ipoh Bodega was the first European restaurant to open in Ipoh. Its doors opened on the 6th August 1904. Initially catering mainly to the lunchtime crowd, it began serving dinner shortly after and a month later began to stay open until 11pm, with music to entertain the liquor-drinkers. The weather was the death of the restaurant though. Heavy rains in October resulted in the flooding of Belfield Street, the premise of Ipoh Bodega. Accessible only by sampan, Ipoh Bodega was nicknamed the Bog. Less than a month later it closed down and changed hands. The new proprietors faced a different but equally fatal quandary – the night-soil collection carts. These “honey carts” pulled up opposite the Bodega nightly between 8 and 9 pm to engage in their odoriferous task. Angry Ipohites urged for the collection hour to be pushed to midnight but to no avail. The Ipoh Bodega shut its doors for good in early 1905.

The above extract was taken from an article, from the Ipoh Echo (issue 021, 2006). Has anyone heard of The Bog? Where (in Ipoh) would it be….if it were still open today?

3

What is it?

By felicia|2020-10-23T15:48:07+08:00October 23rd, 2020|Categories: Identify Photographs|

Here’s something to keep you occupied this weekend. What do you think this is?

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Famous October celebrities

By felicia|2020-10-21T16:04:46+08:00October 21st, 2020|Categories: Identify Photographs|

Some of you may already recognise these men, famous brothers in the entertainment world (oops, gave away a big clue there!). Coincidentally, both were born in the month of October. Have any of you had the privilege of meeting them?

2

Now Here is Something Different

By ika|2020-10-19T11:20:00+08:00October 19th, 2020|Categories: Identify Photographs|

It is in our collection, but not yet listed in the database and may be difficult to guess. So let me give you a couple of clues:

Probably unique, it came from a tin mine near Lahat and was invented by a British Mining Engineer! It dates from the days when appropriate machinery was not yet available in Malaya.

6

The ‘Super Spy’

By felicia|2020-10-16T16:23:08+08:00October 16th, 2020|Categories: history, Memories, People|

Forget James Bond, here in Malaya we had a “super spy”. The photo isn’t all that clear (well, he was spy after all!), but you can more or less get a hint of what this spy looked like.

Based on a press cutting, he was known as: “A cunning triple agent who was feted by the British, the Japanese and the French, Lai Tek infiltrated the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) to become its secretary-general from 1938 till 1947. His duplicity was discovered in late 1945.”

How’s THAT for a spy? 🙂

2

…more haunting tales…

By felicia|2020-10-14T16:21:52+08:00October 14th, 2020|Categories: childhood, Identify Photographs, Ipoh Town, Memories, movies|

In keeping up with the Halloween theme, here’s a familiar landmark that may have had its fair share of spooky tales…

Somewhat triangular in shape the Odeon is adjacent to St Michael’s Catholic graveyard and like the post-war Rex Theatre, rumours that it is haunted abound. One popular rumour is that if you ever take off your shoes inside, you will never find them when the light comes on — even if nobody has sat in front, behind or next to you. Although the theatre was air conditioned, management would occasionally conserve energy by opening the doors on the side facing the graveyard creating a rather spooky feeling. The Theatre seated 850 on its main floor and in the balcony.

5

“That’s the spirit!”

By felicia|2020-10-12T15:16:07+08:00October 12th, 2020|Categories: Identify Photographs|

Blythe Spirit is a comic play written by Noel Coward which takes its title from Percy Bysshe Shelley’s poem “To a Skylark” (“Hail to thee, blythe Spirit! / Bird thou never wert”). The play concerns socialite and novelist Charles Condomine, who invites the eccentric medium and clairvoyant, Madame Arcati, to his house to conduct a séance, hoping to gather material for his next book. The scheme backfires when he is haunted by the ghost of his annoying and temperamental first wife, Elvira, following the séance. Elvira makes continual attempts to disrupt Charles’s marriage to his second wife, Ruth, who cannot see or hear the ghost.

On that note, do you have any ‘memorable’ ghost stories to share? 😉

3

Ipoh Town, 1950s

By felicia|2020-10-07T16:39:45+08:00October 7th, 2020|Categories: Identify Photographs, Ipoh Town, Natural Heritage|

Looks familiar? Then perhaps you could tell us where in Ipoh this place is. We’d like to thank Ruth Iversen Rollitt for this gem.

Ruth, if you’re reading this…SHHHH! Don’t give the readers the answer yet 🙂

9

‘chasing ghosts’ ?

By felicia|2020-10-06T13:58:29+08:00October 5th, 2020|Categories: Identify Photographs|

Some people associate October with ghouls, spirits, and similar spooky stuff. Perhaps it’s because Halloween falls on 31st October; it could also be that we’ve just past the ‘Hungry Ghost’ month. Whatever the reason, some cinemas take advantage of the season by showing a variety of horror films.

That being said, does anyone remember this Chinese film – “The Ghost Chasers” ? It was shown at the Mayfair Theatre.