SENIORSALOUD COMMUNITY - ABOUT US

SeniorsAloud is in the news again, this time in the latest quarterly issue of PASSAGE - the premium magazine for seniors in Malaysia. Lots of great stuff inside specially targeted at older adults. If you are curious to check out PASSAGE,you can pick up a copy at major bookstores. I got mine at Kinokuniya, KLCC for RM15.

Here are some excerpts from the article on SeniorsAloud community.

Hope this explains how SeniorsAloud community came into being. 

“The biggest concern for many seniors is financial. In Malaysia the average life span has increased to 75. But the retirement age in the private sector remains at a young 55. How can retirees continue to be financially self-supporting for the next 20 years? How can they stretch their ringgit? What are the options available to grow their savings? It was with this in mind that we decided to kick-start our 2012 program with a half-day seminar to address these financial issues.

The inaugural event on 16 February saw 60 seniors packing the venue to listen to a series of talks on the theme “How to Grow Your Golden Nest Egg”. Author and financial coach Carol Yip, offered the participants useful tips on how to manage their money; Francis Padamadan, Director of Operations at Kelly Services spoke on the challenges facing older workers seeking employment, and MD of D’Tandoor International Group of Restaurants, Abdul Malik Abdullah, shared his entrepreneurial expertise on the ABCs of starting your own business.

“The turnout was beyond our expectations. We had to close registration a week before the event due to limited seating capacity, says Fu. “The feedback we received was most encouraging. The participants are eagerly awaiting the next seminar which will be held in April."

Join our SeniorsAloud Community. Just go to our Facebook page and 'LIKE' us. So easy. No fees to pay. The only condition is you must be 50 years and above. But even that isn't a hard and fast rule.

Footnote: Since the above inaugural event, SeniorsAloud has also organized the hugely successful "Social Media for Seniors" last April. Coming up is a free talk on "Smart Money Management for a Stress-Free Retirement" on Saturday 16 June. (See below for more details.)

In July our SeniorsAloud lifelong learning series will continue with a seminar on "RETIRE HEALTHY AND HAPPY". We have invited specialist doctors to share their expert advice on how to maintain good health and embrace the joie de vivre (joy of living). Details will be announced soon.

All SeniorsAloud events are organized by SeniorsAloud Consultancy, a not-for-profit registered social enterprise. Sponsored events are free. For those that are not, a small fee applies to cover organizational costs. Any nett proceeds are donated to charity.

If you have any seniors-related queries, you can email seniorsaloud@gmail.com or leave a message on SeniorsAloud Facebook page. We will do our best to provide the information you need.

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN - THE SINGAPORE MEMORY PROJECT

This book is a treasure trove of pictures that tell of a time passed but not forgotten.

One topic that invariably crops up whenever old friends get together is life in the good old days. The pranks we played in school, our teenage infatuations, childhood heroes, favorite songs, best foods - all these are now distant memories of an era when life was simple yet fun, and the expression "no time - too busy" was unheard of.

The man on the left shows the best sitting position to enjoy your cup of kopi kau (thick black coffee) or your favorite bowl of Teochew porridge. Note the spittoon under the table. (Photo credit: Singapore National Museum)

The original kopitiam - undoubtedly a man's domain 
(Photo credit: Singapore National Museum)

Remember these vinyl 33rpm records? They were breakable and would warp if left in the heat. (Photo credit: Singapore National Museum)

I thank my good fortune that I managed to get a copy of "Vintage Singapore" last year. I am not sure if it is still in print. It was first published in 2006 by Editions Didier Millet Pte Ltd. If you would like to order a copy, try contacting the publishers at their website at http://www.edmbooks.com/

I share this book with my mother who has Alzheimer's in the hope that it will trigger some memory recall as she pores over these pictures of a bygone era.

You can access all these memories of the past in images and articles at this link:
http://www.singaporememory.sg/

Alternatively, you can check out Singapore Memory Project (SMP). To quote from the website, SMP is "a national initiative started in 2011 to collect, preserve and provide access to Singapore’s knowledge materials, so as to tell the Singapore Story. It aims to build a national collection of content and preserve them in digital form, and make them available for discovery and research. The SMP aims to collect 5 million personal memories as well as a substantial number of published materials on Singapore by 2015.

How the project began. Read more at http://www.iremember.sg/   

What a brilliant idea to preserve the past! To date, 112,684 memories have been added, and more coming in even as I write.

One more link to share with you. If you enjoy western country music, and old photos that will definitely put a smile on your face, click here for an interview with Matthew Tan, Singapore's 'one and only bona fide cowboy'. And if you want to sing along, the lyrics are in the Youtube video below.

Click on http://www.singaporememory.sg/showcases/22/contents to listen to Matthew share about the early days before he hit the limelight with "Singapore Cowboy".

Enjoy happy hours browsing the websites.