Three Tins - Success even when it has been raining cats and dogs the entire day!

I am not particularly into tins unless they are really old or the design catches my eye.

In actual fact I know next to nothing about these things other than some of them are still household name until today.

My day begins with the continuous wet weather from yesterday. Despite the downpour my friend Yusni Azman insists that we go ahead with our planned outing today - we were very successful yesterday having found several cinema chairs!

We stopped by one of his usual hunting grounds - a sundry shop just outside town. There we found several things but that will be a seperate entry in my blog later today

The weather remained over cast with occasional showers so we decided to ask the other adjacent house owners for permission to see inside.

The last house we went in belonged to a couple who despite their age remained happy and joyous. It is very obvious to me that they are leading a very happy and contented life. I envy them!

The Uncle happily invited us in and allowed to to see his things.

It is here that I found these three tins.

One is Purol medicated skin powder which I cannot find much information about on the Internet.

The other two are quite common - the Lactogen is slightly rusty but the nestum is in good condition.

Apart from buying these three items we also took time to admire their wall of fame - something that every household has - a collection of family photos collected over the years.

I can gather that this lucky couple has many children and all of them are successful from the way the Uncle and Aunty tell me about them. Again...I am envious. Some poeple are really meant to be together for the rest of their lives.


We bid farewell to the couple as the Uncle returns to his usual place outside the house where he just sits, reads the papers and then watch the world go by.

 The rain has yet to stop but we have to return home.

Today we found some things for our collection but most important of all we found out that in life you do not need to have a lot of money to be happy.
Many of us are so caught up with life that we forget that the most important things to us are at home - our family who will stick with us through thick and thin,

We went to look for old books and instead found old cinema chairs!

It is so easy to get sidetracked when my friends and I go searching for vintage stuff in the countryside. We just cannot predict what we can find.

For example, today we went to out as my friend Yusni had a lead on a place with vintage books for sale.

We arrived at around 1030 am and began looking around.



In less than 10 minutes we saw this pair of old cinema chairs outside a shop. The shop was closed. We stood around, took photos and went off to ask neighbours to help locate the owners.

The sundry shop assistant nearby told us to knock on the door of the third house in the row. We were told that the owners lived there.

 Upon meeting the owners, we quickly asked if the chairs were for sale and we quickly sealed the deal when the answer was positive.

We were told that these were from the old Seri Intan Cinema in town.

Later we were given permission to look inside.

The place used to be an old rice mill. It was huge and there were things all over the place.

Among the stuff I found half of another chair which was thrown in for free,

 The rest of the items in the place were old rice processing equipment and safe which was too large or heavy for us to cart all the way home.

My most trusting friend, my tenant - How lucky can a person get!

Yesterday was again very eventful for me but what made it extra special was when my tenant handed me the keys to the main door and said that I can come and go as I like. Wow! That says a lot about his trust in me! I was deeply touched.

So I am dedicating this blog to you, Mat Kelantan! Thank you very much for trusting me,

I first met Muhammad Mudzammil bin Ismail (everyone in Alor Star calls him Mat Kelantan as he hails from Machang) some 16 years ago. At that time his photograph framing shop was located on the ground floor of the now demolished Pekan Rabu.

I have been collecting old photographs (and many other things as well - too long to list) for a very long time and occasionally I would drop by to ask for his services.



He is a very joyful person, polite, deeply religious and trustworthy. No task is too difficult for him and his smile is always there no matter what.

So when the people at Pekan Rabu were in the process of being evicted, I had many requests to rent my shop but I chose Mat Kelantan. Deep down inside I knew that sharing the shop with him I will have a peace of mind.

 Mat Kelantan is very neat and tidy. His toilet in the shop is spotless. He sweeps and cleans the floor before he starts work everyday. Oh yes, he runs the entire shop alone.

Mat Kelantan in the process of preparing HRH Sultan of Kedah's portrait frame.

Again, my utmost gratitude Mat Kelantan, not just for the keys but your trust in me.

Stunning Peacock Singing - Vintage Chinese embroidery

This piece was lying under my antique dealer's car! How on earth did it get there? I guess others before me must have been rummaging through his things and they did not bother about this and allowed it to slide away unnoticed.

I was lucky to spot it and added it to my pile among some other things (those I shall leave for another post to tell the tale).

My dealer, in his usual style of mental calculations, began summing up the things. When he came to this, he just looked at me and then said "FREE'.

I was stunned! This work of art in silk! You are giving it away! Thank you very much!

 Perhaps the reason was because the frame housing this magnificent work was in bad shape and he could not charge me much anyway. I cannot complain. It's my gain.

I shall not elaborate anymore and let the photos speak for themselves.

I shall let you, my readers, be the judge if this is really very nice or it should be given away free again!

One last thing, I suppose this was made with much love, devotion and care for a loved one - perhaps as a wedding gift? Can anyone comment please? Thank you.

Mirror, mirror in my hand, tell me if you can? - Vintage mirror of unknown source

I saw this mirror which looking through the things at my antique supplier's house last night.

It certainly looks old but I suspect the mirror has been replaced. I bought it nonetheless as I liked its ornate design.

After careful inspection I have come to believe that it is made of brass. It looks very dark and has greenish spots due to age.

I can just image it being used by the lady of the house or one of her daughters. They must be from a rather well off family to be able to afford a piece like this.

Enough said, I will now let the photos do the talking.

Oh yes. One more thing. I appreciate if any of my readers can shed more light on this item as I absolutely know nothing about it. Thanks

Base of the mirror and also tip of the handle showing the ornate details

Detail photo of the stem of the mirrot

Details of the rim

Yew Ming Spectacle Maker - Rescuing a long discarded sign board

I had a great stroke of luck today. I revisited an old signboard maker who had repeatedly told me that he does not have anything more to sell me.

Adamant and refusing to take no for an answer I just asked his permission to just have a look around. Shaking his head at my refusal to heed his advice, he reluctantly agreed.

I knew that there is still one more place for me to look - the ceiling.....

I rushed next door to borrow a ladder from the shop next door (I found an old signboard there last week)

I rushed back and began checking the dusty and cobweb covered ceiling boards.

At first there was nothing apart from a broken wooden stool. Then I saw a rolled up aluminium sheet.

I cannot make out what it actually is apart from that it is an old signboard.

I dragged it closer to the edge so that the owner could see it. I asked if it was for sale.

We quickly struck a deal. I guess he is just too happy to make some money out of something that he did not know that he had in the first place.

I took the metal roll outside and began cleaning it with some old newspapers. I can see several Chinese characters, a spectacle and an EYE! I can actually feel the eye looking back at me.

I,loaded it into the car and rush back to my shop - eager to unfold and see how it actually looks like.

 I turn the rolled sheet around in all directions and even peek inside but still I cannot guess its size and actual shape.

It is only after I asked Mat Kelantan to come up to help me hold up the piece as I unfurl it could I see its immense size....Its at least 12 feet in height and 4 feet across!

I had to hang it nearly all the way up to the ceiling.

The piece was very dusty and I had to clean it with several pails of water. Each time the water became black as coal.

But then when all is done, the final picture makes all my effort worth while. Its a magnificent piece of advertising artwork. I like the way CHERMIN is spelt.

 On my way back home just now I stopped by Yew Ming to guess where this signboard must have been placed. I am happy to see the new signboard at the side of the shop which must have replaced the one I have now.

I have saved another piece of local history. Its all so exciting.

I am not working tomorrow. Perhaps I will make another discovery?