KUALA LUMPUR: They say a picture is worth a thousand words. In Alan Wong's case, all it takes is one single picture to unleash a lifetime of memories.
It all started when Wong, an Ipoh-born who currently lives in Australia, posted a photo of his childhood home in Merdeka Garden in Ipoh on the 'Once Upon A Time in Ipoh and Malaysia - Tales from the Past and Present' Facebook page.
Accompanying the photo is a long caption detailing how Wong's father initially bought the original house on the right (house number 28) with his life savings and some money borrowed from the bank.
After living in house number 28 for a few years, Wong's father decided to sell the current house and buy the one next to it: House number 26.
According to the post, Wong's father thought the new house looked better.
In the same post, Wong further detailed how children at that age played football every evening at the 'Padang' (field) opposite his home.
"There were no smartphones, so the only activities were sports."
He shared fond memories of his family running a stall selling Chee Cheong Fun and Tau Fu Fah near the Padang.
Later, it became the family's only source of income.
"My siblings and I had to help at the stall every night. My poor parents worked so hard to give us a better life," he wrote.
The post, which was shared two days ago, caught the attention of one member, Ong Boon Yee. The exchange between Ong and Wong quickly won the hearts of the other members in the group.
Ong recalled his friendship with Wong despite both of them attending different schools.
"We used to hang out together until you were around 18, and then you left for Australia to further your studies. After that, we sort of drifted apart," Ong wrote.
Others also left fond memories of how Wong once stood up against a bully who was much older than him.
Wong, who was a Wing Chun practitioner, a Chinese martial artist, since he was a young boy, single-handedly defeated his bully.
Many people who frequented Wong's parents' stall remember the senior Wong fondly.
"I remember your dad and his chee cheong fun with mushroom gravy. Your dad was a very friendly and nice man," said Judy Lim.
Vbd Eric agreed: "We are from the same neighbourhood. I remember your parents. They were both much loved by us all. Thanks for sharing. It rekindles those moments as we travel in time."
Another comment by user Sam Joe: "So good to know that just a sort of article reunited friends from a long time ago."
Yes, we couldn't agree more.