In this issue of The Daily Scrapper, we talk about celebrating our heritage. I think the common thing that all of us share is the spirit to keep our memories alive for our generation, our kids’ generation and future generations to come. In many ways, we are each storyteller, crafting and imprinting our individuality in the form of digital scrapbooking.

When I talk about heritage, I want my daughter to know both her parents’ and how our lives are shaped by our ancestors and the amazing traits that we somehow carry in us. My husband could trace his family history all the way to the 14th century. In his family, they have this huge book which carries the names of all the descendants and life of each one. There was gossip and amazing things that some members of the family did. I hold on to beer mugs and plates which are centuries old and wonder in amazement who had drank and eaten from them. I didn’t always have this feeling in me, the need to reconnect but as I grow older and have a family of my own, I started thinking more about leaving my own legacy behind for someone in the future to maybe do like I did – holding a book and reading about my family lives.

I can only trace my family to my great grandparents. I am the 4th generations of the Straits Born Chinese most commonly known as Peranakans or Baba and Nyonya. It’s a distinctive group of Chinese who have adopted and even married the locals in the country they have called home. My family roots could be seen from Melaka down to Singapore but of course now we have branched out to many other cities across the country. I remembered as a kid, my neighbors would wonder why I couldn’t speak Hokkien (a Chinese dialect) with them but instead spoke Malay and English. We adapted so much the Malay form of eating with hand that it became natural to us but weird to others because they couldn’t comprehend how a Chinese could do that. [laugh] Our food is famous in this region and if you have visited Singapore and Malaysia, you are likely to have sample one or two of the Peranakans dishes. I am glad that although my daughter is more comfortable with her German heritage [who doesn’t like sausages, ham and schnitzel?!], she isn’t shy to sit down and eat with her hand if the occasion calls for it. She holds the chopsticks very well, my husband too, which most often always create the attentions of the locals when we eat outside. I plan to make a family recipe book and hope one day, I could share it with you. Please click [culture] and [food] to find out more about the Peranakans.

Our layout artists have created some lovely heritage themed layouts using the products found recently in the stores. Check them out in the Products Highlight section. Two hybrid team artists also created beautiful projects for their family keepsakes. They are so talented and it’s amazing what one can do combining digital products and traditional crafts. Check the projects at the Hybrid Project section. For more heritage themed layouts, go to the What A Scrap! section and see the layouts contributed by TDS readers.

Happy scrapping as always!

Alice Koh
TDS founder & editor

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