Colin Goh and Woo Yen Yen

A recent article in the New York Times got me thinking about my grandfather, who passed away when I was seven.

The article, some of you may be dismayed to learn, was about urinals, specifically, that more and more people are installing urinals in their homes, and designer ones at that (check out the pix above)! Here’s the original Times article, but here’s a commentary on Gothamist with some interesting links.

It appears Kong Kong was way ahead of his time in terms of bathroom trendiness. Because one of the really strong memories I have of him, was that he had installed a urinal in his study.

I availed myself of it too, whenever my folks left me in my grandparents’ care.

Growing up, I realised it wasn’t a very common thing to do at home, although something in the back of my head kept thinking it was very sensible. One of the most likely reasons he installed the urinal was probably because he could - though he’s had several other jobs, at the time I was growing up, Kong Kong was managing a plumbing company, so I guess he must have looked at the inventory, and gone, “Hmmm…”

My grandfather was a real character (but then so are most of my family), and I’d love to write more about some of his exploits some day. In the meantime, Kong Kong, here’s one for you!

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