Clever way to get mum company

SINGAPORE - Worried that his 97-year-old mother would be lonely, Mr Lim Eng Choon devised a way of attracting people to visit her - by mounting an old photograph of Lim Jetty and an illustration of the heritage attraction on the wall of his mother's home.

In just three days, more than 100 visitors and strangers walked up to the house to look at the illustration and chat with his mother, Madam Lee Kim Kee, at her home in Penang's Lim Jetty.

Mr Lim said he came up with the idea almost a year ago, reported Malaysia's The Star. "I live in a house near the same jetty, but I needed to leave for work early in the morning," said the 62-year-old.

The photo was a view of the jetty captured by a foreigner in 1910.

"It was presented to my grandfather," he said. "I enlarged the photo, and then looked for an artist to draw it."

Since the 1.5m by 1.2m drawing and the photo were put up on the wall last Thursday, the house has been the talking point of every visitor to the jetty.

Madam Lee, one of the oldest residents at the jetty, said she was surprised when people began to drop by her house. "I was not aware of the drawing at first, but was only told of it by my daughter, who came back for her Chinese New Year break," she said.

"Although I can't hear very well, I can still feel the concern expressed by visitors, who are so friendly," she said, adding that she even received visitors past the midnight celebrations of the Jade Emperor's Birthday, which lasted until 1am on Saturday.

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