You don't have to be a prominent Eurasian. Every Eurasian is prominent. Everybody can help in some way or other.
Right.
You don't have to be rich.
Hi everyone. Welcome to yet another episode of CHC. It is the Chris Hansen conversation and I always have the best kind of people seated with me in my studio at CCB TV.
And tonight I have someone really special. She's the one that beats the ethnic beat for a particular ethnic community in Singapore.
I'm saying it because I am from that community and she is Sandra Galiston. Thank you very much for being here and welcome to the show, Sandra.
I'm very happy to be here.
Okay, hang on a second. I think you're going to move in just a little bit so that we can pick you up. Okay.
Right, Sandra. Thank you once again for being here and I need to do this. This is customary before we begin all the chit chat.
Yeah.
Okay.
We've got with us this marvelous, probably, and I say this and it is true, the most crispiest, fluffiest damn vades in the land.
And it is from Gordon's Vade and they feed me and my guests all the time.
So thank you, Vijay. Thank you, Gordon's Vade. And feel free, you know, to munch away at this.
Yes, I will.
These munchkins are amazing.
Definitely.
Amazing. So, San, I want to start another thing that's traditional here for me, okay, on all of my shows.
I will always want to throw the mic over to my guest and ask this question and it's all yours, yeah?
Okay.
Who is Sandra Gallistan?
Hard question to answer.
Really?
Or like that.
Singaporean.
Okay.
True blue Singaporean.
Great.
Proudly Eurasian.
Definitely.
Definitely, proudly Eurasian and I'm just trying to do the best for the community right now.
Okay. What do you do, actually, for, do you do, you have a profession, you have a job, a career?
I'm a photographer.
Yeah, okay, you're a photographer.
Professional photographer.
Wow. How long have you been doing that?
About 15.
So what kind of, 15, 18 years.
What kind of photography do you do?
I started off in Hong Kong. We did fashion shoots.
Right.
And I learned from a lot of people there. And then came back to Singapore, started out my own little business.
And we do events. We do, I do portraiture.
Oh.
Yes.
Wow.
And then I went to India to live for a couple of years.
And then I did professional photography, videography for the Dalai Lama.
For the Dalai Lama.
Yes.
Wait a second.
Yes.
Are you saying that you are, you were, are, were the official?
Were, yes.
Photographer?
The official photographer is Tenzin. It's, I mean, he works in Dalai Lama's office.
Right.
But all the Singapore groups that came in to India, I did the photography for them.
Okay.
Yeah.
Okay. Wow.
So you met the Dalai Lama.
Yes I have.
You have conversed.
Several times.
Oh wow.
Yes.
Now that we're on that topic, should I do this?
Should I?
Go for it.
Okay. That tongue sucking incident.
Yes.
What's your take on it?
Okay. When it first came out, it was just, I saw the clip.
Right.
And I didn't think much of it. And then after that, everything was, everyone was outraged.
Everyone was the uproar.
And then I was like, you know, I lived in the Tibetan community for years.
I lived in the Tibetan, with Tibetans. My neighbours were Tibetans, the Lamas.
This thing is, it is actually not suck my tongue, it's eat my tongue.
Okay. I don't know which is.
Okay. So.
I don't know which is.
It is, it is a Tibetan, say the grandparents and elder.
Right.
They will give the grandchildren sweets and love and hugs.
Right.
And then after that, the grandparents would say, I got nothing left for you, but for you to eat my tongue.
It's a Tibetan cut.
So it's a cultural thing.
It's an absolute cultural thing.
And it's acceptable in their culture.
Everybody does it. They don't actually, may not actually do it.
Right.
But it's said.
Okay.
Nothing left for you but to eat my tongue.
Okay.
So it's not, it has never been seen. My neighbours have done it.
The problem comes when His Holiness the Dalai Lama, because he taught himself English.
Right.
It's okay. And instead of saying the word eat my tongue, which is that usual Tibetan phrase.
He said suck my tongue.
So, and the video is all spliced up. I mean you work in media, you know.
Right.
How they can just.
Yeah, you know.
You know.
Yeah.
And make it sensational.
All the interesting cuts and snippets, but the important ones they throw away.
The boy's parents were sitting just, you know, ten feet from them.
Yeah.
There were hundreds of people.
Was this boy a Tibetan boy?
No, I think he was an Indian boy.
Indian boy.
Okay.
So everybody was laughing when the Dalai Lama said that because people in the audience are familiar with it.
Okay.
And so some of the comments were, oh how can everyone be laughing?
It is precisely because you are something so innocent.
Right.
In fact, when I've met the Dalai Lama, you know, he's always playing with people's beards.
I photographed it myself of him doing that.
He ruffled my hair.
So it's a very, it's a cultural thing.
So people basically, based on, for lack of a better description, based on conventional wisdom, whatever the fuck that would mean.
In other cultures outside of the Tibetan culture, misconstrued that as something maybe what a pedophile would actually do, right?
Exactly.
A pedophile would do it on national TV.
Actually, you got a very good point there.
I mean, there are hundreds of cameras everywhere.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's a good point.
That's a good point.
Why would a pedophile do this openly, right?
So something in life, something very innocent can be construed into something very bad.
Yeah.
And that just happens all the time.
That's sad.
And this is just people with this fucked up cancel culture bullshit.
And you have this.
Calling out.
And you have His Holiness that has spent his life devoted to good works and peace and harmony and everything.
And then that one misconstrued moment and everybody just goes through it.
That's life, isn't it?
Yeah, that's life.
You can do good and then.
But now that we're on that topic, that's life.
You can do good and then people actually come and screw you over.
You know, over something that you see something, oh, oh, you did that.
It's almost a joy that they found that they take pleasure in it.
Yes, they take pleasure in that.
So, but in your time, because besides being a professional photographer,
and this is the first I'm hearing, man, that you actually sat down at the Dalai Lama.
And you were taking pictures for him, etc., etc.
But the reason why you are in my studio is because you're this person that you look today is the first time I think we've met face to face.
Right.
I know you from social media.
And the reason why you I know you off social media is because of the great work in my opinion.
And I don't give a I don't give a care in a world where anyone else might think.
But in my what I see every day and I just it marbles me.
Eurasians and it's not just Eurasians in Singapore.
The Eurasians internationally birthdays from birthdays to passing.
Yeah.
And you you put posts up either congratulating people for birthdays,
wedding anniversaries, even even, you know, sympathies and condolences to those who passed on.
I think this is how you do more than what a broadsheet newspaper would be doing, man.
I think it's amazing. Really, it's amazing stuff.
For those of you who don't know, Sam Galliston is a person that is running the show of this marvelous portal.
Can I say that portal? We see all the time on social media is called Eurasians International.
And she's a person I call who beats that ethnic beat for the Eurasian community, not just in Singapore.
Really everywhere. I remember there was a time I and this one really got me.
I read this post about one Eurasian lady living in Canada whose apartment burned down.
Yes.
And I was thinking and I was going, what? How?
This is news from halfway across the globe of someone from the Eurasian community living there as a Canadian, I would assume.
Yes.
And having lost everything.
Yes.
And then you guys tried to seek help and crowd fund for her, right?
Yes.
Did it work out?
I think it did work out, but to what extent, I don't know.
Sure. But people did come for it.
Yes.
So this has been a great platform for people like that, people in need, right?
Definitely. Because we have the Eurasians that have migrated all over the world.
Right.
And as much as they have settled down as an Aussie or a Brit, they're still Eurasian at heart.
You know? There's still that Eurasian in them.
And so being part of that platform where they can come together and, you know,
see how everyone is doing around the world, I think that's very important.
What else does Eurasian International do?
Okay. We started off with collecting data for all the Eurasians that have passed in the grave at Tua Chau Kang.
So we have 2,188 documented images of Eurasians that have passed.
Yes. So because Bidadari, you know, my uncle was buried at Bidadari.
Which is all gone now, right?
Which is all gone now. So I don't have even a picture of his grave.
And I told my sister, I said, how sad is that? I mean, you know, nobody made an effort to keep all these pictures.
And, you know, now it's so easy to take photos. So I started doing it at Tua Chau Kang.
And slowly over the last three years, taking pictures of everybody's grave.
And so we have a database now of 2,188 of which if somebody comes from Australia and says,
oh, my uncle died in 1997 and he's probably his buried in Tua Chau Kang, I can kind of trace their grave for them.
Really? Yes. The plot, where they are? Yes, I've done it.
Okay, I need to ask you. You, it's noble, it's brilliant, it's fantastic.
I got to say, hats off to you. You spent time going, fighting graves.
I'm sorry, I'm not funny, but it made us also at the same time.
You know, and you went.
We spent Sundays here.
Wow.
Very fun thing.
Wow.
And we would go around and say, oh, this is our, yes, take pictures, this side, that side.
If the graves are like, okay, we just go on and on and on.
But seriously, what's that seed of motivation that would get you to do something like that,
as well as starting, you know, Eurasian International?
I mean, what is that motivation?
Because it is part of bringing the community together.
Setting up our food bank is one part of it.
Okay, okay, food bank, food bank. Let's talk about that.
Now you're talking about food bank. I'm sorry. I do this, my brain just goes that way.
So food bank, what food bank is this?
Okay, so Eurasian International started our own food bank, food bank a few years ago.
And it started off very small with my family members donating food.
And then people would call me.
In fact, before that, somebody called me and said, hey, Sen, you know, I have this auntie staying in Bukit Merah, whatever.
And, you know, she's finding it a bit difficult.
Right.
Everything. And I was like, oh, okay, how many people in the house?
One, two, three. So I went there and I just gave a parcel to her.
It started off very small.
And then more and more Eurasians started calling us and saying, oh, we have this person, we have this person, this family, this help.
And then I thought to myself, oh, it's getting a bit big.
A bit big, yeah.
Yeah, we already got 10 families. And then so I asked the community, our own Eurasian community, look, I've got 10 families and we need this food.
So can you all donate? You don't have to donate a lot.
We didn't ask for like a lot of food. Cans of soap, some rice, whatever.
And we used to drive and go pick it up. And then some of them would take NTC and then they would bring the food to us.
So then it was getting to the point that my house was getting overcrowded.
I was like, I was going to pour all this food. So I recreated, I made a storeroom and had this pantry.
And then now we have 39 families, oh, sorry, 37 families, two Eurasian, two have died, passed away since then.
So we have 37 families that we take care of.
Wow.
Yeah, on a monthly basis.
Wow.
And then we started, because what is very important to me is Eurasian businesses.
Okay.
That's something that's also very close to my heart.
Right.
I feel that there, you know, when the Chinese first came to Singapore, they set up a clan.
Clan associations.
Clan.
Yes.
All the business owners.
Right.
We've never done that with Eurasians.
Why do you think that's the case?
I don't know why.
It's like it has never been a priority.
And when the Eurasian businesses don't do well, people are quick to say, Eurasians don't know how to do business, you don't know how to make money.
You get that too?
I get that too.
So I was always like, you know, I've studied communities.
I studied the Japanese community.
I've studied Jews, very close and successful communities.
Right.
Why? Why? Why?
Because they make the system so successful.
Right.
Cohesive.
Right.
And it's because they support each other.
Well, maybe in the past, we are used to criticize each other rather than support.
Okay.
So when I started EI, I told myself, no, I'm going to try to change that for our members.
So I started the EI business owners group.
Okay.
So I started one, two, three business owners.
We have over 154 now.
Okay.
That we support worldwide.
Okay.
And what do you guys do to help this business network?
Yeah.
So we help to promote them.
We help to write features about them.
We find out what their aims are, what their goals are.
Because some people are happy to be home-based businesses.
Sure.
Small.
Yeah.
They don't want to scale up.
They are happy to be.
That's fine.
And if we can help them to earn a living and be comfortable, why not?
At the same time, so the main point of it is the Eurasian business owners, the home cooks.
Right.
And doing that, we're also keeping the heritage, Eurasian heritage food alive.
Right.
So that explains what I see often enough, all the stuff you put out for home bakes and
home cooks.
Right.
Okay.
So then what I thought is, okay, we are giving provisions and there's a certain segment of
our members that's helping.
We have so many home-based businesses that they can provide bentos.
So then the members can then go to the business owners and say, oh, I want to sponsor 20 bentos.
Right.
So it works also.
So you're the business owners, you're helping the recipients and the sponsors, and it's
all we are doing it ourselves.
Right.
We're not asking anyone else for money.
Wow.
So it's all within the- So all this started with taking pictures of
graves.
Yeah.
For the community.
Yes.
And then evolved into- Into this whole-
The business network.
And it evolved into the food, first the food bank and then the business network.
Is there anything else?
I'm sure there are.
And we feel that, like the musicians, we want to help them.
When they put out their videos, we want every Eurasian to know who is Chris Hansen, who's
Leonard Rizal, who's every- It's like, what a shame.
You don't even know your own people.
Yeah.
You know?
I mean, we Eurasians are- Well, proudly, we Eurasians are known to be talented when
music is concerned.
Absolutely.
And when media work is concerned and as being entertainers, sadly, sadly, stereotype.
Yes, yes.
Stereotype with others.
Hey, you are Eurasian, right?
Yeah.
Eurasian means you're a bad boy.
Yeah, yeah.
Absolutely.
Yeah?
Yeah.
And sometimes it gets a bit grating, you know, like, get the fuck out of here, man.
You know what I mean?
Why?
Why do you think- And that's exactly what it is.
I can relate completely.
I'm Eurasian, I'll say it.
You know?
Okay, you're Eurasian, you must be bad boy.
Oh, Eurasian cannot do business.
Yes, exactly.
Yeah, yeah.
So, what you say, it's very relatable.
I can completely relate.
So, all these kind of stereotypes, why do they exist?
Because no one stands up to dispute it.
Yeah.
There's enough information out there of people of Eurasian that are doing other things.
Right.
So, when they are in business, I want to promote them.
When they are studying for their masters, I want to promote them and follow their journey.
Okay.
Can I ask you this?
From one Eurasian to another, we just spoke about stereotyping, right?
Right.
You know what is the other thing that bugs me?
There's a real itch in my ass that I just cannot scratch.
That is every time I have to fill up a form and it says race.
You say others.
And it says others and I've got to do the extra work of checking others and writing down my race.
What's your take in that?
Well, as long as we are not united, we'll always be others.
You think?
Is that really the reason?
I mean, that it calls for our ethnic unity for this to happen?
Okay.
Let's put it this way.
There are only 18,000 Eurasians in Singapore.
Wow, I didn't know that.
That's not much of a voice.
Right.
In terms of...
So, okay, if we look at other minorities, then we look at, say, the Sikh community.
Are they larger than us?
I'm not so sure about that.
But Eurasians are mixed.
So, you have Eurasians that are Eurasians, but mixed with Chinese.
Yeah, that's me.
So, Eurasians, all the Rojak, they are Sikh, right?
Yep.
So, I think for the others like the Sikhs, they are mostly, they marry their own within their own community.
So, we are seeing too much as it's too complicated.
Really?
Yeah.
What's so complicated?
To me...
I'm not for it.
I mean, has it evolved?
I'm not for it.
You're not for it?
I'm not for it.
I would.
When I started Eurasians International, one of the first posts I made was about being others.
I said, my great-grandparents, my parents, they did so much.
And how have we grown from Eurasians to others?
Exactly.
That is exactly what I feel.
And that is one of the motivating forces of whatever I do.
You see, I don't think it's a matter of...
Because we're so mixed.
No, it's simple, okay?
You follow the father's surname.
Right.
Right?
Yeah, it's not complicated.
Yeah.
And your father's surname means you follow your father's race.
Simple as that.
And so, therefore, it's not an issue when it comes to the National Registry anyway.
When a kid is born, the race is taken from the father.
You see what I mean?
I think it was during Goh Chok Tong's time that...
No, but even before that, I mean, was it ever a time that there was an option to check off as Eurasian?
I think there was.
There was?
Yes.
Must have been before I was born, man.
Really.
I mean, I've never seen that.
I've never experienced that at all.
I think so.
Yes, there was, I think, Eurasian.
Really?
Oh, wow.
Okay.
I mean, what the hell?
Who the hell changed that, man?
So that's why whatever I do, it's always...
And somebody always told me, somebody told me rather,
why do you say probably Eurasian?
Isn't that so arrogant?
And I was like, I'm actually proud to be a part of the 18...
Wait, wait, wait.
This person will ask you.
It's a Eurasian.
What?
Yeah.
That's weird.
Yeah.
That is really weird.
Yeah.
So it's like you're part of 18,000 rather than it to be a crutch.
Right.
You should use your uniqueness to make a difference.
Yeah.
I mean, look, we have people with nice freaking names, man.
Exactly.
Double eyelids and bone in the nose and all that.
You know what I mean?
So use your uniqueness, use your exotic...
Yeah, yeah.
Use it.
Yeah, why not?
Why the hell not?
And then flex it out.
Yeah.
I wonder about how is that arrogant?
You've got to be proud of whoever you are.
Look, listen, man.
Look at me.
I'm a melting pot.
Right?
Absolutely.
Yeah.
I'm a melting pot, man.
My mother is pure Peranakan.
My dad's Eurasian.
Right?
I'm raised more Peranakan than I'm raised Eurasian.
And how fabulous is that?
Yeah.
But to me, you can't escape the fact.
I can't escape the fact.
And I'm not about to escape the fact that I am Eurasian.
Why should I?
Right?
I'm just proud of the fact though that I have heritage that comes two pronged.
Exactly.
You know?
And I'm not the only one in the Eurasian community just like that.
You know, that is like that.
I'm not the only one.
I didn't know that for a fact, right?
We celebrate, I think we're able to celebrate diversity.
That's the word.
Celebrate.
Yeah.
Rather than saying, oh, I have this identity crisis.
Oh, I don't know.
You know, am I this or am I that?
Just celebrate who you are.
Yeah.
Part of you is Chinese.
Part of you is Eurasian.
You can be Armenian.
You can be Portuguese.
Yeah.
Celebrate it.
Yeah.
You know, I mean, the diversity is amazing, right?
Yeah.
It should not be seen as complicated, complication.
It's as complicated as you think it to be.
Yeah.
And I really don't like it.
You know, some people say innocently thinking it's fine.
But I really don't like it when I have people, you know, in Hokkien and they go, oh, you
are talking about.
Oh, yeah.
I really hate that, man.
And I hate that.
In the past, you know, people, even now, look at you, oh, what are you?
You're Singaporean.
Figure it out, man.
Figure it out.
I mean, I've had people who thought I was Filipino.
I've had people who thought that I was freaking Maori, man.
I was like, oh, really?
You know, because I got this?
Well, come on.
Come on.
Think.
You know, I've had Kiwi guys in Bali when I was in Bali crossing the street and going,
yeah, mate, how you doing, mate?
And they actually thought that I was Kiwi.
It's so fabulous.
Yeah, it is.
You know?
Yeah, it is.
I think people can't figure you out.
What are you?
Part of it also is, say, 30 years ago, 40 years ago, I was flying for Esquire.
And as a student.
You were a student?
Yes.
OK.
OK, wow.
And, you know, the Americans used to come on board and they would say, oh, they speak
English.
Like, we speak English.
I was like, you know, Singapore is part of China.
They have no idea.
Oh, gosh.
You know, it's come a long way.
But these are stereotypes that we need to break out of.
Oh, you see, that's the thing.
That's the thing, you see.
You know, Singaporeans, we talk about being a Singaporean, right?
You're probably Singaporean.
I am probably Singaporean.
Though we are Eurasians, it doesn't necessarily mean that we are not proud of nation, of country.
Exactly.
You know?
And rightly said, because as you said earlier, right, how is it that we still come classified
under others and we got to fill it up when our forefathers, I mean, and my dad included.
My dad was quite a figure.
Exactly.
And the amount of sacrifice they've made for this country.
So unfair.
Yeah, regardless of whether it was before independence or after independence.
That's not the point.
Right.
The point is that it's still on this land.
Yeah.
And yes, we are proudly Singaporean.
The thing is, how can you expect the average Singaporean to know what is Eurasian if we
are always going to be classified under others?
Exactly.
It's still, you know, it's amazing.
I mean, I'm in my 50s now.
And since I was a young kid until today, when people ask me, what race are you?
You can't figure it out and you tell them and I tell them, I tell them Eurasian and
they go, what's that?
And I thought, you know, maybe years later, things will get better.
No, no, it's just get worse.
It's still the same.
I mean, in my opinion, it's still the same.
Like, what's that?
Then you got to go.
Some people will get it.
Some people will, if you say Sarani, some people will get it.
Yes.
Some people still don't.
Yeah.
And they end up using, as I said earlier, this term I hate.
Oh, it's up thing.
You know, I mean, look, dude, if you want to go that far, right?
Imagine if I want to insult some, which I don't want to, you know, and I don't intend
to turn this into a racial show.
And it's not a racial show.
Please.
We're two Eurasians having a chat and this is a real intimate chat.
So you either appreciate it, don't like it, get the fuck out.
Okay.
And frankly, if you have a person who's Cantonese and marries a Hokkien, you're Chinese, American
Chinese, you have different dialect groups, I'm not going to call you a Tzap Tzing.
And nobody would actually.
Why do you do it with us?
I think that's not nice.
I think calling someone a Chindian, I mean, nowadays it seems to be quite acceptable.
It's quite acceptable.
But, you know, I don't know, I don't know whether they get it as, you know, I won't
say as bad.
I don't know whether they have the same kind of experience.
I mean, it's amazing.
I had Divya Nair on my show, the last show I had, and we were talking about this, you
know, and this guy speaks Mandarin like water.
Dude, dude, you're putting it to good use, man.
You know, I mean, it's great, right?
I think we have to learn how to celebrate diversity.
Celebrate it.
Really, you know, I'm going to have a shoot very soon with Dr. Geraldine Tan.
She's going to be on my show too.
And, you know, since we are talking about this, you know, this is where I find sometimes
there's a lot of ignorance when it comes to other races.
Yes.
Right.
And the minority races, that is.
And, you know, for example, and also the understanding of culture.
Yeah.
Much like the Dalai Lama and the Eat My Town thing, right, has got completely misunderstood
and thrown out of whack.
Yeah.
For us, we don't even understand our own sometimes.
Yes.
For example, there was this young lady.
She's Muslim and they're celebrating, well, I would say the right word to say, we'll be
celebrating the holy month of Ramadan, right?
They're fasting.
Iftar is when they break their fast.
It's when they break their fast.
And then she was on an MRT train.
Ah, yes.
And you know it is obligatory for them to break fast, at least if they were to just
drink a glass of water or drink some water or have a bite of something, right?
She had a Snickers bite.
Yes.
And then she was embonished by a commuter on the train.
And no matter what, that commuter was leaning on the law that you cannot eat and drink on
the train.
She went to see the station master.
She asked the station master about it.
I mean, I can't do that.
And he smiled and he was kind.
He says, just as long as you don't litter the wrapper.
Some people understand, thankfully.
Right?
I mean, we can always lean on the law.
Exactly.
We can.
We can, the letter of it, but forget about the spirit.
At the end of the day, yeah.
You have to have the kampung spirit.
Exactly.
And to me, I was honestly, honestly, I had steam coming out of my ears when I read about
that.
I think it's also a cultural thing now, becoming a cultural thing.
Everyone has a phone.
Everyone is like this citizen vigilante.
Oh, you did something wrong.
Take out the phone.
Video you.
And they're calling out.
Yeah, they're calling out.
Sometimes it's just uncaught for.
It is.
I think this poor girl, you know, look, I would say this.
It's intolerance.
Yeah.
Other people who are not Muslims, you try fasting for a month, you know, with no water
and no food for most hours of each day.
And then you know that you want to be fervent in your faith and you have got to observe
certain rules for yourself, for your faith.
Right?
We have to give in, give way, understand, rather than rip people apart.
I think there are too many people just waiting for somebody to do something wrong.
Yeah, I think so.
I think so.
It gets a little much though, you know.
Are there any goals that you have?
I've heard some, but I don't know if there's any other that would be, you definitely wouldn't
want to mention here.
Any goals that you have for the community?
I think the most important thing about any community is to have that soul.
Okay.
To care for each other.
Right.
And not just on the superficial level.
You can come up with a lot of programs, if it doesn't impact on anyone, it doesn't matter.
But to have, to create a platform that actually really benefits individuals.
Right.
A rising star that wants to sing, somebody that's going through a hard time, challenging
times to actually have food on the table, real, something real that happens.
It's not just all written down, oh, sounds very nice, sounds very flowery, but no one
sees it.
I want people to feel it.
To have that, you know, the community is behind you.
So to be automatically motivated to move forward and drive for the community.
Yeah, and everybody can be somebody.
You don't have to be a prominent Eurasian.
Every Eurasian is prominent.
Everybody can help in some way or other.
You don't have to be rich, you don't have to be this, you know, you can have, be a middle
income, no problem, you can donate X amount if you earn more, if you want to give more,
that's fine.
This sounds like what the church is asking for.
We need to make it work.
Right.
We need to have it, everybody from their heart to give, you know, one packet of rice.
Some can afford to give that and that's fine.
Right.
That will help a family through a hard time.
So basically, basically what you're asking for truly, if I may sum this up for you, correct
me if I'm wrong, your goal, big picture, would be just basically what you started the show
with, unity.
Unity, yeah.
Everyone just come together.
And somebody told me just a few weeks ago, oh, you know, you have food from the heart,
you have all these other organizations giving food.
I said, you know, the food that we give is what Eurasians like to eat.
It's not just food.
I can put a kaifan or something like that.
Doesn't mean the Eurasian would like to eat that.
But if it had devil curry, you know, feng, that achar, Eurasian sambal, suji, which they
haven't had forever.
So, what we are giving is not just, just give you some food, packet food.
It's food that they might not have had for 20 to 30 years because of their circumstances.
It's food that not that they can go out and make it themselves.
Cuisine that they used to enjoy before in better times, you mean.
Exactly.
So, we're not just giving food.
Even when we give canned food, we give them what they used to have and maybe they can't
afford it now.
Corned beef, you know, that kind of a luncheon meat, spam.
Yeah, here you go.
I'm celebrating.
Thank you so much.
Yeah.
And even the food in the bentos are all Eurasian classic or Eurasian dishes, heritage food.
Right.
And people actually cook up.
There are Eurasians that are helping out.
I think they're cooking up all these.
Yeah.
And we've had families that, okay, they don't go through a business owner.
The family gets together and cooks corned beef stew, makes corned beef cutlets, cooks
the rice, and comes and redistributes it.
So, the whole family has come up with the money, the funds, and they're also cooking
the food for people that need it.
I want to say, great job, guys, you know, those of you that's been helping out in the
food bank.
I mean, it's great stuff.
Please don't stop.
It'd be great to have more people come in and do that.
Yeah, absolutely.
You know, the way I've been saying things from the get-go from the time we started is
as if, hey, is EI paying me?
No, no, I make it very clear, okay?
Yeah.
And also, one of the goals is that, okay, you're having a hard time.
We've had a guy that he lost his job during COVID, and he was having a very hard time,
and we were there for him in our own small way.
And after COVID, he got a job, and then he's now a sponsor.
Wow.
He was a recipient.
So he's giving back now.
And now he's a sponsor.
Wow.
And now he calls me, he said, do you need someone to drive you to distribute the food?
He's helping me carrying the food.
Wow.
He's the uncles and aunties.
He's putting in the labor.
He's fixing the houses.
He and his wife.
Wow.
So it's coming full circle.
Wow.
And that's, EI has to be able to operate without me at some stage.
That's really noble.
You know, it's not about what I'm doing.
It's about what can be done.
You know, but I still don't get, I still didn't get the answer from you, you know.
As you just said, again, you know, I mean, EI has got to function without me.
And that is correct.
That's correct.
You know, I mean, legacy has got to go on with or without someone, especially the person
who started it all, right?
But I'm still trying to get it.
The driving force behind Sandra Galison.
The driving force is my mother.
Ah, now we're getting somewhere.
Okay.
Tell me more.
The driving force is my mother.
Tell me more.
I've had a very blessed life.
Okay.
I've done, okay.
Okay.
And all the time, my mom has always told me, go do the work for the Eurasian Association.
And I was like, you know, I was just a little bit too happy enjoying my life to do the things
that I think my mother would have wanted me to do.
Right.
I mean, we helped, but it was only to a certain level.
Right.
And then when my mom passed away in 2011, I was just left with these, all this memory,
all these things that she did for the community quietly.
And I was like, I needed to do something.
You felt that there was a need, there was something was prigging away at you.
I was just eating away at me.
I had to do something.
And that's why I started EI.
And my mother's the co-admin.
Oh, okay.
My heavenly presence, you know, and all the things that she used to do.
I remember following her in the car.
She had this box of food and I was like, and she'll go out and give to this person and
quietly come out, just put it at the door and all those things that she did.
And I started to remember it and told myself, I need to do this.
I need to continue her, part of her legacy.
So basically your mother actually was and still is the driving factor.
Absolutely, 100%.
That was what I wanted to find out.
100%.
Because you know, it takes a lot for someone to commit so deeply to something like this.
It is my mom, absolutely.
Well, God rest her soul.
And every time I am tired, every time I think this is a lot.
I'm not a spring chicken.
And we do get tired.
And I tell myself, no, it's okay.
I can rest.
But tomorrow is another day.
Somebody has passed away and we need to do what we need to do.
And you're doing this alone or other people helping you do this?
I have three main volunteers.
And also we don't have a huge volunteer base for what we do.
Because we are doing something very privately, giving food and respecting the person's dignity.
We don't do photo shoots, me giving a packet of rice, take pictures of the people.
No wayang basically.
No.
We do things very quietly.
We just give the food and we leave.
And there are some recipients that I don't know their names.
Auntie and Uncle.
I don't need to know who they are.
I know they're Eurasian or they're Eurasian, married to Malays, Indians, Chinese.
Doesn't matter.
As long as someone is Eurasian, we will be there.
We will try our best.
You will reach out.
Yeah.
Okay.
So, and sometimes we have to think of the recipient.
Okay.
That person could be somebody's auntie.
Right.
Uncle.
Right.
And they see that somebody that they know at the door, as in their relative, it might
be a bit embarrassing for them.
Right.
So we always think, we don't want to put them through that.
Don't put them in a spot.
Yeah.
Right.
Everyone's got their dignity.
Yeah.
So we do, sometimes our volunteers are not Eurasians.
Yes.
Wow.
So they know it's from EI.
Yeah.
But it might be a Chinese or at the door.
Yeah.
And they step forward and they help.
Yes.
That's wonderful.
Yeah.
So.
That is diversity for you.
Yes.
You know, so when the recipient opens the door, it might not necessarily be, oh, Eurasian,
give me food.
Right.
Give it to anyone.
Right.
But it's from us.
Right.
If I were to ask you right now, right, and it's strange coming from a fellow Eurasian,
but I'm going to ask you anyway.
Yeah.
Because you're the guest of the show, so I have to ask you this.
Okay.
So how, if I were to ask you to describe the Eurasian general, the Eurasian, how would
you describe it?
The Eurasian psyche.
Hmm.
The Eurasian.
Well, however you might see my question.
Very generous.
Okay.
And I say this because in most Eurasian households you go to, you always want to make you feel
comfortable, always more food, always giving in this way.
Money might not be a priority.
Okay.
You might say earning money?
Earning so much money.
Right.
You know, the chase for that.
The chase for the.
Okay.
The chase for the money.
They have enough, they share.
Religion is important.
The Eurasian.
You don't have.
They like to celebrate.
Ah, okay.
Here we go.
They like to celebrate.
Of course, you know, we have been stereotyped, the good time parties and everything.
But you know what?
But you know, we have fun and we.
We have fun.
We know how to have a good time.
We know how to party.
So sue us.
Right?
We know how to party.
Yeah.
We know how to have fun.
And we don't have to be apologetic for it.
Yep.
We know how to have fun.
And we don't have to be apologetic for it.
Yep.
And we don't have to be apologetic for it.
We know how to party.
Yep.
We should not apologize for it.
We should not apologize.
Yeah.
We shouldn't.
And we don't, in terms of being competitive, we're not overly competitive.
I think we can be a little bit more competitive.
You think so, huh?
I think we can be.
Okay.
So you think perhaps part of it.
That's why sometimes we lag behind because we lag that.
Umph.
The extra umph.
Yeah.
Right.
Because we tend to be a more like.
Do you think just after what you just said, you're probably going to get some stuff hurled
back at you because of what you just said.
Do you think so?
I don't think so.
From some quarters of the community?
No.
No?
I think as every community can strive to be better.
It's not generally only Eurasians.
Well said.
Every one of us can be better.
Everyone.
Every community regardless.
Every community.
Regardless.
You know.
It's how much we want it.
In the past, you see, we used to emphasize on certain communities that all need help.
Every community needs help.
In different ways.
Right.
Um.
This is going to be one last question.
I think we've been talking for about, let's see now.
We've been talking for about an hour.
Oh.
Time flies.
Um.
Which one?
Pick one.
One.
Okay.
It can be none.
That's the other option.
Okay.
Feng.
Sushi cake.
Curry devil.
I would have to say sushi cake.
Okay.
Why?
Because my brother made a business out of it.
Temptations pastry shop.
Oh.
Jeffrey.
Okay.
His sushi cake was from, it's my grandmother's recipe.
Right.
It was my grandmother's recipe.
Right.
And so that was something very special.
To be very honest, um.
We didn't, when growing up, I didn't know what's inside Feng.
You know, we just ate it.
It was like, okay.
Uh.
But sushi cake has to be.
Because it's very much part of all our celebrations.
Yes.
Jeffrey was a chef.
He passed away.
Mm-hmm.
But every birthday, he would, you know, make sushi cake.
Mm.
Yeah.
You know, I get my fix every Christmas, man.
I like to thank Prisla.
Every year I get your sushi cake.
I also have my Feng fix.
Every Christmas.
Right.
From Chris Pereira.
Thank you very much for always feeding me Feng every year.
You know, and because you know, as I said, I'm raised Peranakan.
I have a lot of that.
Loads of those.
Right.
But I know for a fact, you know, the Eurasian side, you know, will, will, will, well, friends
of mine, you know, and family, you know, they will also contribute.
Right.
At least during Christmas time.
I get my fix.
But now we are trying to say, you don't only have to wait for Christmas to have.
Here we go, here we go.
She's going to slide that one in.
All Christmas.
Uh, or Curry Devil.
Yeah.
Because there are all these businesses that actually have it, it's available.
All the time.
And you know what?
I have actually ordered some stuff.
Right.
Yeah, I have, you know, and yes, I am aware.
Yeah.
And trust you me, I do, I do go and I do check them out whenever you post it.
I do.
It's quite hard for, at first, for the Eurasian to try other people's Curry Devil or Feng
or sushi cake.
Right.
Because if their parents made it, they will be like.
Oh, I prefer my mother's one.
I prefer my grandfather's mother's one.
Yeah.
So there's that barrier.
Yes, yes.
Which we've taken two years to try to break it down.
Yeah.
Well, well, it's great, man.
I mean, I mean, that's so difficult to do, but you're doing that.
I mean, it's amazing, frankly.
For those of you, for, if any Eurasians are watching this, outside of those who are already
aware of Eurasian International, if you haven't been to the site or rather, you can catch
them on Facebook.
That's the easiest place to go, like them on Facebook.
Okay.
But not forgetting, if you're going to do that, you got to also head down to ccbtv on
Facebook and make sure that you hit the notification button, hit the like button, and then you
can also go to Instagram and go to ccb.tv underscore and you can catch our reels there.
But more importantly, go down to ccbtv podcasts on YouTube.
Subscribe to us there.
We've got lots more than just this show.
We've got other shows that we're producing out of the studio as well.
So catch us there.
And not forgetting, last but not least, Gordon's Vadez, man.
This is the bomb.
This is Chris Hansen together with Sandra Gallases, my guest.
Thank you so very much for joining us on CHC.
No, we are not a church.
It's called the Chris Hansen conversation.
I'll see you guys real soon.
Bye bye.