Before Gurmit Singh, Koh Chieng Mun, Mark Lee, and Suhaimi Yusof became familiar faces on screen, they had surprising day jobs, just like the rest of us.In a recent episode of YouTube series Comedian VS, the four local comedians gathered to share about part-time gigs they took on while still in school in a hilarious, no-filter kopi session. Yes, way before they starred in Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd, Under One Roof, and Police & Thief.Getting the ball rolling, Koh, 65, shared: “[My] first part-time job and first full-time job were the same. I was a piano teacher.”She then revealed that she had already started teaching at just 14 years old, and was paid S$30 a month for four lessons. “At 14 you taught people piano? You scammer ah!” Lee, 57, exclaimed.Turns out, Koh had started playing the piano at just five years old. By 14, she had already achieved Grade 8, making her fully qualified to teach.
Koh Chieng Mun and Gurmit Singh. (Photo: YouTube/Comedian VS Special)
Lee’s Police & Thief co-star, Suhaimi, 56, then shared that while he was still schooling, he worked part-time at his granduncle’s nasi padang stall along Arab Street, earning S$17 a day working from 6am to 1pm.When it was time to find a full-time job, he applied to Mediacorp but did not hear back for two months. In the meantime, he worked as a vacuum cleaner salesman at Thomson Yaohan, the department store that used to be at Thomson Plaza.Suhaimi humorously added that he was always keeping an eye on the commission, revealing that he could earn an extra 20 to 50 cents from selling shampoos on top of his regular sales.“An auntie came, she didn’t want to buy the [vacuum] machine, so I told her to buy shampoo and I made her buy 15 bottles of shampoo,” he chuckled. Lee again, quipped: “Another scammer.”
