Open doors, free food: Woman shares how she and neighbours keep kampung spirit alive

You've probably seen a variety of stories about neighbourly disputes in HDB blocks.

Just a few months back in May, a man allegedly set his neighbour's house on fire over a disagreement.

Then in June, an elderly man allegedly "psychologically assaulted" his much younger female neighbours by appearing nude outside his doorstep several times and blasted music late into the night.

TikTok user Yeayeapapayea however may restore your faith in humanity, or turn you green with envy.

Yeayeapapayea, who said on her profile that she's a newbie TikToker and lawyer, shared how her "HDB corridor neighbours passed the vibe check" in a short video posted last Friday (Sept 16).

Walking into the first "open house", she goes over to a neighbour who was preparing a steaming hot plate of fish.

She then casually walks into another neighbour's empty kitchen to grab a can of green tea from the fridge. Who needs convenience stores when you can get a drink for free just next door? 

Seems like there's even a small lounge area near the lift lobby as she takes a break to watch over kids playing, mentioning how their "kids get along and entertain themselves."

"Keeping the kampung spirit alive!" she added in the post's caption.

And wait – that's not the end of it. 

Less than two weeks ago, Yeayeapapayea posted a video of her and her neighbours holding a mookata party along their HDB corridor.

With a variety of food ranging from hot pot and grilled chicken wings to pasta, it was nothing short of a feast.

Netizens on the recent video took to the comments to share their experiences with their own neighbours – some in jest.

One netizen joked about how their gate is always open but only their neighbour's cat comes in for food.

Another shared how their neighbour called the police after their parrot made noise, to which Yeayeapapayea responded by jokingly saying that she almost did that on one of her neighbours who owned the same pet, tagging the latter in the comment.

While many others expressed their envy, some were not so keen on the idea of having their homes open to their neighbours.

"Kinda wholesome but I wouldn't want my neighbours to just walk into my house at their own will even though we're friends," said one netizen. 

Yeayeapapayea however shared that their homes aren't "open for raiding."

Seems like the comments about needing privacy may have gotten a little repetitive though.

When someone asked "Where is the privacy?", Yeayeapapayea responded with a 13-second video of her locking the door.

Yeayeapapayea may have gotten lucky in the neighbour department, but that's not the case for everyone. 

Just last month, Erma Othman shared how her drunk ninth floor neighbour barged into her home and "shat all over her toilet" and dining chairs after her husband forgot to lock the main door. 

AsiaOne has reached out to Yeayeapapayea for comment.

syarifahsn@asiaone.com