Puan noor aishah yusof ishak biography

She peddled nasi lemak with her mother, took orders for embroidery, and visited friends and neighbours to pick up new skills, hungry to make up for the abrupt end to her formal education. This eagerness to learn helped put her in good stead when her husband Yusof Ishak was made Yang di-Pertuan Negara in Puan Noor Aishah was just Her role as the spouse of Singapore's head of state was completely uncharted waters, recalls Puan Noor Aishah in a new book on her life.

I had no task lists and no one briefed me on things like etiquette, dress codes and protocol. We had to learn and manage on our own," she said. But she swiftly made her mark. She figured out the workings of the Istana, and soon breathed new life into it by teaching its cooks - who were still preparing English classics like roast beef and pudding - her own recipes for local favourites like beef rendang.

Yusof ishak born

She went for English lessons, organised tea sessions for dignitaries and got involved with voluntary organisations. And when her husband's health started to decline after a heart attack in , Puan Noor Aishah shouldered some of his social responsibilities. Her transformation - from shy housewife to the beloved wife of Singapore's first president - is captured in a page book published by Straits Times Press.

Written by legal scholar and historian Kevin Y.