It isn’t unusual to find former Singapore Airlines cabin crew swapping their jet-setting jobs for the hawker trade – see the folks behind Kiang Kiang Taiwan Teppanyaki and Bbraise, for example. But it’s far rarer to meet someone who once held the coveted title of an SQ calendar girl – and whose old photos have now gone viral, with netizens saying she looked like singer and actress Selena Gomez.
That someone is Masita Ghani, 56, who has been running Aliff Nasi Lemak stall at Serangoon Garden Market & Food Centre alongside her husband Mohammad Firuz Samuri, 53, for the past 15 years. Masita left flying in 2000 after a decade in the skies, on her doctor’s advice as she was trying to conceive. The decision paid off: her son was born the following year.
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Recently, Masita found herself back in the spotlight when Serena, a fellow ex-SIA crew member and owner of local accessories brand Batik Sayang, shared TikTok and Instagram videos of their chance encounter at the stall. In them, Serena gushed over Masita’s warmth and beauty, calling her “cantik” (pretty in Malay). The clips – featuring Masita’s old SQ photos – struck a chord online, sending the humble nasi lemak stall into viral fame.
The Singapore Girl who felt like the “ugly ducking” while growing up
For the uninitiated, Singapore Airlines’ calendars back in the day were elegant, internally produced keepsakes featuring just a handful of female crew each year. Even after the calendars were discontinued, SIA’s official Facebook page continued spotlighting the women who once graced their pages, a testament to its prestige.
Which is why we were surprised to learn that Masita didn’t keep hers. “I didn’t understand why they chose me,” she laughs. “There were so many more stunning girls around me.” As the youngest of four sisters, she often felt like the ugly duckling while growing up.
Luckily, her sisters and friends held on to some copies of the photos. In them, Masita is the very picture of the “Singapore Girl”: dressed in the iconic batik kebaya, softly lit, with a radiant smile and fresh-faced beauty.
Comparisons to Selena Gomez
Recently, netizens even compared those old photos to actress and singer Selena Gomez – a comment Masita brushes off with her trademark humility. “I don’t think so lah,” she says with a laugh, clearly amused.
Still graceful like SQ calendar girl
At 56, Masita is remarkably youthful, with clear skin and hardly a wrinkle in sight – despite her low-key routine of just cleanser and, occasionally, “borrowing” her son’s face cream.
Makeup-free yet effortlessly poised, she still embodies the gentle grace that made her a natural choice for the calendar – and later, flight schedule flyers and newspaper ads (which, true to form, she didn’t keep either).
Worried at first when videos went viral
“I couldn’t believe that there were so many viewers,” she says of videos that Batik Sayang’s Serena posted of her and Firuz at their stall. One of the TikTok clips has since received over 460K views.
Masita says she didn’t realise Serena included her old SQ photos in the first video – until her phone began buzzing. “My siblings and friends started texting me about it, saying they’d seen me online,” she recalls.
Also worked at Sephora prior to becoming hawker
Her initial reaction, however, was not excitement but worry. “I thought going viral meant negative things,” she admits. But the response has been nothing but heartening: viewers were charmed by her natural beauty and sweet disposition.
When asked if she thinks she’s pretty, Masita just chuckles, “Ok lah.” She’s flattered by the online attention, but what’s made her happiest has been reconnecting with former colleagues.
Soon after the clips spread, familiar faces from her past jobs at Singapore Airlines, Sephora and accessories shop Chomel began showing up at the stall – some she hadn’t seen in years. “I’m very happy that they still remember me, and remember my name!” she beams.
The stall, already a favourite in Serangoon Garden Market, has been seeing an even bigger surge in business since the videos went viral. Our tip? Visit early – preferably before lunchtime – because popular items, like goreng pisang and fried fish, often sell out fast.
Quit flying after 10 years to start a family
In 1990, a 21-year-old Masita began her first full-time job with Singapore Airlines as a flight attendant. After 10 years, she quit on her doctor’s advice while trying to conceive, as the long hours and flying schedule were too demanding. The following year, in 2001, her only son Ashraff was born.
Masita admits she did think about returning to flying, since she loved the job. But in the end, being present for her son mattered more. “Family comes first,” says the doting mother. The irregular hours of cabin crew life would have meant missing out on precious time with Ashraff, and that was a sacrifice she wasn’t willing to make. She took on retail jobs instead, working stints at Sephora and Chomel.
Never thought of becoming a hawker initially
Fifteen years ago, Firuz decided to expand his nasi lemak business by opening a second outlet at Serangoon Garden Market. The original stall, Aliff Nasi Lemak (“Aliff” meaning “first” in Arabic) which he had launched earlier in Bedok North, was later handed over to his father and brother to run. For the new branch, he asked Masita to come on board.
At the time, she was a retail supervisor at Sephora, and even her father discouraged the idea. “What if it doesn’t do well?” he asked. Masita suggested helping part-time, but Firuz insisted that if they were serious about F&B, it had to be full-time. She eventually agreed – today, she’s the one handling customers’ orders and serving food at the stall.
“At first, I spoke too formally, like SQ style”
“It was difficult at first,” she recalls. “But I grew to like the flexible schedule. It’s my own time, own target.” Their day now begins at 6am and winds down by mid-afternoon.
She also had to adjust her manner of speaking. “At first, I spoke too formally, like SQ style,” she says with a grin. “I had to change so customers feel comfortable.” Despite her gentle aura, she’s quick to add: “If I don’t like something, I’ll say it.”
Compared to her flying days, Masita enjoys the community spirit of hawker life more: “I get goodies for Christmas, and for Chinese New Year, they give me angbaos, Hari Raya got kueh. My customers are very nice.” They’re also far more forgiving than passengers: “If we run out of ingredients, they’re happy to order something else,” she quips.
The man behind Aliff Nasi Lemak
Her hubby Firuz’s path to nasi lemak hawker wasn’t straightforward either. After his ‘O’ levels, he took an IT course and landed a job as a computer analyst at Singapore General Hospital, overseeing critical systems in its data centre. When his grandfather passed away, Firuz stepped in to take over the family’s butcher stall at Geylang Serai Market. As cheaper frozen meat imports began affecting business, he closed the stall and, in 1995, opened Aliff Nasi Lemak’s original Bedok outlet. “I’ve always wanted to be in F&B. I love to cook,” he says.
As a boy, Firuz learned to cook from his grandfather, who would bring back ingredients from the market and cook hearty meals for his grandsons. Firuz helped out in the kitchen, pounding chillies and making rempah from scratch, and that early experience sparked his love for cooking.
When Firuz launched the Serangoon Garden branch, he named it “Aliff Nasi Lemak (Ashraff)” after their only son. He does all the cooking himself, from frying chicken wings and goreng pisang to preparing sambal and sides – with his well-worn, stained T-shirt serving as proof of his long hours in front of the stoves. Once the lunch crowd thins, he even cooks a simple meal for himself and Masita. On our visit, it was freshly fried fish, her favourite.
At home, too, Firuz rules the kitchen. He cooks dinner every night, with Masita teasing that she’s thoroughly pampered: “I can just tell him what I feel like eating, and he’ll cook it.”
Asked about Masita’s viral fame, Firuz jokes that netizens are just as curious about him: “I’m in [Serena’s] next video!” Some even dubbed him a “heart-stealer,” praising his striking features. He laughs it off, though it’s no secret he was smitten from the very start. The couple met through a mutual friend, who showed Firuz a photo with five girls in it. Masita was among them – and she was the one who caught his eye.
Dreams of owning a shophouse cafe
As for what lies ahead, Masita shares that she dreams of owning a shophouse one day, while Firuz lights up at the thought of opening a café serving fusion creations – “like goreng pisang with ice cream,” he quips. Ever the entrepreneur, he even jokes that interested investors are welcome to come talk to him.
For now, they plan to continue running the Serangoon Garden stall while slowly working toward making their cafe dream a reality. Masita chuckles at the thought: “It’s very expensive… so it’s just a dream for now.”
Nasi Lemak Set E (with fried chicken wing & otak), $6 (8 DAYS Pick!)
Masita plates her nasi lemak with the same neat precision you’d expect from an ex-SQ flight attendant. The tender basmati rice is fragrant and coconutty, with whiffs of pandan, while the chicken wing comes with a crisp skin that gives way to juicy meat. The supplier-sourced otak is serviceable – mildly spicy but otherwise unremarkable.
The house-made sambal, cooked with onions till soft and caramelised, is sweet, aromatic and not overly fiery. The surprise star is the ikan bilis. Perfectly fresh, evenly golden and incredibly crisp, they steer clear of the usual pitfalls of being too dry or overly salty – a testament to the stall’s attention to detail. The result is a hearty, old-school plate of nasi lemak that’s comforting, balanced and worth coming back for.
Nasi Lemak Set F (with fried fish), $5 (8 DAYS Pick!)
The fish version is equally tasty. The fried kuning boasts a thin, crispy and well-seasoned skin, and the flesh is moist inside.
Goreng Pisang Raja, $4 for three (8 DAYS Pick!)
Made with sweet, creamy pisang raja, these house-made fritters come cloaked in a craggy golden batter that shatters with each bite. The banana inside is soft and naturally fragrant, balancing well with the crisp, not-too-greasy coating. Simple but well-executed, this humble snack is the perfect add-on to a plate of nasi lemak – or just as satisfying on its own with a cup of kopi.
The details
Aliff Nasi Lemak (Ashraff) is at #01-27 Serangoon Garden Market, 49A Serangoon Garden Way, S555945. Open daily except Mon & Fri, 7.30am – 3pm.
Photos: Dillon Tan
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