Say Bye to 2011 ... Hello 2012!

Credit

It is the time of the year again. The end. This time last year I was on another island; I blogged about my countdown in Harris here. The years preceding I spent my countdown with Ah Tiong from my previous company watching fireworks in town; you can read about my experiences here, here and here. This year I will be spending my countdown out of town again. Wish me well; I may even blog about it later.

To all folks who read this blog frequently, once in a blue moon, annually or even if you accidentally stumbled onto this blog post, thank you for the support! Love your comments and, for some of you, your emails as well. I still have a long backlog to clear. Looking at the things to come, I should be cutting down on my exploration and focus on putting words to the blog.

This shall be my last post of the year. I wish everyone a good year ahead.

Cheers!

What I Learnt from the 20 Cents Ice-Ball

It was an offer not to be missed and too good to be true. For two weekends, at two locations in the Brash Basah - Bugis precinct, we are treated to a showcase of some old and dying trade common in the past along alleyways in NHB's Heritage Along Footpaths project. The best part was the price that went with the ware or service from that era. Imagine having your fortune told, savouring an ice-ball and snack on kachang puteh for under a dollar. It was good old nostalgia, so on the second weekend I went back for another peek at the trades and ... a second helping of the ice-ball!

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8 December 1941 - The Japanese Invasion of Malaya

Last year for WWII anniversary, I blogged about the first air raid in Singapore while in 2008 it was on Pearl Harbor. This year is special. It has to be since 2011 is the 70th anniversary of the Japanese invasion of South-East Asia (note they invaded China before that). Not to bore you with the usual story and photos of torpedoed ships in smoldering ruins (they ran that image for 70 years already), I shall keep this post short, relevant and meaningful, in line with the theme of this blog.

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Ice-ball for 20 cents, Kacang Puteh for 20 cents

It is sheer contrarian and unusual that NHB is organizing Heritage Along Footpaths, a project that seeks to re-introduce trades of the past and in a bid to up the nostalgic factor, decreed that ice-ball will go for 20 cents, sama for kacang puteh. At such crazy-low price that is surely extinct in Singapore, the news is just too good to be true and the offer … too hard to resist! So what are we waiting for?

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How I Had Dim Sum at the Turf Club

I never felt so eager to visit the Turf Club. I don't mean the one at Kranji swarmed by punters on weekends but the former Turf Club at Bukit Timah - now rebranded Turf City. This was a heritage landmark in no hurry for me. I had this impression tucked inside a forested part of Bukit Timah and invisible from Dunearn Rd, it was inaccessible (I think cars enter via Turf Club Rd) and whatever scant knowledge I had of it did not interest me as much. My reasons for procrastinating are therefore, quite valid.

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A Private Burial Ground at Bukit Timah

Thanks to Raymond Goh who blogged about it, who in turn knew its existence from his tour participants, we now know of a surviving private burial ground in Bukit Timah. Unlike the one at Fifth Avenue which I just blogged, this one at Sian Tuan Ave actually has the tomb still intact!

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Pek San Teng Entrance from Upper Thomson Road

One thing that has fascinated me about the Thomson area is the birth of Bishan from its former namesake the Pek San Teng cemetery. The 121-hectare of cemetery land spread over several hills, each decorated with the famous tengs (pavilions), made way for the New Town in early 1980s. It must have been the biggest public housing project on cemetery land in recent times; and also a wildly successful one, for asset prices were not kept down despite its pantang history, no wonder millionaires here are on the rise. As I did not have the chance to visit the cemetery or witness its transformation into the housing estate, I often wonder about the exact boundary of Pek San Teng vis-à-vis Bishan and whether it is still possible to find vestiges from the bygone era. Now, where shall I begin?

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2nd Shot: A Cemetery at Bukit Timah Fifth Avenue

With the recent public surge of interest in Bukit Brown, I thought it would be appropriate to revisit some of the old cemeteries here in Singapore. Like old buildings, they are fast disappearing sights to make way for land development; because land is scarce, the younger generation - me included - did not have the chance to see the more traditional cemeteries where, unlike those at Choa Chu Kang, these graves had good fengshui and not located cheek by jowl with one another. One such example is an (ex)-cemetery at the upper-class district of Bukit Timah. Boy, you don't know how much I had to "climb" to reach this one!

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End of An Era for Borders

Borders is dead. I thought I just have to see it for myself at Orchard. Outside the covered walkway of Wheelock Place, I stared in disbelief at the slab panels, once transparent, now covered, the familiar sight of bookshelves and folks engrossed in their reading ... gone! Inside the mall, the grand entrance was not to be found. As I gazed at the shutters in its place, I wondered out loud - is this for real?

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Old Roads (2) - Start of Upper Thomson Road

You never know how much history can be "rediscovered" by walking one station-stop from Marymount to Caldecott. This I had to do at the start of the Circle Line Discovery since there was no train service to Caldecott; it was deliberate and planned, not that I refused to join the old folks in the queue for the shuttle bus service. While the two stations are quite near and connected by Marymount Road, I avoided using this road and instead skirted past Bishan Fire Station to Upper Thomson Road. Thomson Road is historical; it existed before 1850 and connects the town to suburban areas in the north. Halfway in-between the two stations, where Thomson Road meets Lornie and Braddell at the junction, is the start of Upper Thomson Road.

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What I Discovered at Circle Line Discovery Open House

Having missed the two Circle Line Open House in 2009 and 2010, I told myself not to miss the next one in October 2011. This time round, the theme is Circle Line Discovery; from Caldecott to HabourFront, 12 new stations in all. The moment I got hold of the news, my mind started churning; the places outside the staton I can visit, for free; the photos I can shoot inside the station, no holds barred; and not least a meaningful way to spend the Sunday. Creative organizers and the unpredictable human nature made it all the more interesting.

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2nd Shot: Let Your Maid Carry Your Bag

When the original photo was reposted on HWZ and STOMP from Facebook, it naturally caused an uproar among Singaporeans. Opinions were divided, with some folks giving sympathy benefit of doubt to the soldier. Perhaps he hurt his back? While citizens debate on whether soldiers nowadays have become soft, the report made its rounds overseas, and behind our back; just what would foreigners think of us? I give you some examples later. On hindsight - referring to my second shot - I should have stood a few steps behind for a more perfect shot. Well, none of my second shots is perfect … yet, just like our soldiers.

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Simon Road Market is now a Condo

As I pay more attention to the surrounding, observing and trying to recall what it was like just few years ago, it is shocking just how much has changed in barely a decade. Previously, I blogged about how Forfar House and the old flats at Dawson were still standing nearly a decade ago but today replaced by new and upcoming premium housing. When I read about some commemorative bronze sculptures at the site of the old Simon Road market, I feared for the worst. Clearly the word "commemorative" does tell you something.

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What's Gone and Soon to Go at Margaret Drive

The last time I explored Margaret Drive, though only half of it, and Queenstown was one or two years back. This one year, I read much at Margaret Drive has changed and gone. When I shifted my workplace to Si Pai Por in April, I could no longer keep myself updated with the landmarks visible from the MRT, as it runs along from Redhill to Commonwealth station. On September 11, I thought it would be a good idea to finish my exploration of Margaret Drive, and at the same time document what is gone and is soon to go.

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Preserving Memories of Queenstown Through "Singapore Pie"

In the ensuing years after I left school, much has changed in the local education landscape, with a Curriculum and Pedagogy Review Committee formed in Feb 2004 to "conduct a comprehensive review of the teaching and learning of the Chinese Language in our schools". I'm not aware what has entered the curriculum and the textbooks, though I read some teachers are not averse to using pop songs like Jay Chou's to teach the language. On another trajectory, we find the preservation of memories and educating the younger generation about our heritage gaining momentum. In that case, allow me to make a humble suggestion, why not introduce local folk songs (xinyao) like "Singapore Pie" into the curriculum and kill two birds with one stone?

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Old Roads (1) - North Buona Vista Road

I posted this quiz almost two weeks ago, that is to guess the old road behind the foliage. It must have been a challenging quiz as despite three mundane clues and one interesting clue - the road is still around just realigned - nobody got it right. One Anon was close ("near Dover MRT") and I almost wanted to declare a winner until I realized Dover MRT was not the MRT station I had in mind for my clue. I wrote that the road is near and within walking distance to MRT, but I deliberately omitted one crucial piece of information - the station is not functional yet. The station I had in mind was the soon-to-be-opened "One-North" Circle Line station.

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Amazing Red Dot Quiz (11) - Guess this Old Road

If you read enough of my blog posts, you'd know unlike most young heritage bloggers, I'm interested in the physical 'geographical heritage' of a place. To me, roads are one kind of landmark that may not disappear entirely after they are expunged, unlike buildings that are demolished, and this is why I find old roads fascinating. However I have not got down to blog about them due to other commitments and so today I shall start ... with a quiz first.

I shall not reveal too many hints as this may be too easy for some people.

1. The road is behind the foliage in the first photo. If I never say this, some people may just hantum the open field in front ...
2. The road is near - within walking distance - to MRT.
3. The road is not in the east of Singapore.

Have fun guessing!

After so many days, only one brave taker. Let me add one interesting clue: the road is still around today, just realigned.

When Indian Curry was a Recipe for Murder

In what was apparently a dispute seven years ago between a PRC family and their Singaporean Indian neighbour over the cooking of curry, some netizens rose to the occasion and organized a 'Cook A Pot of Curry' event on Facebook to share our love of curry with foreigners. Ostentatiously an international gastronomic drive in the name of multiculturalism, it was perceived in some quarters as being overly xenophobic. To my horror, as many as 55,000 people pledged, at least on paper (facebook that is), to cook/buy/eat curry this Sunday. Will the Community Mediation Centre be forced to work overtime in the upcoming weeks?

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How I Almost 'Sneaked' Into Malaysia Again

In a flash, National Day was over. It has been more than a week since I last updated this blog. The "radio silence" is due to yours truly being out of town for most of the week and the subsequent catching up caused me to lose quite a bit of momentum. In fact I only came back on the night of August 9 after the NDP celebration. It was a close shave at the Johor Bahru CIQ and if Abang was a bit more fussy, I might not have made it back during National Day. What happened?

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2nd Shot: The Bloodied Tracks of Our Railway History

My last act on the railway line on the 31st July - the last day before the rail corridor was closed to public access - was to revisit the site where one of the most tragic and gruesome railway accident in recent history happened almost exactly 2 years ago. On Aug 8, 2009, Republic Polytechnic students Goh Sheng Yao and Clara Lee Jing Yu were on the track near Rail Mall when they were knocked down by a train around 5am. They were killed on the spot. How did that happen?

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Bus Stops as Heritage and Historical Markers?

The other day I was out exploring during lunch-hour when I saw this near the junction of Kampong Bahru and Lower Delta Road. Assuming "Mque" is the short-form of "Mosque", I looked around the bus-stop for this "Radin Mas Mosque". Not a mosque was in sight from my position. While I am not Muslim, I can identify with this cruel joke played on me, at this time of the day, on a Friday. The nearest mosques are Masjid Al-Amin 800m away to the northwest and Masjid Temenggong 800m to the south.

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Our Prime Minister Lee, Singapore's Chief Railway Fan

Source: MAS

The end of KTM railway operations between Tanjong Pagar and Woodlands and the consequent return of railway land to the state triggered an outpouring of memories and lamentations from the public, of the once active railway line and stations. The last few weeks stretching into July marked the largest photography documentation of the rail corridor, including Tanjong Pagar and Bukit Timah Stations. Suddenly everyone becomes a rail fan, in one way or another. Interestingly if there is such a title as "Chief Rail Fan", much like the scouting movement has a Chief Scout, then one person would be most deserving of this label. Do you know who is he?

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A Heritage Planted by Lee Kuan Yew Outside the Railway Station

While the enlightened prime ministers of Singapore and Malaysia are credited with moving bilateral relations forward with the return of railway land to Singapore, we must not forget the genesis of the land exchange started with our Former Primer Minister Lee Kuan Yew. I was acutely reminded of this today while walking along Spottiswoode Park Road back to Si Pai Por, after checking out the former railway station.

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The Two Ends of the Rail Corridor

Before Singapore removes the tracks and other ancillary structures and hands them over to Malaysia, the public would have a chance to trek along the railway from 1 to 17 July. From 17 to 31 July, the stretch from Rifle Range Road to Rail Mall would continue to be accessible. In 108 years of Singapore railway history, this is the first time the tracks are accessible to public with absolutely zero danger from incoming trains and did I say we need not worry about trespassing?

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Tanjong Pagar Railway Station Shuts Its Gates After 79 Years

All good things must come to an end. After the station sent off her last train on 30 June and the crowd dispersed, albeit reluctantly, the government machinery moved in, stealthily, while the whole world was asleep and did the inevitable. When Peter Chan, guest blogger on GMY visited the station on the morning of July 1, the deed was done ... with surprising efficiency.

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Countdown to 30 June - The Soul of Tanjong Pagar Railway Station

This will be my last blog post before the railway station closes its door to public on the midnight of July 1, thereby shifting to Woodlands and, in effect, ending 108 years of railway operations in Singapore. The station has been gazetted as national monument but trains will not longer run from it. Catch the trains - the soul of the station - before they are gone!

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Countdown to 30 June - My Last Meal at the Platform was Mee Rebus

Come July 1 when KTM ceases its operations at Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, one thing sorely missed would be the food at the station. I did not wait until recently to have my first meal at the station of course. Exactly 2 years ago I blogged about my first and last trip on the Tebrau Shuttle where I sipped teh-tarik at the platform before the train departure. The memory now is sweet, just like the beverage two years ago.

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Countdown to 30 June - My Last Affair at Choa Chu Kang

The light lunch at Rail Mall before I chiong the crossings was a deliberate decision on my part. After Hillview Bridge where the race would start, there was the crossing at Gombak before reaching Ten Mile Junction. That I would have another affair at Ten Mile, two years after the previous one, was no coincidence, for at 1300 hrs Ekspres Sinaran Selatan was scheduled to depart from Tanjong Pagar Station. Before long the train would cross Choa Chu Kang Road at Ten Mile Junction on its journey up north.

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Countdown to 30 June - KTM Souvenir for Sale, My Souvenir for Free

As you may have guessed, yours truly have gone on multiple trips to Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, thanks to his excellent workplace location at Si Pai Por. As the deadline for the station closure looms, I brave a few midday sun in my business clothes to explore the station; to shoot and re-shoot, to makan and to observe the crowd, at the same time wondering hard about its history from 1932. It was a frenzy of activity for me; and so every visit, without fail, I would be rewarded with a shirt - the one I'm wearing - soaked in sweat.

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Countdown to 30 June - How to Chiong Five Crossings and Two Bridges for $1.21

With only 10 days before the sun sets on Tanjong Pagar Railway Station ending 108 years of railway operations in Singapore, how would you spend your time capturing the railway's last days and be part of history in the making? After the death knell was sounded last year, there has been a surge of interest in things railway-related: government bodies and interest groups conducted station tours and railway corridor walks; folks snapped up train tickets for a last ride; shutterbugs swarmed the stations at Tanjong Pagar and Bukit Timah; the media put their spotlight on the event. We know time is running out.

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2nd Shot: The First Double-Decker Buses in Singapore

When PAP's Eric Low revealed to voters Hougang has become a slum at a recent elections rally, he must have ruffled more than a few feathers. Before the General Elections, Hougang was carved out into territories which fell under PAP and WP and the slum of course referred to the estate with WP in charge. Blk 1 and 2 under the WP were compared against Blk 20 and 21 under the PAP, the example given by Eric to booster his argument. His choice of flats was apt, with Hougang Ave 3 running in-between them and residents green with envy on one side, this road demarcates the boundary of Hougang SMC and Aljunied GRC.

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A Preview Tour of the PMB Monumental Walking Tours

An email by Jannah, Public Relations for the Preservation of Monuments Board, changed my schedule for Tuesday morning. To my surprise, I was invited to a special media preview of the upcoming Monumental Walking Tours organized by the PMB. A sneak preview! And free. How could I miss out on the opportunity? The next day, instead of taking the MRT direct to Si Pai Por, I alighted at City Hall to join the tour group assembling outside Funan Centre, gambling I could still reach my workplace "on time". Ah ... the joy of working so close to Singapore Town.

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2nd Shot: Oh, so that was the Si Pai Por Post Office

When yg read that I work at Si Pai Por now, he suggested I do a second shot of the demolished Si Pai Por Post Office. He did not reveal its location, neither was I aware of this historical landmark. My only clue lies in the archives, a color photo taken around 1969 showing the colonial two storey building. I stared hard for clues and was reminded of something I saw the other day.

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Chiam's Thank-You Parade and Farewell to Potong Pasir SMC

My mission to find Chiam See Tong's makeshift cubicle at Potong Pasir Blk 108 led to an unexpected surprise. Not surprisingly, the first person I saw at the void deck was shooting away - he was probably conscious of Chiam's fast disappearing legacy like me - and after I whipped out my camera to do likewise, a lady approached me, "do you know when Chiam See Tong will arrive?" I was taken back.

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Daily Lunchtime Adventures from Si Pai Por

It has been more than a month since I moved on to my new workplace at Si Pai Por. The location is really convenient; the MRT is literally at my doorstep with the nearest exit a stone's throw away. My commuting time is also shortened and for the first time there is no need for any bus-transfer. While the remuneration and perks are not fantastic, the opportunity, where location is concerned, is a godsend.

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Our Cabinet Ministers Then and Now - The Old and New Guards of Singapore

The swearing-in of the cabinet last night formally marked the end of this watershed election, a most memorable fortnight for the folks following political affairs in Singapore. Members of Parliament were elected in and declared by the Returning Officer after Polling Day; Non-Constituency Member of Parliament seats were offered to the best losers and taken; the sudden resignation of the Minister Mentor and Senior Minister caused a mini-tsunami in the cabinet, as a result ministers were reshuffled or dropped, the latter joining before them those slated to resign and those who lost the elections in their constituency.

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Chiam See Tong's Legendary Makeshift Cubicle at the Void Deck

As a minority in the nation celebrated the euphoria of opposition victory in Aljunied and Hougang, a pall of gloom descended on the SPP supporters in Potong Pasir. Their ex-MP has lost his gamble: by moving out of his fort to contest in a GRC, he and his team failed to secure Bishan-Toa Payoh and his wife failed to retain Potong Pasir. As I woke up late on the morning of May 8, having followed the election results into the wee hours of the morning, I knew Chiam See Tong's legacy in Potong Pasir would soon disappear. The seeds of destruction were sown by the MP-elect even before polling day.

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Causeway People - Final Year Journalism Project

In February this year I received an email from a journalism student Ng Wai Mun studying in NTU's Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information. She was working on a group project, a multimedia feature "The Causeway People" which traces the border links between Singapore and Malaysia and asked for my inputs on places/things that remind us of our shared geographical/political past with Malaysia. Much honoured to recieve her email, I happily obliged.

Their project is now completed and thanks to Wai Mun for the heads up, we can now view their project online. The work is pretty impressive; what I initially thought was a small project like a photo gallery turned out to be much bigger in scope. The actual photo gallery titled "Vestiges of a United Past" is just one small part of the project.

Enough talk, you have to see it to do it justice.

From Nomination to Polling Day: A Short Election Campaign

Emotions and temperature ran high at Serangoon Stadium on the last day of the election campaign, no wonder a cooling off day was mandated.

Today is cooling off day, a time for us to simmer down, a time for us to use our head to decide the party we will vote for. It will not be an easy decision for many; consider this: voters in GRCs have to evaluate between 8 to 12 candidates from both parties in a short period of 10 days, to assess their track records, to dissect their arguments, to buy their promises and be charmed. Our vote is sacred, it is a secret weapon; the burden is therefore on us not to misfire.

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2nd Shot: Bedok Stadium Then and Now (Opposition vs. PAP)

Our government has had a good track record for the last 5 years. If numbers are any indication, we have the highest-paid head-of-state and cabinet in the world working assiduously for our welfare workfare and also high GDP growth. The influx of talents from overseas have also transformed Singapore into the most overpopulated country in the world. Kudos to the PAP who gave us a first-rate government.

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Our Minister Mentor’s Very First Election Speech in Mandarin

As Singapore went gaga over PAP’s youngest candidate Tin Pei Ling in the election line-up, less attention was paid to the candidate at the other end of the scale. The party’s oldest candidate at 87 years is in the league of world’s oldest parliamentarians; he has served his constituency faithfully for more than half a century and has indicated his intention to run again. For our battle-hardened Minister Mentor, the upcoming general elections would be his 14th; for new candidates like Tin Pei Ling they would be facing their baptism of fire. As I look back at MM Lee's first elections in 1955, I could not help but feel amused and yet am full of respect for the man.

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Warm Reception at Malaysia Tourism Office in Kelantan

A month ago, I went to Kota Bharu, the capital of Kelantan, Malaysia. It was to be my last solo overseas mission for a very long time. My primary objective was to check out the Japanese landing site around Kota Bharu; that the Pacific War broke out first with the Japanese invasion of Kota Bharu (and not the bombing of Pearl Harbor) made it a very special place, not that many people can appreciate the historical significance. I also made it a point to check out this city on the east coast - the trip was my first visit to an east coast state - led by the opposition PAS party.

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2nd Shot: St Gregory's Place Conservation

St Gregory's Place is probably the most well-kept heritage secret in town. Tucked in the courtyard of Hotel Grand Park City Hall, the unsuspecting pedestrian or motorist passing along Hill Street would not know the existence of these conserved shophouses. I have blogged about the modern day St Gregory's Place earlier; today we will find out more about the conservation efforts vis-à-vis a few "Then and Now" comparisons.

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My First Ice Ball at Singapore Food Trail

Few weeks ago I read about the Singapore Food Trail, our first 1960s-themed food street, and made a note to visit the place. Last Saturday I finally got my chance. After my free visit to Asian Civilizations Museum (thanks Jerome for the heads up), I trooped down to the Singapore Flyer via Anderson and Esplanade Bridge for lunch.

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Answer to Quiz (10) - A Strange Tower in Town

Quiz photo from the archives

Many took part in Quiz 10 if you count in the anonymous comments. Now, before I reveal the answer, I let you have a second shot last shot at it. Observe the second photo above carefully. Do you have the answer now?

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2nd Shot: A Lost Heritage Opposite the Armenian Church

Most of us are familiar with the Armenian Church along Hill Street. Designed by G.D. Coleman and built in 1835, it is currently the oldest church in Singapore (it was not the first church to be built however; the honour belongs to the Roman chapel at the SJI site) and a national monument. In 1836 it was dedicated to St. Gregory the Illuminator, the first patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Today the full name of the church is the Armenian Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator. Interestingly St. Gregory the name does not only live on in the Armenian Church, his name actually graced a street opposite the church flanked by shophouses.

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Biennale Open House 2011 @ Kallang Airport

The Singapore Biennale is here again. The limelight this time is stolen by Merlion Hotel, the key installation by Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi. From Yesterday.sg, I learnt about the Open House at Kallang Airport, one of the exhibition venues for the event. My eyes lit up at the mention of the collective term that suggests free admission and caution thrown to the wind (for example at Pasir Laba Open House we were allowed to fire our cameras). It would be a misnomer as I would discover from the official website: "Open House" is simply how this third Singapore Biennale is titled.

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Amazing Red Dot Quiz (10) - Where is this tower structure in Singapore?

The other day I saw this photo of a tower in the archives. Even with the attached caption stating the street, I scratched my head over its location. The surrounding buildings were of no clue though I had my little suspicion about the tower. So I checked other photos and verified one of its neighbours, a notable landmark. I must have been unobservant every time I walk past that landmark.

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