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Nov 5, 2013

A Mini National Theatre at Tank Road

National Theatre@50


I read on Facebook that Prof Lai had dug into his pockets to put up an installation for the Singapore Biennale 2013, a chibi version of the National Theatre demolished some years ago. When it was first announced and photos up, the exact location was not specified; photos showed a "clean surrounding" (park in the foreground, condo in the background), quite unlike the construction ongoing at Fort Canning station, the old location of the National Theatre and where I thought the installation would be.

Aug 24, 2013

2nd Shot: Yu Shan Teng at Holland Road

Second Shot - Yu Shan Teng

Chun See's comment - "I also remember seeing Lor Makam and an old temple there in the late 80s when I jogged and drove along (old) Holland Rd" - in his blog on Lorong Panchar reminds me of a second shot taken in late 2011 when I was exploring the area mentioned.

Feb 8, 2013

An Accidental Second Shot at Punggol Point

Second Shot - Punggol Point

I made my way to Punggol Point again, the second time in a few months. The first time I was in a car driven by a friend, and was shocked to find out "progress" had encroached upon what had been a rustic beach from   old photos. The stopover of 20 minutes or so was enough for me to gauge the extent of the redevelopment. Thankfully not everything is man-made; I could still find pockets of nature, views that would not have changed much from the Old Punggol. At the boardwalk, the landform of Ubin loomed large ahead, a picturesque setting too good for my camera to miss. I did not know it then, till I was looking for old Punggol photos on the internet, that I had just taken an accidental second shot!

Feb 1, 2013

Lorong Cheng Lim - Roots of Dr Koh Poh Koon in Punggol


SW1 Cheng Lim

The weekend following Nomination Day on 16 Jan, we made our way to Sengkang and went around the housing estate in style - in a LRT, our first ride on the Sengkang LRT Line. Only the West Loop, i.e. half of the estate, was completed due to time constraint but still this did not stop me from alighting at one station opened for passenger service only this year. At Cheng Lim Station, located in a part of Sengkang still developing, the view to the north was surprisingly rural. As I stared at the platform signboard with the background in blur, my mind began to wander; and there and then, I wondered where was the PAP candidate's roots in Punggol.

Jan 24, 2013

Pearl's Hill Barracks - Our Latest Historic Site

Pearl's Hill Barracks Historic Site Marker

My workplace at Si Pai Por is like a radial node that connects me to some of the oldest part of town. Just that day I was making preparation for another lunchtime expedition when I came across a Dec 2012 news on the announcement of a new historic site in Chinatown. A new historic site in the old part of town?

Jan 19, 2013

A Very Short History of Plaza Singapura

Ex Carrefour at Plaza Sing

Last weekend we made a special trip to Plaza Singapura to check out its recently completed wing which I came to know from a friend's Facebook update. We met up with her friends over lunch, and I was introduced to the Swedish husband of her friend. A short tour of the new wing ensued ... so it is a small extension after all. I was more excited to head to the basement to check out the fate of the Carrefour shop space in the post-Carrefour era. A store I had forgotten the location if not for her reminder (hmm, I didn't realize all the while Carrefour was so near the entrance). For those with similar concerns, you can see from the photo Cold Storage is taking over the space.