Taking Up The Challenge

Selegie Integrated School - My Primary School Days (1)

2011-11-28T01:46:00.001+08:00

How Selegie Integrated School Looks Like Today

In February this year, Sunday Times reporter Kon Xin Hua requested me for an email interview as the newspaper would be publishing an article on old buildings and Selegie Integrated School was one of them. Her questions and my answers are reproduced below:

Q1. What was the reason that saw you studying at Selegie Integrated School?

A1. Our family lived quite near to the school then. We were staying in Cheng Yan Place, a mere 15-minute leisurely stroll to the school which was less than one kilometre away. Of course, in those days, there was no such thing as priority for registration if you lived within one kilometre of the school. Even if there was, we would have no problem with it.As my family was not very financially well off, we could save on transportation costs if the school was nearby. The school was also brand new. I went to Primary One in 1963 which was year when the school was opened. (The then DPM Dr Toh Chin Chye officially opened the school on 19 Jan 1963.)

Dr Toh Chin Chye, Deputy Prime Minister and Assemblyman for Rochore Declaring the School Open on 19 Jan 1963 - Photo Courtesy of the National Archives

Q2. What were your initial thoughts on the 10-storey tall building?

A2. Having attended one or two years of kindergarten classes on the 2nd storey of a 4-storey SIT residential block in Prinsep Street, the 10-storey building certainly looked huge and imposing. (The SIT blocks are still in Prinsep Street. They have been conserved and possibly been converted into dormitories.) I had not seen such big lifts before. The only times when I took a lift was when my family visited my uncle's flat in a 9-storey SIT red-brick resident block (Blk 1) on Upper Pickering Street.

Q3. I'm sure there was more than one memorable feature of the school for you, would you be able to share with me a few features ofthe school that strike you the most? I read on your blog about the two canteens and lifts? :)

A3. Other than the 2 canteens, 2 lifts and the dental clinic which I mentioned in my blog, I remember part of the school ground was covered with coloured rectangular tiles of size about 1-foot by 2-foot. They were of yellow, red and green colours. I used to walk on them while trying to avoid all the lines in between the tiles. To me, it was a giant hopscotch.

Q4. What was life like as a student there? Any particularly striking events that happened in that school that come to mind?

A4. School life was quite routine. I remember one incident when due to a misunderstanding, a schoolmate punched me in the stomach. We were both brought to the principal's office. When the principal found out that I did not retaliate to the boy's attack, I was released. I didn't know what happened to the boy who punched me.There was another incident when a boy disturbed some female classmates and was punished in a unique way. The teacher put an unstrung badminton racket to rest at the neck of the boy and then pulled the racket back and forth. If this were to happen today and the boy's parents were to lodge a complaint to MOE, I am sure the teacher would be in serious trouble.

Q5. Do you recall the reason why they built a 10-storey high school?

A5. I don't recall the reason why they built a 10-storey high school. However, I believe that the land within the city area is scarce and expensive and hence the government had to fully utilise the land area by constructing a tall building.

Selegie Integrated School in 1963 - Photo Courtesy of the National Archives

Q6. What do you think of the building today, having been left abandoned for some time? (Is it a waste etc)

A6. I think it is a waste to leave it abandoned and in a derelict state. It should have been used to generate some revenue for the government's coffers, e.g renting it out to commercial schools or organisations.

Q7. What would you like to see happen to the building in the future?

A7. I would like to see the school converted to a hotel. This has been done for Pearl's Hill School which is now Hotel Re!. By the way, Pearl's Hill School was a 12-storey building and in 1971, it took over the unofficial title of the "tallest school in Singapore" from Selegie Integrated School.

Q8. Is it correct if I say you were fascinated by the big lifts in the school as you rarely took lifts unless you were visiting your uncle?Do you regularly take the lifts in your primary school? Which floor did you study on?

A8. Yes, I rarely took lifts then except when visiting my uncle. I was in the school for 6 years so I must have been on various floors before in different years. I think the classrooms I was in didn't go above 7th floor though. From the windows of the higher floors you could see quite far as there were not many tall buildings around to block the view then. I had to take the lifts several times a day - when reporting for school, going for and returning from recess breaks, going for and returning from PE classes, returning home as well as when I was "summoned" by the school dentist (which was quite often as my teeth were not very well-kept)

Q9. I would also like to ask you if you know anything about why the building was abandoned, and when it was abandoned?

A9. Sorry, I am not sure when Selegie School last operated in the building or when NAFA took over and when it abandoned it.

Further reading:

1. 4 Nov 2005 Vanishing Scenes of Singapore - Part 5 (My Primary School Days)

2. 5 Aug 2006 Hello Again 38 Years After "Eating Fishball"

3. 13 Aug 2006 Class of 1968 (Pr 6J of Selegie Integrated School)

Modes Of Road Transportation In Singapore In The 1930s - The Rickshaw

2011-05-29T23:34:00.003+08:00

Since my last two posts (here and here) were about a 1930s car in Singapore, do you know what were modes of transportation in the 1930s? I will be answering this question in this and the next few blog posts. I have posed the question as quizes because they would be rides in the park (pun intended), that is, they would have been too easy for you.

Besides, the answers are already given in this book which I co-wrote with Dr Tan Wee Kiat and Noel Hidalgo Tan. (On the website, you may read the entire book on page at a time by clicking on right link at the bottom of the page. In case you have missed it, I mentioned about the book here when it was published.)

The 5 pages in the book about the rickshaw, otherwise known as the jinrickshaw, are reproduced below:

Jinrickshaw (Rickshaw)

The word ‘jin-rick-shaw’ (or ’jinricksha’) literally means ‘man-power-carriage’. Later, the words ‘jinrickshaw’ and ‘jinricksha’ were simplified to ‘rickshaw’.

The rickshaw was first brought into Southeast Asia from Shanghai in 1880. Fares were cheap and the rickshaw’s popularity grew rapidly.

This photograph shows a rickshaw puller in normal day attire – long sleeves and straw hat to keep out the sun; shorts and unbuttoned shirt to keep cool; a towel around the neck for wiping off sweat and dust; and barefooted for a better feel of the road.

With the increasing number of rickshaws plying the roads in Singapore, a separate department was set up in 1899 to register and inspect the rickshaws. In 1903 the Jinrickshaw Station at the junction of Neil Road and Tanjong Pagar Road was built to house this rickshaw registry and inspection centre.

However, the activities that go on within the Jinrickshaw Station building nowadays are very different from those for which it was built.

The building currently houses a restaurant and nightclub with the sign “the one LCD KTV”.

At the Jinrickshaw Station there is a plaque describing the history of the jinrickshaw. Below is an excerpt from the plaque to give an idea of the fares paid by passengers. The wording on the plaque also indicates that many rickshaw pullers hoped to go back to China rather than settle here permanently.

“Early rickshaws were small, lightweight, hooded carts with large wheels, pulled by a single man. Hoods that were easily erected provided protection against the rain or strong sun, and, in some cases, prying eyes. A hood up in fair weather often meant that the passenger was a call girl or some character of disrepute. For three cents, one could go half a mile (0.8 km), or for 20 cents, have the rickshaw at one’s disposal for an hour. Most rickshaw pullers were coolies, who laboured in the hope of saving enough money to return to China after their sojourn. So popular was the rickshaw that it edged out its competitor, the steam tram.”

With their low wages, rickshaw pullers could afford only the cheapest of meals. One of their meals consisted of three (or more) bowls of plain yellow noodles cooked with green vegetables and dried shrimps.

As this dish was popular with the rickshaw pullers, it became known as ‘rickshaw noodles’.

It is still possible to find food stalls that sell rickshaw noodles. One such stall is located in the Maxwell Road Food Centre just across the road from the old Jinrickshaw Station. Note the words “RICKSHAW NOODLE” on the sign.

Many cities have banned the rickshaw. In Singapore the rickshaw was phased out in 1946 – 1947. In the Indian city of Calcutta (Kolkata) it was in use till 2006 when a law to ban rickshaws from its roads was passed. (TIME Magazine, 18 Dec 2006).

“WHEELS OF MISFORTUNE: Invented in Japan, rickshaws became a ubiquitous symbol of Western imperialism in the 19th century as native coolies hauled around their foreign masters in places as far afield as Shanghai and Zanzibar. But as they were steadily replaced by more efficient – and less demeaning – conveyances, the two-wheeled, human-powered carriages gradually disappeared from streets around the world.”

To round off this blog post, the undated article below was written by Crystal Chan, probably an SPH journalist.

Yesterday's Tales - People Power That Takes You Places

Rickshaws were once the last word in public transport around town - By Crystal Chan

Introduced here in 1880 from Japan, via Shanghai, the people-powered rickshaw was basically two parallel wheels onto which a carriage was mounted.

By the 1890s, the rickshaw trade was flourishing.

Other forms of public transport were evolving but were seldom as cheap or convenient: Trams or buses served mostly the city and cost 10 cents a ride.

In 1897, rickshaw pullers charged six cents per mile (1.6km). From 9pm to 5am, an extra cent was charged per half mile.

Unsurprisingly, the puller stayed poor. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, records James Warren in Rickshaw Coolie: A People's History Of Singapore, average income was $1 a day.

Of this, he spent 30 cents on food, and between 45 and 50 cents on rickshaw rent.

Pullers from Fujian province wore cotton shirts, blue denims and straw hats, while those from Guangdong had hats with down-turned brims.

Rain or shine, they would pad about barefoot or in sandals made from old car tyres.

At night, they returned to Duxton Road and Duxton Hill in Tanjong Pagar, where they lived among opium and gambling dens and cheap brothels. The area was known as Che Zai Jie or Rickshaw Street.

From 1947, rickshaw pullers were retrained to operate trishaw - a rickshaw-bicycle hybrid. They had to pass tests set by the licensing authority.

The number of trishaws declined from the 1970s, and survivors now serve the tourists.

Timeline

1880: Rickshaw arrives from Japan.

1890s: Trade flourishes as they're cheap convenient and go everywhere. Trams and buses serve mostly the city.

1947: Pullers retrained to operate trishaws.

Old Singapore Quiz (24) - Old Car - Answers

2011-04-25T01:57:00.000+08:00

Hmm... what was my last blog post about? Sorry, it was so long ago that this old memory of mine could hardly remember.

Oh yes. It was about an old car quiz. Now the answers.

Answers to Quiz Questions:

Q1. What is the make and model of this car?

A1. Ford Y8. The emblem "Y8" on the following photo says it all.

Q2. When was this car manufactured?

A2. 1932 to 1937.

The car was probably imported from the United States as the metal holder for the number plate at the back (blacked out in the above photo) says "FLORIDA - LAND OF SUNSHINE".

Only Joshua Ng got part of the answer to the first question correct, i.e. it is a Ford. And he did it on 13 Mar 2011. Well done, Joshua.

Anonymous and YG both on 15 Mar 2011 gave the year 1937 which is in the correct range.

R. Burnett Baker's answer 1934 is also in the right range.

You can refer to more details on this Wikipedia link. The following passage is extracted from the link:

"For the first 14 months the original model with a short radiator grille was produced, this is known as the "short rad". After this in October 1933 the "long rad" model, with its longer radiator grille and front bumper with the characteristic dip was produced. By gradually improving production efficiency and by simplifying the body design the cost of a "Popular" Model Y was reduced to £100, making it the cheapest true 4-seater saloon ever, although most customers were persuaded to pay the extra needed for a less austere version."

The "front bumper dip" manifests itself as a slight "V" shape in the front bumper. (It is an original characteristic of the car and is certainly not caused by an accident or a careless knock.) You can see the "front bumper dip" in the photos of the car below:

Wikipedia photo of the Ford Y

Just imagine, the car is only powered by a 933 cc, 8 hp engine. Perhaps, the best part is that it costs only £100 in the 1930s, which is probably less than the equivalent of S$1,000 even when the pound is at its strongest. No such nonsense as COE (Certificate Of Entitlement) some more. Moreover, the price of petrol in those days was less than 20 old pence an imperial gallon. Based on the conversion rate of 1 imperial gallon = 4.55 litres and 240 old pence = £1, the price of petrol then was probably only a few cents per litre!

Oh, how I wish I was living in the 1930s! Do you?

Old Singapore Quiz (24) - Old Car

2011-03-06T23:04:00.007+08:00

Today, I was at an old part of Singapore. To be precise, I was walking along Dickson Road.

Dickson Road - The tower in the centre of the photo is the Church of the True Light

Most older Singaporeans know that this area has many shops that sell second-hand goods. It may be a misnomer to call them second-hand goods for some of the goods might have passed through many hands. Some of these "multiple-hand goods" are even sold from lorries by enterprising business people.

Suddenly, something old and deliciously chocolaty caught my eyes. No, it was not some mouldy Valentine's Day chocolates which were rejected by a disinterested lover. Neither was it for sale...

It was a chocolate car!

The car did not have a classic number plate but a new one that starts with "SJS". (I am quite sure that it would have easily qualified to be registered as a classic car as the rule only requires that the car be at least 35 years old. This car is definitely way, way older than that.)

The car is probably not a vintage that is first registered here but rather, one that is imported from elsewhere. Why do I say so? You see, the car is a "left-hand drive" while we all know that cars registered in Singapore are "right-hand drives".

And it was probably driven by someone who had just migrated here. Why? Because he left all the windows down (and windscreen up - something which is impossible to do for modern-day cars). I didn't check if the doors were locked though - they probably weren't. Although Singapore is generally considered a safe place with a low crime rate, the authorities do not recommend such a cavalier attitude.

Or maybe, the car owner thinks that any potential car thief will have a real problem disposing of the car? Anyway, who would want to buy a stolen car which turns head at every street corner? To add to the buyer's woes, he would likely also find it difficult to find the required spare parts to maintain the car in good running condition.

Quiz Questions

1. What is the make and model of this car?

2. When was this car manufactured?

Old Singapore Quiz (23) - Old Petrol Station - Answers

2011-02-06T00:31:00.000+08:00

Happy Chinese New Year to all of you. Sorry for having kept you waiting so long for the answers. Chun See, Peter, YG and Walter knew the answers but not all of them answered directly.

Answers to Quiz Questions:

Q1. What brand of petrol does this petrol station sell?

A1. Caltex

Q2. Where is this petrol station located? Give the road name.

A2. Woodlands Road. (The address is 337 Woodlands Road and the company name is Hup Soon & Co. It is located near Stagmont Ring.)

Notice that as if in keeping with the old world charm of the petrol station, the staff is using a traditional "sapu lidi" broom (made from the spines of coconut leaves) to sweep the floor. Also, the standalone diesel pump in the background seems to be deliberately left in a state of disrepair.

But nothing can compare with this old staff who appears to have aged gracefully together with this petrol station through all these years.

Old Singapore Quiz (23) - Old Petrol Station

2011-01-11T00:22:00.000+08:00

Chun See commented that my quizes are "a bit too tough" for him these days. So for his sake, I am giving an easy one this time. Should be a piece of cake. No clues needed.

The petrol station in the photo looks like a typical one in rural Malaysia, doesn't it? Well, it is not. Nowadays, I believe even some petrol stations in rural Malaysia look newer than that.

Would you believe that this "remnant from a bygone era" is in Singapore? It has got to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest petrol station in Singapore. No supermarket or convenience store in this outlet, only a car wash.

It probably dates back to the 1950s. Don't expect it to charge 1950s prices for petrol though. For cheap petrol, you still have to go further up north where the petrol stations are newer.

The petrol station badly needs a paint job and I have done just that. That is painting over the essential bits so that the quiz won't be too easy.

Quiz Questions:

1. What brand of petrol does this petrol station sell?

2. Where is this petrol station located? Give the road name.

Old Singapore Quiz (22) - Old Building - Answer

2011-01-03T01:42:00.002+08:00

Nobody gave the correct answer for this quiz although YG did make an intelligent guess, as always, by saying that the building must be near my place of work. I don't think the quiz was too difficult but rather, there seems to be very few visitors to this place - Labrador Villa Road in Labrador Park and hence not many people know what it has to offer. Why do I say that? Well, I visited Labrador Park on the morning of 29 Dec 10, a Saturday and there was not a single soul in sight!

Almost all the facilities in the park were closed. They include the old building which, according to a location map in the vicinity, was originally designated a boutique hotel. I do not know whether the hotel business actually did materialise or not.

Other facilities that were closed include:

The secret tunnels.

The tunnels were "rediscovered" only in 2001 and officially opened by Minister for National Development Mr Mah Bow Tan not too long ago in March 2005.

Now they are "closed for maintenance".

The Villa Raintree Resort and Spa, which used to house the Pasir Panjang Boys' Hostel from 1980s till the early 1990s and then Breakthrough Missions till the early 2000s.

The creepers on its signboard look creepy.

The Olive Ristorante.

Even the toilets were closed. And definitely not for cleaning.

This statue in Labrador Park seems to be on the constant lookout for the precious and elusive visitor.

Considering the dearth of visitors, why do you think Labrador Park is now undergoing "maintenance"? Surely cannot be due to wear-and-tear because of heavy human traffic, right? And how come the supposedly "maintenance" does not have an expected completion date? Like Mandai Orchid Garden which "has been losing money from Day 1", according to its owner Mr Heah Hock Heng, I believe Labrador Park is suffering the same fate. Only difference is that Labrador Park is losing Government's, or more rightfully, taxpayers' money. Mr Heah continues to operate the Mandai Orchid Garden at a loss because of his passion for orchids. However, the same cannot be said for Labrador Park visitors. I don't think visitors are passionate enough about history and heritage to be willing to fork out $8.60 just to explore the secret tunnels at the park. Thus, the tunnels are likely to remain secret... or be "closed for maintenance" indefinitely.

What do you think?

Old Singapore Quiz (22) - Old Building

2010-12-27T02:00:00.000+08:00

Just like Icemoon who gave an Old Building Quiz before going on holiday, I will do the same. That is, give an Old Building Quiz, not go on holiday. So the clue for this quiz is a photo which I took in August 2009 of an old dilapidated building - one that would make an ideal backdrop for a sequel to a movie like Haunted Changi. I don't know how this building looks like today as I have not visited it since then.

Quiz Question:

Where is the location of this building?

Old Singapore Quiz (21) - Another Pair Of Old Cannons Again - Answer

2010-12-20T01:51:00.000+08:00

The two old cannons are located inside Changi Naval Base. Since they are sited near the sea, you should be able to see it if you pass by on a vessel. However, I was not in the sea but on land. To be precise, I was on the grounds of the Navy Museum next door which is not a restricted area.

Nobody got the answer to the location correct although YG did come up with a good guess, i.e. Cliff House at Bukit Chermin Road.

Peter Stubbs was probably right when he said that the cannons looked very much like 68-Pounder Smoothbore cannons. Compare the cannons with the one in the photo below which is reproduced from the Wikipedia link on the 68-pounder gun:

The following passage of the 68-pounder gun is extracted from the Wikipedia link:

The 68-pounder cannon was an artillery piece designed and used by the British Armed Forces in the mid-19th century. The cannon was a smoothbore muzzle-loading weapon that weighed 95 long cwt (4,800 kg) and fired projectiles of 68 lb (31 kg). Colonel William Dundas designed the gun in 1846 and it was cast the following year. It entered service with the Royal Artillery and the Royal Navy and saw active service with both arms during the Crimean War. Over 2,000 were made and it gained a reputation as the finest smoothbore cannon ever made.

The gun was produced at a time when new rifled and breech loading guns were beginning to make their mark on artillery. At first the 68-pounder's reliability and power meant that it was retained even on new warships such as HMS Warrior, but eventually new rifled muzzle loaders made all smoothbore muzzle-loading guns obsolete. However, the large surplus stocks of 68-pounders were given new life when converted to take rifled projectiles; the cannon remained in service and was not declared obsolete until 1921.

Old Singapore Quiz (21) - Another Pair Of Old Cannons Again

2010-12-07T01:19:00.001+08:00

As promised, this post is about another pair of old cannons again. However, this time, I didn't manage to get near enough to examine the cannons up close. The above photo was as close as the 3x optical zoom lens of my point-and-shoot camera could take me. So that is a clue, I hope. Nevertheless, you could see the cannon balls in front of the cannons. There are also 2 stick-like objects in front of the one of the cannons.

I have also removed the background of the photo, lest some people could identify the building behind instead of the old cannons. However, I have not erased the foreground as there are no ketapang leaves on it. What I can tell you is that the old cannons are near the sea. In fact, most cannons are located near the sea, as I have noticed. With Singapore's small size, there is certainly a physical limit as to how far inland you can site the cannons.

I must admit that I don't know the history of these cannons. So there is only one question is for this quiz for which I know the answer, and that is:

Q1. Where are the cannons located?

Another two questions which perhaps only Peter Stubbs could answer are as follows:

Q2. Are these cannons replicas or originals?

Q3. What is the history of these cannons?

As usual, the answer to Q1 will be revealed in a week's time. Happy guessing!

Old Singapore Quiz (20) - Yet Another Old Cannon - Answers

2010-11-29T02:26:00.000+08:00

Peter Stubbs got all the answers correct although it is quite obvious that both YG and Icemoon knew the answers too.

From Peter Stubb's detailed and informative comments, you could tell that he is an expert on the subject of guns, batteries and cannons used in World War II.

British gunners cleaning the gun barrel (IWM)

Publicity photo from WWII British War Office, showing off impressive size of Monster Guns (IWM)

The replica at Cosford Road, minus the "publicity models"

Here are the answers to the quiz:

Q1. The cannon in the above photo is a replica. Where is it sited? (Give the road name.)

A1. Cosford Road

Q2. How many such guns were there orginally near this location and what were they collectively called?

A2. Three guns and they were called the Johore Battery.

Q3. How many such guns were there in Singapore at that time?

A3. Five.

Q4. What was the diameter of the shell (in inches) that the gun fired?

A4. 15 inches.

The passage below is reproduced from the National Heritage Board's marker at the Cosford Road site.

Johore Battery

A close-up view of one of the "monster guns", 14 November 1941

A close-up view of the replica 69 years later - 15 November 2010

The Johore Battery comprised three guns. They were part of a group of twenty nine large coastal guns installed in Singapore in the 1930s.

The Johore Battery's three weapons were among Singapore's largest coastal guns. They were known as 15-inch guns, because 15 inches (38 cm) was the diameter of the shell they fired. Their gun barrels were 16.5 metres long and the shells stood 1.5 metres high. The guns were capable of hurling these shells at battleships over twenty miles away.

[From left to right]: General Sir Archibald Wavell accompanying the C.F.D. Brigadier Curtis and the General Officer Commanding Singapore Fortress, Major-General Keith Simmons, touring Singapore's defences, c. 1941

They were originally called "monster guns" when tested in England in 1934, before being sent to Singapore. When World War II started, there were only seven of these defending the coasts of the British Empire. Two were near Dover in England, and five in Singapore. Besides the Johore Battery, Singapore also had two 15-inch guns at Buona Vista Battery. They were located at the junction of Ulu Pandan and Clementi Roads, in the West of the island.

Gunners "pulling through" the barrel of a "monster gun" after firing, c. 1941

Each of Johore's Battery's guns had its own ammunition bunker. These were about 500 metres apart, arranged in a line that stretched from the present site onto what are now the runways of Changi Airport. Though these guns were originally intended to stop an attack from the sea, two of Johore Battery's guns could turn around and fire to the rear, towards Johor Bahru. The third, the one located at this site, could only fire out to sea.

One of the "monster guns" ready to "roar", 15 November 1941

From 5th to 12th February 1942, the two guns of the Johore Battery that could turn around fired landward in Singapore's defence. They shelled Japanese infantry positions from Johor Bahru, just across the Causeway, eastwards to the area North of Tanjong Punggol. They also joined in the battles for Bukit Timah Road and Pasir Panjang. The guns of Johore Battery fired 194 rounds before their demolition by the British on the night of 12th February. This demolition, and the postwar upgrading of Changi aerodrome, means all the remains are the underground tunnels on this site, which once housed ammunition and power plants.

Old Singapore Quiz (20) - Yet Another Old Cannon

2010-11-22T01:20:00.000+08:00

For the past month, I stumbled upon quite a few old cannons without actually aiming to look for them. ~~Luckily, they were not aiming at me either.~~ So it looks like the next few blog posts will still be about old cannons. Sorry, if this is not your ~~cannon~~ball game.

1. The cannon in the above photo is a replica. Where is it sited? (Give the road name.)

2. How many such guns were there orginally near this location and what were they collectively called?

3. How many such guns were there in Singapore at that time?

4. What was the diameter of the shell (in inches) that the gun fired?

Answers will be revealed in a week's time.

Old Singapore Quiz (19) - Another Old Cannon - Answers

2010-11-01T02:13:00.000+08:00

No correct answers were received for the last quiz although YG did come close with his "near the sea" guess about the location. I truly marvel at his keen sense of observation - he noticed the ketapang leaves on the ground of the quiz photo and guessed it was near the sea. Looks like for future such quizes, I will have to "digitally clean up" the ground as well and not only "paint over" the name plaque.

I said YG's guess "come close" because the location used to be near the sea in the 1950-60s, possibly even till the 1970s, as this 1963 map shows:

Now, the map of the area looks like this:

About 400 metres of land had been reclaimed and on it stand the Pasir Panjang Wharves.

Answers to the Quiz

Q1. Where does this cannon lie?

A1. Pasir Panjang Park - This got to be the one of the smallest, if not the smallest park in Singapore. Its area is probably only slightly larger than an HDB executive flat which is about 140 square metre or 1,500 square feet. This is because a large part of the park has been converted to an open-air carpark. The park is located next to the Pasir Panjang Food Centre. Incidentally, the cannon is located directly in front of the old pre-war house which I blogged about previously.

Q2. Who presented this cannon?

A2. The photo of the plaque above says it all. He is HJC Kulasingha, OBE (1900-1982). HJC is not his title but part of his name, i.e. his full name is Hollupatherage James Calbera Kulasingha. OBE is not part of his name but probably stands for Officer of the Order of the British Empire. He contested in Bukit Timah as a Progressive Party candidate in 1951 Legislative Council General Election against Valiya Purayil Abdullah of the Labour Party. He won, garnering 1,311 (57.1%) of the votes against Abdullah's 983 votes (42.9%). He also contested in Southern Islands in the 1955 General Election under the same party as well as in Pasir Panjang in the 1959 General Election as an independent candidate but lost both elections. (Refer to this webpage for further details. If you explore the website, you will find that people like clerks, hairdressers and newspapermen contested the General Elections in those days. Not quite different from recent times when you have people like the Slipper Man contesting the General Election, am I right? For your information, Kulasingha was a merchant.)

He was also Chairman of the Pasir Panjang Rural District Committee. In this position, road safety in his district was one of his concerns, as can be seen from this Straits Times article dated 20 Oct 1950, courtesy of the SPH and NLB:

He was also once the Director of the Jurong Bird Park.

Q3. When was it presented? (Just the year will do.)

1 Feb 1957, or should it be 2 Jan 1957? It says "1.2.1957" on the plaque. Erm... that's why I said "just the year will do". The year is definitely 1957 - I was only less than one year old and probably still breastfeeding.

Old Singapore Quiz (19) - Another Old Cannon

2010-10-22T02:04:00.002+08:00

I stumbled upon another old cannon yesterday. (The other old cannon is here. Well, sort of.)

Incidentally, did you know that 車大炮 ("cheh dai pao" in Cantonese or "che da pao" in Mandarin) means to lie?

So here are my questions for this quiz:

1. Where does this cannon lie (pun intended)?

2. Who presented this cannon?

3. When was it presented? (Just the year will do.)

Of course, to prevent eagled-eyed readers like Icemoon from having an unfair advantage, I have painted over the plaque in front of the stand. Not with real paint but digitally with Photoshop.

Answers will be revealed in a week's time. And they won't be lies, I can assure you.

Then And Now (2)

2010-10-11T01:27:00.001+08:00

I had been very busy lately as I was attending a 2-month part-time course at the Singapore Polytechnic. As this course was sponsored by my office, it was important that I pass it ~~otherwise I don't know where to hide my face~~. Hence, please accept my sincere apologies for having disappeared for some time.

To hold the fort for a while, here is another "Then And Now" post. The following photo, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore, shows the junction of Rochor Road and North Bridge Road in 1986:

It shows the 7th Storey hotel which I blogged about here and here. This old hotel was demolished in 2009 to make way for the Downtown MRT Line. This location was also where the DHL balloon was sited. The ~~bubble was burst~~ balloon was taken down sometime last year too.

The photo below shows how the same junction looked like a few months ago. You can see the ongoing construction work being carried out on the right side of the photo. (I have placed the old photo of the junction directly below the newer one for comparison purpose.)

Who Were The Soap Stars?

2010-09-19T23:55:00.001+08:00

Who were the soap stars in the last post? Both Andy and Frannxis thought that the Chinese star was Li Li Hua (李麗華) while Chun See was not sure.

Above photo (right) was reproduced from this website.

I think that both Andy and Frannxis are right, although the woman in the left photo seems to have smaller eyes than the one on the right. Hmm... maybe they grew bigger as she matured? ~~The eyes, I mean~~.

Nobody made any guesses for the Hollywood actress though. I believe that for the cinema-goers in Singapore at that time, Chinese films were more popular than English films and hence we are more familiar with Chinese actresses. I know it is not a fair comparison as Li Li Hua was born in 1924 while the Hollywood actress was born some 32 years earlier in 1892. But still, not many people in Singapore then were educated enough in the English language to appreciate Hollywood films.

I think the Hollywood actress is Ruth Chatterton.

Above photo (right) was reproduced from this website.

When Skincare Was A Piece Of Cake

2010-09-10T01:49:00.001+08:00

Skin care in the old days was a piece of cake, or rather, a cake of soap. More specifically, Lux soap. Things were simple then. No need for such things as cleansers, toners, moisturisers, anti-wrinkle and whitening creams, etc.

Photo taken from Wikipedia

Lux soap was endorsed by popular Hollywood and Bollywood actresses of the era. Below is a Lux soap advertisement in a local Chinese newspaper dated 25 May 1932:

Do you know who is the actress in the above photo? Here's a clue: the Chinese characters in the advertisement say 路斯傑特登 or Lu Si Jie Te Deng. (The answer will be reviewed in a week's time.)

Not only did Hollywood and Bollywood actresses grace advertisements for Lux, even Chinese actresses did the same:

The above illustration is taken from the book "Vintage Singapore - Souvenirs From The Recent Past". It is a paper poster advertisement from the 1940s, commonly hung on the walls of coffeeshops then. (I don't know who is the actress in the above photo. Do you?)

Just like snake oil which could cure multiple ailments, most people in those days washed their hair with just soap and not shampoo. The whole family would share the same piece of soap. So if you found hair stuck onto the soap, you would know that the one who used it before you had washed his/her hair.

The humble piece of soap had so many uses that you could even use it to wash your underwear!

Photo taken from Wikipedia

And it is cheap - only 10 cents. However, for washing of clothes, most households used another type of soap which was even cheaper in order to save money. One such popular brand then was Labour soap. But still, I believe that people in those days didn't have so much dirty laundry to wash ~~especially in public~~.

I heard that some poor families even used Labour soap for their baths to save money! It would certainly be cleaner than if they had used just water.

You can see a neon sign advertising Labour soap in the photo below.

Photo courtesy of NAS showing New Bridge Road, Singapore. Circa 1962. (You could see Majestic Theatre in the background.)

The neon sign was animated which was no mean feat considering that moving images did not arrive in Singapore until the next year via black-and-white TV. And our lives changed forever after that.

The jerky 3-step animation showed the man's arm swinging downwards to hit the ~~soap~~ object with the mallet. As a kid when I first saw the neon sign, I could not help but wondered if the Labour soap was made that way, i.e. by hitting it with a mallet. Of course, now I know that the sign was misleading, like most advertisements.

For those of you who don't know how a bar of Labour soap looked like, let me try to describe it to you. It was about a foot long, i.e. about 30 cm, if you are more used to metric measurements. Its cross section was a 2-inch or 5-cm square. The opaque soap was yellow in colour and was wrapped in waxy paper of a colour which I don't quite recall but I think was blue. The long bar of soap would be cut up into smaller, more manageable pieces like these:

However, you won't get so many pieces from just a single bar but maybe three or four.

To end this post, here is a song titled "A Little Bit of Soap", a hit song by the Jarmels which reached Number 12 on the US charts in 1961:

Then And Now (1)

2010-08-30T01:47:00.000+08:00

I am starting a new series called "Then And Now". Wherever possible, I will try to attempt "second shots", although I know mine will never be as precise as those captured by Icemoon.

To start off this series, what could be more meaningful than to show you what my secondary school used to look like and how it looks like today:

Today, the old Victoria School building is occupied by People's Association HQ. The newer science block behind the main block was demolished to make way for a new tall block that you see now. Somehow, I find that the new building does not blend well with the old facade of the building. But still, I am very grateful that the old building, which dates back to the 1930s, has been conserved.

By the way, did you know that the old building was designed by the same architect who designed the old Kallang Airport building which by some strange coincidence, was the old PA HQ? Do you know who is he? (Note: This is not a quiz because I don't know the answer myself.)

To round off this post, I would like to show you a panaromic view of the Jalan Besar area as seen from the same spot. You could see Jalan Besar Stadium on the right. (Click on the photo to get a clearer view.)

Oh my, how lucky the residents of this HDB block are - they could watch every football game held at the stadium from their homes!

Old Singapore Quiz (18) - Old Object - Answers

2010-08-19T23:46:00.030+08:00

Okay, here are the answers for "Old Singapore Quiz (18) - Old Object". Thanks to Tom for his timely reminder. ~~Wah, stressed man!~~

Icemoon obviously knew the answers as he was at this location recently to take photos for this post. But he was such a gentleman that he did not give the game away.

YG not only didn't know the answer but misread the quiz as he asked "Why close the quiz?" the very next day when all I said was that Icemoon was interested in war relics.

Chun See was the first to guess the object correctly, followed by Tom, Anonymous (No. 2 on 15 Aug 10) and finally Peter Stubbs. But no one gave the correct answer for Question no. 2, i.e. "Where is this object located? (Provide the name of the building or the road name)".

Yes, the object is a weapon. More specifically, it is a mortar.

This plaque near the object says, "This mortar, probably a World War II relic used by the British, was found during excavation for the Annex Wing of this building. (Conservation and installation funded by Singa Development Pte Ltd)".

And the building in question is none other than the Peranakan Museum which is located in Armenian Street. The mortar is situated on the left side of the above photo. It is the side of the building which is facing the public open-air carpark.

Tao Nan School occupied this building from 1910 to 1981 when it moved to Marine Crescent. (Both my sons studied in the new Tao Nan School in Marine Crescent).

Closure Of Museum Of Shanghai Toys (MoST)

2010-08-15T23:53:00.004+08:00

I was surprised to read this article in the Sunday Times today:

The Museum of Shanghai Toys (MoST) had closed down with effect from Jun 10. Marvin Chan, the owner and director of the museum attributed the reason for its closure to "the low number of visitors and high operating cost". He planned to move the entire toy collection to Shanghai where he co-owned a toy-making factory.

It is indeed a sad thing that a museum had to close because of lack of support from the state or from the public. Now isn't it ironical that a museum which is set up to document history have to go down history itself?

I remember meeting Marvin at a Friends of Yesterday.sg meet at Chun See's place some 2 years ago. As he was busy using his notebook, it is a pity that I didn't manage to speak to him then. I did go into the museum once but only to the section on the ground floor where admission was free. I regret not visiting the upper floors to explore Marvin's collection. Now I don't have the chance to do so anymore.

:-(

Old Singapore Quiz (18) - Old Object

2010-08-12T01:11:00.000+08:00

Sorry for not having written for some time as I have been quite busy lately. Meanwhile, here's an old Singapore quiz which I hope can buy me some time.

Q1. What is this old object? Is it:

a. A telescope? (State the bodies it is used for looking at, i.e. heavenly or neighbourly.)

b. A weapon? (Name the specific type, e.g. gun, cannon, mortar, rocket, etc. "One that hurts or kills" DOES NOT count as a correct answer.)

c. An adult sex toy? (Specify whether for men or women and describe how it is used, with measured decency. Hey, there are children readers of my blog, okay?)

d. A vehicle part? (What is the name of the part?)

e. A torture device? (What kind of torture does it inflict? Note: Racking your brain over this quiz DOES NOT count as a correct answer.)

f. A measuring device? (What does it measure?)

g. None of the above. (If you choose this answer, you must name the specific object and its use.)

Q2. Where is this object located? (Provide the name of the building or the road name.)

Answers will be revealed in a week's time. Have fun guessing!

Fallen Trees

2010-08-01T19:54:00.001+08:00

Recently, there has been a spate of fallen tree incidents in Singapore. Some of these incidents involve small trees that do not cause serious injuries or property damage. However, some fallen trees are large mature trees. If these falling heavy trees hit people or property, there are likely to be injuries or even death as well as severe damage to property.

ST Photo

On 20 Jul 2010 at around 2 pm, 32-year-old Chua Loong Wai was crushed to death by a fallen raintree. This incident happened along the junction of Thomson Hills Drive and Yio Chu Kang Road.

Undeniably, it is a tragic accident that is both sad and shocking. However, Loong Wai is not the first person in Singapore to die by a falling tree. You may recall that in May 2007, there were 2 separate fatal incidents caused by falling trees/branches that happened to a woman in Bukit Batok Nature Park and a Vietnamese man near the Tree Top Walk at MacRitchie Reservoir.

According to the authorities, the tree that killed Loong Wai was uprooted by a microburst which is a localised, powerful descending air draft column that produces damaging winds at high speed. Microbursts are known to knock down fully grown trees. National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said that were 240 incidents involving trees or branches which fell last month, largely due to bad weather. The figure is more than double that of the 90 incidents during the same month last year.

ST Photo

Just 2 days after this tragic accident, another similar incident occurred at about 7.45 am at a road junction near Block 226, Ang Mo Kio Street 22. This time, the 3 occupants of the blue Chevrolet were lucky to get away with only some scratches. However their car was badly damaged with both its front and back windscreens shattered.

Then just 2 days ago, a motorcyclist had a narrow escape when he tried to avoid a tree branch that had fallen across 2 out of 3 lanes of the Bukit Timah Expressway. He lost control of his scooter and fell. However, it was fortunate that he was not hurt.

Police Roadblock

Only this morning at about 9 am, when I was exiting CTE (southbound) and turning right into Jalan Bukit Merah, I encountered a police roadblock. Traffic was diverted back into CTE (northbound).

Fallen tree blocking off all 3 lanes of westbound Jalan Bukit Merah

The cause of the road diversion was a large fallen tree blocking all 3 lanes of the westbound carriageway of Jalan Bukit Merah.

A worker perched precariously on top of the fallen tree

Workers could be seen cutting the tree apart and a crane was at the scene to hoist the branches to the roadside.

Curious onlookers at the scene

Luckily, there appeared to be no casualties. It is fortunate that this incident happened early on a Sunday morning when traffic is light. As most motorists know, Jalan Bukit Merah is a major thoroughfare that has very heavy traffic during peak hours. I shudder to think of the dire consequences should a vehicle be hit in this case.

Part of the concrete walkway was prised out of the ground by the immense force.

Off-ground pavement

Even a lamp post with a Tanjong Pagar GRC poster tied to it had fallen over unceremoniously

Maybe the tree near the National Museum that mysteriously disappeared more than a century ago was also annihilated by a microburst? Whichever the case, you should always try to stay indoors in inclement weather - besides an increased likelihood of being struck by lightning, a falling tree is yet another very real and present danger which you are exposed to when you are outdoors in bad weather.

Uprooted

Further Reading:

17 trees uprooted early Sunday

Shoe Without A Foot

2010-07-26T02:04:00.000+08:00

A lone stiletto
Not exactly old
On an electrical box top
Near an old-style coffeeshop

Was it abandoned?
A waste that can't be condoned
Did the other heel break?
Next time buy a better make!

Or was she overdressed?
Hence unduly stressed
At being brought here
By a stingy date I fear

Then flung her stiletto
At the el-cheapo
And hastily departed
Quite broken-hearted

Or accidently soaked earlier
In the recent floodwater
Caused by the heavy rain
When one foot went into a drain

Now she's only air-drying it
When I paid an untimely visit
She never thought it so often
That a poem can be written

Maybe I'm only imagining
Like someone has been saying
Perhaps she was Cinderella
Who fitted nicely in a glass slipper

So had no use for the extra shoe
As she had found her beau
They probably left in laughter
And lived happily ever after

(Related post by Rick Burnett Baker here.)

How Many Times Can You "Revisit" The Old National Library?

2010-07-21T02:10:00.001+08:00

I received the following email and comment from a reader:

Hello Victor !

I am Soo Yong, an architecture student currently writing a dissertation on conservation psychology, questioning the relationship between memory and object in the context of Singapore. In Singapore, when physical erasure is inevitable, I am to study the negotiation, struggles and resistance of individuals against state control urban transformation. I am interested in exploring the alternatives between complete conservation and total erasure of built object. Hence, I have a question in mind that I believe you are the most apt person I can refer to.

On the case of the old national library, I am a foreigner who didn't get to see or use the building before it was demolished. The left over brick post didn't strike any strong feeling in me. I am interested in knowing what helps you in recollecting the memories of the old national library so vividly (in your post dated 30 Jan 2010). Are they tangibles elements like photographs, the standing brick post or intangibles like a smell, a sound or an action? Which are they that trigger the recollection of the long gone time in the old national library? Or they are remembered purposely from time to time so that you won't forget?

Hope that my questions won't bother you too much. Just let me know which you feel comfortable with.

Thank you very much !

Hi Soo Yong, yes I did receive your email but I am still scratching my head on how to answer you. You see, I am afraid that your question is too chim (deep) for me. I can only answer such questions as a layman, not as an expert.

I am not sure exactly how one's mind stores and retrieves its memories, whether most people's minds work similarly or even how mine works (or don't). However, I do know that for everyone, there are good memories and bad ones. Neutral experiences do not make much of an impression and are seldom stored as memories. Hence there are mostly good and bad memories.

Most people will remember good memories with little effort. As for bad memories, most people try hard to forget but fail. So more often than not, both good and bad memories stay.

Some memories are both good and bad. A good example would be a boyfriend or girlfriend who didn't end up becoming your spouse, especially if the break-up was acrimonious.

Time will usually dilute most memories. If not, an aging mind stricken with senility will certainly do the job. That is why some old people have very clear memories of the distant past whereas they cannot remember events that happened recently. I think it is true that old people like to talk about olden times. Perhaps what makes them fond of doing so is that it brings back pleasant memories of their lost youth and vitality. You must have heard an elderly person who keeps repeating his old stories to you.

For memories that you want to keep alive, talking about it helps. Hence this blog helps to keep my nostalgic memories alive. To be able to write an interesting post about an old topic, you have to do research too, i.e. read other people's blogs and archived articles, collect old photos and maps, make site visits, etc. Doing so helps one recall forgotten details. (One example is when I found out from an old street directory that the Van Kleef Aquarium was located to the right of the National Theatre when looking from the traffic junction. I had all along thought that the aquarium was on the left.) In addition, when readers comment on the blog, they provide further information to refresh the forgotten memories.

When you have visited a place such as the old National Library hundreds of times in your youth some 30 years ago, it is easy to form an emotional attachment to the place. You will remember every nook and corner of the building. Even your experiences during that time which are unrelated to the building may come flooding back when you think about the library.

But still, there are only so many perspectives I can give. What I know and have wanted to say would have been said. After all, how many times can you "revisit" the old National Library, especially when it is no longer there? I don't want to be the elderly person who keeps repeating his old stories to you.

Related Posts:

1. Vanishing Scenes of Singapore - Part 2

2. Old National Library Revisited

3. Changing Landscape Of Singapore (3)

4. Old National Library Revisited (2)

Rainbows

2010-07-19T23:40:00.004+08:00

My blogger friend James Seah aka Thimbuktu recently wrote about a Beautiful Rainbow in Simei. This post is inspired by him.

According to Wikipedia, a rainbow is:

"...an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines onto droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere. They take the form of a multicoloured arc, with red on the outer part of the arch and violet on the inner section of the arch.

A rainbow spans a continuous spectrum of colours; the distinct bands are an artifact of human colour vision. The most commonly cited and remembered sequence, in English, is Newton's sevenfold red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet (popularly memorized by mnemonics like Roy G. Biv). Rainbows can be caused by other forms of water than rain, including mist, spray, and dew."

I too have seen many rainbows in my 55 years of life. Most of the rainbows which I have seen appeared in Singapore after a rain. (I did not travel overseas until I was in my twenties. In those days, photos were only in black-and-white and hence, a colourful rainbow would hardly show up on film anyway. In addition, it is only in the last decade that photo-taking became affordable enough for me to capture what some people consider as a frivolous subject, both of interest as well as photographic.)

In Nov 2007, I was travelling in a tour bus in Taiwan with my family. (I usually keep awake on the bus to watch out for any interesting sights. After all, we are supposed to be doing sightseeing, aren't we?) All of a sudden, I saw this beautiful rainbow outside the window. I whipped out my camera and captured the scene. At that precise moment, a bus, which was no less colourful than the rainbow, appeared at the end of the rainbow and this was the result:

Doesn't it look like a trolley bus of yesteryear with colourful trolley poles to match?

On 11 Jul 2010, the New Paper published an article about the Jewel of Muscat which is a ship presented by the Sultanate of Oman to Singapore. A rainbow appeared in the sky when the newspaper's photographer toured the ship:

Then as if by coincidence, Yesterday.sg published a post today titled The Making Of Tiong Bahru. In the post's YouTube video, a rainbow appeared in a shot of Serangoon Road:

(Don't ask me why. I am still wondering what the Making of Tiong Bahru has to do with Serangoon Road. Maybe we will find out when the film is completed some time in early Oct 2010?)

No doubt, the above photos are inspirational but there is one shot that got to me. I do believe, that in these difficult and mean-spirited times in which we live, there needs to be a message of hope. We can all use a single image that speaks to us of love, harmony, peace, and joy. An image that suggests the universality of us all. I have been sent that image, and I want to share it with you. All I ask is that you take a moment to reflect upon it...
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Brings tears to my eyes!

Lost Images Of Bugis Street On Film - By Peter Chan

2010-07-11T23:55:00.001+08:00

As far back as 1992, the police came down hard on Bugis Street transvestite shows under Section 18 of the Public Entertainment Act. There was a show that featured six men in drag (male entertainers wearing women’s clothes) with their impersonation of famous personalities and performed on top of the old public latrine. The law considered it obscene, frowned on cross-dressing and the rest is history. The last time we had Liang Xi Mei and now we have Aunty Lucy on MediaCorp’s Chinese TV – change of the times or need lucrative advertising dollar?

Photo 1: Liang Po Po (left) and Aunty Lucy (right).

When a Hong Kong-based filmmaker wrote the screenplay of the same name in 1995, they resorted to using set construction to creatively recreate the visual of 1960s Bugis Street. Hiep Thi Le a foreign talent played the role of a 16 year old Malaccan girl. Hiep was last seen in “Heaven & Earth” where her opposite number was Tommy Lee Jones. I remembered Hiep as that Vietnamese refugee carrying her illegitimate child to a U.S. army base. To this Yankee soldier (Tommy Lee Jones) who thought she was available she angrily replied, “Charlie want boom boom? You go there boom boom! (pointing to another Vietnamese prostitute) I no boom boom!”

Photo 2: Hayley Mills and Trevor Howard guests of the Raffles Hotel (c 1967)

Photo 3: The armoury is on the ground floor of the three-storey building (left). The cars on Bras Basah Road are heading towards Beach Road. Raffles Hotel is on the right (c 1960).

In 1967, during recess time a group of RI students (including yours truly) were playing hantam bola behind the armoury building when they noticed a long line of trishaws on Bras Basah Road travelling towards Beach Road. We stood still, peered through the fence and saw a cameraman at the head of the line filming somebody in one of the trishaws. Pretty Polly had a foreign cast of Hayley Mills, Trevor Howard and Shashi Kapoor. Seven weeks were spent location shooting in Singapore and 2 weeks in a London studio. Tom O’Brien (Memories of Singapore blog) told me his former teacher at St John Comprehensive School, Mr. David Prosser was the hair stylist in the movie.

Photo 4: (Left) David Prosser as the sissy hair stylist in the movie. (Right) David standing on the extreme left. The ex-students of St John wear the school uniform at this reunion party.

The following year, the crew and stars of “The Virgin Soldier” came to town for location shooting. The vivacious Ms. Ng Lee Ngoh, a University of Singapore undergraduate played the role of a Bugis Street prostitute leaning out of the window shouting, “Briggs come back.” I suspect Mr. Briggs a British Serviceman fighting in the Malayan Emergency did not pay for services rendered.

I decided to spend some time researching on the history of Bugis Street because it was so colourful to begin with. It appears that rickshaws, trishaws and prostitution went hand in hand, that is if I were to objectively believe the Registry of Rickshaws, a department within the Colonial Government of Singapore.

All the old streets within Bugis Junction and Hotel InterContinental Singapore used to be Japanese brothels while Tan Quee Lan Street and Fraser Street had Chinese brothels. The stations were on the Victoria Street side (present Bugis Junction and Bugis Village) and Queen Street. This probably explains why we still have a trishaw station at Albert Centre.

Photo 5: Trishaw Station at Albert Centre.

Now here is still the chance to catch the original Bugis Street, on film that is. I encourage you to watch Pretty Polly the movie, albeit the British dialogue and accent can be too heavy. Watch the game of noughts and crosses, beer drinking, sailor boys, transvestites, the trishaw race and the Kampong Glam Istana.

Roll! Camera! Action!

Further Reading:

Earlier post by Peter Chan on Bugis Street here.

Celebrating 55!

2010-07-05T23:26:00.006+08:00

Part of the 2,000 or so retiring CPF members who attended the seminar. Their ages added up to more than 100,000 years!

In a few months' time, I will be 55. In the blink of an eye, I have worked more than 30 years with my current employer. I have collected Long Service Awards (LSA) countless times. (I am lucky to have a benevolent employer who gives out LSA every 5 years from the 15th year of employment onwards.) It seems like only yesterday that I wrote this post when I turned 50.

Most working Singaporeans know that turning 55 is a watershed in their lives. You will be considered a senior citizen if there is a GST offset package again and you will be given a Senior Citizen's Bonus. You also qualify for Senior Citizen Admission Rates when you visit most of National Heritage Board's museums. However, you age slower when you travel on our public transport system - you don't qualify for its Senior Citizen Concession Card until you turn 60. (Could it be that driving on Singapore roads is so stressful that it makes you age faster? Must be due to the frequent traffic jams and the exorbitant COE and ERP charges that you have to pay when you drive. So if you take public transport, you are not considered a senior citizen until you are 60.)

In preparation for the big day, I attended Central Provident Fund (CPF)'s "Celebrating 55! Seminar" on 27 June 2010 (Sunday). According to CPF's website, at the seminar, members "will find out what happens to their CPF savings when they reach 55, and learn about the new CPF LIFE scheme. A guest speaker from MoneySENSE will share useful financial planning tips on how to invest in one’s golden years".

It's a bittersweet feeling. I'm happy that I'll be collecting the fruits of my labour (never mind if for me, it's only 30%) after more than 3 decades of hard work. At the same time, I'm sad that I'll soon be considered neither productive nor reproductive. My total CPF contribution rate was slashed from 35% to 29% barely 5 years ago and it would be further cut down by another 8.5% when I reach 55. (Refer to table here.) Tell me if that is not a way of saying that I am not so productive.

However, I am grateful that I can still collect 30% of my total CPF balance. Tough luck for those who turn 55 after 2013 - they get nothing unless they could set aside the required minimum sums in their Medisave and Retirement Accounts.

The CPF Board presented everyone who attended the seminar a "Celebrating 55 Years" umbrella. If I walk the streets of Chinatown or Geylang with this umbrella, I am likely to attract female streetwalkers who are more interested in turning my 公积金 (CPF) into 供妓金 (fund for prostitutes). So I must be very careful where I use my ~~CPF~~ umbrella.

The CPF is really thoughtful. In addition to the handy ~~erectile~~ extendible umbrella, I am also given 2 golden eggs. They are not made of gold, of course, but only painted gold.

Most of us know that the golden egg signifies our valuable CPF nest egg or retirement savings. But suddenly, I realise that CPF might be sending me another message. Putting the 2 eggs together with the umbrella, I get this:

Hmm... maybe they are telling me that I will still be reproductive after 55? In that case, I really ought to be very careful where I use my CPF.

When You Have No Shoes (2)

2010-06-29T00:31:00.003+08:00

Do you remember this post which I wrote more than 3 years ago? It is about a foreign domestic worker whom I met in my block's lift. Her footwear had given way and she was making her way home barefooted.

Well, last Sunday the same thing happened again. No, I didn't meet another woman whose footwear was spoilt. This time, one of the pair of sandals I was wearing decided that its time was up:

I was stranded somewhere in wilderness of Marine Parade Central and was left with little choice but to drag my right foot along with the broken sandal when I walked. (Trust me, you'll never realise how far away the nearest shoe shop is until you are forced to walk this way. Although the shop is barely 100 feet away, it seems more like a mile.) I had to endure curious stares from passers-by. Stares were still alright but two young ladies even had the audacity to giggle to each other on seeing me in this predicament. How come nobody was kind enough to offer me a ~~hand~~ slipper in a time of need like this? Talk about working towards being a gracious society! Tsk, tsk, tsk. Frankly, I think we are a long way off.

After a literally dragging long time, I finally arrived at the shoe store. At $4.90 a pair of flimsy slippers, they were probably overpriced. But then when you are in my ~~broken sandal~~ shoes, you will realise that you do not have any bargaining power at all. So I reluctantly paid up without putting up any fight.

I was just glad that I wasn't climbing Mount Kinabalu when my footwear broke.

Who Stole The Carved Ceremonial Pole?

2010-06-22T23:26:00.004+08:00

Chun See went to Empress Place this afternoon but he couldn't see the Carved Ceremonial Pole from across the river.

I thought to myself, "Oh no! Could someone have stolen the Carved Ceremonial Pole?" If so, being an alert and responsible citizen, I must report the theft to the National Heritage Board. Otherwise, I could be accused of being bochap (couldn't care less, can't be bothered, complacent, etc.) just like what MRT staff have been criticised for after the recent case of the train vandalism came to light. However, I should verify the facts myself first. So I made a special trip down to Empress Place after 8 pm tonight (to beat the ERP because the pole was located inside the CBD).

To my great relief, the pole was still standing, as ramrod straight as ever. (The date/time stamp for this photo shows that I took the photo tonight, i.e. I did not cheat.)

Maybe my illusion trick made the pole look gigantic. Actually, it is only about 30-foot (9-metre) high, i.e. only slightly taller than a flag pole and a bit fatter, as the photo below shows. So Chun See could have easily ~~been misled~~ missed it, especially when he was looking from across the river.

So that the trip was not completely wasted, I might as well attempt a second shot of the old Marine Police Station:

A 1920s View Of Empress Place

2010-06-21T23:42:00.002+08:00

This is a 1920s view of Empress Place. Chun See has an Old Buildings Quiz here which shows the building in the foreground. This building has been demolished long ago. The area is now an open field where the following Carved Ceremonial Pole could be found.

The Carved Ceremonial Pole was presented by the State Government and People of Sarawak to the Government and People of Singapore, after the 'Singapore-Sarawak Link' exhibition at the old National Museum in Jan 1991. Doesn't it look taller than the skyscrapers? Of course, that is just an illusion.

You can see part of Cavenagh Bridge and Anderson Bridge at the right of the first photo. Note the background of the photo, which is the city centre, is practically devoid of tall buildings. In fact the tallest structure in the area seems to be the clock tower of the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, previously called the Town Hall or the Victoria Memorial Hall.

Philip Chew said that the building in the foreground was the former Marine Police Station in Empress Place. I think he is right.

When AIDS Had A Very Different Meaning

2010-06-21T01:14:00.005+08:00

We all know that AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and an AIDS Society helps people inflicted with AIDS. But did you know AIDS and AIDS Society had very different meanings in the 1960s?

This is a photo of the building standing at the junction of Victoria Street and Albert Street. It was probably taken around the year 1980 as Golden Landmark Hotel (now known as Landmark Village Hotel) could be seen in the bottom-right of the photo. Note the English sign on the old building - it says FOH SONG MUTUAL AIDS SOCIETY (Chinese - He Shang Hu Zhu Hui or 和商互助會. 'He' or 和 is a Chinese surname.) The Chinese sign on the top of the building says He Shan Gong Hui or 禾山公會. Note that in those days, it was common to write Chinese characters from right to left.)

Below is a photo of the same building taken at night in 1964 from the then Bugis Street, courtesy of Peter Chan:

Note the lighted advertisement in shape of a soft drink bottle on the building. There are also flags strung across the street and a round sign on the facade of the building which says that the society was celebrating its 60th Anniversary that year. In the background of the photo is the SIT flat that I blogged about here and here:

So there you have it - solid proof that the SIT flat was in the then Albert Street. (This portion of Albert Street has since been renamed as New Bugis Street.)

Of course, no blog post of old places in Singapore is complete without a second shot of the same place today:

Notice the F1 Team on top of the bus stop? It is a static advertisement for the Singapore 2010 Formula 1 Night Race that will be held from 24-26 Sep 2010. This modern and realistic advertisement is certainly a far cry from the 1960s advertisement of the soft drink bottle, isn't it?

With the amorous activities happening in the nearby Bugis Street then, AIDS in Singapore could very well have started in this area. If so, then the signboard of the AIDS society had certainly been very prophetic.

Old National Library Revisited (2)

2010-06-15T01:09:00.004+08:00

Old National Library, circa 1970s

Sad remnants of the old National Library today - 2 red pillars and some fencing

I have blogged about the old National Library here and there.

I am really no authority on the National Library but somehow, I do get enquiries from research students on the subject every now and then. Reproduced below is one such email interview late last month:

1. What was the issue at stake for the public in the demolition of the old National library?

The public could be divided into 3 main groups as described below. What issue was at stake depends on which group the person belonged to:

a. Those who were all for the demolition of the old National Library (NL). They felt that the National Library (NL) stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the modern architecture of the SMU and the neo-classical and elegant National Museum. Built in 1960, they felt that it was not that old and not worthy of preservation. There was also nothing very special about the architecture of a basically red-brick building. Of course, being sited on very expensive land in the city made the reason to have it demolished even stronger. The opportunity cost for retaining the old NL would be very high. LTA obviously fell into this group.

b. Those who were indifferent about the fate of the NL. This group was likely to be the very young who never or seldom visited the old NL or who did not grow up in Singapore. They have no emotional attachment to the old NL. If they remembered it at all, it was just an old red-brick building standing besides a very busy thoroughfare. They did not care whether it was preserved or not - they had nothing to lose if it were to go, neither did they have anything to gain if it were to be preserved.

c. Those who were dead against the demolition of the old NL. This group grew up with the old NL. They visited it often when they were young, before the advent of the Internet completely changed the way traditional research was done. They spent a lot of time in the old NL, i.e. the children and adult sections on the lower level and the air-conditioned reference section on the upper level. They had such fond memories of the old NL that they were emotionally attached to it. This group was also the most vocal - in the print media, on-line forums, blogs and lately, on facebook. Needless to say, I belong to this group.

2. How did the community react to these issues?

The group against the old NL's demolition was vocal and articulated their views passionately. They wrote many letters to the press on why the old NL should be preserved and also suggested alternate uses for this red-brick building. The following passage titled 'Public Dissent' is quoted from this Wikipedia link:

"From March to April 1999, there arose a huge groundswell of public dissent in the media over the National Library building's fate, as well as the drastic physical alterations of its environs. A number of featured columns by journalists touched on gradually disappearing heritage landmarks, as well as shared memories of Singaporeans.

On 24 January 2000, after SMU chaired a technical workshop to obtain feedback on three alternative proposals, a well-known architect named Tay Kheng Soon held a press conference at The Substation to unveil his unofficial SMU masterplan. URA was invited to the presentation but did not show up. His proposal entailed re-routing the tunnel in order to save the National Library building. A week later, Tay wrote to the Prime Minister's Office regarding his proposal which was referred to the MND. Many members of the public wrote in publicly either in support of Tay's plans or argue for heritage conservation in general. A few articles and letters highlighted that the adamant official response to public dissent ran counter to the spirit of the Government's S21 Vision, which expressed a desire to foster civic participation and active citizenry."

3. Could you describe the process/actions the government/stakeholders had taken to address the issues?

The experience or perception of the public is that if the authorities have the intent to carry out a plan or action, a public outcry seldom changes the final outcome. A case in point is the two IRs. The government/stakeholders did not seem to have taken much action in the old NL case except to say that the public feedback had been given due consideration but still, demolition was in the final analysis, the better option. Again quoting from the same Wikipedia link:

"On 7 March 2000, the Minister for National Development, Mah Bow Tan, announced in Parliament that the National Library building would have to go. According to Mah, the authorities had assessed Tay's plans but concluded that the URA's plan was a better proposal for preserving the Civic District's ambience and being more people-friendly. With no choice, the public and activists accepted the final decision to demolish their beloved Library and the debates slowly frizzled off."

4. Have the above actions helped to address the issues?

No. The public experience or perception is still the same. And so will be the likely outcomes for any future issues.

5. What do you think could have been done better?

In my opinion, it is not matter of what could have been done better but rather, would they want to do it or not?

6. Looking back, how do you feel now?

More angry than sad at first. But now, more sad than angry.

Old Grange Road Bungalow (Circa 1920s)

2010-06-06T01:39:00.005+08:00

The old bungalow located along Grange Road - Circa 1920s - Photo credit: Sean

The old bungalow's verandah - Circa 1920s - Photo credit: Sean

1. Some of the earlier expatriate community lived in very grand colonial houses in Singapore. Earlier this week, I received the following email from Sean of Perth, Australia:

Hi Victor,

Have just come across your blog when looking for a house in Singapore. My grandfather was born in the house in 1920 and I have always wondered if it was still standing as it was in Grange Rd, which I believe has been developed. I have attached two photographs of it and wonder if you know of the house? The back of the external photograph simply reads "Grange Rd, Singapore". My family was there until about 1923. Anything you can tell me about the house would be wonderful.

Thanks,
Sean

2. Below is my reply to Sean

Hi Sean,

Thank you for writing. What a beautiful bungalow that your grandpa stayed in!

Unfortunately, I am not very familiar with the old houses on Grange Road. However, if it is still standing near the main road, I would surely have noticed it as I have driven past this road many times. If you could provide the house number, it would have been easier. (The house numbers on Grange Road ranged from 1 to 130, according to my 1963 Street Directory.)

There are several high-rise condominiums, apartments and commercial buildings that have been built along this road in the last few decades. The properties in this area command a very high price because they are located in prime postal districts 9 and 10. (Under the old postal district system, 9, 10 and 11 are the prime areas in Singapore. For example, the famous shopping belt of Orchard Road is located in postal district 9.) Because the land in this area commands a very high premium, I am afraid that there is a very good chance that the bungalow could have been demolished to make way for one of the new developments. After all, it has been almost a century since your family stayed there.

The owner of the bungalow would certainly have reaped a very handsome windfall by selling it for redevelopment. Such a big bungalow in that area could be worth tens of millions of dollars today, with most of the value being attributed to the prime land which the bungalow sits on.

If you have no objection, may I suggest that I post the 2 photos on my blog and ask if anyone remembers seeing this bungalow on Grange Road before. Who knows? You may just get lucky.

Hope to hear from you again, Sean.

Best regards,
Victor.

3. And Sean's response:

Hi Victor,

Thank you so much for your email.

Indeed, it was a beautiful bungalow. I just wish the number had been written on the back of the photograph, but my grandfather has passed away and was just three when he left Singapore so probably wouldn't have known, anyway. His parents died many years ago and, I suppose, the information went with them.

I doubt my great grandfather owned the house at any time as the family had little money when they arrived in Australia and rented for at least the first ten years here, only buying a house with the help of a wealthy relative. There is actually another photograph of my great grandfather at a Singapore property, which refers to him being "at Melrose". Unfortunately, there is little of the building in the background of that photograph to suggest what "Melrose" might have been. Perhaps that was the name of the house in Grange Rd? Perhaps it was a house in Melrose Drive in Serangoon?

Anyway, I have no objections to the posting of my email, including the photographs, on your blog. It would be wonderful if any of your followers are able to help.

For the record, my great-grandfather was a clerk at WH Mansfield & Co at Collyer Quay. Mansfields were the local agent for the Blue Funnel Line shipping company and my great grandfather had lived in Singapore since about 1908, returning to the UK in 1917 to marry his long-time girlfriend and then returning to Singapore until 1923 when the family moved to Australia. I assume there would be no record of the family in Singapore (given the damage done to the island in WWII), but I'd love to hear from anyone who might have suggestions about finding any further records of them in Singapore. I know my grandfather was never able to obtain a British passport during his lifetime because the record of his birth in Singapore (in 1920) was destroyed during the war.

Thanks again for your help.
Kind regards, Sean

4. Thanks to Peter Chan's friend who once lived in Grange Road. He provided the first input below:

From my somewhat fading memory, this building may have been part of the East Staff English School premises located near the junction of Grange/Leonie Hill Rd. I don't know who the owner/residents were before it became a school.

If you have any nostalgic memories of this old house, Sean and I would certainly appreciate if you could share them with us here.

He Licks And She Sucks

2010-05-31T23:16:00.003+08:00

Some time ago, my blogger friend wrote a blog post with a suggestive title, Suck harder! And it will come out. Seeing what big excitement such a title could arouse, I am following in his footsteps. But not by sucking.

Marina Bay Sands (MBS) was the second integrated resort (IR) to open in Singapore this year. The first one was of course Resorts World Sentosa (RWS). Various attractions were opened progressively together with the 2 IRs. RWS had the Universal Studios while the MBS had the Helix (pronounced "he licks") Bridge.

I was at the Helix Bridge to ~~lick~~ soak up the scenic sights on the Saturday night of 22 May 2010. The bridge was crowded.

But only half of it was. The other half was deserted.

Why? Because only half of the bridge was opened; the other half remained closed. Curious people tried to peep beyond the barricade.

Can you differentiate who is the real person in the above photo and who is a cardboard cut-out? (Clue: My younger son is in the photo. Hmm... I can't believe that my 13-year-old son is taller than the adult woman!) Fortunately, the woman is only a cardboard cut-out. If she were real, my son could have been accused of committing khalwat (close proximity).

You could take beautiful photos of the bridge.

You could also take beautiful photos from the bridge.

I am no Feng Shui expert but suddenly, it dawned on me that the bridge should have been more appropriately called Shesux (pronounced "she sucks") instead of Helix. Why, you ask? Get your mind out of the gutter! It is not what you think. The logic is actually quite simple.

See the Singapore Flyer?

It is strategically positioned as the mouth of a giant vacuum cleaner hose while the bridge is the hose itself. This contraption sucks all the wealth from the people into the casino! ~~How evil!~~ How clever!

Moreover, Shesux will surely remind people not to gamble away their life savings at the casino, much better than mild and uncreative warnings like "know the line", "draw the line" or "crossing the line" as expounded by the National Council on Problem Gambling can, I assure you.

Don't believe? Wanna bet?

Peep! Peep! Bugis Street….Peep! Peep! Bugis Street – By Peter Chan

2010-05-25T23:16:00.000+08:00

Long before I kick the bucket, Bugis Street shall always be in my mind. Bugis Street was the street for good food and good-time “ladyboys”. Ask any British Servicemen what he remembers about Singapore, it was Bugis Street and the “Great Trishaw Race” down North Bridge Road.

It’s the beginning of a new busy night at Bugis Street. Street vendors seen here making preparations (c1967).

How did I get to know Bugis Street? Back in the early 1960s, occasional Saturday night outings were a prevailing family practice - my father and my Tai Pak (eldest paternal uncle) took our grandparents out, each person taking turns to pick up the tab. Bugis Street was one of the places we went. There were street food stalls and in some places there were Chinese restaurants with open-air dining at the roof-top terraces. To get a feel of the ambience, you take a walk down the alleys of Lockhart Road in Hong Kong and look up those three-storey buildings. If you are lucky you might catch a glimpse of roof-top terraces in old black & white Hong Kong movies.

Left photo – “Ladies of the Night” standing close to the public toilet. Right photo - Many would have remembered this public toilet which is now inside Bugis Street shopping mall. This is the famous flamingo dance on top of the public toilet (c 1963).

As we made our way through the crowd, we kept looking at those tall heavily made-up ladies, some standing and some seated on the laps of Royal Navy sailors. My auntie cautioned us to stay close to the adults otherwise we would be kidnapped by those “aunties”. Whilst the adults enjoyed the sumptuous Cantonese meals of suckling piglet, shark’s fin soup and Hor Yip Fan (lotus leaf rice), my cousins and I had better ideas. Here we were up on some “skyscraper” looking at the skyline and the streets below.

Left photo - British military provost on street beat (c 1967). Right photo – ANZUK and U.S. Coastal Patrol (c 1974).

Now we come to the question why “Peep, Peep”? That was because the British military provost blew their whistles and quickly rushed to break up rowdy and drunken sailors or army boys. Sometimes you see the military provost dragging a drunkard lad with a baton close to his neck. There was something special about those military provost guys; they wore shorts, walked with metal-studded boots and red armbands. There was one time we saw this crazy group of British lads armed with cans of Tiger beer climbing up a public lavatory. Many attempted to climb but many fell because they had far too many drinks. When they climbed they were cheered on by others. Once at the top of the public toilet, some went dancing which I now come to know as the “Dance of the Flaming Ar**h***”. I am not sure what was stuck inside but I tell you it was burning alright. After the British pullout in 1971, ANZUK and the U.S. shore patrol provost took over policing Bugis Street until 1975. After 1975 I believe our Singapore Police Force took over.

The impact of Bugis Street could not have been under-estimated. If one thought that Patpong in Bangkok had a reputation, then look no further than the joint promotion by Thai International and Singapore Tourist Promotion Board (now Singapore Tourism Board). This is really strange when Singapore Airlines should have been promoting our tourist attraction.

The Bugis Street Experience promoted by Thai International and Singapore Tourist Promotion Board (c 1970s):

'The Experience'

Every night in Singapore, they close off one of the streets to the traffic and throw it open to the people. The result is Bugis Street, a wild conglomeration of music, laughter, food stalls, fruit markets, satay stands, outdoor restaurants, pedicabs, beer vendors, hawkers, kids who play noughts-and-crosses for money (and never lose), students, drifters, eccentrics, hustlers, drag queens and even the odd punch up. It's a place that's always happening and it'll never give up before you do (the character in the picture is singing Santa Lucia - in passable Italian at 3.30 on a Sunday morning).

Bugis Street is an untouched leftover from Singapore's boisterous past. It was an Experience then, and it's an Experience now.

Singapore bade farewell to Bugis Street in 1985 and its demise was even reported with great regret by the The Economist and London’s Financial Times. That was the year the transvestites moved out, some say to Changi Point which has become an attraction today. After the Bugis Street site was up for URA land sale, many debated whether the new Bugis Junction shopping and hotel complex should incorporate any of the old culture and perhaps Singapore’s unofficial tourist attraction. Of course when you were a tourist, you voted with your dollar but the government thought otherwise.

So there is little of Bugis Street remaining except by token name and a drag show at Boom Boom Room, which is by the way not even in the Bugis Street area.

Old Singapore Quiz (17) - Old School - Answers

2010-05-17T01:27:00.006+08:00

I think YG knew the answers to the last quiz but the gentleman in him didn't want to deprive others of the chance to have a go at the quiz. James gave a partially correct answer.

Q1. What was the name of this school in the 1960s - 1970s?

A1. Delta West School, Delta West Primary School or Delta West Integrated School would all have been correct answers. DB1688 attended this school from the late 1960s till the early 1970s. He is appealing for ex-students or ex-teachers of Delta West Primary School from that era to contact him.

Q2. What is/was the school's location?

A2. Delta Avenue was the official address of the school but the school is actually nearer to Indus Road.

Q3. Is the school building still around?

A3. Yes, it is now Delta Senior School of the APSN (Association for People with Special Needs.

Below are the second shots of the 3 photos. You can see how much (or little) has changed over the last 45 years. (I took the new photos in Sep 2009.)

The front gate of the school. Notice that the sign in the old photo says Delta West Integrated School.

The school building.

The school field.

As for the answers to the alternative question to name 3 makes of vehicles shown in the photos, they are a Volkswagen van (as Chun See rightly pointed out), 2 Mini Clubmans and 1 Mercedes Benz. These were quite common makes of vehicles on our roads then. (In fact, my first car was a Mini too.)

Here is another old but well-kept Volkswagen van that is probably still plying our roads today. (I took this photo almost 2 years ago.)

Photo Credits:

All old photos (circa 1965) are courtesy of the National Archives of Singapore.

Old Singapore Quiz (17) - Old School

2010-05-12T00:12:00.004+08:00

You can say that I studied in an old school and belong to the old school. Hence today's quiz is about an old school - one that was probably built even before I was born.

What makes this quiz particularly difficult is that most schools built in the 1950s look similar. They seem to be designed by one architect and built according to one plan. Obviously it is more economical to build schools of similar designs compared to different ones.

It is likely that only 3 groups of people will get the answers right for this quiz, namely:

1. Ex-students of this school;

2. Ex-teachers of this school;

3. People who stayed in the school's vicinity.

Below are 3 different views of the same school:

The front gate of the school. (Note: To make this quiz really challenging, the school's name has been wiped off from the signboard.)

The school building.

The school field.

The quiz questions are:

1. What was the name of this school in the 1960s - 1970s?

2. What is/was the school's location?

3. Is the school building still around?

And for those who don't know the answers to the above questions, below is an easier one:

Name 3 models of vehicles shown in the above photos.

Where Is 5-1/2 ms Pasir Panjang Road?

2010-05-03T01:47:00.004+08:00

Despite the title of this post, this is not a quiz.

Last week, my friend Chun See received an email from someone in UK. In the email, the writer commented, "We lived at milestone 5-1/2 at Pasir Panjang, not all that far from Haw Paw Villa, better known to us as Tiger Balm Gardens."

Knowing that I work around that area, Chun See asked if I could make out its present location. Considering the title of this blog, how could ever I pass up such a challenge?

First Step - Check the 1963 Street Directory

The first step is obviously to check the 1963 street directory. I am quite sure that Chun See also has a copy of this street directory but perhaps he simply forgot to look it up. Old street directories always have the milestone (ms) markers indicated on their maps. The map of the stretch of Pasir Panjang Road between 5 and 6 milestone markers is reproduced below:

I have circled the 5 and 6 milestone markers in red in the map. (Incidentally, the map indicates the markers as 5 MP and 6 MP respectively. MP probably stands for "milestone post" but I am not sure. In the old days, each milestone location actually had a stone post painted in red, white and maybe black impaled into the ground at the roadside. The milestone number was also painted on the post. I think there were also milestone posts for half-mile points as well. I would love to show you a photo of an old milestone post but sad to say, I failed to find one. Anyone can help me out here?

From the above map, 6 ms was at Haw Par Villa (Tiger Balm Gardens) while 5 ms was between Yew Siang Road and Pepys Road. You could tell that 5-1/2 ms would be probably near South Buona Vista Road, i.e. the location numbered 2 in the map.

Second Step - Conduct a Location Visit

Next, a location visit to the area is a must. This I did last Saturday. First I went to the 5 ms area near Yew Siang Road. This is where a beautiful old bungalow still stands today, i.e. the location numbered 1 in the map.

View of the old bungalow from Pasir Panjang Road (direction of red arrow in the map).

The bungalow looks even more lovely from Yew Siang Road (direction of red arrow in the map).

Incidentally, I found an old lady sweeping leaves on Yew Siang Road just outside of the house. Now she certainly did not look like a cleaner employed by the NEA. (She probably has been sweeping the road regularly and is obviously someone who believes in keeping the environment scrupulously clean.)

I parked my car and talked to her in English. I said I would like to take some photos of the bungalow. She asked me why and I explained that I wanted to post the photos on my blog. She did not understand what a blog was so I said it was on the Internet. She did not know what was that either. She revealed that she was the owner of the bungalow. She probably thought that I was a property agent or an interested buyer of the property. Luckily, she didn't chase me away with that broom! :p

After completing my mission at Yew Siang Road, I went to the South Buona Vista junction to take a photo of the row of pre-war shophouses there from the direction of red arrow in the map. Most of the shophouses there are now restaurants and bars.

I wonder how many people nowadays know that this place used to be 5-1/2 ms Pasir Panjang Road?

How Mummy Took Her Revenge

2010-04-27T00:50:00.005+08:00

I visited Universal Studios with my family last Saturday. (Universal Studios Singapore opened its doors on 18 Mar 2010.)

Having survived the Giant Drop and the Tower of Terror at the turn of the last century, I was looking forward to riding the Battlestar Galactica. However, I was deeply disappointed that it remained closed for safety inspection and review.

We headed straight for the Waterworld as the first show was scheduled to start at 11.30 am.

There we witnessed some explosive action and got to experience first hand what terrorist attacks would feel like.

You see, besides the loud explosions, you might also get terrorised by having water splashed over you if you chose to sit in the blue seats in front. No need to go to Thailand for Songkran Water Festival... and risk another explosion over there.

After the show at the Waterworld, we proceeded to the next most exciting ride after the Battlestar Galactica, i.e. the Revenge of the Mummy.

Somehow this ride reminded me of the Ghost Train I used to sit in the old New World Amusement Park of the 1960s. It has similar scary sights and ghostly figures to scare the wits out of you. Only this time, the advanced electronic effects are 10 times as realistic and hence 10 times as scary. (No such thing as silly coconut husk for the hair of the mummy.) The train car can take about 10 times as many passengers, i.e. 20 people compared to only 2 in the past. It also moves 10 times as fast and effectively costs 10 times more to ride. Finally, the screams are 10 times as loud and I am not joking.

But I was definitely joking when I told my two boys after the ride that no wonder the scary ride was called the Revenge of the Mummy - it's because mummy was wise enough not to join us for the ride. She thus took her revenge by leaving us to suffer and scream all by ourselves. :-)

Omigosh, after the scary ride, this man looked like the friendly guy next door:

And did we travel so fast that we entered a time warp to before 1962 when Marilyn Monroe was still the reigning screen idol?

After experiencing almost the whole gamut of human emotions, we felt hunger pangs, naturally. So we entered this fast food joint called Mel's Drive-In. Parked outside were several old beauties which my friend would certainly love to use for his quizes.

It was crowded inside and all tables were occupied. I joined the queue at the cashier to place my order. I could not believe my ears when a while later, a female staff approached the queue to announce that our orders would take one-and-a-half hours to fulfill! Wow! Mel sure gives a whole new meaning to the term "fast food". While he is at it, he might as well change the name of his outlet to Mel's Crawl-In instead of Drive-In. ;)

In the end, we settled for a $6.90 chicken pie each from this stall. Half of my money probably went to pay for the stall owner's monthly installments for the expensive-looking vehicle prop.

Obviously still hungry, we later had pizza and honey chicken wings at Loui's Pizza and then finished off with desserts at KT's Grill.

Despite the small glitches, overall it was still an enjoyable experience for the whole family. Highly recommended but you should go on a weekday instead. Why? Because you have to wait up to 80 minutes for some of the rides on weekends. With only 9 hours available (Universal Studios is open from 9 am to 6 pm daily), how many such rides can you take in a day? It doesn't take a Maths genius to work out the answer. Even mummy can.

Singapore's Version Of Eyjafjallajokull

2010-04-19T01:06:00.004+08:00

Sorry that I was MIA (missing in action) last week. No, I was not stranded in Europe because of the volcanic eruption in Iceland. (On a related note, I hope that Vivian Balakrishnan and George Yeo could catch a flight home soon. I am sure that there a lot of things waiting for the 2 ministers to do.) The reason is that I was busy submitting my income tax returns. Not that I had a lot of income to declare that it had to take me off blogging. It is just that I have a tendency to keep procrastinating unpleasant tasks. Declaring one's income is not exactly an enjoyable task. Even much less so is paying taxes. But like they say, death and taxes are the only two certain things in life - one is "do, do, must die" while the other, "die, die, must do".

So I was at Telok Blangah Hill last Saturday to destress after filing my income tax returns and to breathe in some fresh air. Or so I thought...

Suddenly I saw a huge plume of black smoke in the distance. For a moment there, I thought that ashes had blown over from Eyjafjallajokull. (By the way, what kind of name is that? I won't even try pronouncing it, even though they told me it sounds like EY-ya-fyat-lah-YOH-kuht. I just thank my lucky stars that I didn't have to spell this Icelandic volcano in our Geography lessons some 40 years ago. Phew!)

I was wondering, where did all the pollution come from and who was the culprit? As for all things for which I don't know the answers, I did some ~~research~~ search on the Internet. I found out that the flame is called a "flare" and it came from a newly commissioned ethylene cracker at the Shell Eastern Petrochemicals Complex. According to the website, it is a "safe and routine part of commissioning a new unit, such as a cracker". It went on to say that "the flares are likely to be seen from the last few days of February to early March".

But hey, it is now nearly late April. So like what the New Paper asked of the volcanic eruption, "When will it be over?"

Further Reading:

1. http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2010/02/flaring-up-at-pulau-bukom.html

2. http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/stomp/sgseen/what_bugs_me/346444/pulau_bukom_flaring_continueseven_into_the_night.html

Albert Street SIT Flat

2010-04-03T00:43:00.006+08:00

Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) was set up in 1927 by the British colonial government in Singapore to build affordable public housing for the common population. In 32 years, it managed to build only 23,000 flats, mostly within or near the city area. It was replaced by the Housing and Development Board (HDB) in 1960. HDB is celebrating its 50th year anniversary this year. However, with the recent run-up in prices for both public and private properties, people are divided as to whether HDB still provides affordable public housing.

Do you remember the quiz question which I asked of this photo in my blog post about traditional coffeeshop snacks? I asked readers where was this block located. Eight months has passed and nobody has come up with the correct answer yet.

Well, I have done some investigative work as well as attempted a second shot. I can now say with certainty that the block was located in a portion of Albert Street which is now called New Bugis Street. A view of New Bugis Street from Queen Street is show below:

Now compare the following photos:

Take note of the patterns on the pillar of the building which could be partially seen at the left edges of the above photos. Do they look similar?

Yes, and there you have it! The block was located in Albert Street, the street just next to Cheng Yan Place where I stayed in a similar block from 1956 till the mid-1970s. Today, the block which I stayed in has also been replaced with a red building (on the left of the photo below). The spanking new Iluma Shopping Centre is directly opposite. How I wish that it had opened 40 years ago!

But do you know when were the 2 blocks constructed? Ahh... I have the tender notice from Straits Times dated 5 December, 1947...

Singapore Improvement Trust

Tenders are invited for Concrete Piling at Albert Street and Cheng Yan Place.

Tender Form, etc. may be obtained at the office of the Trust on payment of a deposit of $50/- which will be refunded if a bona fide tender is submitted.

Sealed tenders are to be deposited in the Tender Box in the Office of the undersigned by 4 p.m. on 19 December, 1947.

The lowest or any tender will not necessarily be accepted.

ALEX. GREENHILL,
Secretary,
Singapore Improvement Trust
Municipal Offices.

...as well as a 1946 aerial photo of the empty plots land:

Above is a map of the same area in 1961, with the two blocks indicated in red.

The two blocks of flats were constructed in the late 1940s and probably demolished in the early 1980s, some 30 years later.

The Van Kleef Aquarium

2010-03-28T22:31:00.006+08:00

An image of the Van Kleef Aquarium in 1960; Source: Chiang Ker Chiu/National Archives of Singapore (NAS)

I wrote briefly about the Van Kleef Aquarium before in my article about the National Theatre here:

"When I think of the National Theatre, memories of the Van Kleef Aquarium just next to it comes flooding back. This aquarium was nowhere near the standard or the size of today’s Underwater World in Sentosa but for a mere S$2 entrance fee, one could gawk at the 2 crocodiles (in an enclosure, of course) at the entrance before entering the aquarium to view the marine fishes. In contrast, today’s entrance fee to Underwater World is more than S$10 and that’s not counting the admission fee to Sentosa Island itself."

A baby fixated at the fascinating sight in the Van Kleef Aquarium; Source: NAS 1970

Most Singaporeans who are at least 30 years' old would have some memories of the aquarium which was situated at the junction of Clemenceau Avenue and River Valley Road, right next to the National Theatre.

A girl reaching out to touch the hawksbill turtle, as if to make sure that it was for real; Source: NAS 1955

Our parents would have brought us there at least once when we were kids and we would have been fascinated by the myriad of exotic sea creatures displayed in the tanks. We would look forward to visiting the aquarium again as we never seemed to get tired of looking at the interesting exhibits.

Even guppies looked so interesting in the aquarium; Source: NAS 1960

In this post, I would like to refresh your childhood memories about this lovely aquarium which we were all so fond of.

It was affordable entertainment for the whole family - at a time when black-and-white TV had not reached our shores yet. But hey, it was as good as watching a 60-inch flat-panel TV display, okay? Source: NAS 1955

Entry in Singapore The Encyclopedia:

Here is an entry in Singapore The Encyclopedia on the Van Kleef Aquarium:

"Opened on 8 September 1955 in River Valley Road, the Van Kleef Aquarium was named after a former Dutch resident, Mr K W B Van Kleef, who bequeathed his estate to Singapore in a will dated 7 July 1900. The Municipal Commission made plans to build the aquarium in 1933, but these were put on hold when the war broke out and only resumed in the 1950s.

In 1964, the ichthyologist A Fraser-Brunner, curator of the aquarium, was commissioned to design the Merlion emblem for Singapore's Tourist Promotion Board.

By 1985, the aquarium housed many interesting and rare species of marine and freshwater fish, amphibians and invertebrates, including tropical fish, small sharks, poisonous lion fish and stone fish, and Amazonian piranhas. Live crocodiles were an additional attraction.

In March 1986, the aquarium had serious maintenance problems and closed for major renovation. By then, annual visitor numbers had declined drastically to 250,000, compared to around 430,000 in its heyday in 1979. After a $750,000 facelift, it re-opened on 26 August 1987 with the aim of becoming a 'public and tourist attraction' as well as a 'permanent exhibition centre for local aquarium fish farmers and exporters'. By 1 June 1991, the aquarium was considered outmoded compared to Sentosa's Underwater World and shut down.

On 1 October 1991, the Primary Production Department handed over the administration of Van Kleef Aquarium to a private company, World of Aquarium, but it too closed on 22 February 1993. Six months later, it was reopened as The Fort Canning Aquarium but this was also shortlived. It closed its doors for the last time in December 1996, and the building was eventually demolished in 1998."

The distinctive logo of the Van Kleef Aquarium on the wall at the right of the building; Source NAS, late 1980s

An undated postcard of the Van Kleef Aquarium in its heydays. If there were so many people outside, you could imagine how crowded it would have been inside.

Article in Singapore Guide And Street Directory 1961

Perhaps even more fascinating is an article about the aquarium in the 1961 edition of the Singapore Guide And Street Directory:

"The Van Kleef Aquarium, so called after the benefactor who bequeathed the major part of the cost of its erection, is maintained by the Government as one of Singapore's most popular amenities.

Since its first opening to the public in 1955 it has been continually improved and now has more than 70 exhibition tanks, with natural settings, containing upwards of 4,000 fishes of some 300 different species; as well as turtles and a variety of invertebrate animals. Although emphasis is on the Malayan fauna, a number of species from elsewhere are shown, particularly in the freshwater section, where South American "man-eating" piranhas and electric eels are an attraction. The marine section contains many items of great interest, particularly a fine display of anemone-fish living in their anemones, the ever popular sea-horses, octopus and sea snakes. Many of the numerous species shown here have lived in their tanks since 1956, and some have bred there.

Sea-water is brought by pipeline to the Aquarium where it is improved chemically and stored in underground tanks. Both fresh and salt water is circulated by pumps and filtered continually. There is a service passage behind the tanks for feeding and cleaning, a quarantine system for newcomers, and a well-equipped laboratory. A specially designed launch collects specimens and sea-food for the tanks.

The exhibition hall is air-conditioned and a spacious foyer provides rest for the visitors.

The Aquarium is opened on week-days from 10.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon, and 2.00 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. except on Fridays, when it is closed all day for maintenance. On Sundays and public holidays, it is open from 10.00 a.m. to 9.00 p.m. Admission prices are 30 cents for adults (over 16) and 20 cents for children over 3 years. Special rates for parties can be arranged with the Curator."

Wow! Can you believe the 30 cents admission charge for adults? It can't even buy tubiflex worms for the fishes in my home aquarium nowadays.

Below are maps of the junction of Clemenceau Avenue and River Valley Road in 1961, 1983 and 2002. You could see the changes through the last half century:

1961 map - Van Kleef Aquarium was constructed in 1955 while the National Theatre had not been built yet.

1983 map - National Theatre standing next to the Van Kleef Aquarium

2002 map - Both the National Theatre and the Van Kleef Aquarium had been demolished. Today, only an NAS Heritage Site marker stands at the location.

Further Reading:

1. The Other Side of Forbidden Hill

2. NAS' Access to Archives On-line (A2O) article

3. Remembering the Van Kleef Aquarium by Kevin Khoo, Assistant Archivist, NAS

“I’ll Be There”@Peppermint Park - Peter Chan

2010-03-21T22:36:00.015+08:00

Between 1974 and 1984, music entertainment in Singapore was confined to lounge music. This period was a pretty boring decade also when you had three guys seated on high stools strumming their acoustic guitars and crooning to the tune of “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina”. For those who have patronized the Kangxi Lounge at Hotel Taipan would understand what I am saying. This was the situation after the government came down hard on discotheques and long-hair in the 1970s. OK I am wrong! If you had a fat wallet you could go to supper clubs like the Belvedere (Mandarin Hotel) or The Tiara (Shangrila) but that would have made a hole.

Photo 1: The Peppermint Park advertisement of yesterdays (circa 1984)

Through a chance meeting with a former classmate in 1984, I came to know of Peppermint Park and who was behind it. “Have you heard that Dennis our classmate has opened a new place called Peppermint Park at Parkway Parade? The old boys are meeting there this Friday night. Would you come by?” “I’ll be there”, I said.

There was a long queue by 8pm but I managed to get a place upstairs because we just had to mention the password “From RI” and the captain lead the way upstairs. The party was in progress. I must add that National Service must have done some good to us because we now gulp beer by the jug instead of by the glass. Dennis took time off his busy schedule to show us around his new joint.

At Peppermint Park “live” entertainment took on a new direction. The one big difference, the dance floor was missing but there were no complaints about that. It was easily replaced by incredible showmanship, full band sounds, powerful vocal harmonization, atmospheric lightings and the décor was simply way out of this world. These were the important ingredients for a successful entertainment business.

When I put my memories into this blog article, it’s quite easy to describe the attractiveness of Peppermint Park. Let me elaborate further.

Photo 2: Peppermint Park Theater & Lounge at #04-08 Parkway Parade.

T.G.I.F. was like taking an after-dinner stroll in a park. You hear the sounds of crickets chirping until showtime began after 9pm. The miniature lightings resembling the stars at night hung from a jet-black ceiling. White wrought iron garden chairs and tables – items sold in any garden nursery - provided the seating. Center-stage on the ground floor was a big prop of a Southern Plantation type mansion typically found in the big American tobacco plantations in Mississippi. Trees lined the walls and the floor was covered with carpet grass. On the second level was a saloon with Chesterfield sofas, rugs and a wooden floor. There was a small balcony at one end of the saloon where you could watch the stage down below.

Photo 3: A Southern Plantation mansion found in Mississippi

Showtime started with the appearance of the groups, three bands instead of just one and often fronted by female back-up vocalists. I believe Dennis was able (and still does a fantastic job at St James Power Station) to capture what a demanding market wanted; solid sound, skits and dance routines.

This could only come from foreign bands, mind you only the Filipino showbands could deliver an excellent performance. To get a feel of what energetic Filipino showmanship is all about, click on the video clip below and watch “Everybody needs somebody” (circa 1996).

The Filipino groups rapped with the audience, not just screaming those cliché, “Are you happy tonight. I can’t hear you”. Many local musicians commented that the Filipinos must have under-cut the market to get contracts at our night spots but I say it is entertainment value they provided. When you see them (Filipinos) doing different genres at the same time - top of the chart, classical jazz and even new renditions of old evergreens - you begin to have your doubts of our local musicians. We got “Kharma Chameleon” (Culture Club), “McArthur Park” (Three Degrees) and “I don’t know how to love him” (Andrew Lloyd Webber). There was one novel act which I thought was attention-grabbing. There was a white screen showing a singer’s silhouette until she appeared visible to the audience. This was choreographed to the theme “Candle on the Water” from a Walt Disney animated film Pete’s Dragon.

Photo 4: Left - Filipino showband at the reception area of Peppermint Park (circa 1984). Right - The showband reunion in Manila (circa 1996)

Local names that appeared at Peppermint Park included Anita Sarawak, Kaye Hamid & Hangloose, Tania, and Adam & Ben.

When I took on a regional career posting, I lost touch with Peppermint Park. Some years later I saw that it was called Park Avenue and managed by different owners. Today I hear there is Peppermint Park but this time inside St James Power Station. Is this same Peppermint Park of 1984? I shall soon discover this Friday.

Changing Landscape Of Singapore (3)

2010-03-15T01:24:00.003+08:00

I was at the Civil Service College last month to attend a course. Copies of PS21's Challenge magazine were available for free at the college. I picked up a copy and found an interesting article titled An Urban Cowboy's Riddle which was written by renowned journalist Ravi Veloo. The article is about urban planning in Singapore and explains to a certain degree why some changes in our landscape, though unpopular, are in fact unavoidable:

IT'S fascinating to think that the urban planning of the entire island was once in the hands of a 20-year-old, younger than some of our most famous laksa recipes.

And that nearly 200 years later, we still have our Central Business District and civic area located on both sides of the Singapore River.

The face of Singapore's landscape was then in the hands of one Lieutenant Philip Jackson, a young British Royal Navy officer who was ordered to draw up the first detailed city plan for Singapore by an irritated Stamford Raffles who returned in 1822 for his third and final visit and found the colony growing helter-skelter.

You can be sure that the people now planning where things go in Singapore have a few more years on them. Some are even as fond and sentimental as the rest of us about the places which we have grown up in and plan to conserve them.

Yet the riddle of modern Singapore remains - that what is defined as public interest often overrides public sentiment.

Yes, there is much effort in finding out from Singaporeans what they want, and in general terms, the government delivers. More nature areas and parks, and better access to them; it will materialise.

But if you drill down to the specifics, that's more of a pickle. For example, there was a loud clamour to save the old brick-walled National Library building where every earnest student of a certain generation once spent many hours. It still made way for the shortest road tunnel in Singapore.

A sensible public will just have to accept that in tiny Singapore, the planning will generally be driven top-down, with fine-tuning mainly based on public sentiment and feedback. There are just too many sensitive issues involving space and planning and we have grown so used to having it that way that we are now uncomfortable with candid discussion.

It also doesn't help when a loony fringe now and then makes demands out of step with the general public, like the group that once demanded the reclaimed Marina Bay area be declared a nature reserve because some migrating birds had built nests there.

But there is still no great reason for a large gap between ground and ceiling when it comes to problem areas such as cyclists on sidewalks, void decks which are nothing but that on certain occasions, sleazy sex shops fronting some of our busiest buildings in Orchard Road and the civic centre, and a host of other areas.

As a sometime grassroots leader myself, I realise there needs to be a more robust mechanism in place to tap into the public psyche, to rethink where necessary and to deliver on the shape of what is really about "how we live, work, play and dream".

On the broad strokes, a lot of things are like our main airport - they're in the right place after they were rethought and relocated. On the details of everyday life, there still remains a lot to be gained by having an ear to the ground.

Jack Neo Admits Affair With Model

2010-03-07T23:55:00.006+08:00

I was shocked to read about Jack Neo having an extra-marital affair with a 22-year-old girl by the name of Wendy Chong - read articles here and here.

Jack made a name for himself as Singapore most successful film-maker with his first film Money No Enough in 1998. He even earned a mention by the then Prime Minister Mr Goh Chok Tong in his National Day Rally Speech on 18 August 2002:

Why not be like Jack Neo? He has applied his creative energy to produce three movies. Two of them were highly successful ? "Money No Enough" and "I Not Stupid". I watched "I Not Stupid". I can understand why it touched many parents' heart. My wife liked it so much that she watched it three times. She felt that Jack Neo deserved a National Day award. But I told her, "Two No Enough"!

Indeed, in 2004 he became the first local filmmaker to be honoured with a National Day Award. In the following year, he won the Cultural Medallion by the National Arts Council (NAC), the highest art and cultural award in the nation.

All these years, the public's impression of Jack is that he is a model husband who will not stray in marriage. In fact, Jack himself told The New Paper in a 1996 interview that it was too difficult to have a secret affair:

My philosophy on an affair: I have no time for it. If you want to look for a secret lover, you got to pay for it, not in terms of money but something more valuable - time. You got to make lovey-dovey phone calls, go pak-tor (dating), spend time making yourself look good for the woman. (Sigh) Too difficult for me, lah.

Now let me try to interprete the real meaning behind the sentences in the preceding paragraph:

Jack: I have no time for it.
Meaning: You will find time if you take her along on overseas working trips.

Jack: You got to make lovey-dovey phone calls
Meaning: SMS also can

Jack: Go pak-tor
Meaning: See movie Lucky Star also same same

Jack: Spend time making yourself look good for the woman.
Meaning: Actually, I look quite good already. With or without the clothes. Maybe better without.

I remember the dialogue in one of Jack Neo's movie (can't remember which one) said something like this:

偷吃要记得擦嘴巴

Translated, it means "when you steal a bite (=stray), remember to wipe your mouth clean (=remove all incriminating evidence)". Tsk, tsk, tsk, talk about dishing out advice which you don't follow yourself. Seems like Jack forgot to follow that golden rule.

They say that marriages go through the seven year itch. Wah, Jack is 20 years late - he is married for 27 years already. Maybe it is because his name Liang Zhi Qiang 梁智强 has the same hanyu pinyin as 两支枪 which means "have 2 guns". No wonder for him "that one no enough".

And I am not withholding any admonition for the woman in the story either. No, not Madam Irene Kng (Jack's wife) who is the real victim but Wendy Chong. The latter said that she just wanted people to know that "(Jack Neo) may say that he loves me, but the next moment, he lies to me".

Hello young woman, is lying more severe a crime than being a third party to a marriage? I certainly don't think so. And whoever invited reporters and photographers to come along for the meeting in Crowne Plaza hotel definitely had an ulterior motive.

Why not be like Jack Neo? Do be careful where you apply your creative energy though.

But alas, Jack seems to be playing Tiger Woods too. Aw come on, that girl is young enough to be your daughter, okay? What do you have to say? That you are human too and are prone to making mistakes just like all of us? Sigh, I just hope that this whole episode didn't actually happen but is only a publicity stunt for your current movie, aptly titled Being Human. But then, it is too early for an April Fool's joke, isn't it? Aiyah never mind lah, you can always make good use of this ~~third-party~~ first-hand experience to make your next "social issue" movie.

Who knows? You could even earn another mention in this year's National Day Rally Speech. If this happens, I hope it is for the right reason. I wish you well.

Changing Landscape Of Singapore (2)

2010-03-03T00:20:00.007+08:00

Singapore's landscape has been changing rapidly since its independence. Time and again, there have been calls by concerned people for the pace of change to slow down. Some even wrote letters to local newspapers appealing to the authorities to consider saving what is left of our past. If the authorities had heeded these calls, some of which came decades ago, we might not have needed the Integrated Resorts to bring in the tourists.

Today, I reproduce one such letter published in the Straits Times of 15 June 1985 and bring you some old photos which evoke the memories conjured up by the letter writer, aptly called by the pseudonym "well-wisher". To the best of my knowledge, the letter remains unanswered, up till now.

Time to think about saving what's left

I have lived in Singapore for many years and I suppose it goes without saying that I like it here. I admire this country and I defend its policies. But there is one policy which puzzles me because it seems to be self-defeating. We are concerned at the reduced level of tourism, yet we are systematically removing many of the features that tourists love. I am speaking of the older colourful parts of our town.

I am frequently involved in taking out visitors and amongst those who know anything about Singapore, there is hardly a single one who fails to ask to be taken to places such as the Orchard Road car park (long gone), Bugis Street (going), Albert Street and Fatty's (going soon), Raffles Hotel (hanging on), and the Chinatown night market (gone).

My visitors lament when they learn that these pieces of original Singapore are gone or going. They are, of course, impressed by our new hotels, shopping complexes and skyscrapers. Singapore has been outstanding in these developments and they marvel at such obvious progress. However, there is a boring sameness about such structures; from Hongkong to Houston they are similar and unlikely to be of sustaining interest to tourists.

And when it comes to local colour, tourists prefer the real thing, not artificial copies. Visitors want to experience Singaporean life rather than something concocted specifically for tourists - like themselves.

After we have eliminated the last street market, the last eating stall, the last wayang, the life of the streets will be extinct and it will not be possible to recreate that atmosphere ever again.

Presently the pressure to provide land for redevelopment has eased - one might say expired. We probably have enough office space, hotel rooms, shopping complexes, warehouses to last us for some years to come. Could we not use this breathing space to rethink policies and perhaps to save some little of what we have left?

WELL-WISHER
Singapore 1128

Orchard Road carpark, before the hawkers (and the bulldozers) moved in. Could you see the hand pointing "this a-way" to the carpark for those who had lost their way? Only kidding, of course. It is actually a Federal Motors signboard advertising the sale of Austin cars and trucks.
(Circa 1960s. Photo credit: P's Collection)

The hawkers queueing up on Orchard Road before moving into the carpark. Did you notice the topless man? Would you dare to buy your food from such a hawker today? And I wonder if he would have managed to obtain even a "D" grading from the NEA if he were to serve food in that outfit now.
(Circa 1960s. Photo credit: P's Collection)

The hawkers have taken up their strategic positions now. Soon comes nightfall and this carpark will be teeming with hungry customers. The pointing finger is still there but the advertising signboard on the left has different pictures from the first photo above. And now we know that the concrete road divider was the first thing to go.
(Circa 1960s. Photo credit: P's Collection)

Similarly, the day scene in Bugis Street will be transformed into a very different one at night...
(Circa 1960s. Photo credit: Derek Tait)

What did I tell you? Bugis Street at night - another food haven to rival the one at Orchard Road carpark.
(Circa 1960s. Photo credit: Derek Tait)

And for beef kway teow lovers, there are not one but two stalls located opposite each other in Malabar Street to whet their appetite. Hmm... yummy! Simply haven... er, I mean heaven! Aiyah, whatever lah! Just give me my beef.
(Circa 1960s. Photo credit: Derek Tait)

Night market in New Bridge Road near Chinatown.
(Circa 1962. Photo credit: National Archives of Singapore)

Night market. The stall on the left is selling fireworks and fire crackers. The stall on the right is selling sweet Swatow Mandarin oranges at only 60 or 70 cents a KATI. Wah, so cheap! But still, look at who has more customers. Ahh, those were the days, my friend.
(Circa 1960s. Photo credit: Derek Tait)

Undated postcard showing Raffles Hotel in the daytime many decades ago.

Recent photo of Raffles Hotel at night. Raffles Hotel was gazetted as a National Monument on 6 March 1987 and 3 June 1995. Hmm... I wonder why it had to be gazetted 2 times? To be doubly sure or what?
(Photo credit: Victor Koo)

Chap Ji Ki

2010-02-22T00:33:00.004+08:00

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to promote gambling. Read on at your own risk. Should you become addicted to gambling and think you have crossed the line by reading this article, please consult these people.

With the opening of the Resort World Sentosa last week, the topic for this article is still about gambling.

MM Lee is right, the Chinese are congenital gamblers. I was introduced to ~~gambling~~ the game of chap ji ki at a very tender age by none other than my own mother. You see, she often asked me to place bets for her at the coffeeshop downstairs:

I think why she wanted me to do it for her was because our block did not have a lift and we stayed on the 4th storey. In her opinion, a young boy like me would definitely take less effort to climb up and down the stairs compared to a middle-aged woman suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. Being a filial son, I always complied with her orders. Well, she might not be aware then that by doing so, she could be doing more damage to my future than she would have done to her knees.

She would pass me a betting slip that didn't resemble this at all:

Image taken from Singapore Pools website

Instead, it looked something like this:

The wager on the left is on my favorite numbers "6-9" and is called a "pai pai" (排排，Cantonese for "next to each other" or "horizontal") bet . The one on the right is a "jek lok" (直落，"straight down" or "vertical") bet on the numbers 7-10 (How the game is played and the payout system are explained in this Singapedia entry and I need not explain them here.)

My mum, like many housewives of those days, was not formally educated. So instead of indicating the amount of the bet, she would draw symbols - a circle with one slash across it meant 50 cents, a circle with an X across it meant 1 dollar and a smaller circle stood for 10 cents. Technically speaking, the smallest acceptable bet was 10 cents but I think the smallest bet my mum ever placed was 30 cents. Her highest bet on a number was no more than a few dollars so there was no need for symbols of bigger currency denominations. (For the record, the amount for the left bet is $1.80 while the right one is $2.40. Easy, isn't it?)

In return for placing the bets, the coffeeshop owner 阿东(Ah Dong) would scribble a receipt for me in a small notepad and give me a carbon copy.

My mum was meticulous in keeping track of the past winning chap ji ki numbers. She had sheets of A4 sized cards on which she recorded them. She would take them out for study before placing any bets. However, whether this method worked for her or not, I don't know. Although she did strike once in a while, I think like in all gambling, she suffered a net loss overall.

Luckily, in those days, the coffeeshop didn't bar those aged under 18 from buying chap ji ki. If it did, I certainly wouldn't have lived to tell this story. But even more fortunately in my opinion, is that I didn't grow up to be a compulsive gambler, whether through nature or nurture. And for that, I thank the God of Fortune.

Changing Landscape Of Singapore (1)

2010-02-16T22:23:00.005+08:00

I was at the River Hongbao yesterday. River Hongbao is being held at The Float@Marina Bay, previously known as Marina Bay Floating Platform. (Have you noticed that even names of places keep changing here?)

While at the event, one can't help but notice the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) standing just behind the God of Fortune. It is as if he is blessing the soon to be completed MBS with good luck in the Year of the Tiger.

Coincidentally, its counterpart Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) opened its doors at the auspicious time of 12.18 pm on 14 February 2010, the first day of the Lunar New Year.

ST Photo dated 16 February, 2010

Perhaps a not so well-known but no less important "opening" is the recent launch of the online newspapers archive called NewspaperSG. It is an initiative of the National Library Singapore that provides library patrons with access to digital copies of Singapore newspapers dating back to 1831.

Do you know whose original idea it was to build the Integrated Resorts? Certainly not this guy. Searching through NewspaperSG, I found a letter in the Straits Times Forum page of 10 June 1985 which was written by someone with the pseudonym "Go for Broke" who suggested the development of a casino as well as a night racing track in Sentosa. (Possibly since the 1990s, Straits Times had disallowed the use of pseudonyms for letters to the Forum.) The letter is reproduced here:

Sentosa casino will draw tourists

While neighbouring countries are feverishly developing new holiday resorts to promote tourism, our own efforts in this area seem perfunctory by comparison.

On our part, we should upgrade Sentosa into a holiday resort of international standard. We could, I venture to suggest, develop a hotel-cum-casino complex there and perhaps throw in a race track for night racing as a novelty.

In these difficult times for the tourism industry, bold and imaginative steps need to be taken by the authorities concerned to attract more tourists to our shores.

GO FOR BROKE
Singapore 2056

Guess what was the reply from Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC)? The suggestions were dismissed, of course. Here's the reply dated 15 June 1985 from Miss Cheryl Lee, Head (Public Relations) of SDC:

Casino out of the question for Sentosa

We refer to the letter "Sentosa casino will draw tourists" by "Go for Broke". (ST, June 10).

The development philosophy of the Sentosa Development Corporation is to develop Sentosa into a resort island for tourists and a holiday retreat for Singaporeans.

The many attractions cater for the varied needs of the visitors and are aimed at the family group as well as the individual. Plans are in hand to upgrade existing facilities as well as to add new attractions.

Wholesome recreational activities are also organised for a wider participation. The casino and race track idea does not form part of the aforementioned concept.

We would however wish to thank "Go for Broke" for his interesting suggestions.

CHERYL LEE (MISS)
Head (Public Relations)
SDC

A quarter of a century later, everyone now knows that both ideas of "Go for Broke" have been adopted by the Government, although the night racing track is not located in Sentosa. But we did even better, didn't we? We will soon have TWO casinos instead of one. And the rest, as they say, is history.

In fact, we should thank "Go for Broke" for the suggestion to develop the casino and night racing track. He/she is obviously someone with great foresight. The only problem about expressing our gratitude is that we don't even his/her real name!

The Tiger Creeps Upon Us

2010-02-13T21:56:00.002+08:00

Before you know it
The tiger has crept near
And with the festival's spirit
Heralds the end of Ox year

From Chinatown to Little India
There are sights and sounds
Of the passing of another year
As visitors make their rounds

A Wood Tiger in a Metal Year
Not a favorite time to have a baby
Don't mistake it for Tiger Woods last year
Who played many holes but paid dearly

Forget about past unhappiness
Tomorrow is a new beginning
Whether you're running a business
Or like most who're just working

May the new year be happy
Welcome the God of Fortune
Wish you health and prosperity
And all hopes be realised soon

Gong Xi Gong Xi

A Little Bird Told Me

2010-02-06T01:20:00.005+08:00

An Indian fortune teller in Bedok Central, not a pet seller. - Photo taken on 30 Mar 2008

"A little bird told me" is an idiom which refers to information which was gathered from a source not to be overtly exposed. Compare it to "I heard it through the grapevine" which refers to information which was obtained via an informal contact. Of course, my friend Andy Young will point out that it is also a title of a signature song by Marvin Gaye who released it in 1968.

Anyway, my article today is not about 1960s music. It is about a traditional occupation - a fortune teller. Mind you, not just any fortune teller. There are many kinds - some gaze into a crystal ball; some use playing cards; some look at your face or palms; some shake your fortune out from coins in tortoise shell; and so on. But there's one thing all fortune tellers share in common, and that is you don't have to spend a fortune to have your fortune told. Their prices are really quite reasonable ~~unless they are out to fleece you~~. Usually, it is just a couple of dollars. However, I can't comment on how accurate their predictions are.

If their soothsaying didn't come true for you, you can always blame it on ~~your stars~~ their skills. For it was either their data extraction process that had gone awry or that their data interpretation skills that required polishing up. But what if a little bird told you so? Well, then you could put all your blame on the poor little bird if you want. But don't be too hard on the bird - it is only trying to make a living, just like the fortune teller.

A fortune teller could be of any race. But for some unknown reason, fortune tellers with little birds (not figuratively) in Singapore nowadays are likely to be Indians. Usually the bird is either a parrot or a canary. However, I remember that decades ago, Chinese fortune tellers also had little birds. They preferred to use Java sparrows instead.

A Java Sparrow

Another Java Sparrow. Telling its own fortune from its reflection, perhaps?

So how does a little bird tell someone's fortune? The bird has to be trained to pick out one card from a stack which is spread out on the table. So that it will not fly away, the bird probably had its wings clipped. Once it has mastered the skill of picking a card, the fortune teller can start picking a customer. When a fortune needs to be told, the bird is let out of the cage. It picks a card by pulling it out from the stack with its beak. Once it has done this seemingly simple task, it is promptly rewarded with a grain of seed or padi and its work is considered done. The bird voluntarily hops back into the cage, after which its master closes the cage gate. Now it is the fortune teller's turn to spin his tale.

Sometimes, the fortune teller may have 2 birds instead of 1. In such a case, the birds do not work so hard but then the downside is that they do not get their rewards as often.

Below is an exhibit on the Indian fortune teller which I saw at the Catholic High School on 22 Nov 2008:

An exhibit at Catholic High School - Photo taken on 22 Nov 2008

The explanatory notes at the exhibit says:

"The Indian fortune teller is now getting to be a rarity along the street in Little India. The Indian fortune teller keeps a canary or parrot in a cage as he sets up a small stall along the shophouses. When a customer pays the fortune teller to have his fortune told, the fortune teller will open up the cage and tells the canary to choose a card from a stack of cards on the table. The Indian fortune teller will then reveal the customer's upcoming misfortune or lucky streak to him."

Further Reading

Read the stories of fortune tellers here and here.

Old National Library Revisited

2010-01-30T00:10:00.003+08:00

I wrote about the Old National Library here before.

Ms Clara Ann, a 4th year History major from the National University of Singapore will be writing on the former National Library at Stamford Road for her dissertation. In an email dated 26 Jan 2010, she asked me some questions (in blue below) about the library for which my answers are in italics:

1. What was a typical visit to the National Library like for you?

It depends on what age I was at. When I was in primary school (1963-1968), I visited the Children's Section. While in secondary school and Pre-U (1969-1974), I visited the Adult Section. At that time, I was staying at Cheng Yan Place which was about 15 minutes' walk away from the National Library. I always walked to and from the library.

To make full use of the visit, each time I would try to borrow the maximum allowable number of 4 books. I think the books were due to be returned in 3 weeks' time. The due date was chopped on a leaflet which is glued onto the first page inside the front cover of the book. I always tried to return books on time. The fine then was 5 cents per book per day of overdue. It is not considered a big sum today but in those days, it was a significant amount, considering that I was given only 20 cents for pocket money everyday.

2. What do you recall and feel about the times you spent at the library?

I remember more about using the Adult Section. I spent many Saturday evenings at the library. I often stayed till closing time at 9 pm. At that time, four persons can share a table. Sometimes, I hoped that a pretty girl would come join the table... but I was usually disappointed. :p Of course, besides looking at girls, I studied as well.

Once around 1970, there was a film crew from the English TV station at the library. They were filming a snippet for the newsreel (a segment of film which was broadcast during the TV news). The crew asked for permission to film me borrowing a book at the checkout counter. They told me to behave normally. That evening, I appeared on TV as promised. It was my proud "5 seconds" of fame which I am sure nobody cared a hoot about.

I was a victim of an attempted robbery while walking home from the library late one night. I think it happened in Queen Street. One guy from a group of 3 ran from across the street to accost me. He checked my breast pocket but found no money. Then he lifted up my left forearm to take a closer look at the old and worn watch on my wrist in the dim street lighting. After realising that my watch had "zero book value" (pardon the "book" pun), he decided to go away empty-handed. But before he went away, he made me promise not to tell anybody of our encounter. Believe it or not, I am breaking that promise only now.

3. How did you feel/react when you heard about plans to demolish the Old National Library?

Sad of course, like most people. But I didn't take any photos of the building because film photography and digital cameras were expensive then. I also didn't have the time.

4. Why do you think it was demolished when there were many who felt it was worthy of preservation?

The authorities always have "very good reasons" for demolishing any buildings. National Theatre is a very good example (reason - "unstable cantilever"). New 7th Storey Hotel is another (reason - construction of Downtown MRT line). Sometimes the reasons seem valid, sometimes they appear to be just excuses. For instance, as stated in my blog, the National Library was originally claimed to be demolished to make way for the Singapore Management University. However, today only a big hole stands in its place, otherwise aptly known as the "shortest tunnel in Singapore that terminates with an ERP gantry".

5. How did you feel about the eventual outcome? That despite attempts to save the Old National Library, it was still demolished.

Sad of course. It was like a part of your memories being wiped out. You can only look at old photos and even these are hard to come by.

6. How do you find the new National Library at Victoria Street as opposed to the old one?

It is modern, spacious and well-stocked with good books. There are also talks and exhibitions held at the new National Library. These were unheard of in the old National Library. Oh, by the way, did you know that the new National Library was built by demolishing an old hotel that was also worthy of preservation, in my opinion?

Update on 1 Feb 2010

Thanks to James Seah who sent me some photos on what the old National Library site looks like today:

Compare the above photo with one that shows the old National Library behind the same set of red pillars and you can see how much this place has transformed:

The following passage is extracted from this Wikipedia entry:

"The old National Library was eventually torn down in 2005. Today, all that remains of the building at its original site are two red-bricked entrance pillars standing near the Fort Canning Tunnel. The controversy surrounding the building's demise has been credited for sparking greater awareness of local cultural roots and an unprecedented wave in favour of heritage conservation among Singaporeans."

You can refer to James' very interesting post on the old National Library here.

Going Round In Circles

2010-01-23T00:05:00.000+08:00

My name is Trachemys scripta elegans
That's what I am know in science
Otherwise just call me red-eared slider
Actually I live on land more than in water

I should have a long life
But deep I can't dive
Grew up in this vessel
Not been outside this circle

Used to have a companion
But not long was our union
Yearning all day for freedom
He probably died of boredom

Why must I be imprisoned?
Sometimes even seasoned
And cooked into a soup
We strongly protest as a group

You are not doing me a favour
My lifestyle you never can cater
Why did you have to adopt me?
Can't you just let me be?

My movement may be slow
But Iet me decide where to go
Please treat me kindly
Though you can't set me free

Caught between a rock and a hard place
I long for better days
I don't want to live and die
In this miserable pig sty

Save Our Film

2010-01-19T00:01:00.001+08:00

A screen grab from the film The Last Communist which is loosely based on the autobiography of Chin Peng, the legendary Malayan communist guerrilla leader. The film tells of the little-known role of the Communist Party of Malaya towards the dissolution of British rule in the country. (Photo taken from Asian Film Archive.)

I received the following email from Ling Goh who represents a group of NTU students involved in a very worth cause. Please help them if you can.

Help a group of NTU students and do your part to help 'Save Our Film' as well! The 'Save Our Film' campaign is a nationwide outreach effort to raise awareness amongst those aged 15 to 35 and educate them on the importance of saving our local film for the future. It is held as a part of the 5th Anniversary celebrations of the Asian Film Archive, a local charity dedicated to collecting, conserving and sharing our local films from before the Golden Era ('50s and '60s) till today, and will launch on 30 January till the end of February.

Part of the 'Save Our Film' campaign involves a nation-wide Call for Memories where we invite members of the public to contribute video clips of themselves or their "memory-keepers" like parents and grandparents to share their recollections of Singapore film. This can include actual Singapore films and the experience of watching films in Singapore in the good old days of large hall cinemas and the like. These video clips will be amassed on the Asian Film Archive YouTube group to form an online video memories exhibition accessible to the public and our targeted audience of youths who will not have these memories of their own.

We would like to extend a warm invitation to anyone who holds and wishes to share their favourite local film memories and will arrange to interview and record you and any other friends or family you can gather for this personal sharing session. This is a wholly non-profit endeavour aimed at recreating experiences for our youths and creating conversations between the generations. Please feel free to email us at saveourfilm@gmail.com and do come forward to join us in this very worthy but overlooked cause!

Sincerely,
Ling Goh

The Adam Park Project

2010-01-16T00:32:00.003+08:00

Below is an email from Mr Jon Cooper who is the Project Manager of a research project called The Adam Park Project. He would appreciate if you could contribute any related information:

Hello,

The Adam Park Project (TAPP) Team are looking at the potential for battlefield archaeology in Singapore. Our case study is the defence of Adam Park estate by 1st Batt Cambridgeshire Regiment fro 12th-15th February 1942.

More info can be found at:
http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/battlefieldarchaeology/centreprojects/singaporewwiiproject/

We have pulled together lots of information on the British version of events we are currently pursuing leads to the Japanese side of the story. However we would now like to know more about the Singaporean memories of the fighting around Adam Park and the Watten Estate and life on the estates up to, during and immediately after the war years.

If you have memories, photos or anecdotes that may help us then please drop me an email at jonalicooper@googlemail.com.

Hope you can help us.

Jon Cooper

TAPP Project Manager

An Appeal For Your Help

2010-01-14T00:39:00.004+08:00

Do you remember this post which I wrote on 16 Feb 2009? It was about Muhd Noor Azri Abdul Rahman, an ex-Victorian, who was badly injured in a skiing accident. Read about his story here.

Azri requires costly continued treatment and therapy for his disabilities which are likely to be life-long. Azri's father, Mr Abdul Rahman Bin Abdul Hamid, has set up a new blog to appeal for your kind donations. Please help the family if you can.

Old "Baggage"

2010-01-09T17:28:00.013+08:00

The National Museum of Singapore is currently holding a very interesting exhibition called "The Bag - Carrier Bags in Singapore from the 1950s to the 1980s":

"From basic utilitarian objects, carrier bags in Singapore have come a long way to become museum pieces. This exhibition traces the evolution of local consumer culture through 60 carrier bags from the 1950s to the 1980s."

Empress Restaurant Paper Carrier Bag - This signature brown carrier bag was designed to hold mooncake boxes, which sit nicely on the brown square base. Over the years, the graphic designs on mooncake carriers have changed but their shape has remained pretty much the same.

Never did I imagine that the humble bags which my late mother used to carry live chickens back from the market would one day make it to the museum as exhibits! As a kid, I always looked forward to seeing the brown paper bag that brought delicious mooncakes and little pastry piggies in plastic cages from the Queen Of The Mooncakes. After the festival was over, the bag would be recycled for carrying things... and sometimes, even a live chicken. It was amazing how well the bag fitted the chicken snugly like a glove so it could not flap its wings. It was as if the bag was tailor-made for the chicken. Only its head and neck would be exposed and its head would bob about, surveying the surroundings like a submarine periscope. The light brown colour of the paper bag matched well with the darker brown feathers of the chicken. And if the chicken soiled the bag, simply discard it (the bag not the chicken). If not, you could recycle the bag again.

They say that a picture paints a thousand words. My friend Peter recently said that I've got great IT skills. So, here is a photoshopped photo to show you what I mean:

Chicken in a brown paper bag

Bata Carrier Bag (1960s) - Bata, a Czech shoe company which started operations in Singapore in 1931, positioned itself as a one-stop shoe store for everyone. Its carrier bag said as much with the picture of a family holding a big leather shoe.

Oh yes, I remember the Bata bag which came with intertwined red and white strings for a handle and the slogan "First to Bata then to school". And then there were some people who made fun out of the brand by saying that it stood for "Buy And Throw Away". But in a way, that is true even today, isn't it? If you don't use your old shoes until they are ~~good~~ bad enough to throw away, would you have the chance to buy new ones? Definitely not in those days when most families were poor.

PVC Carrier Bag (1970s) - In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the production of the plastic bag emerged as the largest manufacturing group in Singapore's plastic industry. Consumers preferred such bags as they were light, water-resistant, easy to carry and durable. Thick bags with die-cut handles such as this were extremely popular.

I was given a bag similar to the one above when I collected my black plastic spectacles from Chai Meng Optician located on the ground floor of a 9-storey red-brick SIT flat in Upper Pickering Street. Maybe they had to use such a heavy-duty bag because my glasses were thick and heavy like the "bottom of a Coca Cola bottle", as a so-called "friend" puts it. The SIT flat, my thick glasses as well as the friend are gone today - I had cataract operations done for both eyes 10 years ago and the short-sightedness was corrected as a "side-benefit". I don't think I need to elaborate why the other two items disappeared as well.

Unidentified student wearing thick black plastic-rimmed spectacles (not an exhibit) like mine.

Other exhibits include the following items:

Paper Carrier Bag With Advertisement (1954) - The oldest carrier bag in the exhibition doubles up as an advertisement for Goles kidney purifying tablets, with text in English and Burmese. An accompanying image shows how the bag travelled with its owner to public spaces.

Letterpress Metal Template (1980s) - This template belonged to Hup Huat Paper Products, which went into the paper-bag business in 1942. Eventually, the production of paper bags became less profitable and the family-run business stopped making them in the 1990s to focus on supplying paper instead.

Paper Carrier Bag for Robinsons French Fortnight (1967) - It seems Singapore's oldest department store Robinsons has always done things in style. This carrier bag was created specially for the store's French Fortnight from Sept 18 to 30, 1967.

Melwani's Paper Bag (from far left) 1960s; Heng Lee Paper Carrier Bag 1970s; Hilda's Paper Bag 1960s - Before the emergence of Orchard Road as a shopping hub in the 1970s, Singaporeans thronged boutiques and textile shops in Raffles Place, North Bridge Road and High Street. These shops' carrier bags often featured women, their key customers.

Carrier Bag For Nestle With Milo Advertisement (1960s to 1970s) - Advertising text and illustrations covered bags, promoting products and services like posters and banners did. Bold prints and colours were used to make the message or product stand out.

Paper Bag (1980s) - This paper bag of Chuen Fong Soy Company advertises the product and comes with intertwined red and white strings for a handle.

More About The Exhibition:

Where: National Museum of Singapore, The Balcony, Level 2, 93 Stamford Road
MRT: City Hall
When: Till April 18, 10am - 8pm
Admission: Free
Tel: 6332-3659

You can find out more about the exhibition from this link.

Source of photos and captions used for this post:

Photos - Aidah Rauf, National Museum of Singapore

Captions - Lifestyle Section, Straits Times dated 1 Jan 2010

Update:

Here's a sypnosis of the exhibition from the organisers themselves, i.e. the National Heritage Board, extracted from the Dec 09 - Jan 10 issue of the NHBuzz:

This one by Lactogen, a brand of baby formula milk, is in Malay. Translation by Victor: "Throughout Malaya, prize-winning children drink Lactogen. Children's food that is complete. Contains 9 vitamins and iron." (Note that there are even 2 asterisks to indicate that the phrase on top should join to the one below. How thoughtful!)

"From its humble beginnings as a form of packaging to its present status as a fashion accessory, the simple carrier bag has come along way. And paying tribute to this daily necessity is a special exhibition titled THE BAG: Carrier bags in Singapore from the 1950s to the 1980s at the National Museum of Singapore. Featuring over 60 rare vintage carrier bags (Bata and Yaohan anyone?) from the National Museum's collection, THE BAG documents Singapore's consumer culture through the years.

Apart from their utilitarian function, mass produced carrier bags also serve as markers of Singapore's retail history and evolution. Changing patterns of affluence, the growth of local consumer demand and the influence of Western culture were all instrumental in bringing about changes in Singapore's retail industry, and these were captured through carrier bags. Paper bags, for one, gave way to the increasing popular plastic bag in the late 1970s which were favoured for their lightness and durability. Preceding the onset of mass media, carrier bags were also one of the earliest and simplest forms of mobile advertising as businesses started using carriers to publicise their products and services.

Aside from charting the progress of our retail scene, this exhibition also shows how carrier bags spawned an industry of paper bag makers made up of industrious women who worked hard to produce the bags to help supplement family income in Singapore's early post-war period.

Amidst the sea of carrier bags we have today that take on all shapes and forms, THE BAG takes a nostalgic walk down memory lane and provides a refreshing look at the retail icons of yesteryears. Don't miss the chance to view original vintage carrier bags that have endured the times and survived chapters of Singapore's history."

Old Singapore Quiz (16) - Answer - Garden City Built But Garden Street Lost

2010-01-02T23:00:00.007+08:00

Singapore built a Garden City but lost a Garden Street. Garden Street was an old L-shaped street that joined Beach Road to Rochor Road. It existed up till the early 1990s. The 1963 road map below shows the exact location of Garden Street. (The red arrow shows the direction in which the camera lens was pointing when the 1970s photo was taken.)

Note that one end of the street was opposite the Clyde Terrace Market while the other was opposite the New 7th Storey Hotel. Sadly, both landmarks are no longer around - the former was demolished in 1983 while the latter was demolished only last year, i.e. 2009. Clyde Terrace Market was torn down to make way for the Gateway twin towers while the New 7th Storey Hotel had to go because of the construction of the Downtown MRT line. Below are some old images of New 7th Storey Hotel and Clyde Terrace Market compared to what the sites look like today.

New 7th Storey Hotel, a year or two ago.

The site where New 7th Storey Hotel used to be.

Clyde Terrace Market on right of photo (c 1900). Source: NAS.

Clyde Terrace Market (c 1900). Source: Singapore - 500 Early Postcards.

Clyde Terrace Market (c 1920). Source: Singapore - 500 Early Postcards.

Beach Road (c 1930). Clyde Terrace Market being visible from Beach Road; many rickshaws and a few cars are parked alongside the market. Source: Singapore - 500 Early Postcards.

The twin towers of the Gateway today stand on the former site of Clyde Terrace Market

In fact, these are not the only 2 landmarks that had disappeared from the 1963 map or the 1970s photo. There have been many changes in the landscape of this area since the 1960s. The other changes are described below:

1. Masjid Bahru ("New Mosque") in Jeddah Street, labelled no. "30" in the map. First built about 1870, and rebuilt in 1928. The majority of the smaller streets in this neighbourhood were laid out between 1860 and 1875, when Beach Road ceased to be a fashionable residential area, and most of the nearby buildings date from this period.

2. "Redstone" from this forum summarised it very well:

"I remember when I was young, like around 1994/5/6, the shophouses on Parkview's current 'field' is still around. The Blanco Court was still around, so was Kallang Gasworks and the shophouses around 7th storey hotel. It's really very sad, for it was THE original "old town" of Singapore. Seriously it's a very bad decision.

Clyde Street and Beach Road junction (c 1963). Source: NAS.

Clyde Street (c. 1979). Source: NAS.

From old maps the streets names were Fraser, Farquahar, Barnard, Clyde, Sin Koy, Garden, Jeddah, Beach Lane, and one Shiek "something", an Arabic name which I forgot. The streetscape was almost same as the Kampong Glam core. With the main street, Beach and North Bridge Roads, Ophir and Rochor Roads on all 4 sides. The central street, Jeddah Street, of which is a cul-de-sac, and has a mosque, if I remember correctly from the Street Directory as late as 1995, the name was Masjid Bahru. The mosque has been demolished too. If given a choice, the old town of Singapore versus the whole Beach Road / Jln Sultan / Crawford public housing estates and even in exchange for Parkview Square, I would like to have the Old Town. Now there are only a few shophouses fronting the original beachfront at Beach Road.

Last time the shophouses stretched all the way from Blair Plains almost unbroken all the way Crawford, then again at Katong. Now... I think only 30% remain?"

Note: The "shiek something" which Redstone forgot was Shaik Madersah Lane.

3. Blanco Court, the building under construction in the top right of the 1970s photo, was ironically "blanco-ed" from the area towards the end of the 1990s to make way for Raffles Hospital which was officially opened on 16 Mar 2002. Blanco Court was a place where you could get everything you needed for a kid's party. It also had a food court which sold delicious fried fish bee hoon and kway chap.

4. Blk 405 Victoria Street - the tall 20-odd-storey HDB block that you see in the 1970s photo was demolished a few years ago. I remember eating Bak Kut Teh in the coffeeshop below the block many years ago. Bugis MRT Station was located right next to this block.

If you blow up the 1970s photo, you could vaguely see the street name "Garden Street" on the left of the photo. (I am a little surprised why Icemoon, who has always been very meticulous, had missed out this important detail.)

Comparing the 1970s photo of Garden Street with a second-shot of the same view today ...

... as well as the 1963 map with today's map

... and you will surely agree that this area, otherwise known as Kampong Glam, has undergone tremendous changes over the last few decades. However, the old landmarks were certainly not sacrificed because Singapore wanted to built a Garden City. On the contrary, they were somehow lost in the process of turning our city into a concrete jungle that lacks the character and the charm of the Old Town, as Redstone so fondly called it.

Old Singapore Quiz (16) - A Garden City Built But Something's Lost

2009-12-27T00:05:00.002+08:00

According to the National Parks website, efforts to turn Singapore into a Garden City started some 4 decades ago. The driving force behind the greening of Singapore was none other than the former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yee who launched the Tree Planting Campaign in 1963.

The following passage was extracted from the "Garden City" entry in the book "Singapore - The Encyclopedia":

"During the 19th century, the jungle was cleared in Singapore, first to make way for agriculture, and later to make room for urban growth. The colonial government introduced street plantings and civic spaces, attempting to preserve the remaining natural vegetation and ameliorate the loss of greenery. This was, however, interrupted by the onset of World War II and the Japanese Occupation.

In 1963, Lee Kuan Yew identified a 'Green Singapore' as a key competitive factor in attracting foreign investment and contributing to the quality of life of Singaporeans. Resources were directed towards building up Singapore's natural environment through the active planting of trees and shrubs along roads, on vacant plots and on new development sites. The Parks and Recreation Department (PRD) was formed in 1976 for this purpose. As most of Singapore's streets were devoid of greenery, the key task of the PRD was to increase the amount of plant and vegetation in public spaces. Fast-growing indigenous trees such as the angsana, rain tree, yellow flame and ketapang were introduced.

The next phase of the Garden City programme saw the cultivation of free-flowering trees and shrubs like frangipani and bougainvillea, which added colour to the landscape. In addition, paved areas, such as car parks, were planted with trees to attenuate the build-up of heat over asphalt surfaces. Concrete structures, such as flyovers, were also planted with creepers, such as the climbing fig.

By the 1980s, Singapore had tree-lined roads interpersed with parks filled with flowering plants and greenery. 'Green lungs' had been created in commercial areas such as the Marina City Park, while developers of residential areas were required to plant roadside trees and set aside land for open space. Parks competed with residential, commercial and industrial developments for land use, and park planners had to consider factors such as the location of population centres and accessibility.

In 1990, the National Parks Board (NParks) was formed, comprising the Singapore Botanic Gardens and research divisions of the PRD. NParks also undertook a major programme to rejuvenate the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Fort Canning Park found new life as a performance venue. Singapore's nature reserves were also given new resources for conservation.

On 1 July 1996, the PRD as a whole merged with NParks. NParks instituted community outreach and education programmes such as the 'Adopt-a-Park' scheme, through which schools and other organizations were encouraged to help tend their own special garden plots with an aim to cultivating a sense of ownership of the natural environment.

As the Garden City took shape. NParks introduced the Heritage Trees concept in 2002 to preserve and maintain prime specimens of old trees, while the Heritage Roads scheme (also launched in 2002) sought to preserve distinctive roadside landscapes.

NParks now manages a hierarchy of parks and open spaces, including nature reserves, roadside greenery and vacant state land. The Park Connector Network, a comprehensive network of park corridors, links major parks and nature areas. To sustain the development of the Garden City, NParks has completed its islandwide Streetscape Greenery Master Plan, which is aimed at creating distinctive landmarks out of future roadside greenery. Skyrise and rooftop greenery is also encouraged as part of the aim to optimize land use. Such features include rooftop gardens, landscaped bridges, terraces, decks and balconies. Other forms of skyrise greenery are plants on flyovers and pedestrian overhead bridges, as well as landscaped gardens above basement carparks."

The above passage is summarised in the following YouTube Video titled "The Garden City Story":

Quiz Question:

Well, that explains the part about building a Garden City. You must now be wondering what the second part of this article's title, "But Something's Lost" is all about. The 1970s photo at the beginning of this article was passed to me by my friend Peter Chan. The pre-war houses in the foreground of the photo had been demolished. Can you identify the place in the photo? As with my 3 previous quizes, the place is in town. (Of course, Peter is automatically barred from participating in this quiz.)

What? Got To Get Today From Orchard Road?

2009-12-25T23:55:00.002+08:00

I am not so lucky as some people who get Today and MyPaper newspapers delivered to their doorsteps everyday. To get my hands on a copy, I need to visit my neighbourhood 7-Eleven convenience store. Usually, I will buy a copy of the Straits Times so that I "qualify" to get my free copy of Today. Also, I have to do that early as the free newspapers are usually all given out by noon.

Before committing 90 cents for a copy of the Straits Times, I would peep behind the counter to see if there are any copies of Today left. If there are no more copies left, usually a serious-looking middle-aged Chinese woman behind the counter would tell me, "Finished."

But today was different. A Malay woman staff saw me looking behind the counter and said, "Ah, ah, no peeping."

I asked her, "Got Today?"

She replied, "No Today today. You've got to get it from Orchard Road today." But with that, she passed me a copy of Today without me having to buy anything. Just then, YG called me on my mobile to wish me Merry Christmas and also to arrange a meet-up with a mutual friend.

After talking on the phone for about a minute, I went back to the counter to pay for a copy of the Straits Times. I asked the woman, "How much?"

She replied, "90 thousand. You made me wait so long". Then she broke into a smile.

I congratulated her for being so cheerful and humorous in doing her job. I said her predecessor was a bit too serious. She said, "Must joke lah. Otherwise very stressful."

Hmm... did this taxi plough into the 7-Eleven at Tiong Bahru Plaza to get his free copy of Today too? Aiyah, no need so gan cheong lah!

Season's Greetings

2009-12-24T23:43:00.003+08:00

Wishing all readers of Taking Up The Challenge:

Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Also Happy Birthday to my son who turned 18 today. He will be serving his NS with effect from 11 Jan 2010.

Singapore's Carpark Wardens Through The Years - By Peter Chan

2009-12-19T20:16:00.004+08:00

Scene 1:
Woman claims she parked at 1.10pm. URA car park warden, Ms. Kamsiah bte Wang claims woman parked at 12.51pm. The woman appeals against fine for the second time, claiming her watch is accurate. She decides to appeal (as a matter of principle and not because of the $30 fine) to the URA “relevant authorities”, only to receive a flat rejection letter. Will she go to Subordinate Court #26?

Scene 2:
A motorist considers it a waste of money to use a 50-cent parking coupon and leaves his car at the kerbside. He claims he can see his car and since everybody else is also doing the same, should be no problem. He goes into the kopitiam for that famous Bak Chor Mee and cuppa of coffee. Then all hell breaks loose as someone loudly screams, “Mata lai lor! Kah pak liak! Chut Saman! You see men (and women) dashing off to their cars leaving their bowls of Bak Chor Mee half eaten.

Singapore is a really “fine” city because we Pay And Pay. We have fines for all kinds of offenses, including a fine for paying a fine late. I guess we need fines to maintain discipline otherwise how could Singapore have got to where it is today? But who is that “Chenghu” (Hokkien for the authority) on the street? It is none other than our URA parking warden whose duty has somewhat changed over the decades.

Photo 1: Left; lonely warden writing on her booklet. A Hock Lee Bus passing by the public car park (circa 1967). Right; two wardens needing to rest their tired bodies against the cars. Notice a lorry double-parking “waiting” for a car park lot (circa 1972).

In the 1960s, the car park warden was responsible for issuing tickets to motorists in public car parks and at kerbside parking. Wearing one of those “Chinese funeral type” straw hats, she could be easily recognized by any motorist.

She had in one hand, a booklet of parking tickets, a stiff cardboard to provide hard support and to prevent writing through the carbon paper. She did not have the non-carbonized paper type but the Pelikan brand which came in black ink. The carbon paper was trimmed to the size of the booklet and inserted between the original parking and the duplicate parking tickets.

The entire process of issuing a parking ticket and making a payment was simple. After a motorist pulled into a parking lot, she walked towards him and asked how long he would be parking. The motorist was given the original ticket whilst the parking warden kept the duplicate. Payment received would be kept it in one of her safari jacket-pockets whilst the small change was kept in the other jacket-pocket. If a motorist exceeded his parking time, he was issued with a pink ticket neatly tucked under the windscreen wiper. All he now needed to do was to walk up to her and make the additional payments. The car park warden checked the time the pink ticket was issued and the time on her wrist watch. Mentally working out the duration, she would tell him the right amount to pay.

A fine occurred when the motorist drove off. The URA sent out letters of demand within 2 weeks from the date of the offence - stating the fine, the amount for the exceeded time and due date for payment. The first letter of demand was in white and the final warning letter was in pink. When the motorist chose to ignore, a visit to the courts was not unusual. You don’t need to guess how come I knew so much. In court, you see a long line of traffic offenders in a queue, each person waiting for the prosecutor to call his or her name to stand before the magistrate. When I pleaded guilty (always a smart thing to do instead of raising your hands or displaying a “boh chap” attitude because this adds to the cost) the compounded fine was S$50/.

Photo 2: Left; One display method (circa 1980), Middle; Parking coupon + computerized fine (circa 2009), Right; Car Park Warden speaks: “Madam I already key into computer. You not happy, you can always write in. I am only doing my work.” Then Madam speaks: “Chi kuan a lang bor tow lor….wah buay tahan. Gor a ji tu buay sai……”

One thing good about yesterday’s parking. You doubled-park your vehicle against a double-white line and wait; allowing your passenger to do errands such as running into the bank to make a deposit or to deliver goods. Surely these errands could take up to 30 minutes but the car park warden never chased you away. You could block other motorists also but as long you move your vehicle, it was alright. All kinds of reasons not to pay were accepted by the car park wardens. Maybe people in the past were more reasonable and forgiving. Try doing the same thing today in front of the Bank of China Building on Battery Road. Did you see in the rear mirror someone taking out his “Weapon of Mass Destruction”?

Things changed with the introduction of self-ticketing parking coupons in 1980, the HDB joining URA later that year. In 1980 there were 658 URA car park wardens employed. When the self-ticketing system was introduced, car park warden duties were changed to enforcement duties at the car parks. They imposed surcharges on the spot when motorists display invalid coupons. The surcharge was four times 40 cents parking if it lapsed within one hour, when more than an hour an additional $10 was imposed.

By this time, URA created a special “Hit Squad”. Enforcement wardens on scooters were sent out to keep a look-out for motorists who did not display valid car park coupons, tampering with the coupons (folding backwards without tearing away the tabs) or cheating on the starting time.

Photo 3: The law on wheels; yesterday and today

I observed that with the implementation of self-ticketing parking coupons, city parking charges went up even faster than before. Consider that in 1965 it was just 20 cents for one-hour, then it became 40 cents for one hour in 1974, 50 cents for one hour in 1980, 60 cents for half-hour in 1985, and now $2.00 for one hour. There were all sorts of variations as shown in Photo 4 that can be very confusing for motorists. Fines also escalated to newer heights.

Photo 4: Motorist woes, government happiness. Left - Early 1970s; Middle - Late 1980s; Right - Today

With coupon parking and Cashcards, it has lead to the demise of the once popular URA car park warden. Now we have the CERTIS-CISCO carpark wardens but they belong to the “Hit Squad”. Thirty meters away, you hear “Vrooom Vrooom, Vrooom”. Then nearer to you, he loudly beeps the scooter horns. You can’t pretend you didn’t see him coming because very soon you see on the driver’s side of the window, a familiar figure in dark glasses starring hard at you. “MOVE!” Sheepishly you crank your engine, move the gears and step on the accelerator. It certainly looks like our car park wardens have “reinvented themselves” so that they can stay relevant in this modern age.