Where the Canal and River Meet

September 18, 2012, 8:53 am

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While I blog about geographical heritage, I do not usually pay much attention to the nature heritage around us. This has not changed much since 2009 when I failed to find the nutmeg trees in the Istana (what to do, without an identification guide, this city boy still can't). Few weeks ago however, this interesting sight of a transition between the man-made and the natural, where the canal meets the river, caught my attention.

This particular longkang is Sungei Seletar Simpang Kiri that gets emptied into Lower Seletar Reservoir. I pass by the section at Yio Chu Kang Road frequently but it is not everyday that the transformation of canal into river can be perceived so acutely. Often there would be water puddles left on the canal side from a higher water level or even from rain. When the level is right, you may see anglers descending onto the dry canal part indulging in their natural sport, just like the photo above.

The canalisation of natural rivers has not been well-received. There have been calls from nature groups to leave natural rivers un-canalised and to keep the natural banks of rivers natural. Canalisation is one of the culprits in the degradation and loss of wildlife habitat locally. In a 2009 report you can read here, NSS wrote:

There is a penchant for the relevant authorities to tidy up rivers and streams by embanking them with concrete, converting them into ugly canals and monsoon drains, which are impoverished of the wildlife that lived originally along the flowing waters and banks. These canals and monsoon drains are a blight on our landscape, which has a charm of its own, more so if these canals and streams are de-concretised.

This section of Sungei Seletar Simpang Kiri may have been de-concretised in the past or it may be construed as an example of natural river by nature lovers, but as far as geographical heritage is concerned, this section was not original. Out of curiosity, I checked old maps to trace this sungei from the reservoir and compared the alignment with the sungei today. The alignments do not match. I should not be surprised. After referencing many old maps of Singapore I have come to the conclusion rivers were seldom this straight in the past.

Compare the 1950s map from NHB with the 2012 one from OneMap. Lower Seletar Reservoir was enlarged and Sungei Seletar Simpang Kiri straightened, with part of it canalised today.

The opposite happens in another part of Singapore. A river transforms into a canal at Sungei Tampines after Pasir Ris Beach Park.

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The Inaugural Tiger Flight out of Terminal 2

September 27, 2012, 12:48 am

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History is made on the morning of 25 September 2012 as the inaugural Tiger flight made its way out of Changi Terminal 2. Four hours before an arrival flight at Changi Budget Terminal saw the disembarkation of the last group of passengers to have used the airport and with their clearing of immigration and collection of luggage, the curtains finally came down drawing the era of our no-frills terminal to a close.

Bitten by the nostalgia bug that comes with an impending closure I joined the ranks of camera owners in bidding the terminal goodbye with our shots. Many must have done that as paying passengers or as relatives and friends of paying passengers after the news broke out more than six months ago. A rather late decision, one made over the weekend before the closure, was taken to pay the terminal a final visit and to say goodbye a few hours before its closure. The story of the Budget Terminal's last night will be blogged later.

It was all over for me at the terminal by the time the shuttle bus passed the SATS building and under Airport Boulevard bound for T2. A mirroring of this bus journey, the carriers that were in Budget Terminal would also move and commence operations at T2 in a few hours.

The first thing I did upon alighting from the shuttle - my final trip no doubt - was to search for the Budget Terminal's new beginning at T2. How would the phoenix rise from the ashes? The flag carrier at Budget Terminal from the first day has always been Tiger Airways. It is no coincidence that the carrier was given the honour to have their flight be the first to depart from T2 and take to the air like a phoenix.

T2 is a different ball game from the no-frills terminal. For instance, where is Tiger's . . . check-in row? Where should the vehicle stop to . . . drop you and your luggage? These are not easily answered on your first try. At the Budget Terminal with the arrival and departure halls located at ground level and check-in counters facing the main entrance, these questions did not exist.

So I did what any obedient traveller at a main airport terminal would do. I checked the departure board. There it was, TR 2986 to Guangzhou at Row 12. The inaugural Tiger flight out of T2!

I looked up to check my current position. Row numbers decreasing forward - the row was behind me. Turning back, the row number increased at every passing of the counter and built up the suspense. In no time I was at the last row. This was it. In few hours time, the Tiger would be reborn at T2. Ready for the queue?

The suspense that built up ended at the last row - Row 12 - where Tiger has their check-in counters. By the time the counters started operations at 4am, 2 hours before scheduled departure time of TR 2986 to Guangzhou, the Budget Terminal would have closed 2 hours earlier.

The view from the top. The whole area is barricaded and the exit points are probably guarded by ushers when in use. I am not going to like this arrangement. Passengers will have harder time maneuvering with their trolley and luggage.

All set and ready at the check-in counters of Row 12. I presume the counter staff would be transferred over from Budget Terminal. A more spacious departure hall awaits them.

The baggage belt behind the check-in counter, ready to take on the bags of Tiger passengers.

It was deja vu all over again. This familiar corner after the last row, where Starbucks still sit, holds sweet memories of a trip few years back. This was where I spent the earlier part of the wee hours waiting, and drinking, for my flight to Bangkok. In a cruel twist of irony, it was a Tiger flight to depart from the Budget Terminal. And here it was, the Tiger check-in counter, just next to Starbucks! I would never have imagined Tiger would one day fly out from a main terminal utilized by Singapore's flag carrier, leaving its budget cousins Jetstar and Airasia behind at another terminal, and having its check-in counter next to where I was drinking. Back then, filled with a sense of adventure and partly to save cost, I told my travelling companion we should reach the airport before midnight, when public transport were still available, to wait for time to pass before the first shuttle service commenced to take us to the Budget Terminal. As the shuttle served only T2 to pick up passengers, naturally T2 became our choice to spend the night before the morning flight. For me, the plan beats having to wake up from a short nap on the bed; and having to arrange for a cab or private transport in the wee hours.

If Starbucks has a memory, she would surely remember us, travellers who took the cafe as a lounge and the sofa as bed, to catch forty winks. Well, sort of, I do not remember we imposed on her for long. We were not alone. There were others and surprisingly many looked more like students than travellers judging from the assignments on and discussion around the coffee table.

The corner of T2 that holds sweet memories for me. The Starbucks was where both of us spent the earlier part of wee hours waiting for the first shuttle bus to Budget Terminal for our flight to Bangkok. You can see the blog post here. I do not mind going through the experience again, except this time I would sip coffee in between winks (not a good move?) while waiting for the  Tiger check-in counters (left side in photo) to open.

It was a dead departure hall in the wee hours with Starbucks emitting the only sign of activity few years ago. What would be the situation now that Tiger has shown herself at T2? For one, I am sure no traveller would be like us then, idly waiting for time to pass just to catch the first shuttle bus to the destination. It would be a more meaningful wait, for the Tiger passengers, at the terminal where they would catch their flight. There is still Starbucks, where after queuing at Row 12 to check in, they would return for another cup of coffee before making their way to the departure gate. For sure, the retail experience at the transit area after immigration, which technically includes all the three main terminals, would be so much more complete than at the no-frill terminal which is now history.

Photo album for the new Tiger check-in counters

2nd Shot: The Basketball Star of Singapore

October 19, 2012, 5:54 pm

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The PM National Day Rally is typically where and when stars aka role models are born literally over an evening from the stage of University Cultural Centre at NUS. For this year's rally the PM listed out, as usual, the folks across the various demographic groups who would become our role models. What's unusual is the role model for active ageing whom the PM met after one of his constituency events. From her age and hobby-mismatch witnessed by the PM that day, I guess she must have left a deep impression in him.

She is Madam Chang Ka Fong, one of the three active seniors cited by the PM in his Mandarin rally speech. What's significant here among the role models cited that evening is her age - she is 87, just one year shy of the PM father. What's laudable here is despite being advanced in years, this granny still makes it a point to play basketball everyday by joining NBA shooting 50 hoops at Teck Ghee Community Club. Her exercise regime puts the rest of us to shame; I can imagine yours truly already groaning and grumbling after 25 hoops under the sun and I'm not even half her age.

I'd think it is not absurd to call Madam Chang the basketball star of Singapore, the label I use for the title of this post, after the citation by our Chief Executive when you consider most people struggle to name the "Fandi Ahmad" of Singapore basketball anyway.

ST Photo taken at a basketball court in Teck Ghee; the PM chatting with Madam Chang and HC looking behind. According to the ST article, the PM even tried his hands at shooting hoops!

The basketball court is the one at Teck Ghee Community Club, as I found out during my lunchtime mission. Blk 410 in the ST photo is the block nearest to the court in this photo.

Since I was a total stranger to Teck Ghee ward the PM's fiefdom in Ang Mo Kio constituency, I was naturally curious about the neighborhood, in particular the granny's playground at the community club. What better way to explore the area than to embark on a lunchtime mission? Incidentally I also found a ST photo of the granny with a basketball taken at her playground. Guess the lunchtime mission would also provide me a good opportunity for a "second shot" of the ST photo.

Teck Ghee Community Club where Madam Chang Ka Fong shoots 50 hoops everyday at her playground. Guess she does her exercise in the morning, for I did not get to see her in action during my lunchtime mission.

As you can see in the first photo of this post, my "second shot" did not turn out well, the flaws evident at the edges. I had expected this as the photo looks like a wide-angle lens was used to take the shot. Since I did not have as well-equipped an arsenal like the press photographers, I decided to stop in my usual pursuit of perfection ignore the imperfection and this post just have to accept my composition.

I did not take these photos on my first visit to Teck Ghee. Coincidentally there was a tentage set up on the exact spot where my photos matter most - at the basketball court. The tentage could have been prepared for the mid-autumn festival a few days away. The opportunity lost, I left the place a little dejected. I shall be back.

On my return visit, thank goodness there was no tentage at the court. It was at this opportunity when the court was perfectly empty that I caught sight of a sign on the fence. I went in for a closer look. At that moment, I thought I knew why Madam Chang Ka Fong shoots hoops at this basketball court every day.

The sign is unusual and I did not expect to see this in a community club. A basketball court is usually considered a permanent fixture in a CC; to tell Madam Chang her playground "is only for temporary use" is a bit heartless don't you think so? What is the PA thinking?

Gunung Pulai from Singapore Again

December 14, 2012, 7:51 am

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With a dormant blog like this, I do not expect to receive many comments or emails from readers, if at all. Therefore you can imagine my surprise when one reader Timothy emailed me a photo (above) of a mountain taken in Choa Chu Kang from his iPhone. The familiar plateau towering and basking in the background sunset, it is our old friend I have blogged about in the past (here, here and here).

I could not help sharing Timothy's stunning photo of Gunung Pulai at sunset. The image is evocative, it reminds us before there was a delineated boundary between Singapore and Malaysia, our tiny island was separated from the Johor hinterland by the Singapore Strait (Selat Singapura). On a clear day today just as in the past, Gunung Pulai appears right at our doorstep. You need not go very high up like Timothy. In fact I had caught a glimpse of the mountain from inside the MRT cabin. I now wonder what was in the mind of the early settlers when they too caught a glimpse of the mountain from elevated ground. Did they have the impression this was on the island?

With his permission, I share two more photos from Timothy taken from a digital camera. They show Gunung Pulai under two different atmospheric conditions - one sunny, the other gloomy. The first shows a slightly hazy view but at least the mountain is still visible. In the second view, however, the mountain has disappeared!

Courtesy of Timothy Tan

Courtesy of Timothy Tan

A Very Short History of Plaza Singapura

January 18, 2013, 8:06 am

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

While touring the upper level, I saw a mini heritage exhibition CapitaMalls Asia put up ostensibly to commemorate their new wing. Too good to give it a miss, I snapped the following photos.

One of them may surprise some of you, like my mum and I did. I did not realize what was amiss then, till I overheard mum making a comment at home about the name change by Capitaland. She was not with me at Plaza Singapura nor did she see my photos. The comment was probably made in response to a prospectus or newspaper article that she read. Look carefully at the photo below, when did Capitaland change its Chinese name from 嘉德 to 凯德?

CapitaMalls Asia and its sudden name change

Plaza Singapura is a modern mall with long history stretching back to the 1970s. The exhibition goes further back than that, however, by placing its genesis or inception at the area's founding by the Indian immigrants the dhobi who did their laundry service along Sungei Bras Basah. After the inception, a great many years must have passed (though the exhibition does not tell us that) before we reach the 1970s and the whirlwind tour by posters then begins.

From the exhibition posters, I learnt Plaza Singapura was more than just Yaohan or Yamaha. For example its completion in 1974 made it one of the largest malls in Singapore at that time. The price tag was S$50 million, designed and constructed by BEP Akitek Pte Ltd and Loh Keng Huat(S) Pte Ltd respectively. Akitek Tenggara came into the picture in 1988 with their design of a new landscape forecourt. Interestingly Hon Sui Sen who was Minister of Finance then was the VIP for the official opening. I do not know why a private retail mall was officially opened by the MP of Havelock constituency and Minister of Finance no less. Has this to do with the enormous price tag?

The Inception

The 1970s

The 1980s

The 1990s

The 2000s

The 2010s

Heritage exhibitions nowadays tend to incorporate input from the public and this one is no different. We see a few personal photographs on the posters and the organizers also tried to solicit feedback from the public. The question - tell us why you love p.s. Small rectangular papers are provided and you are to hang your response on the clotheslines. Like they say "never air dirty linen in public", so I'd like to believe there are no overly negative comments being aired or at least on the censorship being most minimal. I am quite encouraged by what I read so far. On why they love Plaza Singapura, one wrote about "a really handsome guy" and the other on having "found my movie ticket".

Pearl's Hill Barracks - Our Latest Historic Site

January 24, 2013, 3:54 am

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

True enough, I saw the historic site marker, a rather long and thin vertical board panel, propped up outside the gate of Pearl's Hill Lower Barracks. It must have been set up quite recently, as I'm no stranger to the walkway outside the Lower Barracks; and perhaps even hastily, if other historical site markers are an indication (the historical panel on Pearl's Hill School stands sturdy a few meters away).

The vertical marker designates Pearl's Hill Lower Barracks, former headquarters of the Singapore Police Force. There is another horizontal marker up the hill at the Upper Barracks. Both barracks are now SLA properties with the upper one (195 Pearl's Hill Terrace) leased out and renamed The Station. As a police heritage site, it is befitting the site marking ceremony took place at the current police headquarters at New Phoenix Park during the Police Heritage Centre's 10th Anniversary Celebrations on 3 Dec 2012. Shown on both markers are the two logos of National Heritage Board and Singapore Police Force, a joint designation by the two state agencies.

Former Lower Barracks

I'm glad the historic site was finally given its due recognition. If my hazy memory serves me right, the Lower Barracks have been vacated for a few years. More than once, the gate was wide open due to maintenance works being conducted in the compound. An open gate is tempting but I did not walk in. Let us hope with the status change, the post-police life of the Lower Barracks will see more visits by the public, much like the Upper Barracks that is leased out. I saw no guard house at The Station that day and take it they are more visitor-friendly and amenable to shooting by the public.

Former Upper Barracks

In another article in Aug 2012, we are told of two other police heritage sites designated as the 91st and 92nd historic sites in Singapore. If no other sites I have left out, Pearl's Hill Barracks was the 93rd though this is not mentioned in the articles I have read. Interestingly I have never seen a list or compilation of the hundred odd historic sites in Singapore. A search online turned out nothing and I suspect NHB does not keep such a list on their website. The public is also not aware what constitutes a historic site and the significance of the NHB designation. I presume all national monuments are also designated historic sites but not all conserved buildings. Take Pearl's Hill Barracks which was gazetted on 5 Dec 2008 for conservation. It looks like URA and NHB do not work in tandem. The historic value justified, why was designation by NHB not forthcoming?

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

February 1, 2013, 7:11 am

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

Dr Koh Poh Koon (ST Photo)

From what can be gathered in the video on the PAP candidate's introductory speech where he reminisced on his childhood (watch from 00:25 to 03:00), Dr Koh Poh Koon (许宝琨) was born and spent his early childhood in Lorong Cheng Lim at a farmhouse. We are also told he played in the pig sties and chicken coops that the family kept; and that he often ran to the rubber plantation behind his house where he picked up rubber seeds to throw at the huge spider webs that grew between the trees.

The Straits Times article by Jessica Cheam gave further clue to Dr Koh's roots in Punggol:

As a boy living near where the Cheng Lim LRT station now stands, he recalled with delight how he played among the pig sty and chicken coops his family kept.

I did not catch the part where Dr Koh explained he was living near the site of today's Cheng Lim Station. Did Dr Koh make the association in his speeches or interviews? Or did the journalist make the association herself without verifying with Dr Koh?

In fact I am puzzled over the association of Lorong Cheng Lim where his farmhouse was located with Cheng Lim station where I alighted that weekend. I did not realize it then, when my mind was wandering at the station, that Lorong Cheng Lim did not actually cut through the forested patch today north of the station. Far from it. That was a romantic notion.

Pouring over old maps and comparing them with our current street map, I now have a better idea of the alignment of Lorong Cheng Lim including the location of its "entry point" from the main road, i.e. Punggol Road.

In an old topo map, Lorong Cheng Lim is shown as a dotted track from the main road. Where is this area in Punggol today?

Using a larger-scale map the track marked Lorong Cheng Lim is plotted onto OneMap.

I'd like to believe my plot is reasonably accurate having used heritage landmarks north and south of Lorong Cheng Lim as guidelines. Even as an approximate alignment, the plot is good indication the track cut through what is today's Compassvale Green, Compassvale Sec School, Compassvale Lodge, TPE, Punggol Waves and terminating at Punggol Walk / Punggol Green Pri School. From the plot, it appears the junction of Lorong Cheng Lim and Punggol Road was located just slightly after today's Punggol Road - Compassvale St cross junction. An eating place sits at the corner (Blk 297C) today, an appropriate signpost to the old junction as your vehicle descends down the gentle slope of Punggol Road after St. Anne Church. Incidentally this would position Lorong Cheng Lim at the 9 1/4 milestone of Punggol Road (note the 15km marking on today's map). How far am I from the historical truth?

On the larger scale map I found a rubber plantation marked along Lorong Cheng Lim around where Compassvale Sec School is today. If, for the sake of argument, Dr Koh was living in those buildings near Punggol Road, the rubber plantation would indeed be behind his farmhouse.

We are told Dr Koh moved to Toa Payoh around 1976 after spending three years at the farmhouse. Incidentally the 1970s was the period when redevelopment commenced in Punggol to phase out pig and poultry farming so Dr Koh and family could have been resettled by the government. How was Punggol developed after Dr Koh's time, into the late 70s, 80s and 90s before Punggol New Town?

What is puzzling from the plot of course is the discrepancy of distance between Lorong Cheng Lim and Cheng Lim Station today. According to SBS Transit on Cheng Lim Station,

This station is located very near the old road called Cheng Lim Farmway. Cheng Lim marked the area where farms were plentiful in the old days.

Not surprisingly, there is a Farmway Station further down Anchorvale Street before Sungei Punggol.

On a map drawn probably in the 90s before Punggol New Town, I saw Cheng Lim Farmway 2, 4 and 5 and Track 13 marked where today we find Punggol Field and Punggol Central around Punggol Station. As I could not find these tracks on older maps, I suspect they were renamed or added after redevelopment crept in. Interestingly, Google Map also lists Cheng Lim Farmway 1, 3 and 5 and locates them between Farmway and Cheng Lim stations where a vehicle park sits today. Finally in a 1985 photo below, we are told Lorong Cheng Lim was once linked to Cheng Lim Farmway 1.

From the Lee Kip Lin Collection. All rights reserved. Lee Kip Lin and National Library Board, Singapore 2009. Caption reads "This 1985 photograph shows Lorong Cheng Lim, at the junction with Cheng Lim Farmway 1. Both roads have been expunged. Lorong Cheng Lim and Cheng Lim Farmway 1 are named after Goh Cheng Lim, director of Kim Hock Hoe Ltd, ship owners and commission agents."

An Accidental Second Shot at Punggol Point

February 7, 2013, 10:42 pm

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


Both old photos are from the Lee Kip Lin collection in PictureSG by NLB. What has changed and what has not at the end of Punggol Road?

From the Lee Kip Lin Collection.  All rights reserved. Lee Kip Lin and National Library Board, Singapore 2009.

The beach at Punggol Point today

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2nd Shot: Yu Shan Teng at Holland Road

August 24, 2013, 7:02 am

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



I concur with Pat in the blog comments that Chun See saw the Yu Shan Teng Hakka temple which was beside Lorong Makam.

The Yu Shan Teng Tua Pek Kong (毓山亭大伯公) was a cemetery temple by the Fong Yun Tai Association, a Hakka organization formed by clansmen of three Hakka counties Fengshun (丰顺), Yongding (永定) and Dapu (大浦). Yongding is famous for those Hakka roundhouses or tulou (土楼) featured in travel documentaries; in fact I was told you can find one tulou recently completed in the association premise. Dapu, as some of you are aware, is the ancestral place (祖籍) of our founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

The cemetery temple had disappeared by 2011, of course. Nevertheless I could still see remnants of the concrete slab, a raised platform once the base of the temple. You can see in my second shot of a 1986 archival photo the raised platform and the inclined road in front. On today's map, the inclined road is Holland Road and this is the last stretch before the Bukit Timah First Diversion Canal and Holland Plain.

Remnants of the raised platform and Holland Road looking southwards

Remnants of the raised platform in opposite direction

The 1986 photo was taken from one end of the platform where the incense burner stood and you can just about see the edge running close to the building, but this edge is not really visible in the second shot. Comparing the two shots, it seems that part of the grass verge was reclaimed for road widening or the photographer was actually standing closer to the temple and using a wide-angle lens.

Fong Yun Tai Association Columbarium

I do not know when was the cemetery temple demolished, the cemetery had certainly been exhumed by 1986. It was still standing in the early 90s from photos I have seen. In late 2011 other than the concrete remnants, I found one other instance where the name - 毓山亭大伯公 - still lives on: on a stone signboard outside the association premise at Holland Plain / Holland Link. I hope these two "relics of the past" are still around today.

A Mini National Theatre at Tank Road

November 4, 2013, 4:04 pm

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

After a sumptuous Samurai Beef Burger Set Meal at MCD Liang Court (my original plan was to have lunch settled at the food court but was told "no more" by staff there), I crossed the road via an overhead bridge to the Fort Canning side; and as expected saw the construction for the station and no chibi National Theatre.

I first caught sight of the facade of the National Theatre at the junction of Clemenceau Ave.

The installation address is at Tank Road. In reality, it is located on the grass patch between Tank Road and Clemenceau Ave. You can see the latter and slope of Fort Canning Hill in this photo. Guess address was picked for the convenience of drivers.

Lai Chee Kien's National Theatre@50 commissioned for Singapore Biennale 2013 explained.

Side view of the installation. The original National Theatre was opposite the road at the foot of Fort Canning Hill. Judging by the people visible in photo, I might be the only Singaporean within 40m of the installation.

Interesting to see how the mini National Theatre is only the five elongated diamond shaped facade, propped up by three cantilevers? anchored on huge concrete blocks. Another view here.

Mini National Theatre dwarfed by Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay.

Two things strike me about this installation. Designed by local architect Alfred Wong and completed in 1963, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the National Theatre ... if it was not demolished. According to ST, Prof Lai "had spent much of the last year thinking of ways to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the iconic and now defunct National Theatre of Singapore" and the Singapore Biennale 2013 with the theme "if the world changed" provided the opportunity. The second is somewhat of a personal curiosity unrelated to the National Theatre. Prof Lai, who came up with this idea of a half-scale model of the facade, was born in 1965, the year independence was gained from expulsion from Malaysia. Wouldn't this make him as old as Singapore?

Days of Rage - Nadra

January 24, 2014, 1:39 am

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Last Sunday I was having dinner halfway when she interrupted me from the TV, "look it is Maria, the Dutch girl". Channel NewsAsia was premiering Episode 1 of Days of Rage which was on the Maria Hertogh riot.

What a coincidence! You see, I had with me two library books on the topic that day and the riot, which we have studied in "national education" and history lessons, happens to be my research interest recently. In fact I had contemplated to bring with me one of the books to Indonesia when we pulang kampung but decided not to. Both books are thick, unlike the typical paperback for holiday reading. In any event I finished both books - The Nadra Tragedy by Haja Maideen and Natrah by Fatini Yaacob - after I returned to Singapore.

PS: Episode 1 on the Maria Hertogh riot can be viewed from the official site.

First post in 2016

March 17, 2016, 7:49 pm

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Hello, I'm back!

After a long hiatus of 2 years 2 months, decided to revive Second Shot and resume blogging and second shot photography.




I took a break in 2014 as I could sense a growing awareness in local heritage due to the sheer number of individual and government agency websites that have since mushroomed after I started blogging in ... June 2008. 8 years is a long time indeed! Back then, there were only a few of us heritage enthusiasts in the blogging scene; we belonged to an interest group FOYers (Friends of Yesterday.sg) affiliated with the National Heritage Board. Yesterday.sg is still around but the last update as I'm writing this is in March 2015. SG50 was of course the special year. In the months leading to Aug 9 2015 there was a flurry of activities as the nation celebrated the golden jubilee. There was a lot of talk on heritage matters; government agencies used the opportunity to showcase the glowing achievement since independence and individuals old enough reminisced on their childhood spent when Singapore was less developed but more carefree.

Around the same time, I saw more and more people taking to Facebook as a medium that was growing in popularity. Heritage enthusiasts who did not keep a blog, heritage bloggers, government agencies and readers are investing more time and eyeball in this social media. There was tremendous sharing of photos and short snippet of information; it seems like everybody was contributing in one way or another, by putting up posts, comments or simply clicking the 'Like' button. As the popularity of Facebook increased, I noticed blogs were getting less updates even from the prolific bloggers.

The explosion of information online, proliferation of social media and golden jubilee gave me the perfect excuse opportunity to take a break from heritage blogging and second shot activities. Family and work commitments did not make my life easier too. Gradually I stopped as I could not keep up pace that would give me satisfaction of writing a good blog and taking good second shot photos.

Friends of My Community

March 20, 2016, 11:37 am

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I have been invited by Kwek Li Yong to the media preview of Commonwealth & Holland Village heritage tour on 20 March 2016. Before I pen down my experience, let me briefly introduce Li Yong and his heritage group My Community; and also put a blurb on their volunteer programme.




From their website,

My Community is a registered charity which documents social memory, celebrates civic life and champions community heritage. Every community in Singapore has stories to tell and we organise cultural and heritage activities to transform social spaces and ageing neighbourhoods.

The civic group is founded by Li Yong and Jasper Tan who are the group's President and Vice-President respectively, and have received accolades for its work in documenting, researching, education and advocacy of Queenstown's heritage. Fantastic work I'd say. You can read this to get an idea of what they are doing. By the way, Queenstown is the winner of NHB's Heritage Town Award 2014 which saw the collaboration of My Community, residents and the Queenstown Citizens' Consultative Committee (CCC). The inaugural award from NHB went to Joo Chiat in 2011.

Beside doing a lot of "groundwork", Li Yong and Jasper also did a lot of "blogwork". Prolific bloggers since 2009, they have been writing on Queenstown in the MyQueenstown portal. Like many other bloggers, to reach out to more people they have taken to Facebook and fully migrated in 2011. Their Facebook group is here. MyQueenstown portal is still online though the last post was in 2011.

If you are interested in community heritage, guiding tours, curating exhibitions or researching community history, you can join them as Friends of My Community as a volunteer. My Community is holding a recruitment exercise for new volunteers in 2016. At their Open House on 26 March 2016, volunteers will share experiences on guiding, curating, researching and events organizing. The actual boot camp workshop for volunteers to train them on basic oral history interviews, guiding and research techniques will be on 24 & 30 April 2016. See the poster below.

I'm glad to know the two young gentlemen passionate on community heritage have started this heritage group to tell more people on Queenstown, the first satellite town in Singapore among other firsts. While the focus is more on Queenstown at the moment, I'm given to understand from their mission statement that there may be similar activities conducted for other old housing estates.

Commonwealth & Holland Village Heritage Tour by My Community

March 21, 2016, 10:45 am

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To continue from my previous post, I'm pleased to make the acquaintance of Kwek Li Yong from My Community when he invited me to the media preview of the Commonwealth and Holland Village guided tour that will be launched in April 2016. The tour covers the following heritage sites:

1. Chip Bee Gardens
2. Holland Village
3. Former Eng Wah Theatres
4. Former Kampong Holland Mosque
5. Holland Drive Neighbourhood Centre
6. Shuang Long Shan Wu Shu Memorial Hall
7. Queenstown Lutheran Church
8. Commonwealth Crescent Neighbourhood Centre
9. The First Flatted Factory
10. MOE Heritage Centre
11. Block 85 & 86 Commonwealth Close
12. The VIP Block
13. Former Baharuddin Vocational Institute
14. Ridout Tea Garden
15. 23 Ridout Road, 2 Pierce Drive, India House

During the media preview, Li Yong gave me their "My Queenstown Heritage Trail" booklet published in Feb 2015 and I was told, intriguingly, that it will be reprinted soon. I also came to know two other tours conducted by My Community - Alexandra & Dawson and Tanglin Halt & Margaret Drive. How does their new tour fit into the big picture? I look at their map of "My Queenstown Heritage Trail" and things start to clear up. Here is the map that will presumably be updated with the booklet.

Source: My Community

There are five smaller trails on the map under the umbrella Queenstown Heritage Trail and these roughly coincide with the different neighbourhoods in Queenstown. Historically, a total of 5 neighbourhoods were planned for Queenstown by the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT). Later HDB took over SIT and added Buona Vista and Mei Ling. The name of the trail for the neighborhood in bracket.

1. Princess Estate (Princess Trail)
2. Duchess Estate (Duchess Trail)
3. Tanglin Halt (Wessex & Tanglin Halt Trail)
4. Commonwealth (Commonwealth Trail)
5. Queens' Close & Crescent (Mei Ling and Alexandra Trail)
6. Buona Vista
7. Mei Ling (Mei Ling and Alexandra Trail)

That leave Buona Vista / Holland Village end of Queenstown uncovered and my guess is they are updating the map to include the new location cluster. The guided tours combine the smaller trails and the new tour of Commonwealth & Holland Village will be no different in combining a new smaller trail around Holland Village and the existing Commonwealth Trail.

In my next post, I will blog about the new guided tour in greater detail.

Media Preview - Commonwealth & Holland Village Heritage Tour by My Community (Part 1)

March 25, 2016, 5:13 am

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Having accepted the invite to the media preview of the new heritage tour by My Community, I made my way to Holland Village MRT Station on a Sunday morning to catch the group of "media folks" assembling at 8.15am for the tour. As a first-time participant of their heritage tour, I was given a copy of their "My Queenstown Heritage Trail" booklet which I'm told would be revised soon. By the way you can download the booklet and other publications on My Community's page. All participants were handed bottled water. While the tour took place mostly within sight of civilization housing estates, I'm glad for this bottle even though I brought my own, for it served me well in the arduous journey ahead. Like they say, save the best for the last.




What's unusual is that we were also handed this red compact multi-channel wireless receiver, complete with lanyard and earpiece. No prize for guessing its purpose. With the device, the guide who has the wireless sender can be some distance away from the participants doing an auditory introduction of the landmark without shouting his voice hoarse. Call me suaku (mountain tortoise) but I have never used one in my tours local or overseas. Credit to My Community for innovative use of technology. The device is useful for it allows the participants to wander away from the tour group (not too far of course) and still enjoy running commentary from the guide.

The audio receiver that accompanied me for the trip. Sad to see it go back to its rightful owner when I took this picture at the end of the trip. The earpiece is disposable but I will keep it as a souvenir.

We were told guides for My Community tours are not fixed. Our tour guide this time is Huang Eu Chai who is a volunteer guide and trainer in Friends of My Community. From his personal website I learnt that he is actually a travel consultant specializing in Italy. Eu Chai spent his childhood and adult years in Queenstown. With such relevant personal and industry experience, he is the best man for the job. Indeed, his excellent tour leading skills coupled with the smooth delivery of his commentary shine through on that Sunday morning.

First stop was Chip Bee Gardens but the storytelling started at Holland Village Station. Eu Chai shared with us one interesting nugget on the station design; the proposal to have the exit situated right after the fare gate that would lead one ascending from concourse to ground level to the open space in front of the shop houses, i.e. what is Holland Village Park today. This was not realized; we have exit B and C today on the Holland Village side connected by a "Shop and Dine" corridor to the station.

Design of Holland Village Station exits (image credit: SMRT). Read this complaint how commuters are forced to walk 300m to catch a train.

The post-war history of Holland Village can be read in the context of expanding suburban civilian and military population in Queenstown, Pasir Panjang and Alexandra. It was at Chip Bee Gardens that a military estate comprising six blocks of apartment flats, semi-detached houses and two rows of shop houses was established in the mid-1950s to house British army personnel and families. The apartment flats, between Jalan Rumia and Jalan Merah Saga, are history; in its place is the Merasaga Condominium built in the 1990s. The two rows of shop houses are still at Jalan Merah Saga. While at the back-lane of the Jalan Merah Saga shop houses, Eu Chai shared one geographical tidbit. According to him, the lane did not acquire the name "Warna Road" until quite recently and this apparently was an inconvenience for a residence with opening to the lane. A quick check of old street directories seems to support this. Willyn Ville address is 1 Holland Ave but the entrance is along Warna Road.

The shop houses along Jalan Merah Saga. The ground floor served as a mess hall for the British soldiers before they were converted for retail in 1978, according to info from My Community. Does anyone know which unit exactly?

The back-lane of Jalan Merah Saga shop house that is now Warna Road

Old street directories (left: 1998, right: 2000). The 2000 edition is the first time Warna Road is marked. Considering Willyn Ville was built in 1982, Warna Road did not have a name for many years? The 1998 edition also has a small mistake in the position of the premature right-angled exit of Warna Road.

Having finished Chip Bee Estate, the group made our way to Holland Road Shopping Centre opposite. The new building on my right seems a little out of place. Then I realized the old Taman Warna Post Office which I used to see from Holland Village side had been demolished. By the way, Holland Village with its trademark windmill building (more on this later) was not named after a Dutch settlement. By most accounts, it was an architect and amateur actor Hugh Holland that Holland Road was named after in 1907 and from which the village derived its name.

We stopped at Thambi Magazine Store and Money Changer where arrangement had been made to interview the young boss Sam (Mr P. Senthilmurugan). The elder Mr Thambi (Periathambi G) whom many associated with this iconic magazine stall had passed away in 2013. We learnt from Sam that the business started from his grandfather who delivered newspapers to the military camps and his father expanded into magazines due to a demand from the British servicemen and their families in the area. The store carries about 4000 magazines in the course of the year. Many are in English dealing with specialised / hobbyist topics commanding price tags typical of imported goods; there is certainly an upmarket feel browsing them along the five-foot way. One Caucasian tour participant remarked, "I like them, very simple". He was referring not to the magazines but the mass market children toys on display outside the entrance, reminding us their clientele does span a wide segment of the population.

Eu Chai interviewing Sam on the history behind Thambi Magazine

One is spoilt for choice at Thambi Magazine

Further down from Thambi Magazine, we stopped at the site of former Eng Wah Open Air Cinema at 3 Lorong Liput. Popular among local residents, the open-air cinema was established in the mid-1950s and specialised in Chinese wayang. I learnt the rows of benches for the theater were each rented for 50 cents per show. Affordable entertainment, assuming the bench was long enough to be shared! There is a link here with Thambi Magazine; as shown in My Community's file photo, it was at one corner of the site that the business had their makeshift stall (according to Sam, the business moved around Holland Village before settling at the current spot). The site was boarded up during our visit. No, it is not the open air cinema that was boarded up but Holland Road Shopping Mall (to distinguish from Holland Road Shopping Centre along the main road). The mall had been demolished. Yes, you read it right, Holland Village's iconic windmill building is no more in the name of makeover.

Tucked between the two units at Lorong Liput is a staircase access advertising ice agent and school bus service business. Eu Chai also shared one particular unit along this road that is often changing owner due to ... bad fengshui?

Next stop was Jia Ying Wu Shu Memorial Hall / Ying Fo Fui Kun Cemetery accessible via Holland Ave - Holland Close. This is a significant landmark in the trail as the Ancestral Hall actually predated Queenstown as part of the original 88-acre cemetery established in 1887 for Yin Fo Fui Kun clansmen from Jia Ying prefecture in Guangdong for burial and ancestral worship. The original cemetery (Shuang Long Shan or Double Dragon Hill) was compulsory acquired by HDB in the 1960s as a "logical extension of the Queenstown development". This extension are the estates of Buona Vista and Commonwealth; the hillock we see today walking down Holland Ave is a stark reminder of the cemetery's location. Today only 4.5 acres remain of the original 88; the neat rows of headstones, all looking surprisingly uniform, are from the original cemetery. The group learnt there are no physical remains under the headstones (note: from MyQueenstown Heritage Trail booklet, the ashes in urns were placed at either under the headstones, at the columbarium in the old Ancestral Hall or at the newer Ying Fo Fui Kun Memorial Hall; it remains to be seen how any urns are still under the headstones). As it was approaching Cheng Beng (Chinese's All Souls' Day), we saw folks making offerings and a canopy set up in front of the Ancestral Hall to prepare for the occasion. The Hall houses ancestral tablets since early 20th century and in 1926 a school was established in the hall (Ying Xin School) to provide education for the children.

Remnants of the original Shuang Long Shan at Ying Fo Fui Kun Cemetery. Ironically the hillock that once embraced these tombstones now house the HDB blocks while the tombstones are on flat ground.

From Google Map. The Ancestral Hall with the half-moon lake in front; as pointed out by the guide, the building is not aligned with the tombstones due to traditional practice of chinese buildings facing south.

We were directed to the slope at the back of the Ancestral Hall by one of their folks to look at this stone. This is no ordinary stone; it is one of the five element stones used in the construction of the Hakka Ancestral Hall.

Ying Fo Fui Kun Cemetery marks the beginning of the Commonwealth Trail for our tour. We have left Holland Village, which many residents see as part of Buona Vista neighborhood, to venture into another neighborhood in Queenstown.

Stay tuned for Part 2.

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Media Preview - Commonwealth & Holland Village Heritage Tour by My Community (Part 2)

March 28, 2016, 7:57 am

≫ Next: HeritageFest 2016: Former Command House @ Kheam Hock Road

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This is a continuation of Part 1.




The group left Yin Fo Fui Kun Cemetery for our next destination via Blk 32 Holland Close where we were told the MP from Tanjong Pagar GRC (i.e. Chan Chun Sing) have his "Meet the People Session"; none of us could figure out the geographical wisdom of placing Buona Vista (not Queenstown which is another division under the GRC) under Tanjong Pagar and to add to the confusion, Eu Chai pointed out Buona Vista used to be under Holland-Bukit Panjang GRC! We passed by the pyramidal roof Queenstown Lutheran Church where Eu Chai spent his kindergarten years and observed the facade remain largely unchanged through the years.

Our destination is Commonwealth Crescent Neighborhood Centre which comprised of shop units arranged around a quadrangle and itself surrounded by blocks arranged in a circular manner much like a walled village. The highlight here is Sin Palace Hair Dressing and Beauty Saloon managed by Mr Ong Choon Kwee, one of Singapore's last experts in the traditional art of ear cleaning. I love ear cleaning within the comfort of home and wondered how the experience is like outside. According to My Queenstown Heritage Trail booklet, after the haircut:

Next, he will use his assortment of tools, ranging from tweezers, brushes and picks, to fish out the ear wax. Then a small fluffy brush is swished around the inner ear before he wipes his customer's eye and nose. Thereafter, the tongue is scrapped gently with a special knife to remove any white coating.

Kudos to the tour organizers who asked for permission tactically, without revealing the actual number of participants, to allow the group to enter the saloon. There was a customer inside and what a shock he must have felt as we took turns to squeeze into the confined space behind the chairs for our shots. Outside the saloon, we met Mr Lim Thiam Choo from Queenstown Poh Piah, another pioneer business from the neighborhood. Interestingly they are in the niche business of selling pohpiah skin. The elderly Lim retired in 2011 and his eldest son has carried on his tradition.

Sin Palace Hair Dressing Saloon - 乐宫冷气理发院. I'm not sure why 乐宫 becomes Sin Palace, is "Sin" a dialect reading of 乐? Behold, you see our group's reflection in the glass.

To call this old-school (and the customer surprised) will not be an understatement. I love the tap in front of the saloon chair.

Singapore's first flatted factory at Commonwealth Drive, a short way away, was our next stop. Inaugurated on 30 May 1965, the success of this pilot project had the Economic Development Board (EDB) go on to build 38 more flatted factories across the country. The star here is not the modern-looking building but Madam Noorsia Binte Abdul Gani who has been living with her husband and four children in Commonwealth since they relocated from Toa Payoh 31 years ago. She was a former employee of Wing Heng, an electronics company, at the flatted factory. As the organizers and guide repeatedly emphasized, the location of the light industry factory in Queenstown meant a ready supply of labour and encouraged women to enter the workforce. For Madam Noorsia, her house was nearby and so was the children's school; it was convenient for her to fetch the kids and prepare meals for the family.

The first flatted factory managed by Mapletree Investments today looking surprisingly modern

Madam Noorsia, in what used to be her children's school, recounting her experience living and working in the Commonwealth Neighborhood

At MOE Heritage Centre where Madam Noorsia recounted her experience, there was special arrangement to have a tour within a tour. Opened in September 2011, the Heritage Centre took over what was New Town Primary School which in turn absorbed what was Permaisura Primary School in one-half of the compound. And so Eu Chai handed us over to the MOE staff but not his mike, as he jokingly acknowledged the teachers had no need for any assisted device to project their voice. We were broken up into two groups and guided by docents who are retired principals. The galleries that showcase Singapore's education story from the early 19th century (note: photography not allowed inside) was a brief respite from the heat outdoors but the best had to be the free snacks and gift (notebook with PETS Coursebook cover) for us, normally reserved for teachers on guided tours. In fact we ended up grabbing last year's SG50 "Good Morning 'Cher" goodie bag from them as they dished out the surplus. We ended with a group shot at the lobby.

MOE Heritage Centre is opened to public every Friday and from Monday to Friday during the school holidays

The garden where I saw rice, kangkung, chye sim and sweet potato being planted

With Compliments from MOE Heritage Centre

On the way to visit the VIP block, we stopped for a photo op at Blk 85 / 86 Commonwealth Close. This would be a nondescript grassy slope between two blocks if not for the picture Choo Lip Sin, one of My Community's volunteers, was going to show us - a beaming Lee Kuan Yew captured at the same spot due to, presumably, the success of HDB's "Home Ownership for the People" scheme that was launched in the 1960s with Commonwealth as the first precinct.

What is Lip Sin holding in his file? Here is the close up of the content.

The VIP block is so named because one can enjoy a panoramic view of Queenstown and hence the perfect place to bring in foreign dignitaries in the 1960s and 1970s to showcase Singapore's success in public housing. One lady resident recalled the impromptu visit by Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, in 1965. As we listened to her account of the visit (she was a kid at that time), we can't help but contrast with the visit by the Duke's grandson and granddaughter-in-law in 2012 also in Queenstown (they visited the Strathmore area) where activities were "staged" to the amusement of netizens. Block 81 the VIP block and the neighboring Block 82 and 83 gave the neighborhood the colloquial name Chap Lak Lao (Hokkien: 16th storey). As we made our way up to the 16th floor corridor, we had a demonstration of the range of the wireless receiver. We could still hear Eu Chai who chose to remain at the playground below the block.

The lady resident recounted the visit by Prince Philip

The panoramic view from the top of Blk 81

From the lift landing looking across Queensway, a forested patch beckons us

The VIP block has such commanding presence due to the number of floors and the building situated on high ground. To get to Ridout Tea Garden, our next stop, we had to descend down a flight of steps to Queensway. We were told by Eu Chai the road had been raised from the last few steps actually going up; and also widened, from the bizarre zig-zag boundary fence of the former Baharuddin Vocational Institute compound due to road reclamation of the school compound.

An oddity - steps leading up to the pavement due to the raised level of the road

So we trooped to Ridout Tea Garden. No, we weren't there for the McDonald's though we did pass through it to get to our next destination and being told in no uncertain terms by Eu Chai this was our last stop to answer nature's call before the end of the tour. Must I add the feeling of air-con was refreshing from the late morning sun outside and the soft drinks (need to pay, of course) a life saver for some people? Formerly Queenstown Japanese Garden, the first Japanese-themed community garden in Singapore, it was opened in 1970 as recreational facility for residents in Queenstown. Unfortunately it was burnt down on 26 June 1978 from a huge blaze originating from a furniture shop in the garden. In fact, one can see a L-shaped scorched red-bricked wall outside McDonald's, the remnant from the 1978 fire, so we were told. From the ashes of the former garden, Ridout Tea Garden comprising a pavilion, tea kiosk and Japanese-styled garden was built in 1980.

The burnt red-bricked wall that reminds us of the 1978 fire

Ridout Tea Garden behind McDonald's, the Japanese-styled garden is obliterated?

After Ridout Tea Garden and making our way through FarEastFlora to Ridout Road, we found ourselves outside Queenstown boundary in a forested area with good class bungalows (GCB) hidden behind fences and trees. Like Eu Chai who had no idea such a world existed during his childhood years staying at Margaret Drive, many Queenstown residents are probably ignorant what lies underneath the forested patch visible from Blk 81 the VIP block. Those who can afford the bungalows do value the privacy and exclusivity. I do not recall seeing any residents in the sprawling estate other than a yellow Porsche that left us in the dust.

One such bungalow is 35 Ridout Road, the first GCB on your right as you exit FarEastFlora. We were told this desolate bungalow was sold at a staggering ballpark of S$95 million! According to the news, the sprawling 73,277 sq ft freehold site was a "trustee sale due to a court order arising from the resolution of a dispute in the family of the late property tycoon, Chow Cho Poon". The site is so big that it can be subdivided into four smaller GCB plots.

The original two-storey bungalow at 35 Ridout Road

The Ridout and Pierce Road area is also home to two members of the diplomatic corps. 23 Ridout Road, a conserved GCB designed by architect Frank W Brewer with exposed bricks and textured plasterwork, is residence for the Ambassador from the Royal Dutch Embassy. The Residence for High Commissioner of India is at 2 Pierce Road. India House, as it is popularly known, is a tropical black and white bungalow thought to be commissioned by wealthy businessman Ong Sam Leong in 1911.

Residence of the Dutch Ambassador with a distinctive style inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement

An eclectic house at 2 Pierce Drive

Another black and white bungalow

The number of surviving colonial bungalows in the area point to its history as one of the earliest of the postwar military estates built in the 1920s to accommodate the growing number of military personnel on the island; in this case Ridout Road to the north of Tanglin Barracks (also Ridley Park to the south) house married officers and their families. Even the road names reflect our colonial heritage: Sir Dudley Ridout was General Officer Commanding of Troops in the Straits Settlement from 1915 to 1921 and Sir Frank Swettenham was Governor of the Straits Settlements between 1901 and 1904.

As we trudged on to reach our end point at Holland Road, trees line the single carriageway, shielding us from the brutal heat of the midday sun and also remind us what was there before the arrival of the colonial bungalows in the 1920s. The guides shared on the rubber trees in our midst, the vestiges of Ulu Pandan Rubber Estate that the area was once a part of. Our end took us right to the beginning of Queenstown's social history as a rubber plantation. After all, the first residents in Holland and Commonwealth were gambier and rubber planters working on land holding owned by the Chinese businessman Tan Kim Seng.

Along the lonely road with vestiges of the rubber estate

At the end point

Our Commonwealth and Holland Village heritage tour ended at 1230 sharp at the junction of Peirce Road and Holland Road. To the organizers, guides and participants who had made it this far with me, thank you!

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If you are interested to join the free Commonwealth and Holland Village heritage tour by My Community, do check out the schedule on their Eventbrite. As I see it, the first public tour starts from Sunday, 15 May 2016 and it has been sold out.

HeritageFest 2016: Former Command House @ Kheam Hock Road

May 19, 2016, 10:40 am

≫ Next: Relaunch of Old Catholic High School Building (222 Queen Street & 51 Waterloo Street)

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One year after SG50, heritage events feel so muted that they are becoming like a non-event, in contrast with the myraid of activities rolled out to celebrate Singapore's jubilee in 2015. By coincidence I chanced upon the HeritageFest 2016 festival guide at the branch library, picked a copy expecting to find mass free admission to our museums and disappointed when there is none, glanced through the rest of the booklet and found out the open house event for "Former Command House". It was a rare opportunity, one too good to pass up.



What is this "Command House" that is the campus of UBS Business University since 2010? Before that, it was UBS Wealth Management Campus-Asia Pacific from 2007. By the way, UBS was originally an abbreviation for "Union Bank of Switzerland", now the world's largest manager of private wealth assets. Its history goes a long way back to 1856. The PMB plaque put up at the main entrance after it was gazetted as a National Monument in 2009 gives a short summary of the building.

Command House PMB plaque

Registration for the event is via Peatix. You register for a ticket which allows you to board the shuttle bus free at certain timings on 7 and 8 May from Botanic Gardens MRT Station. The ticket is printable or you can simply flash the e-ticket from the Peatix app in your mobile to the usher at the shuttle bus waiting area. This I did and in return I got a small, unmarked sticker for my clothes. Some bus timings are allocated to folks who sign up for the building tour, which will set one back by $5 ($3 for student/senior citizen). As yours truly is a fan of free admission, I did not have to pay a single cent gave the tour a pass. Unexpectedly, there was no queue at the waiting area. In fact there was only a single passenger in the bus that was waiting. To describe the interior of my shuttle bus "spacious" would be an understatement.

Our shuttle bus with only three passengers at my chosen timing (me, junior and the lady in front). On the return trip, I got the front seat.

The bus made a U-turn at Adam Road junction, continued past College Green and turned left into Kheam Hock Road. Our destination is just after Jalan Tempua. In a 1950 photomap by the Royal Air Force, we can see just how much the neighborhood have remained intact. Kheam Hock Road is marked out, Jalan Tempua has been laid and oddly enough, the plot of land where the SPC petrol station is located today (the squarish roof in 2015) was already well defined even though the surrounding plots were empty. The biggest constant is of course Command House, the main building with its east and west wings sitting at the north of a stately tree-lined compound aligned along a north-south axis. What is not obvious from the photomap is the elevation: Command House is located at the top of a hill with terraced slope. To get to the top, we had to pass a barrier gate and a guard-house, then up the driveway with a gentle incline to the main building. Looking at the security in place (I'd talk about the guards later), I do not think the campus is open to public for "heritage exploration" outside of the event.

Command House, Kheam Hock Road (1950, 2015)

The campus greets us from the terraced slope just after the main gate

Open house activities were in full swing even as our shuttle bus came to a complete stop outside the main entrance. There was an ongoing building tour; I spotted a big group admiring the scenery from the balcony on the second level. There was also a classical music performance by students from Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music scheduled at 3 pm in Banyan Room on the first level. I arrived early, saw the instruments and food, but did not get to enjoy the music. Admission to the music event is $20 on the HeritageFest event page. Yes, there was refreshment on the first level and it caused some confusion in me. You see, as described above, there were at least three groups of participants that day and it was not stated prominently the refreshment's intended recipients. To make it worse, the food looked ripe for the picking and no security measure was in place to "guard the food". Shouldn't I be entitled to at least a welcome drink on the House? The temptation to just grab a can of drink felt so great. In the end, I rationalized the risk is not worth it. As a freeloader, I had the least excuse to belong to the group entitled to food and drinks on the House!

Shuttle bus outside the main entrance

The performing venue Banyan Room on level 1

The buffet spread at the veranda on level 1

The freeloader also does not enjoy a formal introduction to the House. When the building tour group could be found indoor, there was this urge to quietly slip in join in to eavesdrop listen to the running commentary by the guide, but what if I'm spotted and embarrassingly questioned by the lady guide, to the chagrin of the paying tour participants? In this regard, it is nice to know NHB put up an information panel on the House, located prominently at the entrance hallway, as part of HeritageFest 2016. As we learnt from the panel, architecturally this building is significant as an example of pre-war British colonial residence heavily influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement with its emphasis on craftsmanship. The use of exposed materials, like the distinct brick arches on the facade of Command House; and the love of natural forms, seen in Command House's "butterfly plan", are typical of buildings inspired by the Arts and Crafts Movement. I have covered another Arts and Crafts Movement building, 23 Ridout Road, the official residence for the Dutch Ambassador, in my previous blog on Holland Village and Commonwealth Heritage Tour. Perhaps not so coincidentally, Frank W. Brewer who designed 23 Ridout Road may have also designed Command House.

NHB information panel on Former Command House

The distinctive brick arches on the facade

The voussoirs forming the brick arch

Exposed bricks at HeritageFest 2016

While I missed out on the building tour, I was able to "catch up" on social media by reading the experiences of those who joined or have done more research on the topic. Ever the prolific heritage blogger, Jerome Lim wrote about his visits - twice - to Former Command House which you can read here and here. I now have a better understanding of the house after the bit of education. I learnt the large room behind the veranda where I saw the buffet spread on the east wing may have served as a dining room. When renovations at the Istana elevated the house to become the temporary residence of the President of Singapore from 1996 to 1998, balustrade panels were added to the grand staircase after the entrance hallway. The television cabinet and two chests at the luxurious lounge area on the upper level that separates the east and west wing also date from those presidential days. The balcony on the east wing, where I first saw a tour group enjoying the scenery, is connected to what was once the President's bedroom. At the other end, the west wing was where we would find a guest room and children's bedroom.

The grand staircase after the entrance hallway with its balustrade panels

The balcony outside what would have been the Presidential Suite

Looking into what would have been the Presidential Suite at the end. The view looking out from the suite.

The view from the Presidential Balcony (the two folks intending to walk out on foot?)

Another view from the Presidential Balcony (guardhouse down the slope in the background)

Visitors were able to roam outside the building though not beyond an invisible boundary, as I would found out the hard way. In the true spirit of a heritage explorer, I must have ventured too far away from the main building and attracted the attention and ire of a security guard. When I descended down the second flight of terrace stairs, he blew his whistle and the beep gave me quite a shock. Have I become a security threat? As far as I know, there was no sign that prohibit visitors from crossing the invisible boundary.

An invisible boundary lay await after the terrace stairs to trap the overly-enthusiastic explorer

Red-bricked stairs (close up) provide an interesting contrast and break up what would otherwise be a monotonous terrace lawn

The flagstaff structure looking imposing from a distance but with no flag hoisted was a subject of attention for the building tour groups. Gone are the days when it would hoist the Union Jack when Flagstaff House, the older name of Command House, served as the official residence of sixteen General Officers Commanding (GOC) Malaya and Singapore between 1938 and 1971, before handed over to the Singapore government following the withdrawal of British military in Singapore. The curious reader can see a rare 1957 photo of the Union Jack hoisted at Flagstaff House, taken from an album in the Royal Green Jackets and Former Regiments Photographic History pages.

The flagstaff of Former Command House

A tennis court on the side of the west wing, also visible in the 1950 RAF photomap

Relaunch of Old Catholic High School Building (222 Queen Street & 51 Waterloo Street)

May 26, 2016, 6:14 am

≫ Next: Curator's Tour of From the Stacks: Highlights of the National Library

≪ Previous: HeritageFest 2016: Former Command House @ Kheam Hock Road

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From its sprawling seven-hectare campus in Bishan which housed both primary and secondary sections since 1992, one could not have imagined Catholic High School's more humbled beginnings in town from 1935 when French missionary Reverend Father Edward Becheras started "Sino-English School" as an extension of the Church of St. Peter and Paul. Rapid expansion saw a new three-storied building block erected on the church grounds in 1936, one that would become the familiar face of Catholic High School at 222 Queen Street for more than 50 years. On 21 May 2016, I was honored to be invited by 222 Queen + 51 Waterloo to witness the relaunch of the Old Catholic High School building on its 80th anniversary celebration.

Original name of the school at the 51 Waterloo Street building

Its 80th anniversary celebration would not have materialized if not for the hard work of one old boy of the school, property developer and philanthropist Daniel Teo who in 2009 successfully bidded for the government-owned site and pumped in at least $2.5 million to convert it to a centre of the arts and private museum. This was after the building laid vacant for more than 15 years; an Auditor-General's report in 2008 flagged out the rental revenue lost, as a result of unsuccessful attempts by the National Heritage Board to come out with a proposal to develop the building by itself or with the private sector when it was allocated to the Ministry of Information, Communications and Arts from 2000. In contrast, its primary school wing across the road erected in 1951 was successfully converted to become 8Q SAM in 2008 after the Land Authority repossessed the 4-storey building in 2007 when the Kim Yan Cantonese Methodist Church ended its tenancy.

Church of St. Peter and Paul adjoining 51 Waterloo Street with 8Q SAM in the background. I recall reading students used to run around the church due to lack of open space in the school. The boundary wall would have been added later.

The school that was born inside the church. The sounding of church bells will be familiar to the old boys back for a visit.

For the 80th anniversary event, Daniel Teo was the distinguished guest. Daughter Rachel Teo and Andrew Lau, a director of 222 Queen Street and part of the team who developed Old School @ Mount Sophia, played host to the event. The guest of honor was Member of Parliament Mr Baey Yam Keng, Parliamentary Secretary, Minister of Culture, Community and Youth, also an old boy of the school who wore, for the special occasion, four of his old Catholic High School badges that he has kept for the last 30 years. Other special guests among the alumni who turned up include Chao Hick Tin, an appellate judge in the Supreme Court of Singapore and former Attorney-General of Singapore.

Old boy Baey Yam Keng with his personal collection old Catholic High School badges (normal, prefect, monitor and librarian)

The relaunch of old Catholic High School building took the form of the unveiling of a series of heritage murals commissioned for the event by the guest of honor, painted over what could have been the doors of a series of classrooms, and done by our very own artists, Yip Yew Chong and Yuen Kum Cheong. Yip, if you are not aware, is the amazing muralist who made a name for himself decorating Singapore's neighborhoods. The colorful murals depict notable landmarks in this part of town where the old school was located, like Odeon Cinema which had one of the guests exclaiming that was where he watched Star Wars, as the group stopped in front of the mural and the John Williams score from the movie started playing in the air as if on cue; disappearing trades, like the ice-ball tantalizing displayed beside the image of two schoolboys slurping the snack from their palms; and image of the school's founder Father Edward Becheras with two students, reproduced from the statue now standing in the school's Bishan campus, in front of a rail corridor to illustrate his philosophy for the school, "The way of the Catholic High School is a way made of two rails - Chinese and English, free from any entanglement, straight to its end. Happy are those who follow. They shall obtain the scope of a sound education".

The heritage murals unveiled by the Guest-of-Honor Mr Baey Yam Keng

Mural of Army Market supplier at Beach Road, one of the endangered trade

Mural of Odeon Theatre with Star Wars playing. Many watch their first Star Wars film (A New Hope) in this cinema.

The irresistible ice-ball for school children from the olden days

School founder the late Father Edward Becheras showing the way of Catholic High School

Murals from yesteryear was another highlight of the guided tour for the guest of honor, which also had the rest of us in the media team covering the event tagging along. As an old boy, he would not be surprised by the murals uncovered during restoration of what was once the school hall added vertically to the building in the 1960s as Lee Kuo Chuan Hall. These murals by old Catholic High students are preserved, painstakingly restored to their former glory; and the Hall, partitioned off into a series of rooms, is now home to the Singapore Ballet Academy. Unfortunately unlike the modern murals by Yip and Yuen, not much is known about their older counterparts, who and why painted them and the painters' whereabouts; the Catholic High Alumni welcomes any information on the murals from their page.

Old school corner in Lee Kuo Chuan Hall at one end of the building

The murals by Old Catholic High School students near the ceiling

The Guest-of-Honor with students from Singapore Ballet Academy

In keeping with the theme that is now obvious, the organizers arranged for vendors to prepare snacks and refreshments more commonly associated with the era when Catholic High was located in Queen Street. There was the kacang-puteh man, not to be missed when you were catching a movie in the old theatres; the ice-kacang lady who served delectable dessert that day in a bowl and not a ball, but still delicious and worthy of food-porn nevertheless; the satay lady who set up shop beside the staircase landing and whose skewered meat must have filled many stomachs that morning; and last but not least, the guy who distributed glass-bottled Vitamilk to thirsty guests who needed no reminder that the bottle is to be returned after drinking.

Delectable dessert from the event

The satay lady

Vitamilk bottled drink

Do check out the building's website where you'd find the list of tenants at 222 Queen Street and 51 Waterloo Street (222+51) and also ongoing events. Admission to them is free. The relaunch and 80th anniversary celebration that I have blogged took place in 51. Due to time constraint, I did not explore 222. If you happen to be in the area, do consider hopping over next door (55 Waterloo Street) for your meal. Crossings Cafe is a social enterprise serving up delicious comfort food at affordable price.

Click here for the rest of the photos taken during the event

Curator's Tour of From the Stacks: Highlights of the National Library

June 12, 2016, 8:27 am

≪ Previous: Relaunch of Old Catholic High School Building (222 Queen Street & 51 Waterloo Street)

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This June holiday, I was privileged to receive a Media Invite to a special curator's tour of the ongoing National Library exhibition "From the Stacks: Highlights of the National Library" which showcases highlights of its Rare Materials Collection dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries that are normally off limits for public viewing.

It was a family event - yes they invited us and our families - with as many child participants as there are adults, which probably explains why this Media Invite took so long to happen after the exhibition started in January (just kidding, though using June holiday to attract family visitors might have been true). I will not go into details of the exhibition since you can read about them in Vol. 11 / Issue 04 of BiblioAsia, the library's free quarterly publication. This particular issue also serves as the exhibition catalogue with the librarians covering 50 highlights of the exhibition, each of them an individual article. You can find BiblioAsia online.

Author's note: There is a "Panduan Galeri" in the goodie bag for tour participants. This is the Malay version of what might possibly be the actual exhibition catalogue. As I have not seen the English version, BiblioAsia is the closest I have to an exhibition catalogue.

Enthusiastic kids in this educational family event

Biblioasia covering 50 highlights of the Rare Materials Collection that are presented in the exhibition

Curator Chung Sang Hong did a marvelous job shepherding the participants though the maze of exhibits, zoning on the highlights, explaining the backstory of their acquisition, posing questions to stimulate the crowd (with eager kids usually the first to answer), and took questions. When I got down to reading the issue of BiblioAsia later, I realized some of the more interesting things he covered are not in the write-up. Alas, it is at times like this that you regret not paying closer attention to the curator while multi-tasking away snapping at the artifacts!

One example is a manuscript "Address to Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh by the Singapore Chinese Merchants on the Occasion of His Visit to Singapore in 1869" in the form of a double-sided folded sheet with carved wooden front and back covers. On one side, we have a Loyalty Address to the Prince the second son of Queen Victoria, the message written in gold ink in Chinese with an accompanying English translation, signed by more than 80 leading light of the Chinese society; the reverse side features a painting of Singapore viewed from Telok Ayer. The manuscript was donated to the National Library in 2009 by a private collector Geoffrey Edwards. In tracing its provenance, the Curator explained it was found in a marketplace in Germany before making its way to the auction house. With Queen Victoria's husband Prince Albert of the German Saxe-Coburg-Gotha line, the British royal family would have owned properties in Germany. The Loyalty Address, he speculated, could have slipped out of one such property in Germany due to a household staff who overlooked it during spring-cleaning!

The Loyalty Address with the front and back wooden covers intricately hand-carved with phoenixes (Image courtesy of National Library Board)

The painting on the reverse side inspired by "Singapore from Mount Wallich" by Percy Carpenter (Image courtesy of National Library Board)

"From the Stacks" is also the story of our National Library's effort at collecting, building and preserving documents for more than a century into what is today the Rare Material Collection, a history from its beginnings as the Singapore Library (1844-74), evolving into Raffles Library (1874-1955), a brief interlude as the Syonan Library (1942-1945) and finally the National Library from 1960. The four eras are beautifully captured in the library stamps used over the decades. Visitors especially kids will be thrilled to know they can stamp a record card at the end of the exhibition like a librarian from the old days. When I was younger, I used to enjoy the stamping sound on the borrower sheet, an experience they tried to replicate on the earlier generation of self-checkout machines. Alas, this experience is missing in the latest generation of self-checkout machines. What a pity, perhaps the developer grew up when the stamps are already made obsolete.

The activity that got the kids excited - stamping their record card with the four different chops!

My record card stamped with the different chops representing the four eras

Specimen of the actual Syonan Library stamp