I bid farewell. Goodbye 74 to 80 Commonwealth Drive.

Seven blocks, Block 74 to 80 at Commonwealth Drive have been vacated for the Selective En Bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS). The replacement flats for the residents are located across the road, at Blk 50 to Blk 54 Commonwealth Drive.

A long queue to collect the goodie bags and to register.

Yesterday, on 3 Oct 2015, from 1100 to 1900 hrs, there was a commemorative event "Goodbye 74 - 80 Commonwealth Drive" to bid farewell to this estate before the blocks of flats are demolished.

Photography exhibition at Commonwealth Drive.

During the event, I had the privilege to gain access to the ground, second and third level of Block 74. At the second level of Block 74 Commonwealth Drive, visitors were treated to a photography exhibition by Nicky Loh Photography and Erwin Tan. I was intrigued by the privileged access to the flats more than the photography exhibition. I suppose the artists would forgive me for this.

Photography exhibition at Commonwealth Drive.

I did not get the coupons to the event so I decided to give free ice-cream a miss. I felt a sense of sadness in the air. Could the people queuing for the ice-cream and the tidbits be at the event because they would like to relive their experiences of the estate that will be demolished? Maybe the ice-cream and the tidbits could be excuses for their presence? It would be easier to tell friends that one was there for the ice-cream than to tell that one had braved the haze and heat, to bid farewell to Block 74 to 80 Commonwealth Drive. Yet, everyone who was present at the event had a good reason and a story to tell.

The queues for ice-cream and tidbits.

My story was that I had wanted to be a part of this shared and collective memory of a community of people who bid farewell to Block 74 to 80 Commonwealth. I was curious to find out how the estate had looked like before it was physically demolished.

My eyes were fascinated by the design elements that I could see every step that I stepped on at this to-be-demolished Block 74 to 80 Commonwealth Drive estate. The design of the stairway, the design of the doors, the symmetry found on the metal gates, an occasional unlikely find of a withered plant and the lines formed by the pillars of the void deck. Nearby the estate was the Green Corridor. There was a time when the KTM trains travelled near the estate and literally became everyone's daily alarm clock? Were you one of the residents who miss the sound of the trains, or even the sound of the crickets at certain moments of the day?

Peering into one of the units.

Did you notice the lines and the symmetry?

A withered plant along one of the corridors.

The Green Corridor.

Visitors to the event were also treated to free movie screenings of "Singapore Dreaming", "Taxi Taxi" and "7 Letters". For the people who prefer music more than movies, they had the option to listen to the performances by White Ribbon Live Music, ShiGGa Shay, Tay Kexin and the Switch.

We have the organizers (My Community, Queenstown Citizens' Consultative Committee) to thank for organizing the event. The community obviously welcomed the opportunity to come together to grieve and yet commemorate an estate that will be demolished.

May the visitors who had came to this event with a heart as heavy as gold feel better after bidding farewell to the estate with their presence. Together we grieved and mourned the loss of a place that was part of our collective memory. May we forge more meaningful ones by integrating our memories from the past with our present and our future.

BUKIT BROWN CONVERSATIONS : Ukelady (The NUS Ukelele Girl) meets Ukebaba

Have you heard about the girl who sings and plays the ukelele on the NUS (National University of Singapore) Shuttle Bus to make NUS and Singapore a happier place?

What will happen when Teng Yen Lin aka the NUS Ukelele Girl visits the Bukit Brown Cemetery?

Check out this music video: The Ukelady (The NUS Ukelele Girl) meets Ukebaba!
If you enjoy this video or the music, please 'like' it and share it. Thank you!

***
To read about how this project was initiated, please visit the following two links:
A Music Video for Bukit Brown
http://bukitbrown.com/main/?p=7719

A morning at Bukit Brown

Bukit Brown Cemetery.

There was no air-conditioning. There was no proper toilet. Yet, I felt blessed with the great riches that Nature has to offer when I spend a morning at the Bukit Brown Cemetery.

I was treated to fresh air that refreshed my body, the lovely chirping of the birds, the gentle rustling of the leaves, the vast area of greenery relatively untouched by development (a rare sight in Singapore), and wonderful company in fellow heritage and/or nature lovers who have decided to spend a morning at Bukit Brown cemetery, possibly regarded by many to be worthy of being considered a Heritage Park.

A horse enjoying a leisure stroll about Bukit Brown cemetery grounds.

It was the morning of 22 Dec 2012, soaked in the wealth of the material culture at Bukit Brown, I was simply fascinated by the rich amount of heritage that is hidden in this place only waiting to be rediscovered. That morning, I was also rewarded with sightings of horses having their leisure morning strolls at Bukit Brown.

During my visit, I saw woodpeckers and heard the sounds of some interesting birds. I think it is way better to spend time out in Nature than in the shopping malls. Hopefully some of the mall owners themselves will agree with me as well.

Double tombs of Tok Cheng Tuan and Oon Tuan Cheng.

Led by the passionate volunteer guides, myself and other participants explored various parts of the cemetery. One of the tombs that we visited was the double tombs of Tok Cheng Tuan and Oon Tuan Cheng. This tomb caught my eyes with the presence of large benches and an extraordinary large size portraits at the tomb-site. We learnt that Tok and his wife's remains are to be exhumed for a proposed highway. I wonder what could be done to save this lovely double tombs?

Resting place of Tay Koh Yat.

Another tomb that we had visited was that of Tay Koh Yat. I had first visited this tomb in June 2011 with a group of friends with Mr Raymond Goh explaining to us about this respectable man who was admired for his patriotism. He had formed and led a self-defence force before the Japanese invasion. Somehow, as I stood before Tay Koh Yat's tomb, I felt a strange sense of deja vu as the volunteer guides gave their account of this respectable man.

We also visited the tombs of Mr and Mrs Tan Yong Thian. It was one of the tombs that my friends and I had visited too back in June 2011. This site has remained very well-maintained by its descendants. Yet much has changed at Bukit Brown and I was feeling anxious that the date of the construction of the proposed highway would be drawing near.

Tombs with stakes beside them.

Is building a highway through a century-old heritage cemetery (and near the water-catchment area) the only and long-term solution to ease peak-hour traffic congestion at the area? Furthermore, during non-peak-hours, travelling along Lornie Road is relatively quite a breeze. I have only more questions as I start asking myself.

A tomb with Dutch inscriptions.

Anyway, one of the interesting tombs that we saw during our tour was a tomb with Dutch inscriptions. This was the tomb of Tan Tang Hoaj who probably have business or trade dealings with the Dutch. This tomb was one of the tombs with a stake, marking that it will be affected by the construction of the proposed highway.

It was rare nowadays to see a Teochew tomb decorated with porcelain. This tomb is the resting place of Tan Swee Kee who was one of the founders and directors of Sze Hai Tong Bank. The porcelain somehow added a poetic touch to the tomb.

The tomb that had left an impression on me was that of Lee Kim Soo who had shared a similar date of birth as yours truly only that he was born in a different year. Lee Kim Soo became rich from manufacturing matches.

When the tour officially ended, on our way to the roundabout, we saw a large monitor lizard camouflaging itself against the textured trunk of a tree. Where would it move to if the construction of the proposed highway were to take place?

During the tour about Bukit Brown, I met the Rojak Librarian in person and upon special request from other participants, he led us to visit the tomb of Tan Keng Lee. We also visited the tomb of Tan Keng Lee's father, Tan Tiong Seng. A moving story was told.

All I had wanted was a morning close to Nature and heritage. I had reaped way more than I had imagined that very morning. I have learnt personal histories than spanned across decades. Many thanks to the volunteer guides for their wonderful work in raising the public's awareness of Bukit Brown cemetery.

A moving poem that I had came across that day.

Bukit Brown Cemetery
Bus services available:  52, 74, 93, 157, 165, 852, 855.
Nearby MRT stations: Botanic Gardens, Farrer Road, Marymount.
Alight at Bus Stop #41149, opposite Singapore Island Country Club (SICC), Adam Road.
Alternatively, alight at Bus Stop #41141 and cross the nearest overhead bridge to reach Sime Road.
Directions to the cemetery's gate: Walk towards Sime Road, walk along Kheam Hock Road until you see Lor Halwa.
- Visit Leone Fabre's blog for a step-by-step instruction to get to Bukit Brown Cemetery.

***
Please also read:
Visiting Tips! (All Things Bukit Brown)
Bukit Brown Cemetery (Singapore Heritage Society)
All Things Bukit Brown
Bukit Brown Heritage Park
Wild Singapore
Oon Tuan Cheng: A Life of Loss
Tok Cheng Tuan (Bukit Brown) by Rojak Librarian
The Fall of Singapore - 15th February 1942
Tay Koh Yat (Bukit Brown) by Rojak Librarian
Heritage trail of Bukit Brown Cemetery by Dexterine Ho
Tan Yong Thian by Rojak Librarian
A dutch tomb in Bukit Brown by Rojak Librarian
Tan Swee Kee (Bukit Brown) by Rojak Librarian
Unveiling Lee Kim Soo by Rojak Librarian
Died of Grief
Tan Keng Lee (Bukit Brown) by Rojak Librarian

PY: Siong Leng's pilgrimage to Kusu Tua Pek Kong Temple

Kusu Island,
The Turtle Island
One of the Southern Islands in Singapore
There stood Kusu Tua Pek Kong Temple,
The Kusu Keramat
And the beauty of a land
Relatively untouched by development
Closer to Nature
Closer to our origins.


Here's a link to a post on my visit to the Kusu Island together with Siong Leng on 3 Nov 2012: PY: Siong Leng's pilgrimage to Kusu Tua Pek Kong Temple

Heritage Connects at Tanjong Pagar Railway Station

A chance to ride on vintage scooters.

This is a piece of news for anyone who is interested in a motoring heritage exhibition this weekend. On 8 and 9 Sep 2012, from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., find your way to the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station. Admission is free.

For more information, please visit this recent blog that I have written:
Heritage Connects at Tanjong Pagar Railway Station

The Ramadan Trails at Sultan Mosque

On 8 Aug 2012, I took part in one of the Ramadan Trails organized by the Sultan Mosque, Singapore. Please find out more about my experiences of the Ramadan Trail here: The Ramadan Trails at Sultan Mosque.

Art Garden 2012: Be engaged, be delighted.

Ryf's 5QU1D is a squid-like artwork that responds when more people approaches him!

It is June, and the time for our young ones to enjoy their school holidays. Experience the joy of contemporary art this school holiday season by heading to the Singapore Art Museum at 8 Queen Street (SAM@8Q) to be engaged by the many interactive artworks at Art Garden 2012. 

Emilie Fouilloux's Let's Dance inspires visitors to discover new ways to express ourselves.

At Art Garden 2012, nine of the twelve works were contributed by our own Singapore artists. Children are very likely to find the artworks appealing to their senses and intellectually stimulating. I was visiting the Art Garden 2012 with one of my friends and her family, and my friend's children were engaged and delighted by many of the art works.

A closed-up of Tay Bee Aye's Grow a Garden in the Dark.
It was intriguing to see how the origami flowers glow in the dark!

I read that the activities at Art Garden 2012 are also designed to enable adults to be active guides and facilitators for their young charges. This is very true as I witnessed parents guiding their children to create origami butterflies and morning-glories to help grow Tay Bee Aye's creation of a community garden titled Grow a Garden in the Dark and encouraging their children to have fun making sounds that generate images on the Reactive Wall by Mojoko and Shang Liang.

Mojoko and Shang Liang's Reactive Wall can be quite a therapeutic piece of artwork.
It seemed to urge its young visitors to let go of unnecessary inhibitions.

Loh Sau Kuen's Everyday Wonders reminds everyone that art can be created using simple everyday objects. Art is more accessible than we think.

A closed-up of a section of Loh Sau Kuen's Everyday Wonders.

The clay flower that I had redeemed and added my own designs.

Each admission ticket to Art Garden 2012 allows the visitor to redeem a clay flower from the second level of the SAM@8Q building. Each visitor can create patterns and designs on the redeemed clay flower using very ordinary objects. The clay flower will dry in 24 hours time and be transformed into a fridge magnet with interesting and unique designs.

For visitors who love to experience the joy of using crayons to create their own artworks, there is an activity room to provide the space to do so.

Age-appropriate write-ups for children printed in green colour.

Parents and guardians will be pleased that there are age-appropriate write-ups describing each of the exhibits at the Art Garden. Children could read these write-ups with relative ease, and perhaps learn a few new vocabulary. For the advanced readers, they can go for the more lengthy and sophisticated descriptions printed in black.

Justin Lee's Dress Me Up is especially fascinating for any child who is delighted by the idea of dressing up live-sized dolls.

To add to the delight, visitors can expect to be treated to film screenings of inspiring short films and animations at the Art Garden. Simply head to the Moving Image Gallery at Level Two to chill and relax to the film screenings. One of my favourite animations is Philip Hunt's Lost and Found which tells of a magical tale of friendship and loneliness.

Lee Wen's Ping Pong Go-Round.

For the athletic visitors, do not miss Lee Wen's Ping Pong Go-Round. This game of Ping Pong with a twist seeks to bring about alternative models for interaction and dialogue. The possibilities seem endless. Visitors were observed to be having great fun playing an alternative ping pong game!

If you are looking for an exhibition dedicated to showcasing art suitable for children, why not make a date to visit Art Garden 2012 at SAM@8Q? This much-loved programme is likely to engage and delight.


Art Garden 2012 at SAM@8Q
8 Queen Street, Singapore 188535
From 18 May - 12 Aug 2012
http://www.singaporeartmuseum.sg/exhibitions/details.php?id=95

Opening Hours:
Monday to Sunday: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. (Last admission to the museum is at 6.15 p.m.)
Friday: 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Free admission on Friday night, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Admission: $10 per adult, $5 per student
Admission is free for visitors aged 6 years and below, Singaporean and PR senior citizens, all full-time National Service men (NSFs), students and teachers from local schools.

FOYers Gathering on 31 Oct 2008

31 Oct 2008 happened to be Halloween but Halloween has no significance for me. I do not celebrate it anyway. Yet, 31 Oct 2008 was a meaningful day because that evening, Friends of Yesterday.sg met at 8Q sam.

I was looking at the archives of Yesterday.sg and found that the earliest post in the archives date back as early as 3 Aug 2005. It was Love Me Love Me Not at the Singapore History Museum posted by Shaun Wong. It's rather commendable that Yesterday.sg has come so far.

Compared to the Singapore Art Museum building along Bras Basah Road, 8Q sam is a comparatively unfamiliar place to me. I've only managed to find out that the four-storey building that 8Q sam occupies was formerly the primary wing of the Catholic High School.

I took the first photo found on this post (see above) at least an hour before the gathering started. If I am not wrong, the white building in the foreground was formerly the secondary wing of the Catholic High School? Look further into the background, and you would see a building in shades of orange and red. That's the 8Q sam building.

To be very honest, I have no particular memory of the 8Q sam building. Even though I used to frequent the Bras Basah and Waterloo Street area very often, the building had only struck me as an unfamiliar building. After it was recently converted to Singapore Art Museum's new wing for contemporary art did I realised that it was formerly the primary wing of the Catholic High School. As such, I shall point readers to a few online articles which may help you better appreciate the building's past:

- 8Q sam - formerly Catholic High Primary School by ordinary guy
- Queen Street, By Thulaja, Naidu Ratnala written on 2003-03-29, National Library Board Singapore.




Back to the gathering, it was held from 7.30 p.m. at Octo Room of the 8Q sam building. As I usually have dinner much earlier in the evening, by the time I was at the gathering, I was already full from a light dinner. No matter how appetizing the food was, I have only room to sample some of the food. The food was good. Anyway, I simply have to have my dinner early else I fear I may get gastric problems eventually.

Sweet tiramisu. Photo credit: acroamatic

Pizza. Photo credit: acroamatic

I have the pleasure to meet a few of the Friends of Yesterday.sg for the very first time. Budak seemed to be fairly interested in contemporary arts, and he was recommending that I could check out Donna Ong's The Caretaker. While striking a conversation with Budak, I realised that I had caught a glimpse of The Caretaker a few weeks ago. While it may seemed rather eerie at first, I had found myself gradually intrigued by its use of dim lighting and its subtle hint of a sinister mood.

There was quite some time to catch up with various Friends of Yesterday.sg. Admittedly, I was pretty excited about sharing concepts of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) with Ivan. It often excites me when I get to talk about topics that interest me, and MBTI is one of it. I spoke briefly with Preetam about Ang Mo Kio. I also had a chance to coax Modcentric and Homesafe to consider checking out the Singapore Biennale exhibition site at City Hall. I attempted to do so by sharing about my recent visit to City Hall. I hope that would get them excited to visit City Hall before it undergoes major conversion into the National Art Gallery.




The most formal part of the event was probably the presentation by Walter which he and his team had put together. There were quite a lot of interesting and constructive discussions going on.



And eventually, all good things will come to a closure, at least temporary. Nevertheless, it had been a fruitful gathering afterall.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8Q_SAM
http://www.singart.com/8qsam/about.html

**
Related posts by other Friends of Yesterday.sg:
SAM 8Q: Latest NHB museum on the block by Ivan.
Friends of Yesterday.sg by otterman.

Glimpses of City Hall building at Singapore Biennale 2008

The City Hall, Singapore. I do not know about you, but this was one of the places that I was out with my ex-classmates to take outdoor graduation photographs, wearing our graduation robes. I believe quite a number of people had also taken their outdoor graduation photographs at the main entrance of the City Hall building?

Other than being the place where I had taken outdoor graduation photographs at, the steps leading to the main entrance of City Hall were where I had sat on a few occasions, simply to watch time passing by and to sketch. It was a lovely place to be at, especially on a breezy and cloudy day. From those steps, I could have a pretty view of some of my favourite places in Singapore: The Victoria Concert Hall, the Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, and the open spaces of the Padang.

A sketch that I did.

City Hall was built originally in 1929, and was then known as the Municipal Building. This neoclassical building was designed by Municipal Architech A. Gordo and Assistant Architect F.D. Meadows. In 1951, the Municipal Building was renamed as City Hall, when the town of Singapore was proclaimed a city of the British Commonwealth by the Royal Charter granted by King George VI.

In the year 2005, City Hall was decommissioned. Subsequently, its spaces were used for the first Singapore Biennale in 2006. I remember that I had an enriching time viewing the various exhibits of Singapore Biennale 2006 when I was at City Hall two years ago.

A couple of days ago, I visited City Hall so as to view the exhibits of Singapore Biennale 2008. It was with nostalgia that I shall share some of photographs of City Hall that I had taken during my most recent visit to City Hall. The thing is that after the Singapore Biennale 2008, City Hall and the adjacent Supreme Court building will be converted into the National Art Gallery. I wonder how the Supreme Court and the City Hall would look like when they open their doors as the National Art Gallery sometime around 2013? Anyway, I believe my memories of City Hall will last for a long time. Would yours too?

If you should have the chance to, do find time to check out the Singapore Biennale 2008, particularly the following two exhibition venues: City Hall and the South Beach Development. The Singapore Biennale 2008 ends on 16 Nov 2008.

This room was formerly City Hall's restaurant.

In City Hall's former restaurant: Han, Jong-Gun's "Evolutional Mythology". 2007.

City Hall's former restaurant.

Previously one of the Judges' Chambers.

Previously one of the Judges' Chambers.

The corridors.

Another former Judges' Chambers.

When I was attending one of the guided tours of the Singapore Biennale 2008, the tour-guide shared briefly about historical significance of City Hall. I understand that it was right inside the City Hall Chambers that Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten accepted the surrender of the Japanese to the Allies in the year 1945. Many other historical events have also taken place at City Hall. For example, it was at City Hall that the then 'Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew proclaimed self-government for Singapore in 1959, and where he declared the merger with Malaysia in 1963 and then announced that Singapore was an independent republic in 1965'.

The City Hall Chamber.

I cannot fully explain why. When I was at the Singapore Biennale, the work by Pimkanchanapong, Wit's Singapore somehow got me into a reminiscent mood. In this work, the artist recreate a Google Earth image-map of Singapore to be installed as a wall-to-wall floor covering for the Cith Hall Chamber. Visitors are provided with stickers on which they could write information about specific places and attach these stickers onto the map. It was definitely an interactive piece of art. As I went around the City Hall Chamber searching for the location of several places in Singapore on the art-work-cum-map, I could not help but recall some of the good memories that I have had of the places and the people who have shared those good times with me.

In City Hall Chambers: Pimkanchanapong, Wit's Singapore.

Closed up of a section of Pimkanchanapong, Wit's Singapore.

I shall then end this post by sharing two photos that I had taken about a year ago at the Surrender Chambers of Fort Siloso, Sentosa. The life-size wax-models that you would see in the following two photographs reenact the Japanese surrender to the Allies in 1945 at the then Municipal Building of Singapore, now City Hall. I was not even born yet when that historical moment took place. Did you have the privilege to have witness this event in 1945?

Photo taken at Surrender Chambers of Fort Siloso, Sentosa. The actual surrender took place at City Hall.

Photo taken at Surrender Chambers of Fort Siloso, Sentosa

What memories do you have of the City Hall building?

Maybe it would be worthwhile to visit it soon, before it undergoes major conversion into the National Art Gallery.


References:
- G. Byrne Bracken. (2004).A Walking Tour: Singapore. Singapore: Times Editions.
http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_849_2004-12-17.html
- http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_717_2004-12-28.html
- http://www.singaporebiennale.org/2006/venues-cityhall.html