Accidental Tourist of Singapore - Singapore Heritage Festival 2016: Bidadari Walk

By the end of 2016, the calls of nature from Bidadari, an area of some 26 hectares will be replaced by the familiar construction sounds of swirling cranes and ground pounding machines. And with those sounds, 40% of Singapore’s bird species will disappear.

With my glassy eyed memories from yesteryears when I accompanied my late grandmother to visit my grandfather’s grave in that area, I am again faced with another loss of the natural environment after witnessing the loss of another green lung, Bukit Brown.

My earlier blog entries regarding the loss of Bukit Brown,

http://accidentalsingaporetourist.blogspot.sg/2013/06/accidental-tourist-tale-of-2-greens.html

http://accidentalsingaporetourist.blogspot.sg/2013/06/accidental-tourist-tale-of-2-greens.html

http://accidentalsingaporetourist.blogspot.sg/2013/08/accidental-tourist-singapore-bukit.html

For those who want to venture there, here’s a map of the trail, http://heritagefest.sg/events/bidadari-heritage-trail

I leave you with a video of David Attenborough’s famous video of the amazing Lyre Bird singing like a chainsaw…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSB71jNq-yQ as this was exactly what I heard when walking through the trail today. 

Here are some links for those who want to read more about this:

https://singaporebirdgroup.wordpress.com/2015/05/24/birding-hotspot-bidadari/  

http://habitatnews.nus.edu.sg/pub/naturewatch/text/a101a.htm

http://www.nss.org.sg/documents/Conservation%20Proposal%20for%20Biddadari%20as%20a%20Nature%20Park.%20Revised.%204%20Dec.%202012.pdf  

Till the next time, onto the world and beyond. 

Accidental Tourist of Singapore - 2015 - Visit to the Peranakan 峇峇娘惹 Museum- Great Peranakans: Fifty Remarkable Lives Exhibition

Peranakan 峇峇娘惹 Museum- Great Peranakans: Fifty Remarkable Lives Exhibition 

I was in for some local culture immersion so I took a ride down to Peranakan Museum to join its 1 hour tour with their volunteer guide who walked through the highlights of the exhibition that showcases the achievements of 50 men (and women) for past 200 years. Those ladies and gentlemen were instrumental in  Singapore's life and culture by contributing to the arts, culture, education, business, governance, and public service. 

The Peranakans were very successful as traders as they often acted as middlemen between the British and the local Chinese and Malays because being mostly English educated, they were able to bridge the communication gap by speaking two or more languages.

It turns out that being linguistic during those early years was advantageous with a fair number of Peranakans gaining wealth through opium, land, gambier, setting up of shipping and banking conglomerates. I will strongly recommend that if you want to head down to the exhibition, you will be able to get the most from the exhibition if you pair the visit with the walking tours.

During the tour, I was given very interesting titbits about these greats and their relations for example, I realized that our current President Tony Tan's lineage is way back to his maternal grandmother is the daughter of the notable Peranakan Tan Jiak Kim (http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1846_2011-10-13.html?s=tony tan).

Quick info about who were President Tony Tan's ancestry who were featured in this same exhibition: 

• Tan Jiak Kim (1859-1917) is known as the Colonial Peranakan as he is a strong ally of the British who attended the coronation of George V on 1911. He is the grandson of Tan Kim Seng and son of Tan Beng Swee. More info available at http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1136_2009-06-29.html?s=tan jiak kim
• Tan Jiak Kim's grandfather Tan Kim Seng was also featured as one of the 50 Great Peranakans. He was a prominent merchant and philanthropist in 19th century. There is a Tan Kim Seng Fountain at the Esplanade Park to commemorate Tan Kim Seng's contributions to the first public waterworks in Singapore. He had donated generously towards the construction of MacRitchie Reservoir in the 1860s, one of the 4 main reservoirs of Singapore.

Here's a snap of what this all means graphically:

Another interesting tidbit was the fact that President Tony Tan's grandmother was buried in Bukit Brown cemetery. Here's a copy of the letter that was sent to the President by the people that were trying to protect Bukit Brown: http://blog.bukitbrown.org/post/44373443203/a-plea-to-the-president-discover-your-roots-I. You can see some of my thoughts about Bukit Brown in this earlier posting: http://accidentalsingaporetourist.blogspot.sg/search/label/Bukit%20Brown

Another interesting fact was that 4 out of the 10 cabinet officers in 1965 were Peranakans i.e. Lee Kuan Yee, Toh Chin Chye, Goh Keng Swee and Yong Nuyk Lin. 

Here's some photos to showcase the exhibits: 

Till the next time, onto the world and beyond!

Accidental Tourist of Singapore - 2015- - Lao Sai Tao Yuan Teochew Opera Performance of 六国封相 at Pulau Ubin 28 August 2015

Lao Sai Tao Yuan Teochew Opera Shoot at Pulau Ubin 28 August 2015

I did something totally out of the norm for a 'leave-hungry city-gal' - I took leave and went with a few photography friends of Singapore Shutterjourney to Pulau Ubin to capture an Opera show. Not just any Opera show, it is performed by Lao Sai Tao Yuan, the oldest surviving Teochew Opera troupe in Singapore having been around since 19th century.  Through modern Facebook, I managed to keep track of their performance dates and this performance in particular, caught my eye as it is held at far flung Pulau Ubin. For those unfamiliar with Pulau Ubin, some 10mins by bumboat from mainland Singapore, it is best described as what one would expect from Singapore in the early 1950s-1960s. Peppered with traditional houses and roaming dogs, the island eludes a rustic authentic vibe no long felt in my urbanised and modern city. 

After a hearty breakfast at Changi Village, we hopped on a bumboat at Changi Jetty for S$2.50 to Ubin. The troupe members were already there and in the midst of getting ready. This is my first morning shoot of an opera show. Growing up, I am more familiar with opera shows done in the evenings. It slowly became clear that opera is not only a showcase of Chinese culture and traditional, it was also an art form requiring loads of teamwork and coordination.... all the way from the make-up to dressing and costume changes in-between.  

Kudos to the performers, many belong to the pioneer generation all of whom have a wealth of experience both in terms of skill, expertise and precision in executing the opera moves while burdened with heavy costumes....all with poise and grace of true professionals under tropical 35 degree Celsius heat.

What warmed me was that all the troupe members of Lao Sai Tao Yuan were not only patient but also welcoming to us photographers. 八爷(班主) and Carine took time off their busyness to speak with us and were extremely accommodating to us taking photos of them throughout the whole morning all the way from makeup, costumes dressing to disrobing. It was truly an experience that I will not forget for the rest of my life.

I hope you enjoy looking at these photos as much as I did taking the photos.

I have also done a slideshow of selected photos taken of that day...uploaded on YouTube

https://youtu.be/NmIF_CrIvk8You Tube Video

My other blog post of an earlier visit involving Chinese Opera (with another troupe) are:

• http://accidentalsingaporetourist.blogspot.sg/2010/10/accidental-tourist-chinese-opera.html
• http://jpgmag.com/stories/18276

Till the next time, onto the world and beyond!  

Accidental Tourist - 2014 Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk - Tiong Bahru walk

This is the 2nd photowalk that I managed to do over the past few months to continue shooting in my little island - the previous walk is captured in my earlier blog entry and now the "Scott Kelby Worldwide photowalk" held on October 11, 2014. 

This photowalk has a constant on my photo calendar having gone for my first worldwalk back in 2011: 

• 2011: Oct 2 - walk around Marina Bay area of Singapore - walk leader was Bernard Goh - https://www.flickr.com/photos/magtyfoto/sets/72157627682277461/with/6206379519/

• 2013: Oct 5 -  Civil District Trail of Singapore - walk leader was Wilson Wong - https://www.flickr.com/photos/magtyfoto/sets/72157627682277461/with/6206451967/

For Scott Kelby's walk, (Wilson Wong as walk leader) it was a nice little stroll around familiar Tiong Bahru neighborhood where I did several walks earlier i.e. 

• OH! Open House event in 2012: http://accidentalsingaporetourist.blogspot.sg/2012/02/oh-open-house-at-tiong-bahru-singapore.html
• Air Raid Walk again in 2012: http://accidentalsingaporetourist.blogspot.sg/2012/02/tiong-bahru-air-raid-walk-on-4-feb-2012.html 
• Escape to Nostalgia in 2011: http://accidentalsingaporetourist.blogspot.sg/2011/05/escape-to-nostalgic-side-of.html

Interestingly, there is a link back to my earlier walk that I did which I only realised now...there is a "Kim Cheng Street" (formerly known as "Kim Ching Street" in this Tiong Bahru neighbourhood which is named after Tan Kim Ching, who was a prominent member of the Hokkien clan back in 1800s. More info available here: http://tiongbahruestate.blogspot.sg/2007/08/tan-kim-ching-1829-1892.html. Coincidentally, he was the 1st leader appointed for the Hokkien Thian Hock Keng Temple that I visited for the earlier walk (http://accidentalsingaporetourist.blogspot.sg/2014/10/accidental-tourist-500px-photo-walk.html). 

Here are some captures of the neighborhood (and its resident cat): 

 More photos can be seen from my Flickr page at https://www.flickr.com/photos/magtyfoto/15317716527/

Till the next time, onto the world and beyond!


 

Accidental Tourist - Archiwalks with Fabian of ArchiWalks

Spent a pleasant Thursday evening walking around Bugis / Kampong Glam area with Liza. The walk is part of the ArchiFest 2014 and conducted by Fabian of Archiwalks.com - we started with the quirky Park view Square (built in 2002 aka Gotham City and inspired by 1920-30s Art deco architecture) before heading to the various art done around the edge of Kampong Glam by Earnest Zacharevic https://m.facebook.com/Ernestzachas, hopped, skipped and jumped to a beautifully tiled Malabar Muslim mosque (Masjid_Malabar) and a conservation boutique hotel called The Sultan. We ended the walk with a sumptuous archiwalk inspired cuisine cooked by Mark Wee at A for Arbite. 

From the massively impressive mural of the girl with lion cub (it spans from the front to the end of the wall of the length of the shophouse all done using a photo not projection!) to the trolley kids (similar to the bicycle kids in Georgetown), the peeping kid and kids having a wild time somersaulting out of boxes. These street art murals are done on the side walls of shophouses in Jalan Pisang and Jalan Klapa, facing Victoria Street, which houses events and marketing company amcasia!

We ended with a short but insightful tour around The Sultan, boutique hotel nestled along Jalan Sultan (2012 URA Architecture Heritage Award winner) where we had the chance to go in to take a look at the various detailing and careful work done to preserve the beauty of the traditional shophouses (http://thesultan.com.sg). 

Dinner at A for Arbite was inspired by the walk itself and created by Mark. He took the time to come out after each dish is served to explain his inspiration for the dish. A Truly wonderful experience to end a delightful walk! 

My walk was "Eat Your Architecture" - http://eatyourarchitecture.peatix.com/. 

There are more walks planned end Sep till early Oct 2014 so hurry along and get your tickets from them at http://www.archiwalks.com. 

Till the next time, onto the world and beyond! 

Accidental Tourist - the Singapore Bukit Brown Battle has been lost....

Announcement in the news on Aug 5, 2013 casts a heavy shadow over the plight of Bukit Brown and its surrounding area. It is now confirmed that the Land Transport Authority has awarded a tender to build a new road linking Adam Road, the MacRitchie Viaduct and Thomson Road via Bukit Brown Cemetery (with little mention of any impact on the land areas occupied by premier exclusive country club, Singapore Island Country Club) at a cost of S$134.7 million. The winner of the tender is local contractor Swee Hong, which is expected to complete construction by end 2017. 4,153 graves will be affected by or are in the vicinity of the new road. This news is just too sad but I find this in sync with the overall lunar 7^th month ghostly feel that started on 7 Aug.

For those who want to know what the fuss is about, please drop by my earlier blog posts: 

• http://accidentalsingaporetourist.blogspot.sg/2013/06/accidental-tourist-tale-of-2-greens.html
• http://accidentalsingaporetourist.blogspot.sg/2012/03/mixed-feelings-walks-around-bukit-brown.html

Until the next time, onto the world and beyond. 

Accidental Tourist @ Raffles Place, Singapore's Commercial Hub

Who would have thought that a walk around Raffles Place is actually a walk down Singapore’s history?

I got a local history lesson from the online research carried out on Raffles Place.Some trivia to wet your appetite: 

1. Raffles Place was formerly called Commercial Square and was designated for commercial activities by Sir Stamford Raffles himself back in 1822 as part of his Raffles Town Plan. The rectangular centre of Raffles Place was often referred to as Raffles Square. 
2. It was the first reclamation project in Singapore as it was swampy land next to the Singapore River. An old photograph of this place is available at http://pictures.nl.sg/ece740d4-2c9d-4e22-b90b-2526482e0b0c.aspx.
3. Part of the history of this place resulted in the naming of the streets such as Market Street and Chulia Street (know earlier as Kling Street) were named after Dr Jose D'Almeida, the surgeon, who had his dispensary and his business firm of Jose D'Ameida and Sons in Commercial Square.” 
4. Singapore’s very own (and oldest department store) John Little started their operations here in Commercial Square back in 1845. An old 1890s photograph of John Little in Raffles Square can be seen from http://pictures.nl.sg/8b573ddb-a7f7-43a8-8acf-24babe88ebd8.aspx 
5. In 1858, Commercial Square was renamed Raffles Place. The sea came right up to the buildings on the south side of the square then, many of which were godowns with jetties that allowed cargo to be loaded and unloaded directly from boats. From 1857 to 1865, the land by the south side was reclaimed for commercial use. This new land became Collyer Quay. 

During World War II, and on 8 December 1941, Japanese planes made Raffles Place one of their targets of destruction. 

On 12 December 1987, Raffles Place Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Station was opened with accesses from each end of Raffles Square. The station's entrance has detailing reminiscent of the John Little Building's facade dated 1911 which was fashioned in a Spanish style.

More trivia can be found at the following websites:

• ·        On the history of Raffles Place: http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_864_2004-12-30.html
• ·        on the WWII bombings: http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_7_2005-01-25.html& http://sgfilmhunter.wordpress.com/2012/09/13/location-scouting-in-british-newsreels-made-before-the-japanese-occupation-of-singapore-1938-42-part-4/

Trivia on the buildings that you will see once you step out of the Spanish style main entrances/ exit points that face Raffles Gardens aka Raffles Square aka Commercial Square:

• The 60-storey One Raffles Place (formerly known as Overseas Union Bank Centre and OUB Centre was officially declared open on 8 August 1988 (the auspicious triple 8 number thought to bring good luck in Chinese belief) by  Singapore's then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Ye.It was the world's tallest building then, outside of the USA. (more info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OUB_Centre). 
• A few interesting facts about 67 floor skyscraper, UOB Plaza One is that it shares the same architect,KenzoTange Associates with its co-tallest building title holder, One Raffles Place (more info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UOB_Plaza).It also houses Masjid Moulana Mohd Ali Mosque which is unique as first, it is located underground in basement one of the UOB Plaza – controversial as to some Muslims, this is not good as it is located “in the bowels” of the earth and second, it is the first mosque that was built to serve people who lived and worked around Raffles Place (more info http://web.archive.org/web/20070312202636/http://www.nhb.gov.sg/PE/FOF_2003/sites_moulana.html 
• Republic Plaza is the newest kid on the threesome block of tallest skyscrapers in Singapore, having only been built back in 1995. Located at the southern end of Raffles Place in the Downtown Core, the central business district of Singapore. At 280 metres (919 feet) tall, it incorporates earthquake proof features despite Singapore being relatively far from earthquake zones. More info at "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_Plaza_(Singapore)">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_Plaza_(Singapore).

These and many more buildings surround the Raffles Garden – for the whole list, hop over to http://www.smrt.com.sg/Trains/NetworkMap/RafflesPlace.aspx.The place constantly rejuvenates itself as the new Ocean Towers is undergoing reconstruction as I pen down these thoughts and will only add on to the exciting new skyscrapers that I see springing up almost overnight at this location.

Till the next time, onto theworld and beyond! 

Accidental Tourist - "Can Survive Lah!" Tour with Gereldene Lowe

I was fortunate to walk with Ms.  Geraldene Lowe on her 'Can Survive Lah!" tour that focuses on Singapore's surviving but vanishing trades like Joss Stick Maker, Paper House Maker, Chinese Instruments/ Opera Shop Owner and Wood/ Seal Carver. 

Before joining her tour, I was definitely unaware of the existence of these men and women who have been working their craft with their families in the same trade for the past 2-3 generations. 

The Joss Stick Maker was one Mr. Amos Tay who is a third generation artist who makes intricately carved figurines and joss sticks from the cinnamon tree. His shop is located at an industrial park area in Ang Mo Kio. I saw him work his hands that transformed what looked like the 'modern day' "Play Doh" to a fine looking porcupine fish. On another side, gold colored paint was being applied by hand onto certain sections of joss sticks and I stood there mesmerized by the speed of the handiwork that is being performed before my very eyes. From what Gereldene shared, 20 feet tall joss sticks are now banned in Singapore due to fire hazard concerns. I was happy to see that they kept a 10 foot tall joss stick in one corner of the shop and quickly indulged in my photography passion. 

Free photo slideshow made with Smilebox

At our next stop, we walked down to a shop that does Paper Houses. I spoke to one Mr. Zhou who was kind enough to spare me some time to tell me a bit about the history of this place. Apparently he is also took over from his father and these paper houses are generally offered as part of the last journeys of a deceased i.e. burnt as part of the offerings. He told me that after the frames are assembled and tied by hand with each sheet of paper applied onto the stick frames by hand. Despite the labour intensive work involved, they can complete their usual orders in about 1 day! His sister then showed me a photo of one of their most elaborate pieces and informed me that the paper mansion complete with garden, forecourt, gate etc) took them longer - I think she said it was 1-2 months. 

Slideshow personalized with Smilebox

After a refreshing fruit juice stop at a fruit shop in a hawker centre, we were sped off to meet Mr. Jeffrey Eng (owner of Eng Tiang Huat, a shop who promotes and provides Chinese cultural products like musical instruments, opera costumes and embroidery work since his grandfather's time from 1937). Mr. Eng was affable and was deft in explaining what a Chinese Opera will require to put on a performance by using fake moustache, whiskers and hats. He even played some of the Chinese musical instruments like Erhu and Gong to show how the music complemented the Opera being staged. He was very entertaining with his stories and his shop is definitely a shop of treasures! 

Create a slideshow design

Our last stop for the day was at Yong Gallery in Chinatown where Mr. Tay (expert woodcarver/ seal maker) is stationed. With patrons like prime ministers, ministers, dignitaries, he is definitely well loved for his skills and handiwork. Fortunately for us, he was able to display his carving skills on a small Chinese seal in a work table located just outside his shop. Mental note to self is to make sure I get a nice wood carved plaque made by him for my birthday. 

Another free digital slideshow by Smilebox

I have certainly enjoyed my half-day excursion with  Geraldene  as I saw a side of my little island that I have NEVER thought to exist.  Geraldene Tours are definately unique and one of a kind and she has so many stories and memories to share that I will jump at another chance to go on her guided tour when the opportunity arises. 

You can contact Geraldene through the following means if you are interested to find out more of her tours: 
email: geraldenestorus@hotmail.com 
Tel: (65) 81551390/  (65) 67375250
address: 27 Oxley Road, #06-08 Orchard Court, Singapore 238621

Till the next time, onto the world and beyond! 

Accidental Tourist - Closure of Victoria Street Wholesale Centre & Rochor Centre Flats

Change is a constant...at least in Singapore. 


Today, I passed by an area that will be experiencing significant changes to its landscape in the coming months. In fact, the VICTORIA STREET WHOLESALE CENTRE has already closed and the ROCHOR CENTRE FLATS are well on its way down memory lane with its imminent closure in 2016 
(more information provided in these news reports: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/leaving-rochor-centre-a-heartbreak-for-residents.html and http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1179012/1/.html).  


I reviewed the photos that I took of the 2 locations in an earlier photowalk with Singapore Photowalkers and decided that it'll be a nice journey back to remember these 2 locations using the photos taken in January 2012: