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Sir Harold Wilson Visit Jurong Industrial Estate in 1978

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Former British Prime Minister Sir Harold Wilson (right) being briefed by Managing Director of Beecham Pharmaceuticals Private Limited R P Allen (third from right) during his visit to the factory at Quality Road, Jurong Industrial Estate. Sir Wilson and Lady Wilson were on a five-day visit to Singapore at the invitation of PM Lee Kuan Yew.


Sir Harold Wilson being welcomed by Managing Director of Beecham Pharmaceuticals Private Limited R P Allen upon his arrival at the factory in Quality Road, Jurong Industrial Estate for a visit on January 10, 1978.


Sir Harold Wilson being briefed by Managing Director of Beecham Pharmaceuticals Private Limited R P Allen during his visit to the factory at Quality Road, Jurong Industrial Estate.

Visit to Crown Cork at Boon Lay Road, Jurong Industrial Estate

Director and General Manager of Crown Cork, Graham Bell briefed Sir Harold Wilson on factory activities during Sir Wilson's tour of the factory at New Boon Lay Road.  Crown Cork is a British-based industry.


In the early 1900s, Jurong was uncharted territory, mainly dominated by swamps with low hills covered by shrubs and a thick jungle. The word jurong (jurung in current Indonesian spelling) refers to the elevated porch of a traditional house. Thus considering the area's many small hills in a swamp, Jurong may refer to these small elevated lands in the swamp. In 1929, Jurong Road was extended to Bukit Timah, connecting it to the rest of Singapore Town. Jurong remained a sleepy rural area until 1959, when Singapore became a self-governing colony.

The government saw industrialization as a solution to the country's economic problems and Jurong was picked as a prime area for development. Jurong's coastal waters were deep, making it suitable for a port; the land was mostly state-owned; and landfill was readily available from the area's many hills.  In the 1950s, it was developed into an industrial estate, supported by low-cost housing. Amenities such as government dispensaries, a private hospital, creches, hawker centres and banks were built in the 1970s during efforts to develop Singapore economically.

From entrepot trade to industrialization in Singapore

For over a century, entrepot trade was the most important force in Singapore's economy.  As a commercial center for import and export, it provided thousands of jobs.  This trade also helped Singapore grow from a fishing village into a modern city-state.

Singapore's geographical position made it an ideal collecting and distribution center for the region.  From spices in the early days, the trade shifted to sugar, coffee, and copra (dried coconut kernals).  Later, there was tin, rubber, crude oil, and manufactured goods from the East.

Today, Singapore trades with almost all nations in the world.  Its main trading partners are Malaysia, Japan, the United States, Saudi Arabi, and the European Union.  The countries make up about two-thirds of the island's total trade.  Crude oil, electronic parts, iron and steel, and aircraft and ships are imported into Singapore.  The island's main exports include petroleum products, machinery and equipment, electronic products and crude rubber.

No country, however, can depend on trade alone. It has to develop in other directions as well. Over the years, the other ports in the region had been offering stiffer competition for the trade in the area. And, with declining trade, Singapore had to make other plans.

The population in Singapore had also increased rapidly.  The increase, especially in the years after the Second World War, was a world record!  As a result, besides housing, education, better health and medical services for the people, more jobs were urgently needed.  Since agriculture was out of the question because of the shortage of land, and it was not possible to expand the entrepot trade, attention was directed toward industrialization instead.

Before 1961, industry in Singapore was limited to  the processing of rubber and copra, tin smelting, and the refining of vegetable and coconut oils.  Other light industries included the manufacture of furniture, footwear, clothers, food and bottled drinks for the home market.

The industrialization program was introduced in the early 1960s.  The government spent millions of dollars to turn Jurong - a swamp in the south-western part of the island - into an industrial area. Hills were leveled, swamps filled, and roads and factories built. This was followed up by the construction of high-rise homes for the workers and their families. Markets, schools, landscaped parks, and other recreational facilities were also provided.

Industries set up in the area included shipbuilding and repairing yards, car assembly plants, and petroleum refineries as well as factories producing everything from plywood, plastics, ceramics, steel tubes, and tires to electrical and electronic goods.

Many conditions were just right for the new industrialization in the 60s. Communications facilities were well-developed. So was the water and electricity supply. The port, banks, and other services were all ready to serve the needs of the manufacturing industries. Singapore also had a stable government and a large pool of skilled labor.

As a result, many local and foreign investors set up industries in Singapore.  They were given every encouragement, including attractive tax incentives.  The industrial drive was so successful that manufacturing became a major contributor to Singapore's economy. For the first time in history, Singapore was not longer totally dependent on entrepot trade.

When there was not enough land available in Jurong for more factories, smaller industrial estates were started in different parts of the island. Today, Singapore has 30 industrial estates of which Jurong is the largest. All are managed by the Jurong Town Corporation, which was set up in 1968. There are altogether slightly less than 5,00 companies.

Visit to Jurong Town Corporation (JTC)

Sir Harold Wilson briefed the development of Jurong town centre with maps and models during his visit to Jurong Town Corporation (JTC).


With full employment achieved in the early 1970s, Singapore has turned its attention to higher technology industries.  It is also moved toward mechanization, computerization, and the increasing use of industrial robots.  Next to Japan, Singapore is Southeast Asia's second largest use of robots in factories.

The very success of Singapore's industrialization program has also led to its growth in trade, port services, transportation, and communications, banking and finance, and construction and tourism.

[Source:  Major World  Nations - Singapore by Jessie Wee]

The Case of the Economics Development Board

Singapore is today ranked among the world’s strongest and most competitive economies. Forty years ago, it had a very different economy. It was beset with acute housing shortage and severe unemployment. The Economic Development Board (EDB) has played a key role in developing Singapore’s economy, creating wealth and jobs for the population. Established since 1960, the EDB is Singapore’s one-stop and lead government agency for planning and executing economic strategies to enhance Singapore's position as a global hub for business and investment. The EDB seeks to facilitate and support both local and foreign investors in manufacturing and services sectors to develop and expand new business opportunities, especially capital-intensive, knowledge-intensive and innovation-intensive activities.

Singapore is today ranked among the world’s strongest and most competitive economies. Forty years ago, it had a very different economy. It was beset with acute housing shortage and severe unemployment. The Economic Development Board (EDB) has played a key role in developing Singapore’s economy, creating wealth and jobs for the population.

Established since 1960, the EDB is Singapore’s one-stop and lead government agency for planning and executing economic strategies to enhance Singapore's position as a global hub for business and investment. The EDB seeks to facilitate and support both local and foreign investors in manufacturing and services sectors to develop and expand new business opportunities, especially capital-intensive, knowledge-intensive and innovation-intensive activities.

The EDB, in promoting Singapore, markets Singapore as a Total Business Centre, the location to ‘begin your journey in Asia’. There are marketing brochures explaining ‘why Singapore’.  Investment promotion is not just to corporations but also extends to individuals, and is worldwide. Recognizing that investors are not homogenous, the EDB now provides an extensive range of focused programs, policies and schemes to attract three groups: investors, startups and individuals, to Singapore.

Singapore has made remarkable economic progress since the early 1960s. To a large extent, the EDB has been effective in promoting investment . It has created a whole new industrial economy.

There are more than 7,000 MNCs in Singapore; about half of these have regional operations. The MNCs are carefully selected to ‘fit’ the target sectors and/or specific manufacturing process chain spectrum. To remain robust, Singapore's economic structure has diversified; startups and SMEs are increasingly featured in economic development. Strong manufacturing and services sectors have become the twin pillars of the economy. There is a wide range of businesses, particularly in the higher value-adding activities. With the help of the EDB, other government support agencies and fiscal incentives, industries have automated, mechanized
and restructured their activities to stay competitive.

Moving forward, the EDB has charted several strategies to realize its vision of Singapore as a premier hub for value-creating investments: strengthen industry clusters, identify and grow new clusters, nurture innovation-driven enterprises, develop new geographies, and make Singapore’s environment conducive and competitive for global business. A number of factors can perhaps be discerned as having contributed to EDB’s pivotal role in Singapore’s economic growth. The first is clear and strong government support that is
translated into the operating institutional framework—a one-stop, pro-business quasi-public agency, with resources for implementation.

The second is the EDB philosophy of ‘committed to deliver, courage to dream and bold in design’, which has resulted in a carefully crafted economic development program. The third is the capacity to change, to stay ahead of world trends, innovate and make quick adjustments to meet changing times. Such legerity is crucial to staying competitive. The Singapore EDB experience is a reassertion of other aspects of  Singapore’s post-independence development that provides one model of how given the appropriate operational environment, concepts can be translated into practical programs and implemented to achieve the desired results.

Source: Economic Development Board 

Note:  A series of these archived photos and descriptions are curated on the nostalgic blogs to share with our heritage friends.  These personal blogs to express for non-commercial and not for profit purposes; and credit with acknowledgement and thanks to the National Archives of Singapore.   Thank you.

Murals of Compassion at Changi Chapel

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This religious mural was painted by a former Japanese prisoner-of-war in 1942, using paint and billiard chalk on the wall of Changi Prison's St. Luke's Chapel in Singapore.

Artist Stanley Warren was learnt of his artistic talents from the chaplain and asked if he would like to paint the walls of the chapel with religious murals.  That was how the murals (photo above) on the chapel came about, one of them of a crucifixion scene with the words, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do."

Painting at the hospital next door to the chapel, he had always found comfort in the lilting voices of the choir singing.

Mr Warren was a 25-year-old bombardier in 1942.  When he was taken prisoner by the Japanese and sent to Changi Prison in Singapore.


He was recovering from a serious kidney disorder at the prison's hospital as a prisoner-of-war (POW).

In a small room which functional as a chapel, Mr Warren painted five murals, each with a religious theme.

The Japanese later converted the chapel into a store room, repainted the walls and knocked a hole in one of Mr Warrem's panels to make a doorway.

The murals remained forgotten until they were discovered by accident about 40 years later.

Who could ever have guessed that a religious mural, painted 40 years ago, could have survived the ravages of time and war?  Yet, by accident one day, Stanley Warren made an amazing discovery that seems filled with the magic of Christmas.

He pulled up his sleeves, arranged his utensils and started what he thought was to be a re-drawing of his Nativity mural done 40 years ago.

The flakes of paint fell gently to the floor as he scrubbed and brushed off the decades of fading colours on the church wall. Scenes from those days of old must have flashed across his mind, thoughts of the prisoner-of-war who had fought on this little island so far removed from the home in England, and of the sounds of the church choir drifting ever so gently and comforting a dying man.

But then, something happened in that haze of a second.

That seems to be the outline of something familiar, he thought.  A few more hurried movements with the brush and there, unmistakably, yet almost miraculously, in front of him was the sketch as part of the design on his first mural at Changi Prison's St. Luke's Chapel in 1942.

The amazing discovery could not have taken place at a more opportune time and occasion when Stanley Warren finally made it after a lapse of more than 40 years to the island he had fought for and almost died on.

He had flown all the way from London with the intention of cleaning and restoring yet again the murals that had brought so much hope and life to his days as a prisoner-of-war in Changi.

Stanley Warren in 1982

His first trip back to Singapore after the Japanese Occupation was in 1963, when he returned to remove the few murals he had painted (almost from his death bed after a serious illness that was complicated by six stone in the kidney.

He died at his home in Dorset, England, on 20 February, 1992.  He was 75.

Sir Harold Wilson Visit the Changi Murals

At the invitation as personal guests of Sir Harold Wilson and Lady Wilson on a 5-day visit to Singapore by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, Sir Harold Wilson visited the Changi Murals.


Outram Prison for Prisoners-of-War


Mr C A Barton, an English farmer, visits Outram Park Complex, where Outram Prison once stood. He was looking at a blown-up photograph of a grim, forbidding building surrounded by high walls. The picture showed Outram Prison where he was a prisoner-of-war during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore in the forties. This was his first visit with his wife to Singapore on 6 October, 1976 since he left here after the war.


Note:A series of these archived photos and descriptions are curated on the nostalgic blogs to share with our heritage friends. These personal blogs to express for non-commercial and not for profit purposes; and credit with acknowledgement and thanks to the National Archives of Singapore. Appreciate to share Singapore collective memories of the 5-day visit of Sir Harold Wilson and Lady Wilson to Singapore from January 9 to January 13, 1978 at the invitation of Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. Thank you.

Ancestors Gave Way To Space For The Living

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How could anyone imagine how this stretch of Orchard Road in Singapore look like 100 years ago?

If I were to be an author to write a fiction horror story based on that time in this location, it would describe this same place in darkness at night ... eerie and scary to make one's hair stand on end.

There were no buildings, no street lamps, no vehicle or human traffic along the road ... just a cemetery with tombs as burial ground for the dead.  But Orchard Road was a graveyard in old Singapore, not a movie.

That was the Tai Sun cemetery where hundreds and thousands of the deceased Teochew ancestors in Singapore bury in the ground.

The land is owned by the Ngee Ann Kongsi, the Teochew association in Singapore with members and committee officials who are among the richest Singaporeans at present since the early days.  The Singaporean Teochew are the successful businessmen, entrepreneurs, industrialists, property owners,  and professionals in Singapore who help to develop and build the community for generations.  Many of them are philanthropists who donate generously in cash and kinds for our society for generations.

However, the Ngee Ann Kongsi membership for Teochew community regardless of their social status, the rich and not-so-rich.

 The Living and the Dead


The achived newspaper clips are blog here with the courtesy of NewspaperSG, National Library Board.

At last Singapore's living are to get a change of being freed from the stranglehold of Singapore's dead.  Legislation, it is reported, is to be introduced to control graveyards.

This follow acceptance of the report of a committee which dealt with, among other things, the permitted sizes of burial plots, mass exhumation and the building of a crematorium.

None of these ideas, designed to check the growth of graveyards and restore disused burial grounds to profitable purpose, is new.  The need for a crematorium especially, was recognised many years before the war, but proposals to build one never went beyond the talking stage.

Today, however, social conditions make it imperative that action must be taken.  The Colony's most urgent need is for land.  Land for industrial expansion, for houses for playing fields and parks.  Yet hundreds of valuable acres - excellent building sites all of them - are taken up by disused cemeteries, in many of which are graves so ancient that no one knows to whom they belong.

Reclamation of these grounds will release big acres for profitable development, but the more important effect of Legislation will be to check the growth of graveyards.  Singapore must be thankful that certain beliefs and customs have yielded to the argument that the dead cannot be forever denying living ...


The Straits Times dated 13 August, 1950.

The surprise discovery of about 1,000 unknown Chinese graves has held up for a month the completion of $120,000 mass exhumation scheme undertaken by the Ngee Ann Kongsi (Teochew community in Singapore) to clear the site for proposed extensions to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

In the exhumations, which started in June 1950, it was estimated that only about 4,600  bodies would have to be re-interred.  But after re-burying all but 100 of the number originally expected, workmen located another group of 1,000 graves.

The identities of bodies buried in the latest group of graves i not known.  Kongsi officials believe these to contain the remains of Chinese killed during the Japanese attack on Singapore and a few unknown paupers.

Most of them seemed to be buried in hurriedly constructed shallow graves.

The new find of graves has caused the Kongsi to cease work until a rush order for 1,000 earthenware urns in which to bury the remains is completed.  It is now expected that exhumation of all bodies found in the disused cemetery will be completed early September, 1950.

Re-interment will take place in a graveyard at Seletar.  All the urns will be buried in neat rows of hundreds so that Kongsi officials will have no difficulty in locating the resting place of all known dead.

Special service

Each urn is numbered by a piece of burnt earth placed inside and this ensures a lasting record.  Full particulars where available, of those buried near the Tan Tock Seng Hospital are also recorded in books to facilitate future claims of relatives.

The remains found in each grave are carefully wrapped in special Chinese paper and then tightly sealed in the urns.  The mixture used for sealing is composed of tung oil and concrete - an ancient Chinese formula which is guaranteed to be leak proof.

The Honorary Secretary of the Kongsi, Mr Lim Kim Seng, told the Straits Times that as soon as all the exhumed bodies are re-buried, the Teochew community will hold a special burial service at the new graveyard.  A suitable memorial will also be erected to commemorate those who die in their new graves.

Twice a year during the Spring and Autumn festivals.  Mr Lim added, his Kongsi will arrange ceremonies of worship for the dead at the new cemetery.

So far about 400 of the bodies already exhumed have been identified and claimed by relatives.  The Kongsi has provided alternative accomodation for re-burial and also contributed $50 towards expenses to each claimant.


The Straits Times dated 2 September, 1951.

More than $500,000,000 went up in smoke on 1 September, 1951 morning, during the ceremonial opening of the mass exhumation project.

The money, however, was not Straits currency or any legal tender, but ordinary paper - gold and silver in colour - which were offered by the Teochew community to their dead.

Early in the morning joss sticks were burnt, to inform the dead of the meeting.  A simple altar and food offerings were made ready inside a hut along Orchard Road.

The religious ceremony, conducted by  Buddhist priest, Reverend Miao Chung, of the Sam Lim Ji Temple in Kim Keat Road, was so simple that passers-by were unaware what was taking place.

At the start of the ceremonial rites, the Reverend Miao Chung climbed to the summit of the hill to invite all the dead to be present at the hall in the erected shed.

Joss sticks were then burnt and stuck into the ground to form a road to guide the spirits from their resting places.

Officials of the Ngee Ann Kongsi then paid their respects and informed the dead:  "Please take no offence.  We beg to remove your palaces to another and better resting place.  May you all be placed in Heaven."

Prayers were then offered by the priest to the God of Earth and to the dead, and this was followed by the burning of the paper money together with heaps of paper clothes.

Labourers working on the project ended the ceremony by digging the earth to signify commence of work.

The site for the exhumed bodies relocated to the Teochew crematorim at 10 Ubi Avenue 4, Singapore and is open to members of the Teochew community as well as the general public who wish to perform funeral rites for their departed relatives.



The Ngee Ann Kongsi, a charitable association representing the Chinese Teochew community, was incorporated in 1845. In the same year, the Kongsi purchased 72 acres of land on Orchard Road for use as a cemetery called Tie Swah Ting (Tai Shan Ting, 泰山亭).  The cemetery was bounded by Paterson Road (Tanglin), Orchard Road, and Grange Road.  A temple (泰山亭伯公宫) stood on the cemetery grounds.

The cemetery was cleared in 1957, and some portions of the land were acquired by the government.

The Kongsi built a 10-storey Ngee Ann Building on the site, which was demolished in 1985. The Ngee Ann City commercial and shopping complex was subsequently built there, with construction beginning in 1989.
 
Constructed in 1989 at a cost of $2 million, the distinctive looking yet modern building is a testament to the times.

Early on, the Kongsi bought many large parcels of land in less-populated areas of the city to be used as burial grounds, with the exception of Tai Shan Ting cemetery on Orchard Road where Ngee Ann City now stands.






Ngee Ann City was officially opened on 31 August 1993 by then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong.


Traditional annual prayer sessions at the Ngee Ann City


 
 
 

The Ngee Ann Kongsi officials conducting the traditional annual prayer sessions at Ngee Ann City.

The related "Singapore Teochew Festival 2014" blog  here .

Beancurd Talk

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This is an incidental blog inspired by the taste of soya beancurd (豆花) when I stopped over for a bowl of the Wucao soya beancurd in Geylang today.


"Rochor Beancurd House" at Selegie Road is my favorite traditional soya beancurd whenever convenient, but the visit to the Geylang Road branch for the first time for me.  Same good quality, same original tastes and standards over the decades.  The special taste and flavor from Rochor Beancurd House is unique and unmistakable.

However, this blog is not about the (豆花) or "tau huay" in Hokkien as I called it in the Bukit Ho Swee kampong childhood days.

This is about the unique pioneer generation enterprising Singaporean resilient characteristics of an immigrant from a faraway land in China in the 1950s and took roots in Singapore. They brought up their family and children to "breed" another generation of younger Singaporeans.

I noticed an article (shown above) on the wall of the shop and would like to share this on the blog.

A 50 years journey
Every step leaves its print

During the 1950s, a 12-year-old boy named Xu Kunming travelled from China to Pulau Tekong on his own.  With the help of an uncle, he reunited with his parents.  They worked as fishermen.

Although Xu Kunming was young, he was intelligent.  He received an education while helping his father.  Due to low income, the family was poor.  This situation remained for three years.

When Xu Kunming was 15 years old, he stopped schooling due to financial constraints.  The family of three left Pulau Tekong for Singapore island in search for better economic prospects.  Their efforts were rewarded when they started a stall selling soya bean milk and curd beside the Rochor seven-storey mall.  The family worked long hours with the only wish being not having to go hungry.

Despite limited education, Xu Kunming had good business sense.  He thought that failure was the result of inaction.  Therefore, being proactive was better then being passive.

From 1980 onwards, he changed his business strategy and became a travelling hawker.  With a pushcart, he started touting soya bean milk from Rochor Rd to Beach Rd to Balestier Rd.  Though exhausting, this improved the family living standards.

The four-wheel wooden pushcart had a wooden signboard which read "Wucao Soya milk".  This "Wucao Soya milk" gained customer support for its fragrance and good taste.  
In addition, customers praised the bean curd as smooth and tasty.  The results had proven Xu Kunming had adopted the correct business strategy.

Xu Kunming had to assume the responsibility of taking care of his three younger sibilings.

Xu Kunming would ease the burden of his mother by bringing a younger sibling while selling his products.  This sibling would be placed on the cart.  This continued until the siblings started formal schooling.

Xu Kunming has contributed greatly to the upbringing of the Xu family siblings and the reputation of "Wucao Soya milk."

Currently, "Wucao Soya milk" has opened another branch at Balestier Rd.  Putting up a similar signboard along the same road which Xu Kunming had walked as a travelling hawker is indeed meaningful.  He can reminisce about the past and compare it with the present changes.

Till now, Xu Kunming is still doing his best to make "Wucao Soya milk".  He insists on maintaining the soya milk's originality and flavour which has been maintained for the past decades.  His catch phrase is "with the support of the customers, we can do better."

Thank you for your support.

Today, "Wucao Soya milk" has a 3rd generation successor.  He is Xu Kunming's son, Xu Guowei (Jason).  Jason graduated from Queensland University of Technology with a bachelor's degree and major in network security.  This young man is energetic and has inherited his ancestor's diligent attitude.  He has an unique perspective in business.  He manages the stall with 16-hour workdays.  He describes the situation as:

"With the foundation laid by my grandfather and 50 years of diligence from my father, I am responsible for ensuring the continued success of "Wucao Soya milk."

It takes Man to plan but Heaven's blessings to succeed and I have just have to try my best.

Elements such as time, place and people are needed for business seriously and handles human relations well.  With this people element together with the time and place elements created by his forefathers, it is believed he will lead the business to prosper to greater heights.

I thought this is a SG50 Singapore story to share with everyone, not just our pioneer generation friends who understand the meaning of economic hardship, political instability and racial disharmony in Singapore in the early days.

Jason Xu has benefitted from the sacrifices of his father, Xu Kunming and the "Wucao Soya milk" secret family recipes, formula for the success of the business he inherited.  He grew up in an improved Singapore with better education system, an independent nation with political stability, racial harmony and equality regardless of race, language, religion and culture for a better Singapore ..... changes from the past, the present and the future.

From pushcart to Facebook, Jason moved "Wucao Soya milk" traditional business via Internet technology and communication to his customers here .


Rochor Beancurd House (RBH) Branches Drawn by Andrew Yeo

RBH Balestier Road Branch

RBH Thomson Road Branch

RBH Geylang Road Branch

The above 3 photos of the Balestier Road, Thomson Road and Geylang Road branches of the Rochor Beancurd House are the sketches drawn by my international award-winning artist friend, Andrew Yeo Kian Hwee.  

I described him as "a human camera with magical lens captured through his eyes and memories" through his drawings and paintings here .

Thanks to Andrew for his kindness to send me these photos, unsolicited.  It was as if he read my mind to get some pictures of the RBH branches ...  maybe through ESP (Extra Sensory Perception :)

What a pleasant surprise and I am pleased to update the blog to share with everyone.  Much appreciated, Andrew.

From the pictures, we noticed that the RBH shops are simple and practical furnishing stuff without aircond, piped-in music in the shop, fanciful decorations and designs to attract customers.  This is the humble and honest characteristics for business.  The best stuff in RBH is the "real thing" without the needs of imaginative, creative product names.  "Tau huay" is "tau huay",  "yew char kuay" is "yew char kuay" .....

Some readers asked me about Bread Talk in the controversial news recently about beancurd drinks sold by the company.

I am talking about beancurd, not about bread on this blog.  Not mentioned here.

An interesting email I received from a blog reader:

"Please advise the mothers-to-be to drink more beancurd during pregnancy so that their babies would be born with fair complexion and smooth skin.  However, if  mothers drink only water before the babies are born,  the babies would be born transparent" .... hahaha, just kidding!

Memories of Woodlands - Jessica Bong

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At the launch of the Woodlands SG50 Commemorative Book and Ebook "Heart Choices" at the Woodlands Community Centre on 30 August, 2015, I met Jessica Bong again after over a year.

I was assigned by the Singapore Memory Project as a Memory Corps volunteer to interview Jessica Bong and to share her memories of Woodlands, the place of heart choices.


Memories of Woodlands 
Daughter of the vegetables farmer of Hock Choon Village
Ms Jessica Bong, 62-year-old, was born in 1952 at a vegetable farm in Lorong Chikar of the Hock Choon Village in Woodlands, Singapore.   She lived all her life in Woodlands and is residing in a 5-room HDB flat now.   Her 43-year-old daughter lives in Woodlands and another daughter  and 2 grandchildren stay in the East. 

Jessica’s father was a farmer from Kwangtung Province, China  and migrated to Singapore in the 1940s.  Her mother was from Malacca and her parents were married in Singapore in 1945 during the Japanese Occupations.   Jessica is the fourth child and the parents have 12 children -  4 boys and 8 girls.  The eldest brother is now 68-years-old. 



Jessica’s mother is now 86 years old, still active and healthy.   Her father passed away a few years ago at the ripe old age of 100. 

Jessica Bong's father at his vegetables' farm

Jessica's mother on first left  and her father holding the giant "Bai Chye" in the photo

The house which Jessica’s father built and owned at Hock Choon Village,  was made of attap roof and the walls from wooden planks.  In front of the house, there was a small plot of land for vegetable farming.  The vegetables were then sold when harvested. 

There were about 15 to 20 families at Hock Choon Village. They all farm for a living.   There were poultry farmers who rear chicks, ducks, pigs and fresh-water  fishes for food.  It was a tightly-knit community and the neighbours and their families live together in harmony. 

Hock Choon Village Community Centre





The former Hock Choon Village Community Centre (now called Fuchun Community Centre) was located at the end of Lorong Chikar , now known as at Woodlands St. 13.   It was the first rural community centre opened by former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew on 19 November, 1962.  Photo credit:  National Archives of Singapore. 


Jessica’s father and their neighbours,  楊丕時 and 楊順 were community grassroots leaders at Hock Choon Village. 

Jessica’s Schooldays Memories

Jessica attended Primary 1 to Primary 6 at the Nan Chiau Public School  (公立南僑学校)  from 1959 to 1964.  (Please refer to her photo with the Primary School Leaving Examination certificate). 

It was a school building with zinc roof and wooden plank walls.  She had to walk to school and fro school daily and each trip took her 30 minutes. 

Her favourite school subject was Mathematics and her favourite teacher Mr. Lin. 

For school extra-curricular activities, her favourite sports was basketball and she played in the school team.  When the school team had to compete with other schools, they travelled in lorries arranged by the school for the participants. 

Jessica completed her school certificate examinations after attending Secondary 1 to Secondary 4 at Bukit Panjang Government School  from 1965 to 1968. 

She helped her father on the vegetable farm since her young days.  Farming as a livelihood was  meaningful  and had given her a sense of satisfaction to help the family.   It was hard work  to toil on the land  under  the sun and rain.  

Sometime in the 1950s, the vegetable farm as cash crop of local vegetables of “chye sim”, brinjal, “kangkong “  and other varieties sold through wholesalers in the markets in Singapore and Johore . In the mid 70s, many farmers started to farm tobacco leaves. Her father then decided to switch to farming  tobacco leaves as it was a lucrative business and earned more then the sales of vegetables.   The tobacco leaves had to be harvested,dried and processed to be sold to one of the tobacco companies in Singapore. 
   
However,after a few years, the government banned the farming of tobacco leaves for manufacturing of cigarettes. Hence, Jessica’s father  went back to farm vegetables. 

Jessica remembers her young days when her father would tell her stories and legends from China whilethey worked together on the farm.  Those educational stories with moral inspired and influenced her.  Her favourite story  was [西游记]    the Chinese classic “Journey to the West”.  

For recreation in the evening,  she went to Hock Choon Community Centre to learn dressmaking and sewing and became a qualified tailor.  She then later build a career in the garment industry. 

In the early days, she watched Chinese movies at the open-air theatre in the village with her parents and siblings.  She fondly remembers the theatre called Mei Lu Cinema which is located near the current Woodlands Checkpoint. 

The nearest indoor theatre was at Sultan Theatre at the Chong Pang village in Sembawang. 

Her favorite movies were [七仙女] and  [甲午风云] in the 1970s.

They also do not have television sets at home.   The family watched TV at the community centre in the evening. 

The family did not have Rediffusion at home.  The radio programmes broadcast on Radio Singapura on portable radios from which they regularly listen to dialect stories by Lee Tai Soh in Cantonese,  OngToh in Hokkien and Ng Chia Keng in Teochew.   Her lessons from these dialects were listened from the radio. 

Jessica’s favorite hobby is reading the Chinese newspaper [南洋商daily.    She was a frequent contributor to the newspaper  and saved newspaper cuttings collection over the decades. 

The newspaper article published on 18 December, 1977 in the [我的得意] feature entitled  [种包菜成功].  (Translation:  Experiment of cabbage planting with success).   It expressed how Jessica’s father experiment the planting of cabbage with seedlings from Malacca and grew at his vegetable farms in 1977.  

The “king-sized cabbage”  experiment attracted the attention of the Primary Production Department of Singapore and was reported in the local newspapers. 

Resettlement of Hock Choon Village for public housing developments 

Hock Choon Village and the precints of Woodlands was considered “ulu” or rural but has undergone major changes since post-independence.   The resettlement plan outlined new towns to house the rapidly growing population that was expected to follow as a result of industrialization in the north.  Rural settlements or kampongs in the way of industrialization and new towns in Woodlands were cleared. 

By March 1994, about 23000 HDB units were built in Woodlands. 

Jessica and her family were offered resettlement compensation and allocation of flats by HDB.  They prefer to  stay in Woodlands  where they had their roots for their three-generation family. 
She would like to share her personal memories of two unforgettable memories in Woodlands: 
  1. Rumours are dangerous.  Do not listen to rumours. 
This happened on 21 July, 1964 during the race riot in Singapore.  Jessica’s father heard rumours that Malays would attack the village and to kill the villagers.  The birth certificates of the family were stored and packed to bury in the nearby forest.  All female villagers would hide at the forest until further notice.   
The male villagers would prepare sharpened wooden sticks as weapons. They stayed awake to guard the village from dangers throughout the night. 

As it turned out, there was no attacks. The rumours were fake.  Peace and order was then restored. 
  1. Water is Priceless.  Do not waste water. 
In 1962, Singapore and Southern Johore suffered a severe drought. Rain did not fall for months. 
The well in Jessica’s family farm was running dry.  The natural elements would affect the vegetable farmers as they depend on water for their crops to grow. 

To help save the water for the vegetables and plants,  Jessica and her brothers and sisters would not use the water from the well.  However, when they need to shower and wash their clothes , they would cycle to their friends’ house which is about 30 minutes away. 

This is the learning experience on the importance of water in Singapore which Jessica would never forget. 

By: James Seah, Memory Corps Volunteer
In collaboration with Woodlands Galaxy CC 

Photos contributed by Jessie Bong from her family album to share on this blog.



White Feather. Black Skin.

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Take a one look at the blog title, this is a shocking, offensive racist topic.

Please read on and let me express on the blog.


Have you ever seen a black chicken?  The black-feathered Silkie chicken is black-pigmented right down to its bones. 



Silkie chickens are a highly-prized breed of chicken that has beautiful silky white plumage, and startlingly black skin.



This is the traditional herbal black chicken soup I had for lunch at a coffee shop near my workplace.

My health-conscious pioneer generation friends would like to share this food diet tips on the blog.

I was wondering whether this type of "halal health food" could be prepared by my Muslim friends at home or sold at restaurants or food centers in Singapore.

The "halal" herbal black chicken soup stall-holders could be licensed by MUIS to Muslim customers.

The Singapore Religious Council better known as MUIS (Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura) is the sole authority in Singapore which can certify restaurants, manufacturing facilities, food outlets etc as Halal. MUIS is a statutory board setup to advise the President of Singapore on all matters relating to Islam in Singapore.

MUIS has a long track record on halal certification and is well respected for developing processes and methodologies to ensure credibility of its certification. It has also introduced the Singapore Muis Halal Quality Management System (HalMQ), an initiative to boost the credibility of its Halal certification mark internationally. 




Christmas Message of Peace on Earth

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Message of Peace on Earth

When Jesus Christ was born two thousand years ago into abject poverty to homeless refugees on the outskirts of a brutal empire, the story goes that angels appeared in the sky to impoverished shepherds singing, "Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth!"

Message of peace on earth on Christmas Day on December 25 when Jesus Christ was born.

Jesus Christ is not a Christian.  He spreads the message of peace in the gospel to mankind.

Siddhartha Gautama Shakyamuni is not a Buddhist.  He spreads the message of peace in the teaching of Dharma to mankind.

Prophet Muhammad is not a Muslim.  The Islamic prophet spreads the message of peace in the Koran teachings to mankind.

The teachers of all mainstream religions on earth spread the message of peace to everyone in the world.  The world leaders of all peace-loving countries which belong to the United Nation also spread the message of peace to their citizens.

Why then not all countries in the world are peaceful in the 21st century?

Watching the TV daily on the news in the world, we are aware the security threat to live with the dangers of terrorist attacks in world cities?

News of World War Two

The related blog on the "Beginning and the End of World War II" is available here .

 

The memories and reflections of the hardships faced by those who lived through the darkest years of Singapore's modern history have been captured befittingly in a permanent exhibition, 'Syonan Years: Singapore Under Japanese Rule 1942-1945' at the Old Ford Factory, Bukit Timah Road, Singapore.




On 15 February 1942 after a week of intense fighting, the British Lieutenant General Arthur E. Percival surrendered Singapore to the Japanese forces under the command of Lieutenant General Tomoyuki Yamashita to sign the surrender instruments at the Japanese HQ in the Ford Factory in Bukit Timah, Singapore.

My heritage friend SC Chia sent me this audio recording from his 78 rpm vinyl record from his personal rare heritage collectibles.  I am pleased to post this to YouTube to share on the blog.  With thanks to my old-time friend, Chew Kee Boon for the conversion of the audio file to YouTube.

1.  The announcement of 5 or 6 languages by the Japanese propaganda team to broadcast in 5 or 6 languages on the day of the surrender of Singapore in 1942.  "Singapore has fallen, Singapore has fallen ..."  The "great victory" was announced to the whole world.

2.   The speech of General Yamashita, the "Tiger General" of Malaya from Japan.

The War Crime of Tomoyuki Yamashita

 

Meanwhile, please watch the YouTube videos to see the other side of the coin during World War II.

Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima - CBS Radio on 8 July, 1945



24 Hours After - Hiroshima



Memorials were held Thursday in Japan to mark 70 years since the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. CBS News correspondent Seth Doane reports.


This is a home recording of the bombing of Hiroshima in Japan that took place on August 6, 1945. The report describes some of the event and mentions the origin for the name of the modified B-29.

August 6 1945, during the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted two atomic bombings against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. These two events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date.




Hear first-hand accounts from the air and ground, re-telling every memory from the day the world first witnessed the horrors of atomic warfare. Watch more Hiroshima from BBC Worldwide…

The purpose of featuring the war stories of Singapore and juxtaposed with the war stories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki which changed the world to realize the importance to live in peace with all the countries in the world, regardless of their religious or political ideologies or preachings to the peoples of the world.

Lets pray that there be peace in the world.  We only have one world, many countries.  Would the Gods and gods allow the world to be blown up to pieces, no more lives in a nuclear war which cannot play computer war games for excitement for thrill. 

A nuclear bomb in the world would be "Game Over" for all earthlings.  Are the Martians are coming?

Collective memories to share with heritage friends


In a time of ever-accelerating change, memory still provides important threads of identity and connection to the past.  While famous people and great events get written about in history books, whole areas of social history risk being obliterated from memory altogether.  In Southeast Asia, as elsewhere, millions of ordinary people lived extraordinary lives over the course of the twentieth century, being caught up in historical events that were beyond their control.  Often they witnessed great political changes, from the era of colonialism to World War II and the Japanese Occupation, to struggle for independence and the subsequent building of new nation-states.  In the process of all these transformations, so many aspects of everyday life have changed beyond recognition .....

It takes a lot of luck for memories to be successfully transmitted.  The amazing wealth of photographs preserved in this volume could so easily have been lost, throw away, or simply decayed beyond recovery in a story to tell must not only feel like telling it, but must also find a receptive audience at the right moment.

To enter into that story takes an effort of imagination on the part of a listener from a younger generation, whose own life is already so much changed that they might find it hard to relate to such tales from the past.
- Excerpts from the Foreword by Roxana Waterson in "Life Beyond the Big Top" by Adele Wong:  Stories of the Tai Thean Kew Circus.



Wireless SD Memory Card Innovation

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How did I celebrate Christmas Day on 25 December, 2015 in Singapore?

It was a blessed bright, sunny day to enjoy the festive holiday.

Although it was a public holiday in Singapore, many of the shops at Sim Lim Square were opened for business.

As my well-maintained 5-year-old Canon Exilim 27mm wide optical 4x was not working for many months, I decided to check with one of the camera shops at Sim Lim Square for my old faithful to be resurrected.  Fortunately, the condition of this outdated camera was revived with a change of the batteries.

At the shop, a helpful Mr Ho Leng of SQuare United 2013 and I had a friendly chat and he wanted to know how this pioneer generation guy use the camera.  He knows that I am an amateur photographer who cannot afford to own the latest and best camera to keep up my the latest photography trends.  "Oldies but goodies" stuff to look for the best bargains whenever possible.

Mr Ho, an expert in cameras and photography for many years of experiences.  Many things to learn from him about his photography hobby since he was young.

He then recommended me to use the wireless SD memory card to replace the conventional card for my camera.  This is a "new thingy" which I have not heard about.

Although this product was not available in his shop, he advised me to buy it elsewhere in Sim Lim.

For an experiment on the use of the Wi-Fi SD card later, I took the 2 photos with the Canon Exilim below:

Photo taken at Sim Lim Square on 25 December, 2015

Photo taken at Rochor Road outside Sim Lim Square on 25 December, 2015

The Learning Journey with friends, Facebook and the Internet

There are many things about photography and cameras which I do not know.

Knowledge is not confined to the resources from the text books in the old days.

Nowadays, a search on Googles for the required useful and helpful information discreetly from like-minded people to learn and share from them, not "spoon-fed" :)

Leading Innovation Products by Toshiba

Toshiba Announces Third Generation FlashAir III Wireless SD Card

Memory Card Provides Consumers with Quick and Seamless Ways to Share Captured Moments Wirelessly

LAS VEGAS - (BUSINESS WIRE) - CES 2015, LVCC Central Hall Booth #11028

Toshiba's Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today introduced the FlashAir III Wireless SD Card, a third generation memory card that serves as its own wireless LAN access point, allowing users to share images, videos and files wirelessly.  Now with enhanced photo sharing and management features, users can quickly designate which photos to instantly share and easily manage files from a web browser on a PC.

The FlashAir III delivers speedy data transfers so users can quickly upload their images and videos.  The FlashAir III Wireless SD Card's Internet pass - through feature allows users to access the card and Internet (via your separate wireless router) simultaneously - enabling the ability to upload images in real-time.  Using a wireless LAN chip, The FlashAir III Wireless SD Card is accessible to any wireless capable computers, smartphones or tablets, and can support simultaneous access from up to seven devices.  In addition, the built-in Wi-Fi access point also allows for transfers without an Internet connection.

"We understand how important it is for consumers to share their photo and video memories with family and friends," said Maciek Brzewski, Vice Presidenty, Branded Storage.  Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Digital Products Division.  "We have eliminated the cumbersome task of uploading pictures via a USB cord so users can effortlessly share and manage their files, leaving more time for what's important."

Toshiba also offers a free FlashAir mobile app that makes it easy to share via iOS and Android-based devices.  The FlashAir Wireless SD Card is backed by a five-year standard limited warranty.

Known as the "Inventor of Flash Memory," Toshiba has been providing storage solutions worldwide since 1967 and has more than 47 years of experience developing storage offerings that complement our comprehensive ecosystem of devices.  Leveraging an annual $3.1 billion investment in research and development, Toshiba continues to push the boundaries of storage technology to meet customers' needs.

Source: DPReview





Test-run with the "New Tech Toy"

This is my "new tech toy" for Christmas !

All of a sudden, I was turning back the clock and became a child (second childhood?) filled with curiosity and anxiety to play with a toy to see how it works.  Spending hours to play with the "toy" to learn from the experiences and where and why certain things went wrong.  There's a sense of satisfaction when it works and we can share the experiments with friends on Facebook and the blog.

Its kinda fun because useful knowledge is to share and not keep only to myself ... as if I am the only person to own some trade secret information to make money :)

Of course, for those who are not interested in such stuff, its OK and no harm to go elsewhere.

Photography of Most Popular Tourist Spots in Singapore  (Day & Night)






Memories of Merlion, Singapore's Mascot


The 43-year-old Merlion sculpture when it was built in 1972.  It was originally located near the mouth of the Singapore River as shown in the archived photo courtesy of the National Archives of Singapore.

In the 11th century, a Palembang Prince landed in Singapore.  From the shoreline, the Prince spotted a mythical beast.  Was it a lion? A fish? A mythical creature borne out of the Prince's imagination?  Whatever it is, the Merlion has definitely become Singapore's beloved unofficial mascot, and a symbol of Singapore's grander ambitions - its lion head gave birth to our name, and the fish tail represents Singapore's humble beginnings as a fishing village.  And just like the Merlion, Singapore has become bigger than life - a vibrant island city with a lion's heart.

Source: Singapore50 .

The present location of the Merlion at the Merlion Park.





As I grew older and my looks had changed, the Merlion had remained the same after 43 years :)




This is a "learn and share blog" which everyone are invited to comment on computers and digital technologies for educational benefits for our Internet community.

This blog is not meant to be a technical work and not connected to Toshiba in any way, and have neither worked for Toshiba nor received any payment of gratification.  Thank you.



Kindred Memories

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"Kindred Memories: A Flash Fiction Collection" by Lynette Wan

This is the Foreword of the new book:

The oral tradition of storytelling predates the first historical recordings.  Pervasive across cultures, storytelling simply points to man's obsession with narrative and its ability to draw audiences together.  It is also my preoccupation.  When I first contemplated publishing a collection of stories as a project proposal for SG50 Celebration Fund, the idea of gathering true accounts from our nation's pioneer generation came almost naturally as I recounted the many occasions in which the older members in my family readily shared their strangely distant  but fascinating memories of their youth.

While I had very quickly come up with a concept for the project, I tussled with the form and presentation of the stories.  I was reluctant to portray them as they are - accounts written from a third  person's point of view - as such depictions often diminish and simplify the dramatic actions and emotions experienced by the characters in the stories.  I wanted my readers to be in the stories, not observers and well wishers on the side.  Then came this crazy idea to present the true accounts as fiction, as flash fiction - particularly suited for the highly energised and slightly restless younger readers.

A year on since that decision, I have come to learn that the resilience and can-do attitude of our nation's pioneer generation are no mere legends.  They truly are a community of people who do not allow adversity to change or define them.   Rather, their readiness to accept, adapt and persevere reflects their belief in something larger than themselves.  Their stories have also profoundly moved me.

It is my hope that readers of this publication will experience for themselves the same spark that ignited in me a warm fuzzy sense of familiarity and strength to go on - for out country, our families and more importantly, for themselves.

Happy 50th birthday, Singapore!

Lynette Wan, 2015


HOME [BUKIT HO] SWEE HOME





I would like to thank Lynette Wan for the invitation to share this story as a contribution of pioneer generation Singaporeans for her SG50 book.

"Time flows like memories on the shores of the past" -  Michael Joseph Murano


Celestial Show @ East Coast Park, Singapore

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The sighting of a spectacular, rare astronomical alignment of 5 planets of the solar system appear together in the skies, is to me a first-time experience.

On Saturday, February 6, 2016, I arrived at the East Coast Park at 6:15 am.

The 5 planets align diagonally in the cosmos and visible to the naked eyes.

As I gazed upwards to the sky, it was like watching at a hugh, wide movie screen ..... Awesome!


The sky was still dark when I reached the place, but there were already several stargazers at Area F at East Coast Park.



There were helpful information from the Science Centre Observatory (SCOB) here .  According to SCOB, the planets can be seen at any location with an unobstructed view of the eastern horizon on a day of good weather and clear skies.

It is a blessing that there was good weather with clear skies at this stargazing location this morning.

Luckily it did not rain at East Coast Park, else this celestial display in the skies would be a washout.

Local astronomers are not to miss this rare, special "astronomical event" to witness this phenomenon.

Although I am not an astrology fan, I wake up early to view the beautiful planets in the Milky Way at the best spot in Singapore to capture the moments personally to share on this blog.

Thanks to meeting Siang Hock, a friendly astronomy enthusiast and his friends and family.


This is the photo of the moon taken with the Orion Starmax 90mm tabletop Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope at the East Coast Park stargazing session.  Photo Credit:  Siang Hock.  Thank you for sharing on the blog.


Siang Hock offering tips on the use of the handy telescope to photograph with the smartphone camera.



As the sky brightens, the stars were not visible.  Its a new bright, day to enjoy the beautiful views of the East Coast Park and the sea.  The breezy, calmness and soothing fresh air at ECP for everyone.



Meanings of the Stars as Astrology

While it is not all that rare for the two planets to get so close to each other, the viewing angle at many latitudes and the time of day made the conjunction a particularly spectacular event, which some stargazers have likened to the Christian biblical "Star of Bethelhem " when Jesus Christ was born.

According to one astrology website, Jupiter lords over philosophy, while Mars is an action planet, Saturn on the other hand is a planet of karma, Venus is love, Mercury is the planet of communication, and the moon – she’s the ruler of emotions.

Perhaps this rare celestial alignment is a call for us to heed good philosophy and build good karma by communicating our emotions and putting action to love.

Or maybe, it’s just a rare phenomenon and nothing more.
(Source: The Independent)

In Chinese literature, these 5 planets are called Wu Xing (五星), literally translated as "5 Stars/Planets".

Planet = 行星 (Xing Xing)
Star = 恒星 (Heng Xing)

金星 (metal) = Venus
木星 (wood) = Jupiter
水星 (water) = Mercury
火星 (fire) = Mars
土星 (earth) = Saturn

More info about 五星连珠 ("5 planets connected like a string of pearls") here .

五大行星中,金星、火星、土星现在西方的地平线上,木星则悬挂在和

五星连珠

30的天空上,而水星也正在逐渐靠拢。五大行星将按照水、金、火、木、土依次排列,由高到低连成一条线,古时称为五星连珠。由于五颗星都是大行星,亮度较高,人们用肉眼就可以清晰地看到。

五大行星他们各自有各自的轨道,在未来的一段时间内都不会有碰撞的可能。除非等到世界已经不存在,但是那时候又会发生什么就不得而知了。



Memories of Chinatown on Chinese New Year Eve 2016

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This young boy sitting on the shoulders of his father had the best view above the heads of everybody else in Chinatown.  Lucky boy!



Photo taken when they were near the Chinatown Food Street.


Another little girl on her father's shoulders to watch the performances on the stage for the Chinatown Chinese New Year Countdown Party at New Bridge Road and Eu Tong Sen Street.

It is wonderful for many Singaporeans and foreign tourists and visitors with their families to join the Chinese New Year celebrations in Chinatown.


The little girl puts on a monkey mask and Dad laughed.  Good business for kid toys at the stalls.


Walk Down Memories of Chinatown

After a reunion dinner at home, I decided to go to Chinatown to absorb the real experience on Chinese New Year Eve on 7 February, 2016.  Its over 20 years since my last visit there on this occasion.


Alighting from Outram MRT station, I walked towards the heart of Chinatown to feel the pulse and heartbeats where the heat and happenings on a hot night began.


I was greeted by a row of brightly lighted lanterns above the road and the various monkey-shaped lanterns near the road dividers.  Cheerful and cute monkey lanterns!



Chinese New Year Shopping at Chinatown in the past

As we turn the clock backwards in time to the same places in Chinatown over 50 years ago, lets take a look at the juxtaposed photos with the courtesy of the National Archives of Singapore to share on this blog.

More related topics are available here     




The babies were sleeping quietly at mothers' back while the mothers carried on with shopping ...

Chinatown Shopping Now



The last-minute shoppers on Chinese New Year Eve at Chinatown was increasing bigger and bigger by the minutes.  It was getting hotter and my shirt was wet with perspiration .....

The heated oven where the temperature grew was the stretch of stalls at Trengganu Street offering candies, flowers and goodies at half prices for value for money bargain.  


People were grabbing the stuff as if its free .....

Ad posters to attract the customers


Sales Pitches With Loud Voices


"See ... so many extra pieces to fill up the whole bag for $5.00 only.  Cheap, cheap!  Last night offer!

Spotted an old friend in the crowd


Through my camera viewer, I noticed a familiar face with long hair ... Ronald Lam, my long-time friend and former colleague.  I grabbed his arm and gave him a surprise.  So nice to meet him after so many years.  We are Facebook friends who contacted regularly though.


 We had a "wefie" for memory!

Food for the Hungry Shoppers


View from the Top

The Chinatown Complex at Block 335B, Smith Street is the tallest building in Chinatown built by the Housing & Development Board (HDB).  

To capture the breath-taking photos of the scenaries, I took the lift to the 24th storey for this blog.


The Chinatown MRT Station 


Travelling to Chinatown by MRT is the fastest and most convenient for public transportation to and from any part of Singapore.

With the courtesy of Mr Johnny Tan to upload the YouTube video, "Walking Down Chinatown On Chinese New Year's Eve" to enjoy.




Cup of Friendship

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A Cup of Friendship
A Cup of Love
A Cup of Memories
A Cup of Singapore

A very big cup for everyone to bring happiness.

Just like "Coffee with a friend is like capturing Happiness in a cup".

The year 2015 for SG50 has just passed.   It was a busy year for me with activities to keep me occupied with blogs as a hobby, and brought me personal happiness to share.


Its better late than never to acknowledge so many friends and strangers to email me their kind words to encourage me their positive and constructive feedbacks.  Many had taken their personal efforts to cheer me up after a long, hard day.

Photo taken in 1983 with my former colleague Black Tan

My daughter could not recognize me with moustache when she was a child. She would not let me carry her and when her hand touch the moustache, she ran away from me and said "Daddy gili gili (itchy in baby lingo smile emoticon After that I shaved off the itchy hair above my lips ... hahaha. Any moustached fathers with such experiences to share with us smile emoticon

I think this was the only photo I had of me with a moustache just for fun and posted to my Facebook timeline.

Thanks to my Facebook friend, Ms Ivy Chwee Neo Tan, sent me this comments:

"I think that I can share her reaction (being my young daughter's) ... I wld hv done the same thing.....anyway...you don't need a moustache to dress up your face ..you can let your face be the mirror of the vision around you...this for all the interesting articles on your blogs & posts...

Thank you, Ivy.

Another long-time friend and supportive blog reader, Ms Sim Hui Hwang:

Yes James!  Ir is a privilege to have time for others while most ppl are still struggling to eke out a living.  The community needs more active senior citizens to lend a helping hand n a listening ear.  It certainly must have brought so much joy to u as your contributions are immeasurable n invaluable for those whose lives u have touched!  Keep up the good work, James!

Thank you, Hui Hwang.

Its really nice to hear kind words of encouragements to motivate me to keep on blogging.  Thanks to all my blessed friends.




Walk Down the Streets of Taiwan

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The younger generation of Taiwanese
The pioneer generation of Taiwanese

"Taipei Fascinations" bronze statues set up in celebration of Taipei City's 130th anniversary in 2014.  The 4 life-size bronze statues were situated outside Exit 1 of the metro station to represent the image of the city's demolished West Gate and development of old Taipei, combing historic elements with modern designs.

First Impressions of the Streets of Taipei


The Ximen Hotel basecamp during the trip.



Taiwan is a big city with a high population of vehicular traffic and people on the streets.

Why do some countries drive on the left and others on the right? Some Google answers here .

The series of photo-journal blogs to describe my first impressions of my first visit to Taipei to share in bite-sized portions grouped in categories and topics for the convenience of the readers.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes in Taiwan

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The strange history of the sweet potato

"Taiwan is in the shape of a sweet potato. So called the Taiwanese ‘Son of sweet potatoes’. 

There is a popular saying in Mandarin : "番薯救人無人情".  
Translation: Sweet potatoes rescue people without favor.
Meaning: Sweet potatoes help a lot of people to survive, but after they get rich they forget about it, forget that cheap shit. It helped a lot of people in that era. Kind of like burning bridges. The meaning is not about the potato, but how people think of the potato. It can help you a lot but we ignore them.

Another saying in Mandarin : 番薯無驚入土爛 只求枝葉代代傳
Translation: Sweet potato is not afraid of rotting in the mud, it only asks that its leaves go on into the next generation.
Meaning: If you put a sweet potato in the mud will be rotten, right? But a sweet potato is not afraid of it. Although it’s rotten, its leaf will grow up and still have another sweet potato; the leaf is used to propagate it.


A Spiritual Journey to Timsui in Taiwan

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A favorite of my photo at Timsui

It was my lucky day on February 26, 2016 during my recent visit to Taiwan to attend a Buddhist puja ceremony at the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall on February 25, 2016.  With gratitude and thanksgiving to my Grandmaster Sheng Yen Lu for his blessings.

This is not a religion blog.  This is a personal blog to express my thoughts and feelings to travel overseas as I get older with weak knees and not as energetic as I was younger.  I could not walk as fast as the young ones.  However, I am not on an adventurous journey for jungle trekking or climb mountains.

In this trip, I was fortunate my Dharma brother Lian Chun and sister Jessie agreed to join them to Taiwan.  They are very concerned to take good care of me for my safety and comfort.

On February 26, they scheduled me for a day of free activities and we would have to meet in the evening.  I did not tell them what I wanted to do, and they trust me to take care of myself.

When I awoke at 5.00 am, I thought it would be a waste to lock myself in the hotel room doing nothing.  There were so many things in Taiwan for me to experience and learn new place, new stuff to learn.

I have never taken a Taiwan MRT train before.  On my previous trip with Yuan Zheng Tang group in 2015, we travelled by coach around Taiwan.  No sightseeing done in Taipei where we had dinner in one of the hotels.

The Metro MRT station at Ximen was just across the road at Ximen Hotel where we stayed.


There were many prominent directory and signage in the station and travellers on the trains would never get lost.  Taiwanese commuters are very friendly, courteous and helpful for assistance.  They also gave me maps of the MRT networks.


At the MRT Passenger Service Counter, I was advised to purchase a MRT day-card for NT150 for limitless trips for a day.


In the MRT train.


The trains were clean and reasonably fast. There were many young commuters and they readily offered their seats to those who need the seats more.  Just like in Singapore.  Indeed a gracious and cultured society of different countries.  Same, same.  But different!

When I arrived at Timsui MRT station about 40 minutes later.


More prominents signages after leaving the MRT station.


To be orientated to a new place, I looked around to soak in the environment and atmosphere which I have never visited before.  I did not rush and moved around in my comfortable pace.


There were groups of elders for their daily exercises in the building because it was raining at the park.
A community with health-consciousness for a disciplined society.


Encounter with Ms Wilanda from Surabaya, Indonesia.


This friendly lady chatted with me in Malay and was happy to meet someone from Singapore and we communicate in a language she could understand.  She told me that she is a domestic helper to look after a 70-year-old Taiwanese Ah Kong in Timsui.  

She spoke a little in Taiwanese and stayed in Taiwan for about a year.  She is happy to work with her current employers.  Food is no problem because she could buy from the markets and cook her  Indonesian food in Taiwan.  Her sister was also working in Taiwan. We could notice her holding a smartphone to be connected on Facebook and regularly talk with her children in Indonesia.

Thanks for your consent to post this photo, Wilanda.

Cathay United ATM


I remembered that I had made arrangement with OCBC in Singapore for banking facilities when I visit Taiwan.  So I tried out the 24-hour services and whether I could get some money in Taiwan NT currency in case of emergency.  It works!  I withdrew NT1000 just for a test ....  convenient and safe!


Moving on to the Timsui River .....  akan datang :)































Lung Shan Temple in Taipei

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My Taiwan friends brought us to the Lung Shan Temple in Taipei on 26 February, 2016 evening.

Lungshan Temple is located in Manka district of Taipei.  It was founded in 1738 and dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy (Kuan Im in Chinese or Avalokitesvara in Sanskrit.

This temple originated its name from the ancient Lungshan Temple established in Chin-chiang county of Fukien province in the seventh century.  Immigrants from the three counties - Chin-chiang, Nan-an and Hui-an of Fukien came to Manka in the beginning of the eighteenth century.

As they were pious followers of that ancient Lungshan Temple in their hometown, they erected this one as a branch temple at Manka and named it after the root temple when they created a new settlement here in Taipei.  Lungshan Temple of today is no longer in the original buildings constructed in 1738.  It was rebuilt in 1919 and completed in 1924.

The present Lungshan Temple consists of three halls:  the fore hall, the main hall and the rear hall

The fore hall is used as the entrance for the devotees to worship.

The main hall is in the center of the temple with a statue of Goddess Kuan Im who is enshrined in the center accompanied by two Bodhisattvas, Manjusri at the left and Samantabhdra at the right.

The eighteen Arahans are also present on both sides as attendants.

The rear hall was added only around the end of the eighteenth century after Manka was assigned as an official port for trade with Chuan- chou and Foochou of Fukien in 1792 by the Chinese government.

As a result of prosperous business, the merchant guild "Chuan Chiao" of Manka erected the rear hall to venerate the patron Matzu to pray for protection for their safe sailing to China on business.  The rear hall is divided into three parts.  The center is for the veneration of Matzu as the Goddess of marine voyage.

During my first trip to Taiwn in 2015, I  visited the Matzu Temple in Taiwan  here.


龍山寺簡介 

艋舺,今名萬華,為臺北市發源地,其最古老市街在紗帽廚社的故址大溪口,即今貴陽街與環河南路口。清康熙四十八年(西元1709年)陳賴章墾號請墾大佳臘,福建泉州之晉江、南安、惠安三邑人士渡海來此而漸成聚落,當時平埔族人以獨木舟自淡水河上游載運蕃薯等農產品與漢人交易,時稱蕃薯市;而獨木舟在平埔族語言中之發音為Banka,漢人乃音譯為「艋舺」。 

早年臺灣北部為一蠻煙瘴癘之地,俗諺「三在六亡一回頭」,環境十分險惡,漢人前來墾植時為求神佑,多攜帶家鄉廟宇香火以為庇護,後因漢人聚落漸增,三邑人士遂於清乾隆三年(西元1738年)合資興建龍山寺,並迎請福建省晉江縣安海龍山寺觀世音菩薩分靈來臺。

龍山寺不僅是居民信仰中心,舉凡議事、訴訟等均祈求神靈公斷。光緒十年(西元1884年)中法戰爭中,法軍侵占基隆獅球嶺,當地居民乃組織義軍,以龍山寺印行文官署,協助擊退法軍,獲光緒皇帝賜「慈暉遠蔭」匾額。 初創之龍山寺,規模雄偉,雕塑精緻,歷經嘉慶二十年(西元1815年)大地震重修,同治六年(西元1867年)暴風雨侵襲再行修築,至民國八年棟樑遭白蟻蛀蝕,當時住持福智大師率先捐出一生積蓄七千餘元,集資修復,奠定今日龍山寺之規模。

民國卅四年於第二次世界大戰期間受空襲摧殘,中殿全毀,惟觀世音菩薩聖像仍端坐蓮臺,寶相莊嚴;以往遇有空襲,居民皆以觀世音菩薩蓮座下為避難所,然此次空襲前夕,避難居民因不堪兇蚊肆虐紛紛返家,以致中殿受毀時無人受難,居民相信是觀世音菩薩庇護而奔相走告,此一神蹟更使得觀世音菩薩成為艋舺居民一大精神支柱。 龍山寺坐北朝南,面呈回字形,為中國古典三進四合院之宮殿式建築,由前殿、正殿、後殿及左右護龍構成。前殿為11開間,分為三川殿、龍門廳、虎門廳。三川殿前有一對全臺僅見之銅鑄蟠龍柱,

正面牆堵則由花崗石與青斗石混合組構而成,牆上故事多出自三國演義和封神榜,富於教育意義。

正殿屋頂採歇山重簷式,四面走馬廊共42根柱子構成,殿外牆堵留有多幅著名書法家石刻,殿內的螺旋藻井不費一釘一鐵,全由斗栱相嵌築構而成。

後殿屋頂採歇山重簷式,為典型儒、道教諸神佛供奉處。左右護龍各配有鐘樓與鼓樓,晨鐘暮鼓,其轎頂式扁六角形的屋頂,造形獨特。全寺屋頂脊帶和飛簷由龍鳳、麒麟等吉祥物造形,飾以剪黏和交趾陶,色彩瑰麗,堪稱臺灣剪黏藝術之精華。

民國七十四年政府公告艋舺龍山寺為國家保護之二級古蹟,與國立故宮博物院、中正紀念堂並列為國際觀光客來臺旅遊的三大名勝。龍山寺並於板橋文化路興建文化廣場大樓,民國九十四年落成啟用後,辦理多項課程與講座,以善盡弘揚佛法、提倡社教的文化價值。艋舺龍山寺每年定期舉辦節慶祭典及民俗活動,如農曆正月花燈展覽、四月浴佛節、七月盂蘭盆勝會等,民眾來到艋舺龍山寺除了欣賞臺灣寺廟建築藝術之美,亦可以感受傳統民俗文化的樂趣。(Source:  Lung Shan Temple, Taipei).




Bright and colorful decoration at the compound opposite the temple.



Walking through the tunnel of rainbow lights for blessing and good luck.





Nine Portions. Nine Families

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What's in a name?  An unusual name of a place known as "Jiufen" [九份] (nine portions) in Taiwan?

It is said that long time ago there were only nine families in Jiufen.  Before the road transportation at Jiufen were built, all material were transported by ships at the nearby wharf.

Thus a habit was formed that nine pieces of the same items were purchased at one time for reservation.
Hence, the place was called Jiufen.

Jiufen used to be the center of gold mining.  It is located within the hills in northeast of Taiwan.  The village is next to the mountains and facing the sea.

In 1890, someone struck gold near Jiufen.  The poor village with only nine families soon attracted prospectors of 4,000 families for the gold rush.  The village once was gold city of Asia and called "little Shanghai" or "little Hong Kong".

However, with the decline of gold mining activities after World War II, Jiufen fades.

A Chinese movie "A City of Sadness" was filmed on location at Jiufen and it was awarded first prize in Venice Film Festival in 1989.  It revived the memories of Jiufen with prosperous old streets, buildings, mines and the glamorous gold digging days and the original buildings, the mountain villages with clobbered uneven streets, dangerously steep and narrow remain in their original conditions for authenticity.

Jiufen today is untouched by modern day highrise buildings, architectures, designs or road developments found in the cities all over the world .....


九份:台灣最傳統的小鎮  (Jiufen: Taiwan's most traditional village).  

The mountains look towards the sea (Photos below).



One Day Trip to Jiufen


This is the day of the trip as shown in the big calendar on the wall of the "Ah Hoon Fish Ball Noodle" shop.

With the courtesy and hospitality of Dharma Sister Xiao Qing of Taiwan as guide, we travelled from Taipei to Jiufen by MRT, TRA (Taipei Railway Administration) train and taxi.


Outside the Ruifang Train Station

The yellow cabs were waiting for passengers in this photo.

Arrived at Jiufen

Photo courtesy of a contributor on the Internet with thanks.


This young gal wasn't playing games on her iPhone.  She was introducing the product information from the iPhone on her hand, her job :)


Ah Zhu Popiah Peanut Ice Cream


This is a very crowded popular Ah Zhu stall with "live" demonstration for the patrons.  The smooth taro ice-cream is served on traditional popiah skin and sprinkled with shaved peanut bits.

Ah Hoon Fish Ball Noodle Shop



The above old newspaper articles were displayed on the walls of the shop.


This YouTube video is selected on the blog with the courtesy of the contributor with thanks.  Best educational and informative video to learn about Jiufen.

Tamshui in Taiwan - Past and Present

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Tamsui in the Past


Tamsui in the Present


The juxtaposed photos of then and now in Tamshui in Taiwan are posted in my personal blog to express to share places in Taiwan where I have visited.  Same places, different times, different memories and experiences .....

Steve McQueen

To discover and research on the Internet after returning to Singapore, I am pleased to find the awesome site posted by Steve McQueen in Danshui in 1966.

Mr Steve McQueen in Danshui in 1966.

Steve McQueen was the ultra-cool Hollywood male film star of the 1960s, and rose from a troubled youth spent in reform schools to being the world's most popular actor.  Over 25 years after his untimely death from mesothelioma in 1980, Steve McQueen is still considered hip and coo, and he endures as an icon of popular culture.  He was born on 24 March, 1930 and passed away on 7 November, 1930.

I had watched my favorite movie "Papillion", starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman in 1973 when it was screened in Singapore.  What a coincidence to find Steve's visit and interest in the history of Danshui.

He had mentioned:  "It is very discouraging to find many Taiwanese copying entire pages of this site to their blogs, forums and other photo sites.  I have over 7000 new and very interesting images to add to their collection, but what is the point if this archive is abused?

"..... If you use any image, good karma will come your way if you include a link back to Taipics.com so that others may find this resource.  Thanks for visiting and enjoy."

Please check out the Taipics site here .




An Old Map of Tamsui





The former railway station in Tamsui


The disused locomotives as a mode of transportation in the past over a century ago in Tamsui is now replaced by the national MRT network throughout Taiwan.  Photo of the Tamsui MRT station below.


Next Blog:  Old Street in Tamsui

Tamshui Old Street

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The "Old Street" in Tamshui, Taiwan is over a century old although some of the shops and buildings may only be a few years old.

On February 26, 2016 early morning, there was a light drizzle and the old street was not crowded.  I soaked in a relaxed stroll to capture the memorable photos and atmosphere.  It was my first visit to this tourist attraction in Taiwan.


A Taiwanese mother protected her child with umbrella and warm clothing to keep away from the rain.


The first souvenir shop near the old street entrance and I brought the young friendly salesgirl some business to buy some souvenirs home.  The shops usually opened at 11:00 am and I helped her to push some of the display racks (not heavy ones) to the front of the shop.  She was very appreciative of a friendly Singaporean customer while we chat in Mandarin.


The President of Taiwan on a trip to the Old Street several years ago.


Ah Gei 阿給 is probably the most famous dish in Tamsui and very typical for the town.  Its fried tofu stuff with glass noodles in a spicy sauce and slurp down the unforgettable taste and flavor.



金山老街,懷念的步伐遠離喧鬧的城市。一邊吃著台灣的傳統小吃,一邊體會難得的午後悠閒道地的台灣味,真實呈現在大家心中。




The Old Street in the 1900s.




Wet Markets at Tamsui Old Street


The elderly market hawker at the Old Street for decades.


A young cheerful stall-owner of black and red dates at the market.

Night Markets in Taipei

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Ximending (西門町) is the ideal spot in Taipei where visitors to Taiwan search for a slice of Taiwanese street food in a lively and fun atmosphere.  There are many young people from all over the world to mill around the place.  The pioneer generation Singaporeans are easily spotted .....


Have you been inspired to embark on your own food voyage to Taiwan soon?

I love the vibe here.  Its really packed on the weekends especially at night.  There were groups of friends and family at the night market exploring and indulging on new, interesting amazing food not found else at our home countries.

If I were to be a foodie adventurer to blog about food, this would be a lousy one :)

Personally, the wide variety of food in the rows and rows of fanciful food could only offer me the sights and smells but not the tastes.  As an oldie with health-consciousness with reminders and advices from the doctors in the mind,  my body tells me differently to swallow everything into the mouth.

Without tasting the food I watched and smelt the food in the stalls was like "window shopping" without using the items I liked to buy and use from the shops.

Nonetheless, the walkabout in the night markets brought fond Taiwan memories to share on this blog with photos posted here.

Walkabout in the Night Markets

The "food street" started business at 6:00 pm daily

The steamed "taro" (yam)

"Blood Rice" with pigs' blood ...



Cuttlefish Galore


Water Caltrops

 

Dinner at Korean BBQ in Ximen


The main course was the "steamboat" with the favorite flavor of the soup for the individual preference for a little spicy, medium spicy or very spicy.  Whatever we personally like to add into the pot with meat, fish, prawns and many types of vegetables to go with steamed rice.


The common "Sushi-Go-Round or Revolving Sushi" conveyor belt with a stream of plates winding through the restaurant.  It included fruits, desserts, cakes, bread and other food at the customers' choices to pick.  This is more popular in the Japanese sushi restaurants which I have seen in Singapore.

Ah Chong Mee Sua

Another "mee sua with pig small intestines" dinner at Ximending.  The food is available only in cardboard container for the customers to take-away.


 Ting Ma Ma Braised Pig Trotters


燒肉粽


 The "bah chang" vendor on bicycle at Ximen

The "bah chang" stalls at Ximending


Hokkien video by Teresa Teng on YouTube

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