Quantcast
Viewing all 345 articles
Browse latest View live

The Little Red Dot To Show The World

The Singapore Waterfront in the 1950s

In the 1950s, few people in the world have heard about the small island, Singapore - the little red dot on the map.

Fewer people wanted to travel to Singapore as tourists because there were not many interesting places to visit.  Thus tourism as an important revenue earner to benefit the economy of Singapore then was insignificant.  Many people who have not heard of Singapore without looking at the world map would easily miss a place, a pin-point dot dwafted by the bigger continents in the world.

Since the independence of Singapore on 9 August, 1965, every ways and means were done to promote tourism and travellers to visit Singapore with worldwide publicity through the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board.(now Singapore Tourism Board).

The Singapore Waterfront in 2017

Miss Universe Pageant 1987 in Singapore 

Singapore hosted the 36th Miss Universe pageant on 27 May 1987 at the World Trade Centre, Hall 4.

It was the first and only time Singapore hosted the international beauty contest.  It was also the first time Singapore made it into the top 10 of the Miss Universe pageant.

The event generated much public interest among Singaporeans because of the international exposure that it brought.

Contestants from 68 countries competed for the title and prizes worth US$250,000.

"Live" TV Telecast to the World at Miss Universe Pageant

The world suddenly seems to have shrunk with orbiting satellites.

Events that occur across continents are captured almost instantaneously on the television screen.

When Miss Chile, Cecilia Bolocco was crowned the 1987 Miss Universe here at the World Trade Centre on the morning of 27 May 1987, her exhilaration was witnessed by millions of viewers in many parts of the world via the satellite.

Front page of The Straits Times, 28 May, 1987.  Courtesy of NewspaperSG.

The pageant telecasted "live" in the United States by the CBS network during prime time.

The country expected to reap the most benefit from the publicity that invariably goes with the show.

Almost everything the beauty contestants do is lapped up by the media and sent around the world.




The Miss Universe pageant is an event of local and international interests and publicity will be good for all Singaporeans.

The publicity generated by the pageant 30 years ago here and elsewhere plus other spill-over benefits was a boom to our tourist industries directly or indirectly.  Can we imagine how many hundreds of thousands of jobs created for Singaporeans in the increasing numbers of travel agencies, hotels, shopping complexes, food courts, restaurants, souvenir shops, trishaws, taxis and the many businesses to cater to the visitors and tourists who visit Singapore.  

The Government has to develop better infrastructures such as the airports (Terminal 4 to be opened soon), better modes of transports (eg buses, MRT stations and trains), more places of interest to serve our visitors and tourists.  

More importance of all, Singapore is a clean and green Garden City for the comfort, safety and security to our guests during their visit to our country.  Courtesy campaigns to encourage Singaporeans to smile and greet to them to be a friendly people to welcome them.  There is no better words of mouth and shared experiences to make Singapore a preferred country to visit and all the conveniences provided for them.

The visitors and tourists are protected and to ensure that unscrupulous shopkeepers who cheat the guest customers are charged in the court of law.

Many people believed that the money was well spent by the organisers and the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board for the long-term benefits for the country.   Tourism is one of the best revenue-earner for every country in the world.  It was a rare opportunity and a challenge to hold the major world event first time in Singapore.

Let us not forget that if we want to put Singapore on the world map, whether in trade or tourism, we have to put in a lot of efforts and money in order to do so.

We should not grudge the expenditure of $7 million nor denigrate the efforts of the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board to publicise Singapore to the world in order to woo potential visitors and tourists to Singapore.

That Singapore was chosen as a venue is itself an honour and a recognition of its international status, thanks to the efforts of STPB, the media and all involved in promoting Singapore.

Our country will be on the lips of millions of viewers and spectators for a long time to come.  Isn't this good advertisement for Singapore?

Despite sticking to tradition, like having veteran Bob Barker as compere with Ms Mary Fran to assist him, Miss Universe Inc promises a few surprises at the pageant.  Like having the largest stage ever for the contest and a set inspired by Chinatown where producer Sid Smith fell in love with the Chinese butterfly paper kites sold there.

Viewers will also notice that apart from the beauties themselves, Singapore gets a lot of exposure during the 2-hour show and about 20 minutes of pre-recorded outdoor shots our country.

About 600 million people viewed the TV show, including lots of Singapore sights and scenes.

And while the top 10 semi-finalists are changing into the next outfit, the cameras will zoom in one Singapore's cultural performances.

After which a throbbing explosion - a dragon, two lions, stilt-walkers and costumed dancers weave their way through the aisles.

Please watch the Miss Universe 1987 (Full Show) video, with courtesy of tttpageant uploaded on YouTube here .

Marion's Magical Midnight

The newsclip photo below with the courtesy of Marion Nicole Teo:


Marion's figure-flattering gowns

This is one haute couture collection where the person wearing it may be more important than the design.  Mr Francis Cheong, the local designer of the collection, said: "This is not a fashion design competition.  The judges will not be looking so much for originality of design as for good cut and something that fits and flatters."

For Mr Cheong, creating a wardrobe for Miss Singapore, Marion Teo, means putting originality second to other considerations.  On the other hand, "since Singapore is a modern city striving to be a fashion centre, I have to make clothes which would show what Singapore fashion designers can do," he said.  This he has done by sticking to his 'signature' of close fitting dresses with characteristic high empire cut waist line and asymmetric details.




Mr Cheong, a self-taught designer and boutique owner, designed the $5,000 gown which Miss Teo wore in the judging of the competition gown during the Presentation Show.  The marks she scored then will be important if she is one of the 10 finalists.

Mr Cheong, 25, who has been judge at various beauty contests including Miss Singapore/Miss World and Miss Singapore/Miss Asia, also designed another gown, two cocktail dresses and a day dress for Marion.  These other four pieces cost another $5,000 were sponsored by Mr Cheong's boutique.

Marion Against The World
(Source:  The Straits Times, 5 April 1987)

The staging of the Miss Universe pageant here has a lot of going for Singapore.  Will Marion Teo, our contender, give us even more reasons to be pleased?  LEE SIEW HUA and LIM PHAY-LING take a peek beyond the spotlights.

The drums roll; the spotlights converge.  An all-enveloping hush falls on the auditorium of the World Trade Centre.  The announcer's voice booms:  "Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Universe 1987 is ...!"

Hearts stop momentarily amid the thunderous applause.  In that fleeting moment, every Singapore's lips quiver with just one question: "Is she our Marion Teo?"

Against a field of 80 beauties from all over the world, we are, for starters, assuming that Marion has made it to the finals.  But will she?

Marion, 19, starts of with a tiny advantage though - she is contesting on home ground.  Her confidence may come more easily, spurred on by the need to excel before the eyes of fellow Singaporeans.

A pragmatic Marion, who measures 86-61-86, has confessed to being uncertain about how she would pan out although "everyone's been saying Singapore's chances are better because the contest is being held here."

Yet, with just seven weeks to the big night on May 27 and the near $3 million tab that the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board is picking up to host the pageant.  Singaporeans, to all intents and purposes, seem pretty detached.

One reason could be that beauty contests have yet to find a place in the national psyche.  But Marion will find it encouraging to know that it's still anybody's game at present.  The saying, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", appears to put all the 80 contestants on an even footing at the starting line.  But is it really so?

The 1.7m tall Marion is taking no chances even as she flits from fittings to gym to two-hour sessions at her hairdresser.  At the back of her mind looms the fact that in the 32 years that Singapore has been sending representatives to international pageants, no Singapore queen has come close to the top five positions.

But there have been a handful of near-misses and subsidiary titles.

Keen observers of the beauty contest scene said Singapore queens could have done better if there were concerted national efforts to foster a beauty ethos as well as pick the most promising representatives.

They also feel that the net has not been cast far and wide enough to pick a queen each year because of the cattle-show stigma that bedevils such contests.

Yet another reason, a more commercial one, is that the prizes - usually clothes, jewellery and a holiday abroad - are just not attractive enough to entice the crème de la crème to participate.

Mrs Seow Peck Leng, who has organised several Miss Singapore/World contests in the past and is putting up July 1987's Miss Singapore/International, said: "Some parents once disapproved of their daughters taking part.  They thought beauty contests weren't decent and above board."

Tan Swee Leong, who has been organising Miss Singapore/World for the past siux years, elaborated:
"In other countries, they give away bursaries or scholarships to their beauty queens besides clothes, jewellery, a few thousand dollars and a holiday."

He added: "The Government and national airlines should get into the act too.  If we can get the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board and Singapore Airlines involved, then the contest becomes something of a national event and more prestigious."

The Singapore Tourist Promotion Board began coaching finalists for Miss Singapore/Miss Universe two years ago.  STPB director Joseph Chew doesn't see the need to be involved in every local beauty contest.

"First, Miss Tourism is already our ambassadress in promotions abroad," he said.  "Second, publicity for Singapore is more important than the Miss Universe contest in May 1987.  The contest itself is the means to an end.

International beauty contests here are organised by franchisees such as Mrs Seow, C.L. Liu, Errol Pang and until lately, Tan Swee Leong, who has given up his Miss World franchise.

But besides the organisational drawbacks, the dice are also loaded against Singapore representatives because of the general haziness surrounding the international yardstick used to judge beauty queens.  There is also no knowing whether such international criteria are adjusted each year.

Small wonder that it's nearly impossible to read the minds of the judges or to polish up these qualities that supposedly matter most to them.

Even without the benefit of the complete picture, Singapore organisers and beauty queens are not slow to cotton on to a few prerequisites.

Height is obviously important.  Miss Personality 1975 Maggie Sim standing at a willowy 1.73m, found herself wishing she was much taller at the London finals, where many were topping at 1.8m.

Maggie said: "If you have long legs, your strides are much more elegant."  To make matters worse, she said Singapore girls were also shy about their heights, choosing to "hunch, because our men are not so tall."

Both Alex Liu and Tan Swee Leong say they follow formats handed out by the foreign franchisers.  But in the end, no one is sure what the judges go by.

Said auctioneer and valuer Victor Wee, 60, who has been a contest judge for over 30 years:  "We stand a very good chance if only the tall girls will come forward.

"Singapore contestants are certainly not lacking in looks or personality.  And the judges only have to touch to appreciate Chinese silk."

Besides height, Miss Singapore is also said to lack curves, observers day.

Miss Personality 1975 Maggie Sim recalled ruefully: "My chaperone in London told me I wouldn't win because I had short hair."

Asian girls appear like shrinking violets next to the live-wire Westerners, one reason why they may lose points on personality.  Maggie remembered that her Asian counterparts were very quiet.

Marion Teo, who says she was a tomboy in school, is busy working out at the gym to build up her shoulders.  She also attends make-up, hairdressing and grooming as well as dance classes to prepare for the Miss Universe pageant 1987,

What questions to ask the "Miss Universe" contestants?

Jackie Stuart felt questions asked 10 years ago were "more sensible" - like what books she had read and why, and what her hobbies were.

Today's questions are unpredictable - like what or who one would bring for a year-long stay on the moon/desert island/in jail.

All-round grooming for our beauty queens there must include training on handling tricky questions compere and unappreciative audiences; meeting the press; coping with stage fright; and facing cameras or microphones.

Contest organiser Tan Swee Leong said he used to give finalists a list of potential questions "to prepare them so that they don't get embarrassed."

But fellow organiser Mr Liu thinks too much preparation can be an overkill:  "What you can do is pump her with lots of general information.

"But she may get confused.  You can't polish a girl in two or three months."

Mrs Seow said no period of all-round grooming was long enough:  "Upbringing plays a big part."

She added it was all perception on the judges' part:

"The Chinese girl's reticence and discipline might be interpreted as inhibition and lack of initiative."

So obviously no shy Miss Singapore can turn into a vivacious chatterbox overnight that would mean undoing years of conservative Asian upbringing.

Could the Eurasian girl with her exotic blend of Eastern mystique and extroverted Western ways be a better bet?


The captured photo with thanks to The Merlion Press on Facebook.

Marion Teo - a mix of Chinese and Indian blood herself - certainly thinks Eurasians have the edge.

During the Miss Singapore/Miss Universe finals when she was asked why winning the title was important to her, she said:

"Its because I will represent Singapore and I'm a mixture.  I've got different blood in me and that's what Singapore stands for."

First Meeting with Marion Nicole Teo in 2015

Thanks to Geraldine Soh, the following group photo with Marion Nicole Teo taken at the the Island Cafe on 6 February, 2015.

Now I know more about her from the resources with the courtesy of Newspaper.sg for the research for this blog to share.  Its my pleasure and privilege to meet Marion and thanks for the autographed book written by her.  She is an amazing person to share her memories and experiences to share.  We are proud of you, Marion.  Keep up your positive inspiration for life to share.


Marion is seated second from left in this memorable photo.

I

Memories are the 'Soul of the Nation'


Ponggol (Punggol) Seashore in 1890 (Courtesy of NAS)


Teenagers having a picnic at Punggol Beach in 1949

Singapore has many stories to tell.  As a young nation with a culturally diverse population, Singapore has seen incredible growth and change over the past.  With development and progress comes a lot of changes from one generation to another generation.

In a time of ever-accelerating change, memory still provides important threads of identity and connection to the past.  Many people, the rich and famous or just the ordinary people in the street have shared their stories in books or other forms of media.  If their stories are not recorded for us to share, whole areas of social history risk being obliterated from memory altogether.

No two different people have the same life stories to tell; even among the twins, born by the same parents at the same birth place, same date but different time, a few minutes apart.

It is fortunate for those who have "memory-aids" of old photographs preserved in "treasure chests" (in boxes, photo albums or envelopes). However, these precious old photos were thrown away during the annual spring-cleaning to save storage spaces at home before the Chinese New Year.  They could so easily have been lost or simply decayed beyond recovery in our tropical climate.

Moreover, many people with personal stories may not be willing to share them as a matter of privacy or not feeling like telling them.

When they leave this world, all their memories would leave with them.  They did not realise that these stories could provide lessons to teach their children, grandchildren or great grandchildren for posterity.

On the other hand, these stories may not find a receptive audience at the right moment. The younger grandchildren may not be interested and refuse to listen to the grandfather's stories as history and the 'generation gap' between the young and old widens the bridge of the family relationship.

The stories of the pioneer generations would take an effort of imagination on the part of a listener from a younger generation, whose on life is already so much changed that they find it hard to relate to such tales from the past.  For example, the grandchildren could not visualise the living condition in a kampong when they are born in HDB flats, condominums or private bungalows.

Kampong Punggol in the Past

With the courtesy of the National Archives of Singapore to share the archived photos of Kampong Punggol to share on the blog.

Punggol Point with Coney Island in the background.  c 1985

View of Punggol River c 1985

Punggol River c 1986

Malay stilt house at Punggol Point c 1985

House at Punggol Point c 1985

Punggol farmer's house in 1985

Punggol farmer's shed and the back of the house


The farmer's wooden latrine using 'bucket system'.  A closed-up photo of the wooden latrine (below).


Punggol Village c 1985

Roof-top of Masjid Wak Sumang in Punggol  c 1986

Punggol Village Track 13 Chinese Temple c 1986

Punggol Road water ponds and fruit trees c 1988

Punggol Road pigsty c 1987


Punggol Road shed to store husked coconuts c 1987 (above & below)



The village at Punggol Point with heaps of sea mussel in 1985 (above & below)


A seafood restaurant worker steaming sea mussels.  The seafood restaurants in Punggol Point were abundantly supplied from the Punggol River.


A Punggol village man making mould for charcoal stoves (above) and the completed charcoal stoves for sale (below).  This is one of the cottage industry in the Punggol kampong.


A shipyard at Kampong Punggol  c 1986


Punggol village 'Yak Seng Pig Farm' at Punggol Farmway1 c 1986 (above & below)



Punggol Village Track 13 Chicken Farm (above & below)


Children playing in front of house in Kampong Punggol  c 1985

Memories of Punggol in the past

I know very little about Punggol when it was still a kampong, nor stepped into the place before it was developed and changed into a sprawling HDB housing estate.

However, I could vaguely remember that in the 1980s, I invited my former colleagues to a seafood restaurant for a treat of chilli crabs on my birthday (couldn't remember which year but was in my early 20s when I was still single) to celebrate with me.  We went in a colleague's car and arrived at Punggol Point where the few seafood restaurants were located.  There was a pier overlooking the sea and also the bus terminal for buses.

Unfortunately, no photo was taken on that occasion.  We could only recollect from memories, the "cameras in our minds".  Unlike now, when smartphones are taken to capture the moments of every event, occasion at the drop of a hat.  Even alone, 'selfie' photos are taken to post to Facebook on the spot to let everybody to know where the guy or gal go to, what to do or eat ...  we did not even take a photo of the big plate of chilli crabs we eat and slurp the "shiok" gravy with bread.

The only photo I had was taken with my former OPS colleague on an outing to a kelong opposite Punggol Pier in 1978.  That's me on (first right) of the photo. I couldn't recognize me :)



Fond memories of sleepy, rural Punggol



Source: The Straits Times, 28 September 2012 (excerpt with thanks to NewspaperSG of the National Library Board, Singapore).

Sleepy Punggol Point, once known for its rows of seafood eateries, may no longer be a place in the Singapore today, bit it still has a place in Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's heart.

The Prime Minister can remember the first time he visited the area in 1967, when he was a 15-year-old boarding the ferry from Punggol Point to the Outward Bound School.

"Punggol was a very rural environment," he said, recalling how he would get "suddenly lost" non orienteering exercises in the kampong and secondary jungle areas.

"Today, you can't get lost in Punggol any more," he said with a tinge of nostalgia.

Mr Lee was responding to a question on whether he loved or missed any part of Singapore which has since been built over.

The importance of memories in defining the "soul of the nation" was a key theme of the Prime Minister's National Rally in August, 2012.

In his speech, he reminisced about vanished places dear to him, and stressed the importance of memories of old places and friends in keeping Singapore the best home.

His memories of Punggol Point, however, were sparked by a visit to the "beautiful new town" of Punggol West in 2012.  The areas has undergone an extensive makeover over the years, from pig farms being resettled from the 1970s and bustling seafood restaurants moving out in 1994 to the building of new housing estates.

And while he has fond memories of old Punggol, the new Punggol is "better" and the town would be almost as big as Ang Mo Kio.

At the same time, Prime Minister took comfort in the fact that a bit of the old Punggol has been retained.

Kelong Bridge, one of five foot-bridges along the waterway, looks like one of the old fishing villages which used to dot Punggol's shoreline.  A stretch of Old Punggol Road, which used to lead to Punggol Point, and an old bus stop have also been conserved.

He quipped, "they've kept the old bus stop".  "I think it's a nice microcosm of how Singapore has changed in one generation".

Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew during his tour of Punggol constituency on 2 June, 1963




















Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew cutting the ribbon for the official opening of the Kelong Bridge in Punggol on 2 June, 1963.









Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.






54 years ago on 2 June, 1963 when the Founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew toured the Punggol constituency, the kampong folks warmly welcome him and the opportunity to meet him.

In these archived photos shared on this blog with the courtesy of the National Archives of Singapore, the babies and young boys and girls would now be over 50 years old. 

How many of those who were present at the memorable event and who are now still living in Punggol?

We hope that anyone who could recognise the photos of the parents, grandparents, the family or neighbors to share your fond nostalgic memories of Punggol when it was once a kampong.

The Punggol Waterway Park 

How different the Kampong Punggol in Singapore have transformed into a park and nature reserve in over 50 years. Please take a look here at the same place in the past, present and future for everyone in Singapore.

Violet Oon's Spice of Life



Photo courtesy of Violet Oon.

When Violet Oon was skinny as a child, her mother fed her with "Scotts Cod Liver Oil" to make her fat. She told John Lui in an interview over a decade ago in The Straits Times of 14 December, 2009.

Our pioneer generation friends and I missed this candid interview with Violet Oon and many interesting articles written by her for many years as a journalist in The Straits Times, Singapore Monitor, New Nation and other publications which are now defunct.   Some may have read it but have forgotten the full detail of the interview ... unless one of Violet's food fan to keep the newspaper clippings.

The old newspapers are not just rubbish or garbage for the "karung guni man" to sell at a few cents a kati.  The printed words in all languages of the newspapers and other publications are the gems valuable for knowledge and resources which everyone could learn and share for education.  Lessons on spice of life which are worthwhile to share.

Once thrown away, general knowledge which are precious and hard to find.  Thanks to media technology as archived articles which are scanned and stored in the public libraries available all over the world on the Internet.

It is my pleasure to reproduce this "aged" newspaper article as "memory-aids" (with courtesy of NewspaperSG, National Library Board of Singapore) which we learn lots of meaningful stuff to share her memories and experiences on Violet's spice of life.  

Despite being Peranakan, the food guru did not pay much attention to food when growing up.

One would expect that Violet Oon, 60, who made her reputation as a food writer, cookbook author, gourmand and expert on Peranakan cuisine, would have learnt to cook the way all privileged Peranakan girls do; at her mother's knee.


But in fact, she did not learn to cook till she was in her teens.  Her mother, Mrs Nancy Oon, belonged to the first generation of liberated, progressive Peranakan women who did not believe that women had to learn homemaking skills.

Mrs Oon worked for a while as secretary to Singapore's first chief minister David Marshall but later spent much of her time doing voluntary community work.  She was the voluntary chairman of a family planning association in Malacca.

"She went out to educate villagers about contraception," Violet says.  Even before she was born, her parents had decided to have only one child, regardless of the child's sex.

Her father was an executive with the Shell oil company, and as the daughter of a well-placed couple, she enjoyed the life-style of British colonial expatriates just before the era faded away.

The family had a nanny who cooked and the young Violet did not have to step into the kitchen.

She was born in 1949 a "totally skinny baby", weighing 2.3 kg, delivered at Kandang Kerbau Hospital by Dr Benjamin Sheares, who would later become the second president of the Republic.

President Benjamin Sheares

Her father named her after Violet Caldwell, an English woman whom he had befriended while working for the British Army as a radio monitor in Kashmir, India, during World War II.

"My first food memories were of being fed cod liver oil to make me fat.  I think my mother regretted it forever because I later remained fat," Violet says laughing.

She insists that the beguiling byline photograph for her restaurant revies in the now-defunct New Nation newspaper that many remember from the 1970s was deceptive.  She had a thin face, she says.

The small semi-detached in Kuo Chuan Avenue, near Still Road, where she spent her first years still exists.  Her mother fed her simple, nutritious Chinese food cooked by their Cantonese amah.

The young Violet did not enjoy the meals much.  But when she was at her neighbour's, a Hokkien family, she would enjoy forbidden pleasures such as coffee and a particular type of "smelly fried fish", she recalls.

While life in Singapore was, by the middle-class standards of the day, fairly ordinary, it was during her father's regular postings to Malacca that her family would go "Somerset Maugham", she says.

There were tea parties on the lawn of their black-and-white bungalow, retreats to hill stations in the Cameron Highlands, a driver and servants, and, of course, a Hainanese cook.


It was about as colonial an experience as one could get in post-war Malaya without actually being a white expatriate.

"We lived the life of pukka sahib people," she says with a laugh, using the phrase popular during colonial times to describe the privileged lifestyle of the British posted to an exotic outpost of the empire.

Her father, Mr Oon Beng Soon, was one of the few Asians in Shell's management in the 1940s.  He had been educated at Raffles College and had told her that her great-grandfather had been a professional gambler and a man skilled enough in his profession to afford sending several of his children to medical school.

At three, she left Singapore and Malacca for the first time.  The family would spend two years there.


"We lived in a humongous black-and-white bungalow in Klebang Besar.  There were three houses - the middle one was for the manager of Shell flanked by two houses that were for the assistant managers." Her family took one of the side bungalows.

In Malacca, she remembers watching how the locals ate.  She was fascinated by how rice farmers made salted duck's eggs, in front of the bungalows was a citrus farm where they grew pomelos and local oranges, she says.

She reckons she attended six schools from Primary One to Secondary Four during the years when her family lived in Singapore, Malacca, Kuala Lumpur and London.  Most were convents, though the family is not Catholic.

"One Reverend Mother would write to another and you could get into some of the best schools in the world" is how she describes being able to jump from one convent to another.

Her tertiary education was at the then University of Singapore, where she studied political science and sociology.

In Secondary One, though, she boarded at the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus in Victoria Street and remembers she "went to sleep with the blinking lights of Capitol cinema every night".


Her father had put her there because, as an only child, he felt she lacked contact with other children.

Mr Oon, with the memory of World War II still fresh in his mind, also believed that things were just a bit too cushy for his only child.  "He said that anyone could get used to luxury, but youd had to be trained to get used to war."

He got his wish.  "The food was dreadful," she says.  Rice with one meat and one vegetable "boild to death" was served.  Meal times also came with its own rules.  She remembers one girl who tossed her food, uneaten, into the bin.  The nuns made her take it back and eat it.

"I'm not precious about food," she says of her own daily meal-time routine now, thanks to those formative years.  She will happily eat at any coffee shop or hawker centre.

She has other more pleasant food memories, such as going with her father to eat nasi melayu, or Malay rice, every Sunday morning.  Her mother finally learnt to cook out of necessity, taking classes in Chinese cooking so she could serve home-cooked meals in London.

When Violet was 16, her eyes were opened to the intensity and sophistication of Nonya food through Mrs Khoo Heng Loon, whom she called Auntie Nanny.  Mrs Khoo's husband was her mother's uncle.


Auntie Nanny, an Indonesian Chinese, was a "spectacular cook" and her first inspiration to learn kitchen technique, say Violet.  From her mother, she learnt that everyone can cook, at any age.

She studied Mrs Khoo's methods and asked to be taken under her wing to learn her specialities such as nasi udang (prawn fried rice), nasi kuning (Indonesian tumeric rice) and kueh lapis.  So traditional was Auntie Nanny that she made her own vinegar and yeast, skills that Violet says she has since forgotten.

She also credits her mother and her father's sister, Mrs Nona Bong, with teaching and inspiring her in the kitchen.

She learnt by watching and asking, she says.  Like many great cooks, her relatives worked by estimation and instinct, and the student had to work out the exact amounts on her own.  Once she had it written down, she would test out the recipes immediately.

During that period, she was interested in only Indonesian and Nonya cuisine.  The interest in the food of other cultures would come later, as would formal culinary training.  But she never thought about pursuing the culinary arts as a career.

"As a teenager, my first love was music and I sang a lot and performed a lot," she says.  The keen opera and classical enthusiast once won first prize at the Singapore Musical Society Open Competition for Singing.

She used to sing duets with her father, who was untrained but had a natural tenor voice.  "People said he sounded like Mario Lanza," she says.

Over the decades, she has seen food culture explode in Singapore.  Today, people travel the world sampling food and whip up complex dishes at home.

Compared with classical music, which requires determination and effort, she says that learning about fine food and wine is relatively painless.

"For many young executives, food is the fastest and cheapest way to buy into culture and a sophisticated lifestyle," she says.

You cannot bluff your way in Beethoven, the same way people can about food and wine, says Violet, who was trained up to Grade 8 in piano and voice in London and Singapore.

In 1971, she joined the New Nation, an afternoon daily, as a features writer.  Thanks to her background in music, she was also given the job of music critic.

"Wah! Paradise! Free tickets to every concert.  In those days, I would pay $50 to watch the London Symphony Orchestra, I was lucky to have my hobby turn into a career," she says.

Mr David Kraal, 72, the former New Nation editor who hired her as a music critic, remembers her as someone who came from a "privileged background but she was tough.  She had no airs".

She was later given the job of food writer, thanks in part to her culinary skills.  In the newsroom, many knew of her culinary talent because of the home parties she threw.

As a food critic, she had to talk to hawkers, a job she had no problems with, Mr Kraal recalls.  He believes she was the first in the English-language press to write regularly about street and coffeeshop food.  Her column quickly became popular.

"She would go out to some nasi padang stall and she would come back with a half-page story.  If she said it was good, the crowds would flock there," he says.

Violet left New Nation in the late 1970s to write for Her World magazine.  She left in 1981 to do freelance writing and conduct cooking classes.

This grew into a consultancy and she now advises event organisers on how to promote Singapore through food.  She is also a Singapore food ambassador for the Singapore Tourism Board promoting local cuisine overseas.

Perhaps more than any other writer in English here, she turned street food into topics that people talk and get excited about.  Her recipes demystified Peranakan food, long considered a black art with a reputation for jealously guarded secrets, tedious preparation and complex ingredient lists.

The voluble writer's memories emerge in an untamed torrent during the interview.  But the one-time journalist also has a trained ear for the anecdote, especially ones where she pokes fun at herself.

"People heard my singing voice when I was younger and fell in love on the spot, then they heard me speak and they fell out of love at once!  Why do I sound so mak nenek?  Dreadful."

The interview with Violet is a very entertaining three hours spent at her flat in Braddell Hill.

Her home is filled with photographs of her and her two children, a son and daughter, as well as her current pride and joy, her 2½ -year-old grandson, her daughter's child.

The plant filled flat is furnished with a mix of modern and Peranakan pieces.

Now, she has a new venture.  She has launched a business that she calls a "deli makan shop" in a nondescript industrial spot in Toa Payoh North.  It is part-laboratory and part-kitchen for her food consultancy business.

It also serves Nonya food such as ayam buah keluak, garam assam fish, sambal sotong and ngo hiang to drop-in customers from 11.30 am to 7 pm, Mondays to Fridays.  Dinner is by reservation only.  Set meal prices start at $7.90.

Her hesitancy in going full bore into a pure restaurant business is understandable as not all her past business endeavours have paid off.  Her publication, The Food Paper, and her own chain of eateries folded in the 1990s.

Why is she launching another eatery at this stage of her career?  Violet is fond of a phrase of Mr Steve Jobs', the chief executive of Apple.

Quoting a 2005 commencement speech he gave at Stanford University, she says: "Stay hungry. Stay foolish."



This favorite photo taken at the National Kitchen with Violet Oon and Sylvia Toh Paik Choo (best known for her "Eh Goodu" books and long-time colleague with The Straits Times) for high tea. 

In Search Of Our Roots


A direct descendant of Chew Joo Chiat, Philip Chew was born in 1935 and is a pioneer of Singapore in his own way.

I am pleased and honored to be invited by Philip to attend the launch of his book "A Penniless Boy, Chew Joo Chiat" on 29 July, 2017 at the Marine Parade Public Library.

Philip is my blogger friend and introduced to me by his younger cousin Ivan Chew several years ago.  He is also an active member of our heritage group "Friends of Yesterday".  In 2012, I posted a blog "Great Grandfather's Road" which was inspired by The Straits Times article "How Joo Chiat Road got its name ..." published on 12 January, 2012.


About 5 years ago when Philip started to blog, he told me that he would like to research on his family tree with various resources for evidence based on records, documents and correspondences about his great grandfather, Mr Chew Joo Chiat.

His book, "A Penniless Boy, Chew Joo Chiat" tells the story of a forgotten pioneer of Singapore.  It shows how Philip's fact-finding exercise becomes a search for roots, unearthing lost relations and strengthening the family bonds of the Chew family.  His example will inspire us with the desire to uncover, safeguard and pass on the family stories.

I am inspired by Philip's determination, patience and resourcefulness with the help of many people, relatives, family and friends in search of the roots of his family tree.  Philip's personal mission is a labour of love, passion, respect and filial piety for his great grandfather.

Not everyone is able to piece the missing links of the jigsaw puzzle of the family tree, especially of the ancestors who have passed away decades or even centuries ago.

It doesn't mean that most people are not interested or concerned about the importance of the family tree.

As Singapore is a multi-ethnic society and our ancestors have migrated from China, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and various countries of the world, there were no travelling documents with proper records in the old days.  

However, everyone has a surname regardless of Chinese, Indians, Malays or any other nationalities. Those who have the opportunity to trace the family roots, like Philip Chew, is fortunate and blessings to record them for the descendants for posterity.

Philip's great grandfather, Mr Chew Joo Chiat, would be happy to know that his diligent great-grandson had earnestly and painstakingly with his splendid efforts to accomplish the mission he set out to complete a section of  his family tree. Some unseen spiritual help from the Chew ancestors in this meaningful project by Philip.

There is an idiom in Chinese, "五百年前是一家" - five hundred years ago we were the same family   (of persons with the same surname).  Thus the family tree is traced from the surname of everyone, whatever the ancestors' social status, rich or poor, famous or just an ordinary person.  The surnames are inherited from our ancestors centuries ago.


During the "Question & Answer" session at the book launch, I mentioned the analogy of Philip's search for his family roots kinda like the book "Roots: The Saga of an American Family" written by Alex Haley and first published in 1976.


Preface by Philip Chew

In 1877, my great-grandfather Chew Joo Chiat arrived in Singapore from Amoy, China, at the age of 20, without a penny in his pocket.  He had a dream and worked towards it.  It was a Singapore dream, to which he fulfilled and became wealthy.  His significant contributions to the nation's economic, commercial and financial development made him an early pioneer of Singapore.

Chew Joo Chiat passed away in 1926, about 9 years before I was born.  I remember growing up in a house at Joo Chiat Road, where his portrait stood on an ancestor worship altar.  Every morning, I would watch my elders offer prayers to him with lighted joss sticks.

I did not feel connected to Chew Joo Chiat in any way except to the fact that he was my great-grandfather and he was responsible for my existence.  He was just like any other stranger to me, a cold portrait on the altar.  For much of my life, my family history did not interest me at all and I considered my relationship with Joo Chiat to be very remote.

An article in The Straits Times was published on 2 April 1999 - it jolted me.   In an interview that was reported, the article stated that Chew Joo Chiat only had one child, a daughter.  This stirred an immediate response within me:  "If he had no son at all, where did all his descendants surnamed Chew, me included, come from?"

I thought that it would have been of no use if I had written in to correct the misinformation as I needed more information.  As I delved deeper into my research on Joo Chiat, I found more factual errors about him circulating on internet websites.  A few of which stated that Joo Chiat was a wealthy Peranakan land owner.

Chew Joo Chiat had left Amoy and landed in Singapore some 50 years or more.  He was a Hokkien, as reported in an article in The Straits Times, dated 11 February 1926.  Therefore, he cannot be a Peranakan.

I found other informational gaps about Joo Chiat in newspapers, magazines, books, website and oral records.

I decided to put right all these inaccuracies about my great-grandfather.  I consulted my cousin, Ivan Chew, who showed me the way to blogging.  On 1 March, 2008, I started a blog titled mychewjoochiat.   Thus began my arduous journey, retracing my roots and searching for his name in available sources like books, newspapers as well as records kept by clans and associations.

Through mychewjoochiat blog, I discovered that my great-grandfather was a jack of all trades and a successful entrepreneur.

Through A Penniless Boy, Chew Joo Chiat,  I want to share my great-grandfather's incredible rags-to-riches story.  I want his descendants to know that and learn from their ancestors, who had sailed from China to Singapore at the age of 20, a penniless young man.  He had a keen business sense, made a fortune and died a wealthy man.  He had fulfilled his Singapore dream and became an eminent pioneer in the history of Singapore.  More importantly, despite his wealth, Chew Joo Chiat continued to lead a humble and frugle life.


Raymond Goh, Senior Researcher at Asia Paranormal Investigators and the creator of "Heritage Singapore - Bukit Brown Cemetery" group on Facebook here , helped Philip in finding his 2 great-grandmothers' tombs.


Tony Tan, Executive Committee Member of the Singapore Heritage Society, a long-time friend of Philip, had helped in the resilient experiences to work together with many resource people and organisations.  He is satisfied with the successful completion of the project with Philip.





Thanks to Philip for the autographed book with compliments.


Thimbuktu, Lam Chun See,  Tan Wee Kiat












Work Shapes The City And Its Skyline of Singapore

Photo courtesy of the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)

Mission

The Urban Redevelopment Authority is Singapore’s land use planning and conservation authority. Our mission is to make Singapore a great city to live, work and play in.

We strive to create a vibrant and sustainable city of distinction by planning and facilitating Singapore’s physical development in partnership with the community.

More about Urban Redevelopment Authority here .

Struggling with land limitations and poor infrastructure, Singapore in the early years of nationhood, was a vastly different city than the one we live in and enjoy today.

Singapore’s remarkable transformation from an overcrowded country suffering from a lack of housing to an environmentally sustainable international business hub is a result of proactive and farsighted planning by URA.

The authority was established on 1 April 1974, and is of especially critical importance to the city-state, because Singapore is an extremely dense country where land usage is required to be efficient and maximised in order to reduce land wastage in the face of land shortage.

The URA is also responsible for assisting to facilitate racial harmony, such as to have their urban planning avoid segregation, as well as seeking ways to improve aesthetics and to reduce congestion. It is also responsible for the conservation of historic and cultural buildings and national heritage sites.

During the 1960s and 1970s, extensive urban renewal projects were undertaken to address the problems of a new nation—overcrowding, inadequate infrastructure, and lack of proper housing. The critical tasks for the government then were to clear out the slums, provide public housing, and encourage economic growth by creating space for industries.

[Source:  Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore]

Pioneers of Urban Redevelopment Authority Singapore


Mr Kelvin Ang and Ms Chan Li Ming (Courtesy of The Straits Times)

'My work shapes the city and its skyline'
By Chan Seet Fun
(Courtesy of The Straits Times, 2 March 2007)

URA scholars Kelvin Ang and Chan Li Ming take pride in conserving Singapore heritage.

Telling people that he works at the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) elicits the inevitable response of "I have this car park summons ..."

Says URA scholar Kelvin Ang, 35:  "It is a great conversation starter in many situations."

On a more serious note, he adds that one people hear that he works on heritage buildings, many tell him that they appreciate the need to protect these building.

"They tell me that it is an important job," he says.  "It is very rewarding to know that the work my colleagues and I are doing is valued by the public.  This is what keeps me going, and what I value - to be in a meaningful profession and preserve the legacy of a city I love."

Echoed his colleague and fellow scholar Ms Chan Li Ming, 28.  "My work in conservation gives me the scope of purpose and push policies that have a significant impact on the country and its people.

"My work goes beyond just the indidual building site to a macro view of the entire island.  And  it extends beyond the physical realm to touch the emotional aspects of the lives of not just one, but many, Singaporeans."

Both Mr Ang and Ms Chan work as executive architects with the Conservation & Urban Design Division at URA.  Both were educated overseas.  Ms Chan at the University of Melbourne and Mr Ang at University College London, on URA Undergraduate Scholarship.

Ms Chan joined URA in 2003. One of the major projects she was involved in was the conservation study of the former Jurong Town Hall, the youngest and largest building that has been conserved to date, and a project that she described as a "real milestone in terms of the progress of URA's conservation work."

Mr Ang, who started work at URA in 1999, lists proposing an Urban Design Plan for the "Balestier Project (2000-2003) "as one of his most memorable projects.  Conceived as a guide to total redevelopment of the road, the project eventually encompassed the conservation of various landmarks as well.

"I visited and re-visited the area over many months, drawing on what I learnt in geography, history and literature in secondary school and junior college and talking to different stake-hoders to better understand their expectations for a place that they regard as home," he recalls.

"I also learned that I work in a very supportive environment where peers and management push each other to come up with the solutions to achive the best possible outcome."

He discovered his latent interest in conservation while on the job, and explains that his peers and bosses had spotted his interest, even before he was fully aware of it himself, and had helped to steer him into his current role.

"It was only during my first year at work that I realised I was getting more and more interested in conservation and wondered if we could do even more because it made me think about what "home" was all about," he says.

"I am not just dealing with my fellow citizens' memories and hopes for the future.  It is a way of giving back to the society that gave me the opportunity to have an overseas education."

Ms Chan is also grateful for having had a chance to study abroad.  "Living in Melbourne opened my eyes t not just an Australian culture but also many others from my interaction with other international students.  I also had tutors who worked at some of Australia's most notable firms and who would get their colleagues involved in mentoring and student work," she shares.

Upon her return, the scholarship continued to open doors for her.  "I have had opportunities that would not have been possible otherwide - overseas conferences, strategivc level work and interaction with officers from other agencies and statutory boards," she says.

Besides, the URA scholarship is the only one that gives a macro perspective of the city and its growth and development.  My work shapes the city and its skyline and that, in itself, is motivating and thrilling, she adds.

Changi Airport T4 Open House

Courtesy of the Changi Airport Group (CAG)

Changi Airport Group (CAG) extended an invitation to Singapore residents to visit Terminal 4 (T4) even before operations begin.

Open House at Changi Airport Terminal 4

AnOpen House for T4was held from August 7 to August 20, 2017 to give the public a glimpse of what to expect at the new terminal.

Ms Poh Li San, Vice President, T4 Programme Management Office said: "The public has been eagerly waiting to see how the new T4 will be different from Changi's other terminals.  At the Open House, we will showcase T4's latest innovations in enhancing operational efficiencies and productivity, in addition to the terminal's many unique features.  The Open House visitors will be among the first to learn about and experience the innovations and 'wow' features at T4 - facial recognition technology, integrated duty-free shopping, kinetic art displays, a Heritage Zone, and specially curated sculptures, among many others".

Open House at Changi Airport Terminal 3

An Open House for T3 was held from November 12 to December 9, 2007.

People had to buy tickets to see the restricted areas in the $1.75b facility.

They cost $3 each for a 45-minute guided tour and $1 if visitors want to see these areas on their own.

Visiting hours during the open house were from 10 am to 5 pm on weekdays, and from 9 am to 6 pm on weekends.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore donated all proceeds from the sale of tickets to the Singapore Cancer Society.

Terminal 3 started operation on 9 January, 2008.

Construction of Changi Airport Terminal 4

Construction of T4 started in early 2013 and was completed in December 2016.  The 225.000 square metre, double-storey terminal can handle 16 million passengers a year -  this is about 70% of the handling capacity of Terminal 3 (T3)  although T4 is just half the size of T3.  Designed with a boutique interior decor approach, T4 is set to redefine the way passengers travel, through the creative design of the terminal's layout, streamlined clearance processes as well as the way it leverages technology and innovation for convenient passenger processes, streamlined work processes and improved staff productivity.

Passengers can continue to look forward to the facilities, amenities, dining and F&B outlets at T4.

The speed at which T4 was built was achieved through new construction methods which used pre-cast and off-site fabricated building components.

T4 is a flagship terminal for innovation, new technology and new Tour concepts.

T4 Tour Personal Experience

Unlike the Changi Airport Terminal 3 Open House in 2007, the T4 Open House is a ticketed event free of charge for the public to participate in.

On August 3, I received a T4 OpenHouse confirmation email:

Visit Date and Time:  18/08/2017 14:00:00

The email reminder was sent me on 13/8/2017

I am confident that the tour is well organised and planned, so there would be no ways for a senior citizen to get lost at T4.

True enough, there were many volunteers and helpers at the tour to guide the visitors at T4.

I boarded the shuttle bus from T3  to T4 coach stand in sandals and was comfortable and relaxed.

The electronic copy of the confirmation email was presented upon boarding the shuttle bus.

What to do on arrival at T4?


Upon arrival at T4, the confirmation ticket and collect the commemorative boarding pass at the registration counter. (Photo below):


Begin T4 Tour

Explore various attractions and learn more about what T4 has to offer to travellers and visitors.


Changi Airport T4 Petal Cloud


Changi Airport's Terminal 4 (T4) has a new moving art sculpture that calls to mind Terminal 1's Kinetic Rain installation.

Petalclouds, an aluminium installation, stretches 200m and can be seen from almost anywhere in the futuristic T4.

The moving sculpture by German-based Art+Com - the same design firm behind the Kinetic Rain aluminium droplets in Terminal 1 - comprises six "clouds", each consisting of 16 petal-shaped aluminium frames suspended from wires in motion.  These have been choreographed to form various patterns, accompanied by classical music composed by Bafta award-winner Olafur Arnalds.

Petalclouds is one of the several installations in Terminal 4 which tap technology and typify its push to become Changi Airport's "flagship terminal for innovation".

A video clip of Petalclouds here.




Airlines at T4

Air Asia, Cathay Pacific, Cebu Pacific, Korean Air, Spring Airline & Vietnam Airlines.



How to tag your luggage at T4



A video clip of a short demonstration to focus on this new feature at T4 here .



The visitors were under simulation during the tour to check through the latest modern scanning machines for immigration and custom clearance points, pretending we were boarding the plane in the restricted areas.


"Photo of the Day" to capture a memorable moment during the tour.

Time for A Tiger!  One for a flight!

Prominent direction signboards for the travellers


Airlines at T4

Air Asia, Cathay Pacific, Cebu Pacific, Korean Air, Spring Airline & Vietnam Airlines.

Grandpa Bear with the Korean Air bear mascots

Not an ad for 'The Straits Times' ...

Checking on the Internet for online games?


Admire the traditional tiles on the walls of the restrooms.


Changi Airport T4 Heritage Zone

At the Changi Airport Terminal 4 Heritage Zone, passengers will be able to view how shophouse architecture has evolved over the years.  The shophouse facades presented at the Heritage Zone reflect the architecture of shophouses commonly found in the Katong and Chinatown districts of Singapore.

It traces the evolution of the shophouse from the 1880s to the 1950s through panels that reflect the styles of different time periods.  This starts off with the Baroque Design found from 1880 to 1900, moves on to the Rococo Style from 1910 to 1920, and to the Peranakan Style in the twenties and thirties, before finally winding up with the 1950s Modern Decor style.

A highlight of the Changi Airport Terminal 4 Heritage Zone is a six-minute long cultural mini-show that is played on a 10 metre by 6 metre LED screen embedded into the row of shophouse facades. Set into two shophouse bays, the LED wall transforms into a theatre screen that reflects the living rooms of two Peranakan homes.

The show, entitled Peranakan Love Story and set in 1930s Singapore, is a non-conversational musical that tells the story of the unlikely romance of two passionate musicians who are neighbours.

It was developed in collaboration with renown Singaporean composer and artist, Dick Lee, and Moment Factory. Peranakan Love Storyfeatures a local cast with actors such as Adrian Pang, Koh Chieng Mun, Amy Cheng and Benjamin Kheng.

  A video-clip to share here


Inter-Religious Places of Worship in Singapore

The Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple at Loyang Way, Singapopre

History of the Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple

The history of Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple (luo yang da bo gong) can be traced to the early 1980s when statues of Taoist, Buddhist and Hindu deities were found on the coast near Loyang Way. A modest hut was built on the beach to house and worship the deities. In 1996 a fire destroyed the hut and with generous donations by its devotees a new temple with brick walls and tiled roofs was bulit in 2000 at Loyang Way. In 2007 the temple moved to the current location, which is less than 2 km away from its previous site.

The former Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple facing the sea.

The new Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple at Loyang Way.


Self-service praying items


There are also vending machines for the exchange of Singapore currency notes and coins for the convenience of the devotees.

 Community service at the temple


The mobile medical service provided by SATA at the temple.

Different religions under one roof

The Taoist, Hindu deities and a Muslim 'kramat' (shrine) of different faiths worshipped together in one location.

Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple is one of the few temples in Singapore that has Hindu deities worshipped alongside Chinese deities, reflecting religious harmony in Singapore. Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple is one of the few temples that is opened 24 hours for prayer. [Source: Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple website here .]

Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple is one of the few temples in Singapore that has Hindu deities worshipped alongside Chinese deities, reflecting religious harmony in Singapore. A related blog "On a little street in Singapore for worshop" here .

The temple owes its existence to a group of friends, who on finding figurines of different religions abandoned on a beach, brought them together and housed them under a unique mixed-religion temple.

Background

In the 1980s, a group of fishing buddies, including Paul Tan and Huang Zhong Ting, stumbled across statues of Buddhist, Hindu and Taoist deities strewn across the beach at the end of the Loyang industrial area. The friends built a small hut made of bricks and zinc sheets to house the figurines. This humble construction served as a makeshift temple. It also includes a kramat to honour a holy Muslim man.

Soon, scores of people, mainly those working in the Loyang industrial area, were visiting the temple. Miraculous powers were attributed to the temple as devotees claimed that their prayers for prosperity and wealth were never denied. Unfortunately in 1996, the hut was razed to the ground by a fire. The Taoist statue of Tua Pek Kong, the god of prosperity, was the only one that was not damaged by the fire. New premises to house the deities and the kramat had to be built. Through public donations that poured in, a new temple complex was built on a 1,400-square-metre area at the same site. The temple was named after Tua Pek Kong, the god whose statue had miraculously survived the fire.

Around 20,000 devotees visited the temple per month despite the fact that bus services were limited to week days and the nearest bus stop was half an hour’s walk away. 

One of the temple’s claims to fame was its two-metre-tall statue of the Hindu god Ganesha, said to be the tallest Ganesha statue in any temple in India or Singapore. 

Another attraction was the lighting of non-hazardous fire crackers on weekends.

In June 2003, the lease on the land on which the temple was situated expired. The temple authorities procured a new site nearby for the construction of a new complex. 

In August 2007, the temple re-located to its new premises at 20 Loyang Way. The new temple cost S$12 million to build and its construction was completely funded by public donations.

The temple holds yearly celebrations in conjunction with various festivals, such as a celebration to welcome the God of Wealth on the eve of the Chinese New Year. 

Animals are sometimes brought in to heighten the atmosphere. Other events include the celebration of the birth of the Hindu god, Lord Ganesha, on the 5th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar.10 The two-metre-tall statue of Ganesha, which was moved over from the old temple, attracts Chinese devotees as well.

[Author: Naidu Ratnala Thulaja.  Courtesy of eResource, Infopedia of the National Library Board]. 



Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple consist of 3 wings with different architectural designs linked alongside each other.

While the Chinese deity Tua Pek Kong, the small centre wing contains a Datuk keramat shrine while the right wing with Hindu deities Ganesha and Dunga.

Da Bo Gong (Tua Pek Kong) 大伯公

The right wing of the temple for worship to the Hindu deities.

The Muslim 'kramat' where non-Muslim devotees pray.

There are clearly no physical boundaries within the Loyang Tua Pek Kong temple which allow devotees to cross freely  between one another with due respect and devotion.

Every Singaporean is entitled to freedom in Singapore, regardless of race, language or religion.  The multi-racial, multi-religion and multi-culture Singapore is an unique country in the world.  

Chinese devotees pray at the foot of Hindu deity Ganesha with flowers and lamps, while Indian devotees were seen carrying joss-sticks in front of Tua Pek Kong and the Datok keramat shrine.

Such are signs of cross-cultural, cross-religion interactions in a distinguished yet assimilating religions hybridized space for the peace and harmony of Singapore.

In November 1990, the Singapore parliament passed a 'Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act' with the aim of further enhancing religious harmony.  Under the provisions of the act, the Minister for Home Affairs may issue a restraining order against any leader, official or member of any religious group or institution who causes or attempt to cause ill feelings between the different religious groups.

The Inter-Religious Organisation, Singapore (IRO) was founded in 1949. The date of registration is 18 March 1949. Since its humble beginnings, IRO has worked quietly to promote peace and religious harmony in Singapore.

With the passage of time IRO organized more activities in line with its objectives and participated in local and international forums to learn more about what is being done in the region to promote religious harmony. It networked with organizations like the World Council on Religion and Peace (WCRP) and the Asian Council on Religion and Peace (ACRP).

IRO also regularly conducted inter-faith prayers and blessings at launching ceremonies of public and private institutions. 

Increasingly, IRO became recognized as a force for good. It was invited by the Government to conduct prayers at the passing out parade of the Singapore Armed Forces and for the victims and their families when the SIA air crashes happened in Taiwan and Palembang.

Photo courtesy of the Inter-Religious Organisation, Singapore

Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO) Singapore promoting peace and religious harmony in Singapore.

Today, 10 major religions are represented in the IRO. IRO will build on the momentum already generated and continue to promote inter-religious peace and harmony in the next decade and in the years to come.

Registration To Attend An Event - Smart Nation Way


The Singapore Univeriity of Technology and Design ar 8, Somapah Road, Singapore

Who says that the new computer technology stuff are not relevant as one grows older?

Pioneer generation friends and I found that we have to learn the "new thingy" to adapt the changes in computer and IT technology to survive as the conventional old ways are no longer done.

At the Changi Simei Grassroots Organisations Appointment Ceremony on Saturday, 7 October 2017 at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD),  I was informed that registration will be carried out via QR Code.  Please ensure you have QR Readers installed in your phones prior to registration.

What is QR Code and How Does It Work?   The information is found here .

This is the second time for me to register by QR Code.  I had the first experience at the Changi Airport T4 tour and the blog is posted here .  So I am now seasoned and no longer a 'newbie"  :)

Registration To Attend An Event - Smart Nation Way


Changi Simei Senior Citizens Executive Committee (SCEC)



National Library Board Mobile App



The National Reading Movement, which was launched in 2016, is a 5-year campaign by the National Library Board (NLB) to encourage Singapore residents to Read More, Read Widely and Read Together. It aims to encourage people to Read More by getting them to set aside some time to read regularly, Read Widely by going beyond the usual genres and read in mother tongue languages, and to Read Together with family and friends.

The Movement's key priorities are to reach out to new audience segments such as adults and seniors, promote reading in mother tongue languages and galvanise the community via collaborations – all with the aim to build a vibrant reading culture in Singapore.

The slogan, 'Reading for Life' is apt, at least for me.

Since I started to read as a child, I have not stopped reading books to educate, to gain knowledge, to learn useful stuff, to entertain, to improve myself from books.

As a "Friend of the Library" and volunteer of the National Library Board, I am pleased to be a member of the National Library since I was a child. Please watch the video clip of "On The Red Dot - National Library at Stamford Road here . Courtesy of MediaCorp Singapore.

The traditional way of reading books and other publications in printed forms has changed the lives of everyone.  The smartphone is a new "toy" not only to play but to live and work today.

With the advent of computer technology, Internet, wireless communication over the decades, we found that almost everyone, young or old, holds a smartphone while walking, while eating or drinking, even while in the toilet when the phone rings.

Users of smartphones for many purposes - simply to communicate as voice phone or as text messages in any language; use as a camera to share still photos or short videos, watch YouTube video.  More popular online media like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Online games on the smartphone as a time-killer when bored, surf on Internet without the need of a desktop computer.  As a smart nation in Singapore, wifi is free and available everywhere.

Keeping up with the rapid development of wireless technology, the National Library Board has created the NLB Mobile App (Applications or software for use on smartphones).

I am pleased to attend the training session of NLB Mobile App on 2 December, 2017 at Bedok Public Library, Level 2 Learning Hub at 10:30 am.

What have I learnt from the 2-hour session, with thanks to Norlin Naim, my good friend of Singapore Memory Project?

The 3 apps I needed on my handphone are:

1.  NLB Mobile App

To use the NLB Mobile App, you must be a registered member of the National Library in Singapore.

The User Name and Password based on the records in the library.

The rules and regulations according to the National Library.  The personal information in the library is private, safe and secure to prevent from abuse of offenders.

Find an available title to borrow:

Browse your library’s featured collections on the homepage. Search for a specific title, author, series, or subject. Open the menu near the top-right of the homepage and browse by Subjects, Collections, or reading rooms (like Kids & Teens).

A toddler playing with an iPad in his pram.  Ebook for kids are available to read the eBook too.

When you find a title you're interested in, tap Borrow. Or, tap its cover image to learn more about it.

You can find borrowed titles on your Loans page. You need to download (or add) borrowed titles from your Loanspage to your app bookshelf before you can enjoy them.

You can get to your Loans page by tapping from the top of any page.

2.  Overdrive

The Overdrive app is used for the National Library eBooks.

Your OverDrive account syncs progress and bookmarks across all of your devices, but it does not yet sync your bookshelf. So after you borrow a title from your library, you'll need to go to your Loans page and add it to the OverDrive app.

For help and support, check out OverDrive Help for getting started guides, how-to articles, and more, or contact your library.

More info about Overdrive app here .

3.  PressReader

PressReader is on a mission to give you the best news.  It delivers an endless stream of top news stories right to your pocket.

It delivers the world's newspaers and magazines to millions of readers the way they want to receive them - in print, online, or on their mobile device, tablet or eReader - wherever they live, travel, work or play.

The National Library Board Ad on the MRT 

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.


National Library Multimedia Stations at the libraries

Presently, Singaporeans and PRs aged 50 and above are able to enjoy their one hour of free internet by logging in with their myLibrary ID at the library.

For the convenience of those who are unable to visit the libraries physically or are wheelchair bound, may I suggest the National Library Board to offer the one hour of free internet from their NLB Mobile App. I hope this will enhance the features of the NLB Mobile App for the benefits of the senior members of the National Library if my humble suggestions would merit the respected considerations of the National Library Board.

First favorite Chinese New Year Song



This is my favorite Chinese New Year song in Mandarin in the 1950s.

I listened to this song the first time although I did not understand the meanings of the lyrics.  I heard it over Rediffusion every Chinese New Year when everyone turned on the Rediffusion the song full blast for everyone to hear.  Even though I did not understand what it means, I love it.  Later, the Chinese teacher taught us the song at Kai Kok Public School at Bukit Ho Swee.

I am pleased to share the original Chinese song and singers, '恭喜恭喜' with thanks to the contributor at YouTube here

 恭喜大家新年快乐,万事如意,吉祥平安。

Good Wishes, Good Wishes for Chinese New Year Song(English)

On every street and pathway,
On everyone's lips,
The first thing we say is,
"Good wishes, good wishes."

Good wishes, good wishes to you,
Good wishes, good wishes to you!

Winter has come to an end,
That is really good news,
A warm spring breeze is
Blowing to wake up the earth.

Good wishes, good wishes to you,
Good wishes, good wishes to you!

The icy snow has melted,
See the plum tree blossom!
The long night is past,
I heard the cock crow.

Good wishes, good wishes to you, yeah!
Good wishes, good wishes to you!

After so many difficulties,
Such so many experience grinding,
So many children in their hearts,
Look forward to the news of Spring!

Good wishes, good wishes to you, yeah!
Good wishes, good wishes to you!
Congratulations Gong Xi Gong Xi

恭喜恭喜 (Gong Xi Gong Xi)Chinese New Year Song(Chinese)

每条大街小巷,
每个人的嘴里
见面第一句话,
就是恭喜恭喜。

恭喜恭喜恭喜你呀 
恭喜恭喜恭喜你

冬天已到尽头,
真是好的消息;
温暖的春风,
吹醒了大地。

恭喜恭喜恭喜你呀 
恭喜恭喜恭喜你

皓皓冰雪溶解,
眼看梅花吐蕊
漫漫长夜过去,
听到一声鸡啼

恭喜恭喜恭喜你呀 
恭喜恭喜恭喜你

經過多少困難 
經歷多少磨練
多少心兒盼望 
春天的消息

Pinyin (Pronunciation):

Gōng xǐ gōng xǐ

Měi tiáo dà jiē xiǎo xiàng,
měi ge rén de zuǐ lǐ,
jiàn miàn dì yī jù huà,
jiù shì gōng xǐ gōng xǐ

Gōng xǐ gōng xǐ gōng xǐ nǐ ya,
Gōng xǐ gōng xǐ gōng xǐ nǐ

Dōng tiān yǐ dào jìn tóu
zhēn shì hǎo de xiāo xī
wēn nuǎn de chūn fēng
jiù yào chuī xǐng dà dì

Gōng xǐ gōng xǐ gōng xǐ nǐ ya
Gōng xǐ gōng xǐ gōng xǐ nǐ

Hào hào bīng xuĕ róng jiĕ
yăn kàn méi huā tŭ ruĭ
Mànmàn cháng yè guò qù,
tīng dào yì shēng jī tí

Gōng xǐ gōng xǐ gōng xǐ nǐ ya
Gōng xǐ gōng xǐ gōng xǐ nǐ

Jīng guò duō shăo kùn nan
jīng lì duō shăo mó liàn
duō shăo xīn ér pàn wàng   
chūn tiān de xiāo xi

Gōng xǐ gōng xǐ gōng xǐ nǐ ya
Gōng xǐ gōng xǐ gōng xǐ nǐ

The modernised version of the song did not bring me back to my childhood in Bukit Ho Swee kampong.

Great fond nostalgic memories to share with my pioneer generation Singaporean friends.

Gong Xi, Gong Xi!

Grand Old Dame of Beach Road in Singapore


Pioneer generation Singaporeans would remember an old place in Singapore to remember vividly. Over the decades, many heritage buildings at Beach Road have changed, including this landmark posted in my previous blog here .

Raffles Hotel at Beach Road


The Raffles is one of the must-see places for every Western tourist, but especially for the British when Singapore was once upon a time a colony under the Great Britain.  To the rest of the world unfamiliar with Somerset Maugham and Rudyard Kipling, who wrote "Feed at the Raffles when in Singapore", the Raffles is the home of the ubiquitous Singapore Sling.


The internationally famous gin sling was created by Chinese barman Ngiam Tong Boon in 1915, and served to British planters and merchants lounging in the marble-paved Cad's Alley, then the old entrance to the hotel.

Today, the same concoction of gin, cherry brandy, Benedictine, Cointreau and bitters topped with orange, pineapple and lime juice is still served in the cool dim Long Bar - by Ngiam's grand-nephew!

The Raffles dates back to the early 19th century when it was just a small tiffin room with a private bungalow.  It wasn't until 1886 that the restaurant and house were brought over by the Sarkies brothers, three Armenian hoteliers who came to Signapore in the mid-1880s.

In those days, the hotel business was concentrated at the Esplanade, High Street and Coleman Street (remember the old Adelphi?)


But the Sarkies obviously had foresight, and their site on Beach Road did have a terrific view of the harbour and the sea.

The brothers hired the architectural firm of Swan and Maclaren (the same architects who rebuilt the Sultan Mosque) to renovate the hotel, and it wasn't long before the Raffles became known as the "Savoy of the Orient".

Today, you can still enjoy a curry tiffin lunch every Sunday in the Tiffin Room, complete with soft-footed waiters in their crisply starched whites, ceiling fans whirling gently overhead, and dappled sunshine filtering through from high above.

You can explore the Raffles Hotel by yourself, or ask at the front desk for a free tour.  And, if you want old-fashioned high tea with cucumber sandwiches and scones, go to the Tiffin Room at 4 p.m. where they screen an audio-visual presentation of the history of the grand hotel daily.

While you're wandering along the cool corridors of the Raffles, don't forget to look in on the spacious suites facing the pool on the ground floor.

There is a whole row numbered 112 to 123 named after personalities such as Rudyard Kipling, Joseph Conrad, Herman Hesse, Somerset Maugham, and, more recently, Raymond Flower and Ilsa Sharp.  All of them have either written about the Raffles, or stayed and were entertained at this Singapore hotel which will be 100 years old in 1986.

Another reason, which reinforces our faith in human nature, might be described as literary although we see it as an appeal to the imagination.

For instance, Joseph Conrad was sitting in one of its varendahs when he read a report in The Straits Times of a crew which abandoned a sinking ship with hundreds of native passenters aboard, and the result was Lord Jim.

Not all the literati were complimentary.  Rudyard Kipling said:  "Feed at Raffles Hotel and sleep at the Hotel de L'Europe (formerly the City Hall building)."

Noel Coward, who was found naked in a corridor after a wild party, said that Singapore and Raffles by inference, was a first-class place for second-class people.  He was, of course, snipping at the colonials, but it must have hurt at the time.

On the other hand, Somerset Maugham, who spent much more time in South-east Asia, said Raffles stood for all the fables of the exotic East.

His short stories, such as The Letter, described a Singapore no longer recognisable, but its departed mystery lives on in the imagination of millions of people around the world.

In other words, man does not live by bread alone - or by satay or Peking Duck for that matter.

Modern Singapore looks like an Asian Manhattan, only cleaner, more efficient and orderly, but Raffles still conjures up the colour and excitement of the Orient which Conrad and Maugham helped to generate.

Raffles is a living reminder of the days when men lived dangerously and colonial wives were not as good as they might have been.

The architecture helps - white stucco of vaguely classical proportions softly corrupted by tropical vegetation and humidity.

We sat contentedly for hours in the Palm Court, with its traveller's palms and white balustrades, drinking and talking with old friends.


The Palm Court at Raffles Hotel in 1906, when the sea could still be viewed across Beach Road.


The curry served in the Tiffin Room has been modulated for the tourists, but with the many slow-turning ceiling fans.

It is a handsome and evocative room.  One can believer the story that a tiger was once found in the nearby billiard room.

One can also believe the story of how the staff buried the huge silver beef cart when the Japanese invaded Singapore.

A fifth-columnist, who turned out to be a senior Kempetai officer, questioned the waiters about its disappearance, but it remained buried until the British returned in 1945.

You can still order roast beef and Yorkshire pudding from that cart.  And many friends advised not to be deterred by the temperature and humidity outside; the beef and pud are always excellent.

They are as much a part of Maugham's exotic East as the trishaws in the forecourt, and the pirates who still haunt the waters of the archipelago.

Ilsa Sharp has captured this and more, but has not surrendered to nostalgia.  She knows there are more modern and better-equipped hotels.

But its atmosphere is incomparable.  Tourists who stay at the hotel do not say:  "It's Tuesday.  I must be in Singapore."  There is only one Raffles.

This is not to say that the management should not continue to improve its food and services.  The pursuit of excellence is now part of Singapore's way of life, and cannot be ignored.

That said, the romance of the past cannot be recreated, and tourists do not come to Singapore only to sample the air-conditioning.  The island would be a poorer place without Raffles Hotel.

[Source:  The Straits Times, 11 November 1984 with courtesy of NewspaperSG, NLB]

Raffles: Remaking An Icon

This is the behind-the-scenes story of a grand hotel undergoing the most extensive restoration of its 130-year-history.  The staff struggle daily to maintain the "Raffles standard" while the hotel is pulled down around them.  This is an extraordinary chronicle of a national monument and its makeover.

Please watch the video here , courtesy of MediaCorp Singapore.

About the show:

In the heart of one of the world's most modern cities stands an iconic structure synonymous with refinement, elegance, and service - unchanged for more than a century.

Raffles: Remaking an Icon is an exclusive invitation to this grand hotel in Singapore as it undergoes the most extensive restoration and renovation in its 130 years history.

Over the course of an extraordinary hour, we'll meet devoted staff - Bernd the poster boy - handsome front-of-house manager who manages guests disgruntled by the construction work, and an exacting general manager; Roslee, the gentle and quirky duty manager; Kaeley, the bubbly assistant had of housekeeping; and Chef Pierre, a volatile French man.  The staff struggle daily to maintain the "Raffles standared" while the hotel is pulled down around them.

This is a never-before-seen chronicle of a beloved institution that is both a luxury hotel, as well as a treasured national monument.

Only beggars wear torn pants with holes


I was told this story of a small family quarrel between a 60 year plus-old father and his 16-year-old son at home on a little street in Singapore.

The father was angry when he noticed that his son was wearing a pair of ripped branded jeans with holes. He told his son, "only beggars wear tattered and torn clothes with holes."

His son angrily replied in Mandarin :

"老爸,我穿的是我的选择。为什么使我穿我不喜欢的东西。我有我的个人权利和自由."

[Dad, what I wear is my choice.  Why do I have to wear things I do not like?  I have my own rights and freedom."]

Different generations of the young and old have different sense of fashion.  In fashion, there is no right or wrong for the individual to wear what they like.

This father would remember that when he was young, the fashion of his times was the wearing of 'drain-pipe' pants, hair-style like the Beatles or "curry pok" .....

What is "distressed jeans" fashion today?

They were popular in the late 1980s during the hard rock/heavy metal era and in the 1990s and 2000s during the grunge era.  The punk culture also have been known to be fans of fabrics with various blemishes.

Pants that are showing natural or manipulated wear & tear are often referenced as distressed.

Worn and ripped jeans remain popular as they are still sold in stores and manipulated by consumers currently.  In the early 2010s, ripped jeans came back in style, as a 90s revival, but were sometimes introduced as Distressed - similar to ripped jeans, but the horizontal sewing point was occasionally removed to look like it was distressed.

Crazy Ripped Clothing is Hottest New Fashion Trend


Parents should understand the fashion and trends of their children.  Please do not quarrel with them because their taste in fashion and trends would change as they grow older and learn whatever suits them.  They know how to make themselves beautiful and comfortable.

Please check out the related blogs here and here.

Where was the old harbour in Singapore?

A painting of the harbour in Singapore, 1887


Singapore Harbour Board - Lessons of the Past One Hundred Years


The story of Singapore's port

Singapore's port is not just one of the busiest in the world, it's also one of the oldest.  Elsen Teo walks you through it's history. [Source:  Straits Times, 20 February 2012].

400s:  Singapore is known to sailors as Temasek or "sea town" in old Javanese.  The island has an active port where goods, such as pottery and jewellery, are traded.

1300s:  Chinese sailors chart the entrance to a deep harbour in the south of Singapore.  They call it Long Ya Men or 'Dragon's Teeth Gate.  Today, it is the entrance to Keppel Harbour.

1819:  Sir Stamford Raffles sets up a trading settlement along the Singapore River.  It becomes one of the business ports in the Far East.

1852:  As the Singapore River becomes overcrowded with ships, companies begin to set up wharves and warehouses in the south of Singapore.

1899:  The two largest dock companies in New Harbour merge to form the Tanjong Pagar Dock Company in 1912, the government of Singapore expropriates it and forms the Singapore Harbour Board to manage it.

1900:  New Harbour is renamed Keppel Harbour to honour Admiral Sir Henry Keppel, who made his name by eliminating piracy in the waters off Singapore.

1964:  A statutory board of the Government is formed to take over the Singapore Harbour Board, it is called the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA).

1965:  Jurong Port was opened to serve the newly built factories there.

1972:  Singapore becomes only the second courtry in Asia after Japan to open a terminal to handle container shipping, in which cargo is moved in large metal containers.  Tanjong Pagar Terminal opens with three berths.

M.V. Nihon, carrying 300 containers from the Netherlands, is the first container ships to pull in on June 23.

1982:  Containerisation is a success:  Singapore becomes the world's busiest port based on shipping tonnage.

1996:  The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore is formed to regulate the local port industry, protect Singapore's maritime interests and promote the country as an international maritime centre.

1997:  PSA is corporatized and renamed PSA Corporation Limited.

2000:  Pasir Panjang Terminal is officially opened.

When Stamford Raffles first landed in Singapore in 1819 by sea, there was no proper harbour in Singapore.


Stamford Raffles landed in Singapore on 29 January 1819.  Travelling on the Indiana with a squadron that included the schooner Enterprise, he anchored at St John's Island at 4.00 pm on 28 January 1819 before setting foot on Singapore island the next day.  The site on the Singapore mainland where Raffles landed is marked with the statue of Raffles (photos above), which is located by the Singapore River behind Parliament House.

Old Photos of the Singapore Harbour

The archived photos are shared on this blog with the courtesy of the National Archives of Singapore and the National Library Board.


Chinese coolies loading coal, Keppel Harbour, 1938


 Long Ya Men (Dragon's Tooth Gate)


Six hundred years ago, the great Chinese explorer Admiral Zheng He used a rock shaped like a tooth as a navigational marker when he voyaged through the Singapore Strait.

Long Ya Men, or Dragon's Tooth Gate, was located just offshore where Labrador Park is today and helped steer ships through Keppel Harbour.

In the mid-19th century, however, the British blew up the rock in order to widen the channel for large trading vessels.

The obliterated rock was recreated as a 7.5m-tall replica in Labrador Park.  The replica represented an important part of Singapore's maritime history.  [Source:  The Straits Times]



The Dove of Peace with Olive Leaf in Singapore


On 12th June, 2018, the 'Dove of Peace with olive leaf' and the holy angels were in Singapore to bless the historic moments of United States Donald Trump and the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea Kim Yung Un to meet and shake hands on their mission of peace.


US President Donald Trump (left) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walk together after a meeting during the US-North Korea summit at the Capella Hotel in Singapore on June 12, 2018.

Please watch this video clip with the courtesy of The Guardian here .

Kim Jong-un has pledged to disarm his nuclear arsenal and Donald Trump has given security guarantees in a joint statement at the end of a historic summit in Singapore.

The commitments were vaguely worded and did not represent an advance on similar agreements – which have proved hard to enforce – between the two countries over past decades, but the statement said there would be further meetings between senior officials from both countries to continue the momentum of the summit.

 The US president also drew attention to what he claimed was the warm personal chemistry established between the two leaders to argue that it represented a breakthrough.

The joint statement, signed by the leaders after five hours of talks, laid out a basic bargain.

“President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK, and Chairman Kim Jong-un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” it read.

Karishma Vaswani of BBC wrote:

After weeks of speculation it's finally been announced - tiny little Singapore will host the historic Trump-Kim Jong-un summit.

The "little red dot" beat the DMZ, Mongolia and even Beijing as a place for the meeting to be held.

President Trump has shown that you don't need China - North Korea's most important trading partner - to talk to Pyongyang.

Still, it does beg the question. Besides a great airport and some neatly manicured gardens, why Singapore?

Answer:  North Korea's Kim Jong-Un feels comfortable with Singapore.

Singapore's deft diplomacy in playing both sides isn't the only thing going for it.

It's known in the region as the banker to Asean - by that I mean a safe, discreet place where you can do business and not that many questions will be asked about what you're up to - as long as you stick to the spirit of Singapore's legal framework.

But while previous US administrations like the Clinton or Obama White House may have tried to persuade Singapore to stop doing business with Pyongyang altogether, ironically it is the close links between the two sides that may have helped cement Singapore as the choice of venue.

Ultimately, Singapore is where international business deals increasingly take place in the region.

So don't think of this meeting between Pyongyang and Washington as just a political meeting. Think of it as a business negotiation, led by two of the biggest deal-makers on the global political scene right now - with Singapore playing the role of arbitrator, and a glamorous host.

Speaking on the impact of hosting the summit, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the country stands to gain from the publicity generated over the next few days.

"The fact that have been chosen as the site of the meeting, we did not ask for it ... it says something about Singapore's relations with the parties and our standing with the international community.

It's our contribution to an international endeavour which is in our profound interest.

He said:  "I think if you calculate the price of everything in this world, you will miss out on the really important things.  We will be sure to be cost conscious, and we will also be sure that we will do what is necessary to make this a safe meeting."

PM Lee notes that path to denuclearisation is a long process, but historic meeting can be first step.

"That's a long process, but this is a first step.  And if the first step happens in Singapore, well, we are happy to be associated with it."

The two leaders' first ever historic meeting for the most keenly watched political meeting Singapore on June 12, 2018.

It was a surreal moment last when United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shook hands in front of a global audience, heralding a remarkable thaw in ties between two of the world's fiercest adversaries.

History was made, and Singapore, as the host, would be noted for its small contribution to world peace and security.




In the days leading up to and after the summit, many headlines were focused on the quid pro quo for the host nation of staging an event that the world's spotlight would be trained on.

That, said analysts, is just scratching the surface, and the key benefit for Singapore is something less tangible, but much more important:

Another example of the country's oft-cited ability to punch above its weight, the value of even-handed, straight-talking diplomacy, and a buttressing of its soft power.

Singapore's role in the event is testament to its value to the international order and the effectiveness of its foreign policy, they said.

The Republic is one of the few countries that has developed deep and wide-ranging ties with Washington while keeping lines of communication open with Pyongyang amid tight international sanctions.


President Donald Trump strolled from the right, North Korea Kim Jong Un from the left with a 13-second handshake and a pat on Kim's arm, the two leaders set the stage for an unprecedented encounter between the sitting US president and the ruler of the world's most isolated regime.

While their talks tackle the serious aims of ending seven decades of hostilities and denuclearing the Korea peninsula optics ruled the show.  From the red carpets they strode in on, to who arrived first, Trump and Kim's meeting at a luxury resort on Singapore's Sentosa Island was a carefully choreographed affair.

Hero's Welcome for Korean Leader Kim Jong Un

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un returned home to a hero's welcome from his historic summit talks in Singapore with President Donald Trump.

He scored a major diplomatic victory by fending off US demands for his regime's immediate denuclearisation.

Not only that, by holding first face-to-face peace talks with the US president, Kim symbolically ended 7 decades of hostility with the world's most powerful nation.

Please watch the SBS 42-minutes Korean documentary on the Trump-Kim Summit in Singapore here .

Message of Peace and Goodwill to the World

The teachers of all mainstream religions on earth spread the message of peace and goodwill 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.


During the visit of President Donald Trump to the Vatican in May, 2017, Pope Francis expresses hopes that Korea talks leads to 'a peaceful future'.

Pope Francis gave Trump a split medallion held together by an olive tree, which his interpreter told Trump is "a symbol of peace."

Speaking in Spanish, the Pope told Trump, "I am giving you this because I hope you may be this olive tree to make peace."

The President responded, "We can use peace."

Following the meeting President Trump tweeted that he was "more determined than ever to pursue peace in our world".

Lets pray that peace be to the world.

Singapore - City of Tomorrow

James Seah on a trishaw at T4,
Singapore Airport

National Geographic released a Singapore edition of the magazine - complete with an exclusive interview with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong - to commemorate Singapore's 53rd National Day.

Titled Singapore - City of Tomorrow, the complimentary magazine will be distributed 250,000.  The magazine is part of #WhatMakesSG, a partnership between National Geographic and the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI).

The collaboration is aimed at celebrating "the passion driving Singapore's progress and how the city-state is taking steps to seize future opportunities".

Mr Lee shared his views on Singapore's future, and highlighted the importance of teamwork and collaboration in enabling Singapore's transformation to a city of the future.

In his exclusive interview with the magazine, Mr Lee shared his views on what he believes makes Singapore different, the country's future and the importance of teamwork.

"There are any number of cities in Asia which have three or four million people in them; probably dozens, many dozens.  Why are we different?  It's because of the way we have been able to make our people work together and to make the system work,"  Mr Lee said in the interview.

"It doesn't mean we're smarter than other people, I think we work as hard as others but we work together more effectively and so you produce something special," he added.




I collected a complimentary copy of the National Geographic special issue at Terminal 4, Singapore Airport on 7 August, 2018.

I am pleased to reproduce the interview with Prime Minister on this blog for the convenience of the readers and friends.

PRIDE OF THE LION CITY

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong speaks exclusively with National Geographic about the island nation's future by Mark Eggleton.

When Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong talks about his sense of warmth.  A warmth for his people and importantly, his and the Government's role as stewards of the future.  Rather than suggesting the Government owns the present, he emphasises the importance of taking care of Singapore right now and ensuring it's handed on in good condition to future generations.  It's this genuine affection for his whole country which immediately strikes you.

In the days preceding the interview, Lee had invited a National Geographic photographer to tag along on his engagements - including a visit to a newly opened pre-school, a stroll in the city's Botanic Gardens, a walk around his constituency's hawker market, and even the home of his constituents.  What was surprising was how each visit quickly turned into something more.  Reason being is unlike many politicians who can look awkward with their constituents, Lee revelled in simply being out and about.  Generous with his time and happy to take endless smartphone selfies, he chatted and laughed with a range of people and families.

On the day we meet in his private office at Istana, Lee is dressed casually and keen for a relatively informal chat.  Outside, the serenity of the property's vast pristine gardens is only broken by the low thrum of a lawnmower.  A green sanctuary in the heart of the city, Istana is the official Presidential Palace as well as the Prime Minister's office, and its sense of peace had made its way inside where Lee is in an avuncular mood.

Sitting in his relatively austere office and responding to a remark that our interview might go slightly off-piste, Lee jokingly replies "we're not very good skiers" before outlining why he is excited for Singapore's future as a digital economy hub that continues to deliver outsize opportunities for its people.  He is keen to point out that government is a team and while he can give orders nothing can happen "unless I've got teamwork", which includes Government ministers as well as the civil service and the private sector.

What excites him the most is while Singapore is still a young country of just over 50 years of age, "we have the resources, the people trained and the organisation, to plan our next 50 years, and remake Singapore substantially.  Not all of it but step-by-step we can remake the economy, the whole (economic) landscape, the way we invest in our people and I hope our standing in the world.  That's a big job.  I'm 66 but my successors, they will have to carry it forward."

The Lion City is already well on its way to transforming itself into a thriving digital economy as it already has some of the most advanced digital infrastructure in the world.  Government services are all migrating online and Lee says there is a huge focus on ensuring the whole population understands the opportunities afforded by the digital economy.

GOING (DIGITAL) NATIVE

"The young ones, they call them digital natives whereas old one like me, we're immigrants.  There's a lot we can do to make the internet easy and convenient for old people to use and we have all sorts of classes for them," Lee says.

Ensuring every generation is catered for starts back in primary school classrooms where the first four years of schooling focus on English, mother tongue, maths and science and the nature of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) learning is given top priority.  For Lee, who was the top mathematics undergraduate during his time at England's University of Cambridge, STEM skills are the key to the future and they're actively encourage in tertiary education.

"You don't have to become a master programmer, but you must at least have an idea of how computers and programming works.  Then it doesn't look like sheer magic to you and you will not be totally terrified by it when you are in a position of responsibility and you've got to make decisions."

Bearing in mind how the global economy is changing, Lee remains optimistic for the global economy and especially for Singapore, where he believes people will be able to adjust as automation and artificial intelligence fundamentally change the nature of work.  He suggests Singapore's value proposition is its geography and it can do quite a lot of things well and perhaps sufficiently better than elsewhere, such as being a financial services and data hub for the region as well as providing a strong regulatory and legal framework for business.

"In medical services, we have patients who come here from all over the region as well as from longer distances such as Russia.  I think if you are a first world-city with that concentration of talent, services and quality of life, people will want to live and work here."

As for Singapore's ever-evolving physical transformation, Lee speaks of moving the current military airbase at Paya Lebar in the central-eastern part of Singapore to Changi - freeing up an enormous amount of land for reuse and development.


"You can redevelop that land as a new township but most importantly all the surrounding areas, which is maybe one third of the island, has been developed in a height-constrained way.  Take the airbase out and you have completely different possibilities."

Lee also spoke of the current process of moving the port at Tanjong Pagar to the Tuas mega-port on the western edge of Singapore, which will free up "really prime land right in the middle of the city.  It's another opportunity for two-plus Marina Bays worth of redevelopment.

CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY

Beyond Singapore, Lee speaks of the country's role as ASEAN Chair this year and the two ideas chosen as themes for the chairmanship - Resilience and Innovation.  Both underline the opportunities and challenges countries in the region need to confront in a globalised digital economy.  Lee ways resilience means dealing with shocks and problems and dangers, while innovation means looking for new opportunities to work together and to grow.

"On resilience, we're talking about things like disaster relief and cybersecurity co-operation while on innovation, we're talking about a smart cities network.  We have 26 smart cities signed up and we hope we can work together.  We are chairman for a year, it's rotating chairmanship.  It doesn't mean we are the commander-in-chief, we are just the co-ordinator for this year.  What it means is we have to work together to make ASEAN relevant in the world.  Work together economically and work together when it comes to political and strategic issues."

Lee is a great believer in a networked future where nations work collaboratively and he envisions a world where talent connects globally.

"There are any number of cities in Asia which have three or four million people in them; probably dozens, many dozens.  Why are we different?  It's because of the way we have been able to make our people work together and to make the system work.  It doesn't mean we're smarter than other people, I think we work as hard as others but we work together more effectively and so you produce something special."



Short Speech in Chinese to Inspire


Thanks to China TV program and the video was posted to YouTube.

Watching this special program inspired me to post this blog to share with my friends here .

As I was curious to learn more about [人生七年] or 'Life in 7 years', I did a search on Google and found this video here .

The Up Series is a series of documentary films produced by Granada Television for ITV that have followed the lives of forteen British chidren since 1964, when they were seven years old.  So far the documentary has had eight episode every seven years) all of which were broadcast on ITV , apart from the 6th episode which was broadcast on BBC One.

Since its first instalment in 1964, the celebrated Up documentary series has  traced the fortunes of group of British children from a variety of backgrounds and different areas of the UK, returning at seven-year intervals to take snapshots of their lives. Directed by Michael Apted,the series reaches another landmar with the three-part 56 Up, in which a ll but one of the original 14 participants take part. Ironically, the missing one, Charles Furneaux , went on  to become a TV producer.  In April 2015, Paul Armond, the Canadian director behind the groundbreaking Seven Up! documentary, died aged 63.

The original of the original transcript in Chinese below:
她4分44秒的演讲,却让整个世界都沉默了!!

在这个演讲开始之前,我先间现场的大家一个问题。

你们当中有谁觉得自己是家境普通,甚至出身贫寒。   将来想要出人头地只能靠自己。你们当中又有谁觉得。 起码在奋斗的时候,可以从父母那里得到一点助力。你们当中又有谁觉得:人家的小孩自己是家境普通甚至出身。。自己是有鈛大家的小孩。起码在奋斗的时候可以从父母那里得到一点助力。

前些日子有一个在银行工作了十年的资深的人力资源筥理师。他在网络上发了一篇帖子叫做[寒门再难出贵子]。寒门的小孩。他想要出人头地想要成功。比我们父辈的那一代更难了。这个帖子引起了特别广泛的讨论。你们觉得这句话有道理吗。先拿我自己说。我们家就是出身寒门的。

我们家都不算寒门。我们家都没有门。我现在想想我都不知道当初。我爸跟我妈那么普通的一对农村夫妇。他是怎么样把三个孩子,我跟我两个哥。从农村供出来上大学上研究生。  我一直都觉得自己特别幸运。我爸跟我妈都设怎么读过书。  我妈连小学一年级都没上过。她居然觉得读书很重要。她吃再多的苦也要让我们三个孩子上大学。

我一直也不会拿自己跟那些。比如说家庭富裕的小孩去做比较。说我们之间会有什么不同或者有什么不平等,说我们之间会有什么不同。但是我们必须要承认这个世界是有—些不平等的。他们有很多的捷径。我们也没有。但是我们不能抱怨。我们也没有。有些人出生就含着金钥匙。有些人出生连爸妈都没有。

人生跟人生是没有可比性的。我们的人生是怎么样。那你的一生就是抱怨的—生。那你的—生就是感动的—生。你—辈子都在感受感动。你一辈子都立志于改变这个社会。那你的一生就是一个斗士的—生。

英国有一部纪录片。叫做[人生七年]片中访问了十二个来自不同阶层的七岁的小孩。每七年再回去重新访问这些小孩。到了影片的最后就发现,富人的孩子还是畗人。穷人的孩子还是穷人。但是里面有—个.   他到最后通过自己的奋斗变成了—名大学教授叫尼克的贫穷的小孩。变成了一名大学教授。是有漏网之鱼的。可贝命运的手掌里面。

而且现实生活中更是数不胜数。所以当我们遭遇失败的时候,更不能去抱怨自己的父母。井没有斩断—个人当我在人生中。因为家境不好为什么不如别人的父母。他成功的所有的可能。遇到很大困难的时候。我就会在北京的大街上走一走,看着人来人往。你在这个城巿里面,你有的只是你自己。刘媛媛。真的昰依无所依。你什么都没有。在这个社会上杀出一条路来。这段演讲到现在,你现在能做的就是单枪匹马的。我们大部分人都不是出身豪门的。我们都要靠自己。所以你要相信。是想吿诉你。让你用你的一生。这个故事关于独立,关于梦想。没有—点点人间疒疾苦。去苖斗出一个绝地反击的故事。关于勇气,关于竖忍。它不是—个水到柒成的童话有志者事竟成,破釜沉舟。百二秦关终。这个故事是苦心人天不负。卧薪尝胆三千越甲可夻吴。谢谢大家.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

The facial expressions of  the speaker during her speech is the body language to convince the audience and the inspiration to share her personal experiences to learn from her.

A Generation's Baptism of Fire



Book looks at 1961 Bukit Ho Swee fire and its place in S'pore social history.

Squatters into Citizens:  The 1961 Bukit Ho Swee Fire And The Making Of Modern Singapore
By Loh Kah Seng Singapore: NUS Press, 315 pages

By CLARISSA OON
SENIOR WRITER clare@sph.com.sg

It was one of several kampong infernos of the time, yet the 1961 Bukit Ho Swee fire was a seminal event with reverberations for a generation's way of life.

So contends a new book by Singapore historian Loh Kah Seng, which will  be launched tomorrow  by publisher  NUS Press at the National Library Building.

Through the lens of a disaster and the massive relief effort that followed, Loh offers a comprehensive, vivid and deeply nuanced look at changing demographics, housing policy and the turbulent political economy of the period.

The assistant professor at the Institute for East Asian Studies at South Korea's Sogang University draws on fresh interviews with 100 former Kampong Bukit Ho Swee residents, and weaves in information from data and policy and  sociological studies of the period, to offer this compelling  account of the build-up to a conflagration that robbed 16,000 people of their homes.

Many homes razed were part of a patchwork of illegally-built cheap wooden dwellings that had sprung up on Singapore's urban periphery.

He then draws out home the aftermath of the Bukit Ho Swee blaze became, for the young People's Action Party (PAP) Government, a rallying point for a nascent citizenry and an occasion to kick-start the first big public housing project by the new Housing and Development Board (HDB).

Living in planned housing that required regular rental payment, in turn, converted the hawkers, casual labourers and subsistence farmers of a kampung's informal economy into a full-time industrial workforce.

Squatters into Citizens is an academic as well as personal project.  Loh's father was among the elderly former kampung dwellers interviewed for the book, and the author himself grew up in one-room rental flats around Bukit Ho Swee in the 1970s and 1980s. 

In the preface, he writes that he was embarrassed by his family's housing situation as a child, only to revisit this milieu now as an academic - the story of many a post-65er who hurtled along with the nation from Third World to First, and now hungers to rewind to and understand a bygone past.

Perhaps as a result, his writing has a passion and immediacy that is atypical of much scholarly analysis.  His eye for detail is almost filmic, augmented by the book's inclusion of evocative archival visuals, from an artist's woodcut depicting a family's grief after the blaze, to aeriel photographs showing how densely packed together the  wooden houses were, followed later by overhead shots of the HDB landscape that rose up like Lego blocks in its place.

In particular, the book excels as a pungent but not over-idealised ethnography of life in Kampong Bukit Ho Swee, a village built on the slope of a hill with a disused cemetery on top and bordered by Havelock, Outram and Tiong Bahru roads.

Low-income families lived cheek by jowl amidst pigs and graves.  The author notes that in moving from the overcrowded and low-lying central area of Singapore to higher, former burial grounds, "pragmatism overcame the customary Chinese respect for the deceased.

Men worked as unlicensed hawkers, odd-job workers and pirate taxi drivers.  For leisure, they gathered at the village coffee shop to gamble or listen to Rediffusion. 

Homemakers supplemented the family income as washerwomen and seamstresses, and even as part-time shipyard cleaners since, "being slim, they can more easily enter the aperture of the tank and sustain the hardship of working within its restricted space" - as a 1960 official inquiry on contract labour, quoted by the author, put it.

On festive occasions, everyone gathered outdoors to watch Teochew (and Hokkien) opera performances organised by wealthier residents.  It is a portrait of an optimistic community" attempting to 'find a road' (che lor in Hokkien) and eke out a livelihood".

Kampung residents had an ambivalent relationship with the concrete Singapore Improvement Trust (the precursor of the HDB) flats dotted around them.  They were a source of aspiration for some, but 'compared to the never-ending challenge of finding work, residents did not regard concrete housing and modern amenities as a priority ... The dimness inside the house was of little concern when the occupants' social and economic life took them outside of it much of the time.

Loh's previous book was the co-authored The University Socialist Club And The Contest For Malaya, about the pivotal 1950s political club that drew both moderates and left-wingers.  Like that tome, Squatters Into Citizens parses both official and alternative versions of political history.

He delves into how resistance to eviction and rehousing was a subject of much political capital for the PAP's opponents then.  At the same time, he notes how former kampong residents eventually came to accept and even endorse public housing. 

Two minor criticms may be levied at the book.  Malays were among the residents of Kampong Bukit Ho Swee and victims of the fire, but Loh does not explore Malay family life in the kampong or the politics of race and resettlement.  He only alludes to this in a passing mention that the challenge for the colonial government of giving appropriate compensation to wooden-house dwellers "was essentially a Chinese problem: the British considered the Malays 'more amenable ... to resettlement'".

The other question which Loh does not manage to answer, for various reasons, is whether the fire was an act of arson engineered by the Government so it could clear the land and build flats - as was alleged in some quarters at the time.

Nonetheless, Squatters Into Citizens is a resonant text of social history.  It owes a debt to sociologist Chua Beng Huat's earlier work on HDB housing (interestingly Chua's family lived in Kampong Bukit Ho Swee too and he is one of the former residents interviewed) and studies on squatter colonies and rehousing efforts elsewhere in South-east Asia.  However, the amount of detail and analysis on the import of a major disaster for an emerging Singapore state is all Loh's own.

Intellectual contributions aside, the book is a layered examination of what Singaporeans went through to make a home, and a much-needed breaking of the silence between generations.



A related article 'Burn notice' posted by Dene Mullen on August 15, 2013


How was the great fire the origin of the Singapore we know today?

The fire broke out in a kampong (urban village) named Bukit Ho Swee in 1961 at a historic juncture for Singapore.  The island had just become a self-governing state and housing was under the purview of the newly elected People's Action Party (PAP) government.  The fire - the biggest blaze in Singapore's history - gave the PAP a strong mandate to rehouse nearly 16,000 fire victims in emergency public housing in under a year.  This allowed the clearing of kampongs and inner city slums and created a modern city of planned new towns and estates - an urban landscape that persists to this day.

You also mention how the fire transformed many of the people involved into 'model citizens'.  How so?

The fire was not merely a humanitarian disaster, or the rehousing an act of relief.  It was a national event that transformed 'squatters' into citizens.  Gone was the previous ability of kampong dwellers to elude the reach of the state, live in unauthorised housing or partake in unregulated economic activity.  As tenants, later owners, of public housing, families were integrated into the expanding structures of the state.  The terms of their housing were now dictated by the government, the kampong's secret societies replaced by community centres, while full-time employment became necessary to pay the bills.

Public housing continues to be an important plank of the developmental nation.  The housing is subsidised by the state but Singaporeans pay for the flats they can afford.  Besides continuity, there is unceasing change.  The construction of emergency public housing - very basic semi-permanent housing in the early 1960s - was halted by the middle of the decade, as housing standards and expectations rose.  By the 1980s, all the emergency housing had been converted to better quality housing or demolished.

How can Singapore be used as a model for other Southeast Asian cities with large squatter settlements?


One would be cautious about 'models'.  Other countries in Southeast Asia have vast hinterlands from which continuous streams of migrants move into the informal settlements of the city.  There, too, informal settlers are not easily cleared:  they are cultivated by politicians or are well organised.  In the 1940s and 1950s, Western cities such as London were held up as models of proper planning for Asian cities, but they did not work in Southeast Asia.

How has the evolution of Singapore's urban landscape impacted on society?

The transformation has been nothing short of revolutionary.  In a generation, Singaporeans went from being state-wary squatters to a disciplined, home-owning citizenry whose economic contributions have propelled the city-state into First World status.  The price of citizenship is the flip side of this great change - people have lost their previous initiative, agency and sense of daring, while the poorest have become disillusioned about the future for themselves and their children.

Why, in your opinion, has Singapore, achieved its incredible economic growth and been able to modernise so much faster than its neighbours?

There are many reasons.  Singapore was fortunate - the government embarked on a program of export-led industrialisation at a time when firms in the West and Japan were seeking cheaper factory sites and industrial labour overseas.  The PAP was single-mined in its economic programming - political opposition was non-existent by the late 1960s.  This authoritarianism combined with Western ideas of development and modernisation that were dominant in the post-Second World War period, and which the PAP eagerly appropriated and implemented.

How is the balance of power in the region shifting from the state to global capital, and what effect will this have?

Global capital is penetrating Southeast Asian cities and creating very similar swathes of urban space: the mega malls, hi-tech infrastructure and private housing.  Gavin Sharkin has warned about the threat such privately owned areas pose to social activism, which thrives in public spaces.  But global capital also continues a long process initiated by colonial and then nationalist capital - which is that of weaving people into imperial, national, and now transnational frameworks.   In this sense, Southeast Asians will continue to encounter forms of domination and have to struggle to preserve their community.

Why did the public housing revolution work in Singapore but not so much in other Southeast Asian nations?

There is no easy answer.  There are many common explanations - that housing and planning in other countries were hamstrung by the lack of political will, inadequate finance and poor policy coordination.  These failings are actually not causes, but symptoms.  Ultimately, it may not be realistic to expect replication.  This is where one pays heed to context - state-led housing and economic development worked in a particular timeframe in Singapore, whereas circumstances differed elsewhere.

Bibliography of the book

Twelve years ago, I first met Loh Kah Seng at my flat in Simei on 21 Oct 2006 afternoon.  The interview was arranged through my blogger friend, Victor Yue, the Chinatown Boy.

I did not realise that the 2-3 hours interview would be a PhD thesis for Kah Seng about the Bukit Ho Swee and how it would be written in the book "Squatters into Citizens".

Thanks to Kah Seng, the nostalgic memories of the Bukit Ho Swee fire led me to inspire me to write my true life story at age 13 and share them on my blogs.  This is not a script for a drama by MediaCorp.  I was not acting in the inferno movie or to play an assigned character role.  This is the story as told in my first person and the changes to my life; the changes to Bukit Ho Swee and Singapore after the Bukit Ho Swee fire.

I am glad to be among the 100 former Bukit Ho Swee fire victims invited by Dr Loh Kah Seng to interview and tell our personal stories in his book.

Preface of the book by Dr Loh Kah Seng

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.


At around 3 p.m. on 25 May 1961, a small fire broke out in Bukit Ho Swee, a kampong (village) settlement of wooden housing on the western fringe of Singapore city.  Within hours, the inferno had jumped across two roads and destroyed the homes of nearly 16,000 people. 
Kampong fires were not unusual in Singapore, but the scale of this disaster surpassed all previous ones, even the great fire of February 1959 at Kampong Tiong Bahru, just across the main road from Bukit Ho Swee, which had rendered 5,000 people homeless.

What ensued at Bukit Ho Swee was even more remarkable.  By 1961 Singapore had become a self-governing state under British colonial rule, and housing thereby came under the purview of the People's Action Party (PAP) government, elected in 1959 in a landslide victory.

Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew assured the fire victims that they would be rehoused in modern apartments within nine months.  

This promise resulted in the first big building project carried out by the Housing and Development Board (HDB), established the previous year to implement the PAP government's ambitious housing programme.  The HDB quickly erected high-rise blocks of emergency flats on the fire site, enabling former squatters to return to Bukit Ho Swee - not in nine months but within a year.

The fires and flats of Bukit Ho Swee loomed in the background of my childhood years of the 1970s and 1980s.  In 1969 my parents got married and began living with my grandparents in their three-room flat in Block 29, Havelock Road.  I was born in 1972, followed two years later by my sister.  In 1975 our family of four moved into a one-room rental flat in Block 28, Jalan Membina, the site of the emergency housing built after the 1959 Kampong Tiong Bahru fire.


The author at a playground outside Block 28, Jalan Membina, the site of the emergency housing built after the 1959 Kampong Tiong Bahru fire.  1970s photograph by Loh Tian Ho.

So began my experience of living in one-room housing.  Two years later we shifted to an improved one-room flat in nearby Block 14, and again in 1980 into a lower-rent, improved one-room flat in Block 79, Indus Road.

I found the housing embarrsssing and repeatedly urged my parents to obtain a larger home.  But my father was a coolie on a daily wage and my mother a housewife, although the family also did some handicraft work at home for additional income. 

My parents slept on blankets laid over the linoleum in the living room and my sister and I on a bunk bed in a partitioned corner.  Once, my face burned with embarrassment when a classmate from Havelock Primary School visited my home and said, "Your house so small ah?" The school, as opposed to the flat, was the centre of my life.

I knew nothing of Block 79; as Yeo Seok Thai, a resident in the block, told me in an interview, it was complicated (hock chap), where low-income families struggled with debt and their children ran afoul of the law.  

I graduated well from Havelock and enrolled in River Valley High School on Kim Seng Road, which had sheltered victims of the 1961 inferno.  In 1989 my family at last left the locality for a three-room flat in Yishun New Town, in north Singapore. 

This, I thought happily, was the true meaning of progress.  I knew nothing about the great kampong fire and had no wish to return to Bukit Ho Swee.


Dr Loh Kah Seng and BHS fire victim, James Seah

Excerpts from the book and mentioned in the interview

.....  Farther north, at the junction of Havelock and Delta Roads, were three major local employers: the Singapore Steam Laundry, Seiclene Electric Laundry, and the Fraser and Neave factory across the road.  James Seah, his parents and four siblings lived in a wooden house at 20, Beo Lane.  His father, a bookkeeper in a trading company, took a bus to the Central Area daily, while his three sisters worked in the steam laundry.

.....  James Seah's family moved into a one-room emergency flat in Block 9, Jalan Bukit Ho Swee; he was studying nearby at Delta Primary School, while his elder sisters were still working at the Singapore Steam Laundry at Delta Circus.

.....  When this author spoke to former fire victims in 2006-7, two generations after the inferno, it was event how deep the social influence of the official discourses was.  For individuals such as James Seah, the 1961 disaster contained an important set of lessons for young Singaporeans.  In Seah's view, the government suppressed secret societies after the inferno, while low-income families were able to break out of the cycle of poverty as their children acquired higher education.  Seeing the fire as "a breakthrough for the PAP government to really change the whole socio-economic landscape of a big part of Singapore", Seah felt proud that his "days have to be tied up to Singapore's starting time".  A sense of national identity and support for the government inextricably merged.

.....  James Seah was saddened by young people's apparent ignorance of the difficult experiences of their elders.  The dangerous desire for Western-style politics, he said, was the result, which only history could rectify, by "bringing this little kid, who shouts like that, influenced by Western democracy, and putting him in our time to go through the racial riots, the labour strikes, the fire".  But Seah was also acutely aware it may be impossible to fully convey the intimacy of a terrifying event outside the experience of young Singaporeans:

[How do I describe to you the day when it was on fire and we ran?  Then the next day, when we came back and saw all was gone?  That element of living through a certain period can never be replicated ... I talk to my children, and they say, "Where go such things?" ... This is something that I am very fearful of for the children, because they can't imagine the hardship that their parents went through.]

.....  In August 2011, 50 years after the fire, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his National Day Rally speech recalled the disaster at Bukit Ho Swee as a key event that nurtured a sense of a shared destiny among older Singaporeans.  He referred to the trauma suffered by James Seah, then 13, on the day of the inferno and in the aftermath, before his family were rehoused within a week in an HDB flat.  Seah's experience, Lee surmised, was a fitting entry for the state's Singapore Memory project, which aims to collect five million memories of ordinary Singaporeans by 2015, the 50th year of Singapore's independence.  It is hoped that this ambitious project will not edit out those fragments of stories from Bukit Ho Swee that do not fit neatly with the state's account: the rumours of arson, the contribution of gangsters to the kampong, the official perception of the HDB estates as a "black area", and the disillusionment of the one-room HDB dwellers.  Such jagged fragments mark boundaries to and gaps in the glossy "shared history" that government propagate to their citizens.

Childhood Memories of Fireworks Display


In Singapore, the Marina Bay area ushed in the New Year 2019 with a dazzling fireworks display over the island's skyline and other festivities in the vicinity.



Landmarks including The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, the ArtScience Museum and the Merlion also lent their facades for light projection shows throughout the night.



The countdown for the last 10 minutes of Year 2018 was screened on the digital clock on The Fullerton Hotel and everyone joined together and shouted with excitement from 10 to 0 to welcome a Happy New Year 2019. The sky was blazed with colourful spectacular fireworks and I captured a video clip here .


The Singapore waterfront was calm and quiet before the fireworks started at 11:00 pm on 31 December, 2018.  Earlier in the afternoon and earlier evening, the intermittent heavy rainfall
which later drizzled; unexpectedly the blessed "greatest event of the year" completed successfully when the rain stopped.



The musical events at the Esplanade Outdoor Theatre was open to the public free of charge at 7 pm.


As a "Kiasu Singaporean", I 'chopped' my favorite spot (as always in the past years of the Countdown fireworks displays) beside the ArtScience Musuem at Marina Bay Singapore. Please read about this here .
The crowd grew bigger and bigger as the time for the countdown at midnight.  The visitors were mostly Singaporean and their family, guest workers from China, Vietnam, Myanmar, Blanglalash, India and a few visitors whom I met from Japan, Mongolia, Russia and England.

The wait for the countdown fireworks display for 9 to 10 hours is worthwhile for everyone.  Many were prepared with umbrellas, ponchos, mats, food and drinks to picnic everywhere at the Marina Bay areas.   The waiting periods helped them to occupy the time with their smartphones to play games or watch YouTube with their favorite videos.



Childhood Memories of Fireworks Display

At the "Senior Talkshop" course in Mandarin organised by The TSAO Foundation, I spoke about my childhood memories of fireworks display when my mother brought me to the Clifford Pier at the Singapore waterfront in 1953 here .


I hope the parents in Singapore will help their young ones to watch fireworks display every chance they have - to create their fond childhood memories and remember the happy memories of Singapore.

Sing. Chase Away The Blues!





Maybe over 25 years ago, karaoke came on the scene in Singapore.  Soon it was all the rage.  Everyone was into the "singing" saga.   Some thought that it was a passing fad and it wouldn't last. Something that would die off just as soon as Singapore's wannabe crooners realised that it was easier getting a driving licence than putting two notes together.

It's years down the road and karaoke is still a hot item on the local entertainment menu.  A must at almost every other pub and lounge.  No karaoke.  No go.

Yes, from Tanjong Pagar to Tampines.  From Siglap to Serangoon Garden, pubs and lounges have been installing "that" machine on their premises and business has boomed.

Sales of laser discs have also soared.  Not just English.  But Chinese, Tamil and even Hindi.  There are also Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese and other dialects.  'Why? Simple.  Everyone wants to sing.  Have you heard about your neighbors singing in the bathroom?
And rather than doing it in their bathrooms they can now - for the price of a beer - do it in front of an audience.

By the looks of things, karaoke appears to be here to stay, hence the argument: If you can't beat it, why fight it?

In the last several decades, live entertainment has managed to maintain its niche in the market. There's enough to go around.  No need to rush.  No need to travel far.  No need to burn a hole in your pocket.  That's the Singapore entertainment scene as it is today.  There's everything for everyone, be it karaoke, live music, cabaret or just basic drinking holes.  Brian Miller reported in the New Paper on 27 August, 1994.

 Karaoke is Japanese for "empty orchestra". 

A karaoke lounge is where patrons sing to music emptied of vocals.  In the lounge, a karaoke machine dominates the scene.  It's a combination of a player, an amplifier set, a television monitor, or projector and screen, as well as a key controller.

Karaoke lounges were introduced in Japan about 40 years ago and proved the rage among Japanese businessmen.

It caught on quickly in Taiwan and was fast gaining popularity even in London.  There are now karaoke fast-food joints, karaoke home sets and karaoke coaches for long-distance travelling for tourists in a group and almost every community centre in Singapore.

In 1986, the government has lifted its 3-year ban on karoke, a Japanese-style sing-along, in restaurants and nightclubs.  The Home Affairs Ministry approved the licence if satisfied that there will be no excessive noise or unruly behaviour.

Karaoke is fun and so physical exercises for sports and health.

A Chinese school principal has introduced a daily 30-minute shuffle dance routine for his students and staff.

The principal introduced the dance to replace the daily callisthenics - based workout which is compulsory in Chinese school.  Please watch this video here .



Virtual New Year Reunion



London-based photographer Timothy Wee, 26, joined his family in Singapore via Skype for a virtual reunion dinner on Chinese New Year Eve in 2013.  With his image projected on the dining room wall, he got into the spirit of tossing the 'yusheng' with (from left) Wee Kiat Sia, 55, mum Sandra, 53, brother Matthew, 21, and his grandparents, Mr & Mrs Wee Cheng Ho, 85 and 76 respectively. "I didn't want to miss another Chinese New Year with my family," he said.
(Source:  Straits Times, 10 February 2013).

'Virtual' means unreal or an illusion, but with Internet online technologies today, Timothy was able to use Skype from London to create this photo of the family together for the 'lo hei' at the same time.  He holds a pair of chopsticks but he could not taste or smell the food.  Interesting!


Keeping alive traditions

Imagine what the Chinese New Year would be like without the family reunion dinner, the hong bao and the other age-old customs that go with it.  While there is no immediate danger that the Chinese New Year in Singapore will lose its traditional flavor and meaning, there appears to be a gradual and perceptible diluting of Chinese New Year customs with each passing generations.  In many instances, Chinese Singaporeans have found the traditions less attractive, perhaps even a bother.  For they do not, or make no attempt to, understand the meaning behind them.  For instance, some people my see the giving of hong bao as simply a ritual offering of pocket money and forget the connotations of good luck that go with it.

It is somewhat disturbing that such a trend has started to develop here.  From the years of learning to co-exist in harmony with people of many different cultures, Singaporeans have learnt to be tolerant.  So tolerant, it seems that, even where it concerns their own culture, they have become inclined to insist that traditions be maintained.  In larger, and basically homogeneous, societies such as Korea and Japan, traditions die hard.  When everyone else does the same thing at festival time, there is more pressure on the individual to conform.  However, even in these societies, while traditions are far less likely to disappear, they are no doubt slowly evolving with the times.  A busier lifestyle, coupled with increasing Westernisation, makes its harder for people to keep up with the old customs.

For most Singaporeans, however, an erosion of their cultural heritage is likely to result in a blurring of cultural identities.  Singaporeans have long been imbibing and learning from the wisdom and cultures of other countries.  This they must continue to do, not only to survive economically but also because it has generally helped to enrich the country culturally and spiritually.

What has to be borne in mind, however, is that the new ways should add to the existing cultural stock and not gradually displace the customs and values that have made Singaporeans what they are.

Perhaps most Singaporeans are still too occupied with making a living to worry about the preservation of their cultural heritage.  Yet, paradoxically, greater affluence has spawned a new and increasing class of people who spend their Chinese New Year holidays overseas just to get away from what they see as the burden of observing tradition.  Singaporeans of all races will only be the poorer for it if their Chinese New Year holidays become, in time, no different from other holidays in the year.

In many other countries, the passing of the old year and ushering in of the new is marked by celebrations of special significance that distinguish them from other festivals.  Singaporeans will have to make a greater effort to keep old customs and practices alive if the Chinese New Year is to retain its uniquely traditional flavor.  Learning about these traditions will be a good start.  This Chinese New Year is as good a time as any for Chinese Singaporeans to begin.

In 1955, a family reunion dinner photo with the courtesy of the National Archives of Singapore below:

Singapore's Grand Old Man Dr Lim Boon Keng with 25 members of his family for the annual Chinese New Year reunion dinner on 13 February, 1953.       






The task of preserving tradition is not easy


On 1 March, 1984, Founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew said:

"The future of our children cannot depend on happy recollections of crackers and special flowers and fruits, and new clothes connected with Chinese New Year, however much joy these memories may bring.

"The relationships between children and parents, between brothers and sisters, between husband and wife, and the rights and duties of parents and children, these are crucial to the continuity of any civilisation."

The Prime Minister's remark is earnest and well-intentioned.

He means that consolidation of family ties is more important than happy recollections of festive occasions.

The joy and happiness of the Lunar New Year not so much because of such things as the sound of crackers, the special flowers and fruits and the new clothes as because of the closer ties brought about by the festive mood among family members and relatives and friends.

Having reunion dinner on Lunar New Year's Eve, paying New Year visits, exchanging New Year gifts, giving red packets to children and wearing new clothes, all specially meant for the festive occasion, have resulted in closer ties between parents and children, between brothers and sisters, between husband and wife and friends and relatives.

At the same time, they will also come to understand the rights and obligations between them.

A poet confesses that he is twice as homesick on festive occasions because festive occasions can best evoke family love and affection. 

As Mr Lee puts it, language is not synonymous with culture.

But without these characteristics, how are we going to show our festive mood and joy?

The various features of the festive occasion are similar to those of the religious ceremonies.

Without the church and the prayers, the religious feeling will naturally be diluted.

I am not suggesting that the fire crackers should be restored.

But I do cherish the memory of such fading festive mood and joy, just as I cherish the memory of the changing family ties.

This is because I am afraid that once these festive characteristics disappear altogether, the traditional family ties will also follow suit.

If, for pragmatic reasons, the Chinese allow their language and customs to die out on the one hand and hope to preserve certain fine traditions in their community on the other, it is feared that the task is not so easy as one imagines.

I am afraid that by then, even if we are still able to study Confucianism in English and even quote the classics, we would already have changed, and for the worse.

Yusheng Prosperity Toss during Chinese New Year






Yusheng Prosperity Toss, also known as lo hei is a Cantonese-style raw fish salad.  It usually consists of strips of raw fish, mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments, among other ingredients.

Today, the common form of yusheng is the 'qicai yusheng' (seven-coloured raw fish salad") or 'xinnian yusheng' ("Chinese New Year raw fish salad") was said to be created in the 1960s by chefs Lau Yoke Pui, Tham Yu Kai, Sin Leong and Hooi Kok Wai, together known as the "Four Heavenly Kings" in the Singapore restaurant scene.  The recipe included ingredients such as shredded white and green radish and carrots, ginger slices, onion slices, crushed peanuts, pomelo, pepper, essence of chicken, oil, salt, vinegr, sugar and more.  To enhance the taste, the chefs began the practice of pre-mixing the sauce in order to ensure a balanced taste for each dish as compared to the past when diners mixed the sauce themselves.  This new way of eating yusgheng was not readily accepted until the 1970s when younger diners embraced it.  From then on, the popularity of this yusheng recipe soared and spread overseas.

Key ingredients and what they represent:

*  Carrots -  good luck
*  Green radish -  eternal youth
*  White radish -  good job opportunities in the coming year
*  Raw fish  -  symbolises abundance and prosperity
*  Pomelo -  luck
*  Crushed peanuts -  a sign that your home will be filed with many valuable possessions
*  Sesame seeds  -  the hope that your business will flourish
*  Golden crackers -  symbolises wealth
*  Plum sauce -  a key component that binds the salad together, it represents stronger ties among family and friends
*  Pepper and cinnamon powder  -  signify the wish for wealth
*  Oil -  often drizzled onto the salad in a circular motion rather poured over.  This is to symbolise that money will come from all directions.

Dinner At Home Song Clip | CCTV Gala





Every mother who cooks with love for her children will know what they like their favorite food or what food they dislike.

Please watch this meaningful and touching video in Chinese here
.
Viewing all 345 articles
Browse latest View live