Elephants @ Seraya Crescent
Yesterday, I received a pleasant surprise in my email. Mr Robin Brewster sent me some 1965/66 photos of Singapore. Among them were two that my guest bloggers Freddy Neo and Edward Williams, and other old timers familiar with Sembawang Hills Estate would love – photos of an elephant strolling along Seraya Crescent. Read more...
Good Morning Yesterday, Today, 3:14am
It's the time for Chinese New Year goodies
As kids, the one thing that we looked for, other than new clothings and Ang-Pows (red packets stuffed with money), it was the drinks and cookies. In those days, it was not soft drinks at any time as we would these days. Main reason was probably that it was something we could not afford and could afford to do without. Read more...
bullockcartwater 牛车水, Yesterday, 3:15pm
Funny restaurant sign
Recently I was in Tangkak and saw this interesting sign outside a Chinese restaurant. Can you spot the error? What do you think is the name of this restaurant in Chinese? Read more...
Good Morning Yesterday, Yesterday, 3:15pm
Travel to Kuala Lumpur (KL) – Peter Chan
My impressions of KL landmarks were developed over a period of time and came about as a result of a) Planned holidays, b) University of Singapore versus University of Malaya at sports, and c) Business. When I became knowledgeable about KL, I found many “Lampor Yan” can be from different dialectical groups but the preference is to communicate in Cantonese. Read more...
Good Morning Yesterday, Yesterday, 3:15am
Hakka Food Fest
In conjunction with its 80th Anniversary, the Nanyang Khek Community Guild organised a street food fest just outside its Guild house at 20 Peck Seah St on Sunday, 22 Nov 09. Read more...
bullockcartwater 牛车水, Feb 7, 3:17am
Chinatown 7th Month (Hungry Ghost) Festival
Right in the heart of Chinatown, there will be a Hungry Ghost Festival from 29 Aug 09 to 1 Sep 09. As part of this year's festival, there will be two tours organised for tourists and local to better understand how Hungry Ghost Festival is observed in Singapore. Read more...
bullockcartwater 牛车水, Feb 7, 3:17am
33. Ang Chee Sia Ong Temple 安济圣王庙
Ang Chee Sia Ong Temple 安济圣王庙 An Ji Sheng Wang Miao (a temple dedicated to Lord Green Dragon 安济圣王 Read more...
Chinese Temples, Feb 7, 3:17am
33. Ang Chee Sia Ong Temple 安济圣王庙
Ang Chee Sia Ong Temple 安济圣王庙 (dedicated to Lord Green Dragon 安济圣王or 请龙爷) is located at 131 West Coast Drive. It's original location was in Pasir Panjang. Read more...
Chinese Temples, Feb 7, 3:17am
A death in the neighbourhood
I was picking up my mail from the mailbox at the common mailbox area, at the same time, staring at a huge canvas advertisement on the one-stop funeral service. Then, I saw a neighbour, supposedly talking with the funeral services manager. She walked towards me and told me that her husband had just passed away. Oh, I was taken aback and could only murmured, "when?". "Oh, he went to the toilet at midnight and went back to sleep. But this morning when I tried to wake him up at 5am for his breakfast, he was already no more." Read more...
bullockcartwater 牛车水, Feb 6, 3:13pm
Trip to Yong Peng Pt 1
Recently I visited Yong Peng with my brother Chun Chew (Zen), my sister Pat and her husband KC, and her friend Hui Choo. It was a very short trip and we stayed only 1 night. You might think that Yong Peng is such a small town and thus there isn’t much to see. But Hui Choo is from Yong Peng and her brother and sister-in-law brought us to see some interesting things that you certainly would not be able to enjoy in Singapore; such as the traditional pasar malam, roadside chendol stalls and this durian farm. It belongs to Hui Choo's brother. It was a small plantation and they have only about twenty trees plus some mangosteen and dragon fruit trees. Read more...
Good Morning Yesterday, Feb 6, 3:13pm
Diaspora of Amoy Street
Many of the offspring of the earlier Chinese in Singapore might have a relation (parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, grandaunts & granduncles, or well, in-laws and their ancestors) in Chinatown. And for the Hokkien, many could come from Amoy St, which is just the street from Telok Ayer St, probably the waterfront then, where the early Chinese workers and migrants would land. Read more...
bullockcartwater 牛车水, Feb 6, 3:21am
“Happy Birthday to You” - Peter Chan
This Christmas season, I spent time going through a stack of old photo albums and a bunch of KODAK envelopes of photos and rows of film negatives. I was delighted to find a set of photos which brought back good memories of my children’s birthday parties of the 1980s. It also reminded me of the time when my birthday party was a solo one - done with just one Haw Pau Tan coated in black soya sauce, a piece of slightly salted fried chicken drumstick and a plate of plain white rice. Not that our family was in some dire situation but in the 1950s birthday parties were strictly reserved for the elderly, like grandparents. Read more...
Good Morning Yesterday, Feb 5, 3:17am
Phone cards
Like the humble coin phone, phone cards are fast becoming extinct in Singapore. Read more...
Good Morning Yesterday, Feb 4, 3:14pm
Edward Williams remembers Sembawang Hills Estate - The churches and shops in Phase 1
Phase 1 of Sembawang Hills Estate is the area bounded by Casuarina Road, Seraya Crescent and Old Upper Thomson Road. I assumed that this sector was built first before the homes across Thomson Road, which stood on a hill. The latter part of Sembawang Hills Estate where Freddy and I lived is generally known as Phase 2. Read more...
Good Morning Yesterday, Feb 4, 3:14pm
Nanyin Concert in Thian Hock Keng on 5 Nov 09 @ 7.30pm
Three times a year, Thian Hock Keng (at Telok Ayer St) has a Nanyin Concert (which would include Nanyin music and songs, and sometimes, Li Yuan Opera) in honour of Guan Yin. They are 2M19, 6M19 and 9M19 (Chinese Lunar Calendar). 9M19 is 5 Nov 09 and this will be the last performance this year in Thian Hock Keng. Read more...
bullockcartwater 牛车水, Feb 4, 3:15am
Archaeology in Singapore
Who was Sang Nila Utama? What was life like in early, pre-colonial Singapore? It seems archaeology seems to attempt to answer some of these questions. Read more...
Singapore Stuff, Feb 4, 3:15am
A Giant in the Neighbourhood
I was walking along Craig Rd, reminiscing my childhood days when I looked up at the row of houses that were opposite to where I lived, and low behold, it was like a giant has stepped into the neighbourhood. There towering behind the row of two storey houses was that huge and mammoth monolith called The Pinnacle. It was impressive and reminded me of the first time when I watched the "Kong Long" movie at Oriental Cinema, one of the very new movies that I went with the family, especially with my late father, who worked in Johor Baru then. Read more...
bullockcartwater 牛车水, Feb 4, 3:15am
Expressways, Flyovers and Bridges of the 1960s – Ayer Rajah Expressway (Peter Chan)
1966 marked the beginning of the second Singapore 5-Year Plan. The road network for Singapore was prepared in this second Plan. A major road termed as the Pan-Island Expressway was first mooted in this Plan to serve as a major route to link up new towns under construction, e.g. Jurong, Toa Payoh, Kallang Industrial Basin and other proposed new towns (Woodlands, Teluk Blangah and Changi). It was proposed to be dual 3-lane road with limited controlled access points to the expressway. Read more...
Good Morning Yesterday, Feb 3, 3:14pm
Chinese Temples 庙宇文化 Book 3 is out!
The third volume of Chinese Temples in Singapore, Miao Yu Wen Hua 庙宇文化, has been released and are available at most newspaper stand. Read more...
Chinese Temples, Feb 3, 3:17am
Chinese Temples 庙宇文化 Book 3 is out!
The third volume of Chinese Temples in Singapore, Miao Yu Wen Hua 庙宇文化, has been released and are available at most newspaper stand. Read more...
Sin Tua 神坛 in Singapore, Feb 3, 3:17am
8th Moon: The Month of Weddings
After a ghostly month, the Chinese population prepares for the celebration of the moon. By co-incidence, it could well be said the month of honeymoons? Yes, to the Chinese traditionalists, 8th Lunar Month (or we call it 8th moon) is the month of weddings. Restaurants would have been booked months ahead, probably even a year if one wants a particular restaurant for a particular date. Read more...
bullockcartwater 牛车水, Feb 2, 3:13pm
List of Monkey God Temples in Singapore
Here is a list of Qi Tian Da Sheng 齐天大圣 (the Monkey God) sintuas (temples/shrines) in Singapore. Read more...
Sin Tua 神坛 in Singapore, Feb 2, 3:13pm
Zhong Yuan Jie - Ghost Festival - in Chinatown
This year, Chinatown's Hungry Ghost Festival (Zhong Yuan Jie) has taken on a bigger plane, by offering to show and explain more about it to the interested locals as well as tourists (including expatriates). Many have seen the Zhong Yuan Jie and could not understand the myriad of details in this festival that involves both residents and business people. It did not help when the festival could have a Hokkien/Teochew or Cantonese... Read more...
bullockcartwater 牛车水, Feb 2, 3:16am
The humble coin phone
The other day, I was at a mamak shop located at the void deck of an HDB flat in Toa Payoh when I caught sight of this pathetic looking coin phone. It was dirty and looked like it had not been used for ages. Read more...
Good Morning Yesterday, Feb 1, 3:14am
The Literature, Culture and Society of Singapore
The Literature, Culture and Society of Singapore is part of the Post-Colonial Web of the University Scholar's Programme. A comprehensive landscape of post-colonial Singapore is outlined including its geography, demography, economics, history, politics, religion, Read more...
Singapore Stuff, Jan 31, 3:17am
Malaycivilization.com
Malaycivilization.com is the fruit of ATMA (Alam dan Tamadun Melayu), the Institute of the Malay World and Civilization, a part of UKM. As a general member - which is offered free-of-charge - users can view the digitised resources of photojournalist and restoration architect, N. A. Halim; PADAT, the Malay World Database - a collection of 30,000 to 40,000 articles in publications about the Malay world; Khamus Peribahasa Melayu or a Dictionary of Malay Proverbs built into a searcheable database; Pantun Baba or Peranakan Poetry, again a searcheable database; Karya Jawi or Jawi Literary Works; Read more...
Singapore Stuff, Jan 31, 3:17am
a2o.com
a2o.com , translated to Access to Archives Online Singapore is the integrated digital search interface for the National Archives' various units'digital presence. These subset dataplatforms include PICAS - the picture database, MISAS - the moving image and sound archives, STARS - the speech-text archival retrieval system, CARDS - cartographic and architectural records database, PRISM - private record information system, Posters - a posters database, Read more...
Singapore Stuff, Jan 31, 3:17am
Singapore - Country Study
A Country Study: Singapore is part of the Country Studies / Area Handbook Programme by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress. It gives a comprehensive perspective of Singapore including its history (from pre-colonial to 1985),society & environment (including ethnic groups, religions, education, health & welfare), the economy, government and politics, and national security. Data is valid only until 1989. There is a useful bibliography and an appendix of tables. http://singaporestuff.blogspot.com/atom.xml Read more...
Singapore Stuff, Jan 31, 3:17am
Inter-religious Organisation, Singapore
In the next few weeks, i will attempt to cover the varied religious and communal activities in Singapore. As a start, the Inter-religious Organisation (IRO) offers an overview of key religions in Singapore. This includes Hinduism, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and Bahai faith. Key religions such as Islam, Christianity, Hinduism and the various Chinese religions... Read more...
Singapore Stuff, Jan 31, 3:17am
Muslims in Singapore
Muslim Converts Association (Darul-Arqam)provides a good introduction to Islam. In Singapore, the administration of Muslim affairs is mainly managed by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS or Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura). The MUIS portal provides links to services such as Hajj Services, Halal Certification including a listing of certified halal food establishments in Singapore, and various eResources such as sermons and online publications. MUIS was established in 1968 as... Read more...
Singapore Stuff, Jan 31, 3:17am
Islamic Education in Singapore
The Darul-Arqam has a subsidiary, the Centre of Islamic Management Studies, set up in 1999 with the which aim to "develop and provide Islam-based training on various aspects of personal and professional development." Some unique courses offered are Islamic Banking and Shari'ah for Legal Practitioners. For religious education, there is a website reflecting all six full-time Madrasahs in Singapore. In 1999, the old Kampong Siglap Mosque was used as a centre for the memorisation of the Quran, Tahfiz Al-Quran Centre of Singapore. For critical thinking and discussions on Islam, the Centre for Islamic Studies provides such a platform. In the same vein, the Centre for Research on Islamic and Malay Affairs ( Read more...
Singapore Stuff, Jan 31, 3:17am
Buddhism in Singapore
The Singapore Directory of BuddhaNet provides useful weblinks and/or addresses of Buddhist organisations in Singapore. Different veins of Buddhism including Mahayana and Theravada and even non-sectarian forms are listed and their categories reflected accordingly. The claims to being the largest Mahayana Buddhist temple in Singapore goes to the Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery. There are strains of Buddhism that traces its beliefs from Tibet (Nyingma Kathok Buddhist Centre - Singapore), others from Myanmar (Burmese Buddhist Temple), Sri Lanka ( Read more...
Singapore Stuff, Jan 31, 3:17am
Taoism in Singapore
There is limited information about Taoism in Singapore, partly because there is no unifying organisation that links the Taoist temples together. The Taoist Mission (Singapore) offers insights to the religion with details on the development of Taoism in Singapore although this is mainly in Chinese. Taoism-Singapore is a very active discussion group that keeps track of events at various temples and the significance of these festivities. These are graphically illustrated through Tan Wee Cheng's online photographs at his website Tanki and elaborated further in the section Encounters.http://singaporestuff.blogspot.com/atom.xml Read more...
Singapore Stuff, Jan 31, 3:17am
Christianity in Singapore
The Catholics in Singapore comprise a large majority. Amongst the Protestants, the Anglicans, the Methodists, the Lutherans, the Presbyterians and the Baptists have been established in Singapore for about 50 years to at least a century. Independent churches such as Faith Community Baptist, New Creation and City Harvest have also large followings. A non-denominational site with a searchable directory for churches can be found at Antioch. An NZ site, Across, also hosts a browsable listing of Read more...
Singapore Stuff, Jan 31, 3:17am
Hinduism in Singapore
The Hindu Endowment Board's website offers links to Hindu temples in Singapore, the Singapore Hindu - HEB's newsletter available online, festival dates and other hindu activities. The website of the Sri Thenduyathani Temple provides similar details such as images and links to local Hindu temples, festivals and the history of Chettiars in Singapore. Read more...
Singapore Stuff, Jan 31, 3:17am
Sikhism in Singapore
Sikh organisations in Singapore that represent their interests include the Sikh Advisory Board and the Central Sikh Gurudwara Board. The latter provides an insightful history of how the organisation arose and the early history of Sikhism in Singapore although AllAboutSikh provides more details to this story and a list of key Sikh temples and their addresses. A list of Sikh temples with pictures and short histories can be found at Singapore Mirror Read more...
Singapore Stuff, Jan 31, 3:17am
Collections in Singapore about Asia (I)
With the new National Library opening (Lee Kong Chian Reference Library), I thought it would be appropriate to begin a series on Collections about Asia in various libraries and institutions. We begin with the LKCRL Collections and its main collection highlight - the Singapore and Southeast Asia Collections. Besides books, the collection also has unique non-print materials released for the first time for public viewing. These include Read more...
Singapore Stuff, Jan 31, 3:17am
Collections in Singapore about Asia (II)
The National University of Singapore has a wealth of information in its libraries and faculties on Singapore and Asia. The Singapore-Malaysia collection in the NUS Central Library offers unique academic resources such as the newspaper clippings and a strong theses collection on the region. It also has unique print and non-print (ranging from databases to microfilms) in its holdings. It has a range of online bibliographies on Singapore covering aspects of history(including a Chinese version), statistics, literature and related topics. The Singapore National University... Read more...
Singapore Stuff, Jan 31, 3:17am
The Eurasians in Singapore
The Eurasians in Singapore are families made up of a mix of European and Asian cultures. These include an intertwining of Portuguese, Dutch, British, Chinese, Malay and Indian pedigree. These families have lived in Singapore for many generations. Read more...
Singapore Stuff, Jan 31, 3:17am
Singapore's General Elections (2006) - Political Parties
Party news and updates can be found in their respective party websites. Read more...
Singapore Stuff, Jan 31, 3:17am
Singapore's General Elections (2006) - Alternative Opinions
Although podcasting has been banned, there have been a number of blogs set up solely on this subject. Read more...
Singapore Stuff, Jan 31, 3:17am
Singapore's General Elections (2006) - News & Information
On 27 April 2006, "for the first time in 18 years, the PAP has not returned to power on Nomination Day" (CNA). For more on the elections, the Elections Department offers a map of the electoral divisions, results of past parliamentary elections, a register of voters (access only to personal records), instructions on voting and on overseas voting Read more...
Singapore Stuff, Jan 31, 3:17am
Singapore online discoveries
My kind blog mentor (a rambler of some sorts) has adviced to make my entries more informal. So here it goes. Read more...
Singapore Stuff, Jan 31, 3:17am
Singlish
Singapore English has its own following. Jack Lee's Dictionary of Singlish and Singapore English includes not only explanations and samples of usage but also phonemes and the Chinese script where relevant. Many of the words defined are derived from the local papers. Talking Cock's Coxford Singlish Dictionary was an earlier online dictionary which also has print parallel. Read more...
Singapore Stuff, Jan 31, 3:17am
Of Pratas, Plasters and Dinosaurs
Craving for the local flavours of Singapore, i came across this fascinating video of prata at Bukit Timah. Here you get a dizzying view of local favourites - Milo Dinosaur, Teh Tarik and of course the humble Prata! Catch the sideline sights of the Indian man pushing a heavy garbage bin across the room and the pretty Singapore lasses feeding on this feast. Read more...
Singapore Stuff, Jan 31, 3:16am
Void Decks
There is nothing void about void decks - the open spaces on the ground floor of public housing apartments, or HDB flats. Better known as the venues for mega events such as Chinese New Year parties, weddings and funerals, they have also served as locations for the simpler birthday parties (watch the cake!) Read more...
Singapore Stuff, Jan 31, 3:16am