tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33605831888445103562024-03-19T16:48:11.733+08:00Tiong Bahru EstateThis site is dedicated to everyone who loves the nostalgic charm of Tiong Bahru.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger435125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360583188844510356.post-44423515270127410632015-05-19T17:54:00.000+08:002015-05-19T17:54:29.479+08:00Keep Calm and Keep Drooling - Tiong Bahru Satay Man<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFWpkyRvTGi830NRclXl8gApTE702SwHY9Jt72RVwmCTbuXPo-KuASIAdWKw5Nd5bFdne65_pV9UnP6IiLS37dLb6BPNm9d5CDcVxhXHCR4ELVH64h58KbsjtZebJwNW4Vpi0waI70cv0/s1600/TIONG+BAHRU+SATAYMAN.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFWpkyRvTGi830NRclXl8gApTE702SwHY9Jt72RVwmCTbuXPo-KuASIAdWKw5Nd5bFdne65_pV9UnP6IiLS37dLb6BPNm9d5CDcVxhXHCR4ELVH64h58KbsjtZebJwNW4Vpi0waI70cv0/s640/TIONG+BAHRU+SATAYMAN.JPG" width="412" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I bumped into our famous satayman at the Redhill market this morning.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Had a quick chat with him to find out how he is doing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Seems that he will be selling satay from </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hungrygowhere.com/singapore/good-chance-popiah-jalan-besar-lavender/" target="_blank">Good Chance Popiah</a> (Jalan Berseh branch) when he is ready.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He seems excited talking about his career upgrade and he just need to pass the f</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ood preparation course before he start selling there.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He said the boss of Good Chance Popiah will be putting up newspaper advertisements to inform people about the satay when they are ready. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When asked why he did not consider Tiong Bahru market, he said the crowd at the market was not good enough according to Good Chance Popiah boss.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>(Actually our satay man doesn't need a ready crowd, am sure he is heavy weight enough to pull in the people and revitalize the evening crowd at the market...oh well)</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By the way, it won't be sold at the same price as before and they seems to have plans about making it into a chain and perhaps expand overseas as well. And they will call it the Tiong Bahru Satay or something with the Tiong Bahru label.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some of you may remember we almost lost our satay man to China a few years back when someone offered him a job there to sell satay. It's the same boss who is giving him the opportunity again.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is also the boss who came and fetch him to NEA and help him pay the fine.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mr Satay man also offered some insights into how he was busted 3 times for illegal hawking over a period of 2 weeks.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He claimed that on one occasion, someone set him up by ordering 400 sticks and left after eating just 1 stick. Thereafter 2 NEA enforcement officers and 2 policemen showed up.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He also mentioned a </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">couple who heard about his plight and ordered 50 sticks of satay. And they gave him an Ang Pow to pay off his fine when they collected their satay.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So yes, our satay man is doing fine....just hoping against hope that he will reconsider setting up shop in the estate that he started serving those sinful fatty satay.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Meanwhile, keep calm and keep drooling till he get his certifications.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360583188844510356.post-87688935063904318422015-05-14T07:06:00.000+08:002015-05-14T07:08:00.163+08:00The Business Times : Retail shakeout in Tiong Bahru<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Business Times</span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By Debbie Yong</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">14th May 2015</span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>URA cracks down on those that use residential ground floor units for commercial purpose following complaints from the neighbourhood's residents</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1oeb05hOSRBmcwurpxCHBwcbFmpCdpxhcC2wae4b74F3XwPLNtU0AbOi_MMngJk_PS1J98t_OSl-VWj4nYINVgDKQX2raCNG9lpAFtNqa_Kb_jWmvnGlavP6kVy8strQeuMcaT_kpaM/s1600/BT_20150514_DYTIONG14_1668323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1oeb05hOSRBmcwurpxCHBwcbFmpCdpxhcC2wae4b74F3XwPLNtU0AbOi_MMngJk_PS1J98t_OSl-VWj4nYINVgDKQX2raCNG9lpAFtNqa_Kb_jWmvnGlavP6kVy8strQeuMcaT_kpaM/s400/BT_20150514_DYTIONG14_1668323.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="field field-name-field-caption field-type-text-long field-label-hidden" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.3999996185303px; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With rapid gentrification came a voracious demand for commercial space, luring many to lease ground floor residences under home office and showroom licences for use as retail shops. </span></div>
<span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<div class="field field-name-field-copyright field-type-text field-label-hidden" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-size: 11px; margin-left: 5px; text-align: left; text-transform: uppercase;">
PHOTO: SHAWN TEO</div>
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">THEY came, they injected fresh buzz to a sleepy neighbourhood and now, they're being given the boot.<br /><br />After years of flying under the radar, several businesses in Tiong Bahru estate have been asked to vacate their premises by the Urban Redevelopment Authority over the last two months, following complaints from the neighbourhood's residents.<br /><br />The businesses were found to have been using residential ground floor units for commercial purpose, and were given one month to cease doing so or face enforcement action under the Planning Act, according to notices posted outside the units by the URA.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Among the businesses affected by URA's recent actions are a handful of startups and design agencies, homeware shop and studio Bloesem, apparel retailer Nana and Bird, and decade-old nail parlour and spa Hui Aesthetics, which had just spent S$30,000 to spruce up its rented unit last June.<br /><br />Comprising a network of conserved low-rise housing blocks built in the 1940s and 1950s, Tiong Bahru has been undergoing a renaissance among youths, expatriates and tourists in the last five years. But with rapid gentrification also came a voracious demand for more commercial space, luring many new businesses to lease ground floor residences under home office and showroom licences for use as retail shops.<br /><br />One business owner, who had to prematurely terminate the leases on two shop units, said that she received a warning letter from the URA a month ago, followed by a site inspection by several police officers last week. She vacated the units the following day.<br /><br />"It was intimidating. I'm not a criminal - we're just trying to bring beautiful objects to the neighbourhood," she said.<br /><br />Another affected retailer, who has been featured in several newspaper articles and guidebooks on Singapore since setting up shop in 2011, said that her two appeals to the authorities for an extension of the grace period to the end of her lease in July were both rejected. The sudden news and short notice period is particularly damaging for a small business, she said: "We're in Tiong Bahru because we can't afford to be in a shopping mall, and I'm now scrambling to find a new space, while getting in contractors to reinstate the current unit and negotiating with the landlord on terminating our lease."<br /><br />When contacted, a URA spokesman said that the matter was brought to their attention by residents, and that the operators of these unauthorised commercial uses did not seek planning approval before starting, rendering them illegal. "As the premises are intended to be used for residential purposes and the uses have created disamenity to the neighbourhood, we have taken enforcement action on them."<br /><br />But one retailer, who was told by the URA that residents had complained about the consequent increase in vehicular traffic, said that her store draws only 5-8 walk-in customers on weekdays, and up to 20 on weekends - a far cry from the crowds that patronise the area's many licensed eateries. More gravely, some licensed businesses have flouted conservation rules by completely augmenting the facades of the conservation units, while she had retained much of her unit's original form.<br /><br />This isn't the first time that tensions have arisen between residents and new businesses in Tiong Bahru. Residents have repeatedly complained about the excessive noise, traffic pollution and the displacement of heritage trades by Western-leaning businesses that don't serve the needs of the area's aged inhabitants. The estate was also plagued by a prolonged rat infestation in 2013, which many blamed on the doubling in the number of neighbourhood eateries to about 30 over the last five years.<br /><br />The URA and Housing Board have since been turning down some new applications to turn shop premises into eateries in recent years.<br /><br />Tan Chiew Ling, co-owner of Nana and Bird, feels that better change can be enacted through dialogue. "If Singapore wants to champion local businesses and creativity, it cannot be done via a top-down approach and without a platform for discussion. We hope that residents and business owners can be brought together to tackle complaints, find solutions and discuss better ways to happily co-exist."<br /><br />Chris Hooi, chairman of a residential task force convened in 2013 by the area's Member of Parliament Indranee Rajah, said that while some progress has been made, "it will take a while to facilitate a balance between the two sides". "Tiong Bahru is not a new estate where you can easily plug in new things, like new carparks and large refuse centres."<br /><br />Pino de Giosa, an antique dealer drawn to Tiong Bahru's distinctly local yet genteel vibe, hoped that the authorities would allow a "limited spectrum" of non-intrusive businesses, such as art galleries and boutique concepts, to operate within residential units, rather than adhere to a blanket rule.<br /><br />Other business owners, however, hoped for more consistency in the URA's enforcement of its zoning and licensing rules.<br /><br />According to the URA website, property owners may apply for a change of use for their properties, but approvals will be assessed against the zoning rules in the URA's 2014 Masterplan and should "not cause any inconvenience or disturbance to the community in the area".<br /><br />Ground floor residential units in Tiong Bahru range from 800 sq ft to 1,400 sq ft and typically command sales prices of S$1.2 million to S$1.8 million or some S$6,000 in monthly rental - a 50 per cent premium over upper floor units. Commercial units, particularly those approved for F&B use, can go for double.<br /><br />As to whether the exodus of these unlicensed businesses will dent the neighbourhood's appeal, SLP international executive director Nicholas Mak said that it would depend on two factors: the number of shops affected, and the size of their following.<br /><br />The general increase in rents and sale prices in the area is due to many other factors, such as its popular wet market and food centre and its proximity to the MRT network and the central business district, he said. "In the end, it is the authorised businesses that are really giving the revamped Tiong Bahru its current flavour, not just the unauthorised."<br /><br />Recalling a similar phenomenon where errant property agents would market industrial units for commercial use some years back, Mr Mak further cautioned potential tenants of commercial units to do their relevant checks with authorities on their appropriate use before signing on a lease. "Tenants should not go in blindly, landlords should be aware and agents should not misrepresent. The three parties need to share some responsibility."</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360583188844510356.post-71973983096080340172015-05-07T13:46:00.001+08:002015-05-07T13:46:46.028+08:00The Straits Times : First heritage survey gives conservation efforts a boost<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />The Straits Times<br />By Melody Zaccheus<br />7th may 2015</span><div>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Comprehensive study of existing sites will also aid Govt in land planning</b></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #777777; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0nN4-GlNkbf9qJpJU2xYrHe4gchw4Nuk531XJkZg8lF9GWE7nzlHNpoJLO3QLC8xRdxEBF5SRai3phbJD69BUxCMGALhY8-5lOUr4VvxtaqVCJ6MjX-isDHCnxZVuX2ft0fH3WyML_x4/s1600/nzheritage2432e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0nN4-GlNkbf9qJpJU2xYrHe4gchw4Nuk531XJkZg8lF9GWE7nzlHNpoJLO3QLC8xRdxEBF5SRai3phbJD69BUxCMGALhY8-5lOUr4VvxtaqVCJ6MjX-isDHCnxZVuX2ft0fH3WyML_x4/s400/nzheritage2432e.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The first survey of Singapore's heritage sites and structures will kick off within "the next two months", a move that could help the authorities map out its conservation and preservation efforts. -- PHOTO: ST FILE</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />THE first survey of Singapore's heritage sites and structures will kick off within "the next two months", a move that could help the authorities map out its conservation and preservation efforts.<br /><br />The project, which will be a comprehensive study of existing heritage sites, will also aid the Government in its land planning and take about 16 months to complete.<br /><br />The survey will study places of architectural, historical, cultural, social or educational significance, and include sites or structures completed in or before 1980.<br /><br />The effort, announced by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong in March, is expected to cost approximately $1 million and will have two components, said the National Heritage Board (NHB).<br /><br />The first involves "desktop research" that will tap maps, newspaper records, archival material and other publications to consolidate data about a place.<br /><br />The second involves field work that will document and photograph the geographic coordinates, typology and physical condition of the structure or site.<br /><br />If information is limited, interviews with the community and other stakeholders will be conducted.<br /><br />The board will use its findings to work with the Urban Redevelopment Authority at each stage of land planning. This includes the 10-year Concept Plan or the five-year Master Plan. Significant buildings and structures identified through the survey could undergo further research for possible preservation or conservation.<br /><br />NHB chief executive Rosa Daniel said the exercise is a step forward in enhancing the country's capabilities in research, documentation and commemoration.<br /><br />"As Singapore's population grows, it is important to ensure that, in tandem with intensified development, there are increased efforts to preserve our heritage," she said.<br /><br />The NHB said it adapted the heritage survey from similar ones done in other cities. It cited Hong Kong's 1996 survey in which over 8,800 historic buildings built before 1950 were identified. This was followed by in-depth research and assessment to identify buildings of heritage value.<br /><br />Singapore's version will be guided by members of a newly formed eight-member Heritage Advisory Panel comprising architecture, geography, sociology, anthropology and history experts.<br /><br />They include Professor Brenda Yeoh, dean of the National University of Singapore's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; Mr Eric Chin, the director of the National Archives of Singapore; and Mr Zahidi Abdul Rahman, principal architect of Zahidi A.R. Arkitek.<br /><br />The heritage community welcomed the survey as it represents the first step towards a more long-term strategic plan for heritage issues.<br /><br />Dr Kevin Tan, president of the International Council on Monuments and Sites Singapore, said that for the survey to be effective, the criteria for what constitutes a heritage building should be "crafted as widely as possible". For it to be truly comprehensive, he believes surveyors should comb every square metre of the Republic.<br /><br />Heritage enthusiast and editor Choo Lip Sin believes the survey will help the authorities make more informed decisions. He hopes there will be space for public input to be factored into the exercise, "beyond what the authorities value as heritage".<br /><br />A separate survey on the country's intangible heritage, spanning cultural activities and traditional trades or businesses, will be launched at the end of the year.<br /><br /><a href="mailto:melodyz@sph.com.sg">melodyz@sph.com.sg</a></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360583188844510356.post-43303558848528740742015-05-03T21:44:00.000+08:002015-05-03T21:44:28.336+08:00The Sunday Times : Home, a quiet SIT flat in a peaceful estate<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Sunday Times</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">By Rachel Tan</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">3rd May 2015</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>I REMEMBER: TIONG BAHRU AND ITS PRE-WAR HOUSING</b></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjghr8gltKn-xCDhu8K80kIraErDtkHkuBfekPEiRjE3btOvMjAwjoIYeok0HyowLKOG4KXgNEaVz1T9vcZcqnFVYkOJt3ei7yBchGWhFHBm_uA5B5NmgqnuxM82BhyphenhyphenNDCBGITWDXbnr8w/s1600/ST_20150503_RTWYATT03NEW_1284584e+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjghr8gltKn-xCDhu8K80kIraErDtkHkuBfekPEiRjE3btOvMjAwjoIYeok0HyowLKOG4KXgNEaVz1T9vcZcqnFVYkOJt3ei7yBchGWhFHBm_uA5B5NmgqnuxM82BhyphenhyphenNDCBGITWDXbnr8w/s1600/ST_20150503_RTWYATT03NEW_1284584e+(1).jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 12px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Mr Donald Wyatt, 80, outside his home in Tiong Poh Road, where he has lived since 1942. (Left inset) Mr Wyatt, on the right, with his older brotherGeorge at the flat in 1950. (Right inset) Mr Wyatt in the top row, second from left, with his football team - The Barefoot Football Team - in 1948</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mr Donald Wyatt has stayed in the same four-room apartment in Tiong Bahru since he was seven. He is now 80.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Born in colonial Malaya, Mr Wyatt and his family came to Singapore in 1942. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">His mother was a nurse while his father was a teacher.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Two months after arriving in Singapore, they moved into a Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) flat along Tiong Poh </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Road, where he has lived ever since.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"During the Japanese Occupation, life was very quiet in Tiong Bahru," said Mr Wyatt. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Many people did not venture out into the streets."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the 1950s, while Tiong Bahru was properly maintained by the municipality, slums ringed the estate.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"They were terrible," said Mr Wyatt, who worked for the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Association as the manager of its regional secretariat for Asia, before retiring in 1999.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"The slums were the breeding ground for many diseases, including tuberculosis and malaria. They were overcrowded and appalling."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tiong Bahru was one of the first places where the colonial government built SIT flats in the 1930s. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At first, the Wyatts rented their flat for $20 a month. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mr Wyatt bought it in 1967 for $19,000.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This week in 1965, the authorities were encouraging tenants of the SIT flats to buy them, using easy payment terms.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mr Wyatt lives there now with his wife and youngest son, 29. He has four children, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He recalls visiting the Tiong Bahru Market in the 1940s with his aunt and grandmother, when it was just a crowded collection of makeshift stalls. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"The food sold there was provided by locals who planted their own vegetables and reared pigs," he said.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today the SIT flats of Tiong Bahru give the leafy estate its distinct look, the market is an established landmark for local fare, and hipster cafes, restaurants and boutiques have arrived in recent years bringing crowds of visitors.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"I can live with it," said Mr Wyatt, who prefers the new Tiong Bahru to the one of his childhood. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"It's very peaceful. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The old Tiong Bahru was more disorganised."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Asked if he has ever thought of moving, he responded with a laugh: "Not really. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are too many memories here."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">rtan@sph.com.sg</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360583188844510356.post-56949546208918496532015-01-30T17:27:00.000+08:002015-01-30T17:27:33.002+08:00The Straits Times : Do S'pore neighbourhoods risk death by cappuccino?<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />The Straits Times</span><div>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">By Pow Choon Piew</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">30th January 2015</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaOTsuM3azCyC6CCENYDJRQuGKb7ZN6xv6Im4ffVv3JKcvNTnNkHNDaE7J5cdUmP4EI9Mc6mr9rQR0OVTZVstaGytmJnfQujO70SOp0Hnvbb4GtPvWuZ-WUuzrI5e-aUIzmDk13TjxSf4/s1600/Death+by+Cuppaccino.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaOTsuM3azCyC6CCENYDJRQuGKb7ZN6xv6Im4ffVv3JKcvNTnNkHNDaE7J5cdUmP4EI9Mc6mr9rQR0OVTZVstaGytmJnfQujO70SOp0Hnvbb4GtPvWuZ-WUuzrI5e-aUIzmDk13TjxSf4/s1600/Death+by+Cuppaccino.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Trendy cafes have popped up in older estates, such as Tiong Bahru. Gentrification need not be a zero-sum game that pits "winners" (gentrified newcomers) against "losers" (older residents and business owners). With proactive planning and careful management, inclusive forms of gentrification may be possible. -- ST FILE PHOTO </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">BY ALL accounts, gentrification should not exist in Singapore, at least not in the conventional sense of the term, which refers to the displacement of a lower-income population from a neighbourhood by new groups of middle and upper class residents.<br /><br />With an often-lauded public housing programme that accommodates more than 80 per cent of the population in Singapore, the story of residential displacement and eviction due to the vagaries of gentrification "turf wars" seems remote in the city-state.<br /><br />It is not surprising, then, that gentrification as a term has seldom been invoked in the context of Singapore, be it in official planning documents or academic literature. State housing provision, it is assumed, has provided an effective buffer that keeps gentrification at bay.<br /><br />But is this starting to change?<br /><br />In recent years, gentrification has begun to find its way into public discussions, driven by the buoyant real estate market that has seen property prices in some neighbourhoods rising by leaps and bounds.<br /><br />Last July, the My Community heritage group organised a public symposium on "Queenstown Dilemma: Gentrification Inevitable?", with the aim of fostering debate on how "to improve the community in a way that does not force people out".<br /><br />Arguably, whether gentrification is occurring in Singapore depends on how the term is defined. To be sure, the meaning of gentrification itself has evolved over time to reflect changing urban dynamics and different property regimes around the world.<br /><br />For example, distinctions may be drawn between residential and commercial forms of gentrification, the latter referring to the displacement of "traditional" businesses from an urban area due to rent increases.<br /><br />More recently, the definition of gentrification has also been extended to include upscale office and residential complexes that are built on formerly vacant land and brownfield sites.<br /><br />So, does this mean that Singapore is facing gentrification?<br /><br />Going by the broadened definition of gentrification, urban renewal in Singapore during the 1960s undertaken by state agencies, such as the Urban Redevelopment Authority, can be considered as a form of state-led "new build gentrification" that has entailed the relocation of urban populations away from the inner city to new suburban housing estates.<br /><br />In a similar vein, the "en bloc fever" in many prime neighbourhoods over the past decade can also be seen as a form of property market-led gentrification.<br /><br />In recent years, commercial forms of gentrification have also made inroads into suburban areas and the HDB heartland such as Jalan Besar, Tiong Bahru and Kampong Glam, where new cafes offering speciality coffees, upmarket bakeries and "indie" shops have rapidly taken over old business establishments, in the process transforming the social-spatial fabric of these places.<br /><br />A Knight Frank report on "upscale" gentrified neighbourhoods around the world lists <span style="color: red;">Tiong Bahru</span> as <span style="color: red;">one of the top 10 urban markets to watch this year</span>, alongside places such as London's Victoria Park, Hong Kong's Kowloon West and Williamsburg in New York.<br /><br />Will Singapore's neighbourhoods suffer "death by cappuccino" as more and more such yuppie establishments take root?<br /><br />Already, we are seeing signs of gentrification fatigue in some of these neighbourhoods. In Tiong Bahru, for example, a walk around the estate readily reveals trendy cafes and chic eateries offering more or less the same fare popping up at the turn of every corner, making one wonder just how many more of such businesses the neighbourhood needs. Even many of these cafe owners are now complaining of "gentrification" by newcomers.<br /><br />While it is true some of these establishments have injected new life into ageing estates, and some residents may even welcome such changes as they may lead to appreciation in property values, we need to be cautious that these new developments do not excessively drive up the daily cost of living or alter the local identity and heritage of these neighbourhoods to the point that they yield negative net effects in the long run.<br /><br />Having said that, gentrification need not be a zero-sum game that pits "winners" (gentrified newcomers) against "losers" (older residents and business owners).<br /><br />With proactive planning and careful management, inclusive forms of gentrification may be possible.<br /><br />Research has shown that gentrification does not always lead to dismal outcomes, but may, in some cases, improve the living environment and increase employment opportunities.<br /><br />In a study on New York City, where gentrification forces have been considered to be especially rife, it was found that poor households residing in gentrifying neighbourhoods, such as Harlem, were actually less likely to move away, and that gentrification per se did not cause displacement any more than other factors that result in "normal" residential turnover; though it has to be qualified that proactive planning interventions such as rent regulation are necessary for this to happen.<br /><br />As Singapore becomes increasingly globalised and cosmopolitan, with neighbourhoods being rapidly transformed in tandem, debates on gentrification are no longer academic but will, in many ways, reflect the kinds of city and urban environment that we want to live in. It is, perhaps, a timely reminder for planners not to place unbridled faith in relying on market forces to find the "right" social mix by allocating spaces only to the highest bidders.<br /><br />Planners will need to be more interventionist in creating more inclusive forms of urban development. This can be done only if they take seriously the needs and lifestyle aspirations of diverse groups of residents on the ground and consider the building of vibrant local neighbourhoods and communities at the core of their planning mission.<br /><br /><a href="mailto:stopinion@sph.com.sg">stopinion@sph.com.sg</a><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">The writer is an associate professor of geography at the National University of Singapore.</span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360583188844510356.post-34063777344303009202015-01-09T11:54:00.001+08:002015-01-09T11:56:12.885+08:00We need a health check for the Estate<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigAJQnfyaYLeRzUF3eQ_rp4S8Xu8b81V-5KkUY4Ku2NuWglYXw5n668dPn-8SQSATMuv4SSAYHhDnu68BV8JmTUrkWCgO2VLnM2QqWWdIhwkrud-2RTaNgRfcAd5-Kzj2i25eGrBx93i0/s1600/SHORT+TERM+RENTAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigAJQnfyaYLeRzUF3eQ_rp4S8Xu8b81V-5KkUY4Ku2NuWglYXw5n668dPn-8SQSATMuv4SSAYHhDnu68BV8JmTUrkWCgO2VLnM2QqWWdIhwkrud-2RTaNgRfcAd5-Kzj2i25eGrBx93i0/s1600/SHORT+TERM+RENTAL.jpg" height="400" width="357" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Straits Times dated 9th January 2015</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<div align="left">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This is one of the side effect if short term rentals is allowed.<br /><br /> Unlike gated private condo, Tiong Bahru Estate is rather porous. It would be tough to trace who is residing here.<br /><br />Given today's volatile security climate, it would make a very ideal hideout.<br /><br /> It is time the land owner, the HDB, exert some authority and start demanding Lessee update them on who their tenants are, just like how they are managing the Post War HDB side.<br /><br />Even owners of private properties are obligated to update their MCST when they put in new tenants, otherwise the tenants would be denied entry.<br /><br />At the moment, the Pre-War side is slowly turning into a cowboy estate.<br /><br />Rogue companies and landlords blatantly run service apartments out from these flats. Some apartments even have 3 additional en-suite toilets in the heavily partitioned apartments. Housekeeping is always done after office hours to avoid detection.<br /><br /> Of late, food retailers are also joining the GREY bandwagon by turning residential properties into retail outlets.<br /><br /> Legally, Hdb doesn't allow units to be converted from residential to commercial space but the mantra seems to be See no Evil, Hear No Evil and Speak no Evil.<br /><br />As long as the permit doesn't come to their inbox, everything in Tiong Bahru "appear" to be running smoothly and efficiently.<br /><br />This denial is almost like someone who did the health check ten years ago and still think he is healthy today.<br /><br />How much rot must the genuine homeowner take before something is done?<br /><br /> It's time someone working in the ivory tower takes a regular stroll around the estate....after office hours included.</span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"></span> </div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Please help us make this a great place to live in.</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360583188844510356.post-34606905424132814522014-12-24T09:31:00.000+08:002014-12-26T08:32:18.225+08:00The Straits Times : Life before HDB: What was the Singapore Improvement Trust?<span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;">The Straits Times (Web Specials)<br />By Yeo Sam Jo</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;">24th December 2014</span><br />
<br />
SINGAPORE - Five old housing blocks in Tiong Bahru are being given a new lease of life, even though they were earmarked for demolition almost 20 years ago.<br />
<br />
From next year, Blocks 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 on Tiong Bahru Road will be rented to couples waiting for their new flats, under the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme.<br />
<br />
These blocks were built by the now-defunct Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT).<br />
<br />
They were selected for the Housing Development Board's (HDB) Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme in 1995, but have been spared the wrecking balls, and are currently being retrofitted.<br />
<br />
Here are five things to know about the SIT and the flats that it built:<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">1. The SIT saved the day, back in the day</span></strong><br />
<br />
<img src="http://www.straitstimes.com/sites/straitstimes.com/files/20141224/oldhsg05241215.jpg" /><span style="color: orange;">A street hawker at the Singapore Improvement Trust flats in Tiong Bahru on Sept 12, 1961. -- PHOTO: ST FILE</span><br />
<br />
<br />
The SIT was set up in July 1927, under the Singapore Improvement Ordinance, to solve the serious housing shortage then faced by a rapidly growing population.<br />
<br />
Many of the 23,000 flats it built were in areas such as Tiong Bahru and Old Airport Road.<br />
<br />
The SIT was dissolved in 1959, and its successor, the HDB, took over in February 1960.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">2. Flats were designed with the weather in mind</span></strong><br />
<br />
<img src="http://www.straitstimes.com/sites/straitstimes.com/files/20141224/oldhsg02241214.jpg" /><span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">A <span style="font-size: small;">Singapore Improvement Trust block at Tiong Bahru Road on Dec 18, 2014. -- ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI</span></span> <br />
<br />
<br />
SIT architects were conscious of the fact that Singapore was close to the equator, with warm temperatures and high humidity.<br />
<br />
Hence, SIT flats were built for tropical living, frequently featuring high ceilings, large windows and open, cantilevered balconies. Each flat had two to six rooms.<br />
<br />
Land scarcity was also less of a concern back then, so these walk-up blocks tend to be under 10 storeys high, without any lifts.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>3. Block designs borrow from the then-aesthetics du jour</strong></span><br />
<br />
<img src="http://www.straitstimes.com/sites/straitstimes.com/files/20141224/oldhsg06241214.jpg" /><span style="color: orange;">A crowd gathers at a Singapore Improvement Trust flat in Upper Pickering Street in 1956. -- PHOTO: ST FILE</span><br />
<br />
<br />
Block facades and staircases often bear the distinctive curved forms of the Art Deco movement, which were popular during the 1920s and 1930s.<br />
<br />
Some blocks also take on the Modernist tendencies of the Bauhaus era, as well as the International Style of highrise flats in a post-Modern vein.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: black; font-size: large;">4. Look lower and you might still spot some SIT blocks</span></strong><br />
<br />
<img src="http://www.straitstimes.com/sites/straitstimes.com/files/20141224/oldhsg04241214.jpg" /><span style="color: orange;">Blocks of Singapore Improvement Trust flats at Kampong Silat, Silat Avenue. -- PHOTO: ST FILE</span><br />
<br />
<br />
There are currently 138 SIT blocks left standing in Singapore.<br />
<br />
They range from two to seven storeys, and are located in Bukit Merah, Queenstown, Geylang and Kallang Whampoa.<br />
<br />
About 35 per cent of them, or 48 blocks, are pending redevelopment. The rest are either being conserved, or there are no plans for them.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: large;"><strong>5. These blocks are old, but certainly not useless</strong></span><br />
<br />
<img src="http://www.straitstimes.com/sites/straitstimes.com/files/20141224/oldhsg03241214.jpg" /><span style="color: orange;">Singapore Improvement Trust blocks (foreground) at Tiong Bahru Road on Dec 18, 2014. -- ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI</span><br />
<br />
<br />
Blocks 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 Tiong Bahru Road are not the only SIT blocks currently put to interim use.<br />
<br />
Three of them, Blocks 2, 3 and 7 on Short Street and Prinsep Street, are leased to educational institutions as student hostels.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;">Source: Straits Times archives, HDB</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360583188844510356.post-70959591790915960442014-12-24T09:09:00.002+08:002014-12-24T09:09:47.833+08:00The Straits Times : Old flats in Tiong Bahru get new lease of life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Straits Times</span></div>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">By Yeo Sam Jo</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">24th December 2014</span><br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">120 units in five blocks to be rented to couples waiting for their new flats</span> </h2>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGT75Hg8KoiB9QxzofvfvAI704X_gJTxIaxKsefvX85hGDVp-ZtkFPj0ToPWoXRxg8vMwe1gWeOFTVKaOsNWqlbbGaTS0CdQdhoOX9yW3pkW5ovMdXsGFRKb0rL-l149pbtb-vD1VGbNk/s1600/SIT+FLATS+TIONG+BAHRU+ROAD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGT75Hg8KoiB9QxzofvfvAI704X_gJTxIaxKsefvX85hGDVp-ZtkFPj0ToPWoXRxg8vMwe1gWeOFTVKaOsNWqlbbGaTS0CdQdhoOX9yW3pkW5ovMdXsGFRKb0rL-l149pbtb-vD1VGbNk/s1600/SIT+FLATS+TIONG+BAHRU+ROAD.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Standing out against a backdrop of taller and newer blocks, the old four-storey ones were built by the now-defunct Singapore Improvement Trust, which provided public housing before the HDB took over in 1960. -- PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI FOR THE STRAITS TIMES</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">FIVE old blocks of flats in Tiong Bahru are being given a new lease of life, even though they were earmarked for demolition almost 20 years ago.<br /><br />From next year, Blocks 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 in Tiong Bahru Road will be rented to couples waiting for their new flats, the Housing Board (HDB) has told The Straits Times.<br /><br />Standing out against a backdrop of taller and newer blocks, these four-storey ones were built by the now-defunct Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT), which provided public housing before the HDB took over in 1960.<br /><br />They were slated for demolition in 1995, but have so far been spared the wrecking ball as HDB continues to find use for them.<br /><br />The latest purpose for the 120 three- and four-room units is rental, under the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme.<br /><br />They are part of 800 flats, including others in Bukit Merah and Queenstown, that will be retrofitted and rolled out under the scheme early next year.<br /><br />Under this programme, which began in January last year, such flats can be rented by first-timer married couples with children under the age of 16 who are waiting for new flats.<br /><br />Three months later, the scheme was extended to those without children and, in September last year, to married couples comprising first-timers and second-timers, as well as divorced or widowed parents with children.<br /><br />When The Straits Times visited Tiong Bahru, one of Singapore's oldest housing estates, last week, renovations were being carried out at the five blocks and surrounding areas.<br /><br />The HDB said the works include external repainting, reinstating footpaths, landscaping and installing fixtures such as lights and water heaters in the flats.<br /><br />These blocks are part of 16 in Tiong Bahru Road and adjacent Boon Tiong Road picked for the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (Sers) in 1995, when it was first introduced.<br /><br />Under the scheme, which aims to rejuvenate ageing HDB blocks, residents have to move out and are offered replacement flats.<br /><br />While the other 11 blocks have been demolished, these five blocks were leased to a private operator from 2007 to this May. They are among 138 SIT blocks still standing.<br /><br />Under the Urban Redevelopment Authority's 2014 master plan, the site has been earmarked for residential use and future widening of Tiong Bahru Road and Zion Road.<br /><br />For Tiong Bahru resident Tee Chai Teck, 70, the five blocks are a symbol of the past.<br /><br />He lived in an SIT flat in Boon Tiong Road more than 20 years ago, but moved to a new block in the same road under Sers.<br /><br />"I hope they don't tear these down too," said the cinema ticket collector, who also runs a market stall in Tiong Bahru. "They bring a sense of familiarity."<br /></span><a href="mailto:yeosamjo@sph.com.sg"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">yeosamjo@sph.com.sg</span></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360583188844510356.post-34537665490811411982014-11-17T22:10:00.001+08:002014-11-17T22:10:44.240+08:00The Straits Times : Wall from 1887 lunatic asylum rediscovered within SGH<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Straits Times <br />By Melody Zaccheus</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">17th November 2014</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZ-Lj-kbH_8x2u6WQtL2qdY1DzPCKYEjCoR1wtxO58PjIzXBdWGACDeUaEcTdf3v-y6ySzSy-vB0cY6IzPCbA6lPreqc7bFzzEdQaz0XQuQ_WWpHg45AEf_AaZF_Lf-PSY5xIcp5f0C4/s1600/SGH1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZ-Lj-kbH_8x2u6WQtL2qdY1DzPCKYEjCoR1wtxO58PjIzXBdWGACDeUaEcTdf3v-y6ySzSy-vB0cY6IzPCbA6lPreqc7bFzzEdQaz0XQuQ_WWpHg45AEf_AaZF_Lf-PSY5xIcp5f0C4/s1600/SGH1.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Part of a 127-year-old boundary wall of a defunct lunatic asylum that has been unearthed in the heart of the Singapore General Hospital (SGH). -- ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI FOR THE STRAITS TIMES</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">SINGAPORE - A 127-year-old boundary wall of a defunct lunatic asylum has been unearthed in the heart of the Singapore General Hospital (SGH).<br /><br />The National Heritage Board (NHB) said the wall is significant as it was part of the 1887 New Lunatic Asylum - one of three early psychiatric hospitals here.<br /><br />Asia Paranormal Investigators co-founder Charles Goh had alerted the board to the 3m-high, 75m-long wall in September.<br /><br />Save for the wall, the facility that housed 300 patients and closed later in 1928 is long gone.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLWVVkKuiK0oqwall7NrcnKcxpJ4Xnd0Qr6u9alw4kquZDkEFxCJ7X59XlHvh3QVlcIwu7Eq1ehn0TfPthFL8bCdQXP0J_G1R9UyYO1zJg4PyqeXsG0YHMwYhTgo8NU2IJSUF2X9MDC4s/s1600/SGH2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLWVVkKuiK0oqwall7NrcnKcxpJ4Xnd0Qr6u9alw4kquZDkEFxCJ7X59XlHvh3QVlcIwu7Eq1ehn0TfPthFL8bCdQXP0J_G1R9UyYO1zJg4PyqeXsG0YHMwYhTgo8NU2IJSUF2X9MDC4s/s1600/SGH2.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(From left) Associate professor Ng Beng Yeong, head and senior consultant psychiatrist of the Department of Psychiatry at Singapore General Hospital who helped in the research project, Mr Charles Goh, the co-founder of Asia Paranormal Investigators who re-discovered the wall, and the National Heritage Board's group director of policy Alvin Tan. -- ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI FOR THE STRAITS TIMES</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />The NHB and SGH said at a briefing on Monday that they are considering preservation and commemorative efforts for it.<br /><br />Mr Goh, a heritage enthusiast, had stumbled upon the wall while exploring the old forested area near Macalister Road.<br /><br />NHB then embarked on a three-month research project. A team consulted old newspaper articles, maps and spoke to experts such as associate professor Ng Beng Yeong, head and senior consultant psychiatrist of the Department of Psychiatry at the hospital.<br /><br />The NHB found that the New Lunatic Asylum was revolutionary for its time as it practised patient kindness by, for instance, doing away with strait jackets.<br /><br />The results of NHB's research will be detailed in a documentary that will be launched on its website on Tuesday.<br /><br />Mr Goh said he hopes the agencies can work towards protecting the wall. "It's a piece of our past and it takes just a little effort to keep it standing. It will add to the landscape and we will have something historic to show future generations."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1b3LmcuNF_5bZaZSgtlE7Y_AyV91ZFt8-mqrJtF5iaUfSsNXiU5Ajagmg5iyczOTW0lZ7JhWEXEq01YG0S6RW_EEe0Bn9OmVBd0eNE0dD5gh4HCylyAS5cKGmJjNLzd9JcVZmirrVAb0/s1600/SGH3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1b3LmcuNF_5bZaZSgtlE7Y_AyV91ZFt8-mqrJtF5iaUfSsNXiU5Ajagmg5iyczOTW0lZ7JhWEXEq01YG0S6RW_EEe0Bn9OmVBd0eNE0dD5gh4HCylyAS5cKGmJjNLzd9JcVZmirrVAb0/s1600/SGH3.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Singapore General Hospital in the 1970s. -- PHOTO: ST FILE</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360583188844510356.post-90890682974631804762014-11-05T07:44:00.000+08:002014-11-05T07:45:34.800+08:00The Straits Times : Three more aged tombs found at Outram<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Straits Times</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">By Melody Zaccheus</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">5th November 2014</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWCVVueXoEESzbt3uVh3P7tkrz12-ON4BNTsKLPz0SWu_KtqgsE-42riCiiQxqTQmyTCMgZONIZRG_hgkkIqjqZteShgRfmDKddrdmAq9fonv94TBhsDuFVgZTD4IGaBwxTZBUpnh0C-Q/s1600/Tomb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWCVVueXoEESzbt3uVh3P7tkrz12-ON4BNTsKLPz0SWu_KtqgsE-42riCiiQxqTQmyTCMgZONIZRG_hgkkIqjqZteShgRfmDKddrdmAq9fonv94TBhsDuFVgZTD4IGaBwxTZBUpnh0C-Q/s1600/Tomb.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Work around the aged tombstones uncovered in Outram has stopped, a Ministry of Health spokesman said. The ministry has also notified the National Heritage Board (NHB) and the National Environment Agency, which oversees public exhumation works. NHB said research work on the tombstones has started. -- ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="clearall">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://tiongbahruestate.blogspot.sg/2014/10/the-straits-times-tomb-uncovered-in.html" target="_blank">THREE more aged tombstones have been uncovered in Outram - mere weeks after a 150-year-old grave was found there, back in September</a>.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Grave hunter Charles Goh stumbled upon the three relics last month in a wooded area, just metres away from his earlier find.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But the four graves are set to make way for an open-air carpark for Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and other health-care facilities in the vicinity.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Excavators have already swept in to clear trees and level the hilly terrain, which is about the size of two football fields.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Ministry of Health (MOH), which owns the land, said the new carpark - bounded by MacAlister Road and SGH's multi-storey carpark H - will "better provide for the needs of patients and visitors to SGH and the other health-care facilities in the area".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Straits Times understands that the new carpark will have approximately 620 spaces, and could be ready by July next year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nurse Brenda Lee, 56, said it might help address parking woes in the area. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She said: "It can get very busy during peak hours. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some carparks here provide valet services because the wait can get very long."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Still, Mr Goh, 46, hopes the authorities will leave the tombstones intact as they are remnants of the now-defunct 1859 Tiong Bahru Cemetery and serve as valuable historical markers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The construction safety manager said: "They have remained untouched, standing in a single row, over the past century.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"They should be left as they are, as a reminder of how the area has evolved over time."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He called for the ministry to give more time for the graves to be studied: "We need historians, researchers and relevant clan associations such as the Hokkien Huay Kuan to do a thorough documentation of the tombs before they are exhumed."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When contacted, an MOH spokesman said work around the tombstones has stopped. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The ministry has also notified the National Heritage Board (NHB) and the National Environment Agency (NEA), which oversees public exhumation works.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">NHB said research work on the tombstones has started.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The MOH spokesman added that it "will work with NEA and NHB on the appropriate management of the graves, including putting up a notice in the public domain to alert next-of-kin who wish to claim the remains".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The SGH area is home to institutions such as the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, the Singapore National Eye Centre and the Health Sciences Authority. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By 2020, the Outram Community Hospital will also be there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Preliminary research by Mr Goh and his brother Raymond, 50, a pharmacist, shows the hilltop graveyard where the tombs rest belonged to the Seh Chua Clan. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">According to an 1884 land deed, it was owned by Chua Bian Kay, an early trustee of the Hokkien temple Thian Hock Keng.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The four tombstones bear the names Madam Ho Koon Neo (1860s), Madam Ee Leong Neo (1872), Mr Chua Chi Siok (1876) and Mr Chua Soon Chin (1878).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Other Tiong Bahru Cemetery graves were exhumed and relocated to Greater Bukit Brown after the 1920s to make way for SGH and housing projects.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="mailto:melodyz@sph.com.sg"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">melodyz@sph.com.sg</span></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360583188844510356.post-63284081067440955422014-10-18T23:57:00.000+08:002014-10-21T00:29:48.511+08:00The New Paper : So hip, it hurts, residents say of Tiong Bahru<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The New Paper</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Ng Jun Sen</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">18th October 2014</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;"><strong>Where got COOL?</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Vogue magazine names Tiong Bahru as one of 15 hippest neighbourhoods in the world, but long-time residents disagree</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirrGzaQMAIGE8Q4QRx1vfewRuoeMl60Ql5wDlCk-VNaaqOiClEP2yMsr_yD624MY_OFpp1WHLKjlvvKS0srCJ0_yH3nfRXz7SV4Yep_NjhzPb1Vu11uFpT6u3s3OkShmElqKv2Bc_7uGw/s1600/tiongbahru_06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirrGzaQMAIGE8Q4QRx1vfewRuoeMl60Ql5wDlCk-VNaaqOiClEP2yMsr_yD624MY_OFpp1WHLKjlvvKS0srCJ0_yH3nfRXz7SV4Yep_NjhzPb1Vu11uFpT6u3s3OkShmElqKv2Bc_7uGw/s1600/tiongbahru_06.jpg" height="297" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">TNP Photo</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">SINGAPORE - Known for its pre-war architecture and heritage hawkers, Tiong Bahru is hailed by some as a slice of old Singapore. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So rustic were its charms that the neighbourhood was given conservancy status by the Urban Redevelopment Authority more than a decade ago. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was also named as one of the top 15 coolest neighbourhoods in the world by the fashion magazine Vogue in a recent report. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Part of its lustre also comes from the quaint new eateries, cafes and shops that have popped up in the neighbourhood in recent years. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Its appeal to visitors and locals alike is probably summed up by student and hobbyist photographer Lester Ooi, 19. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The self-professed "hipster" told The New Paper yesterday: "Nowhere else in Singapore will you find elderly folk sipping kopi beside youngsters sipping espressos." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Seng Poh Residents' Committee manager Desmond Tan added to the praise: "It is a cool place. People come here because of the buildings, which are so well-preserved that you can even find shops with their new signboards under the old ones." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIVxp7ShGSyhmtGbBG8dsu4OihLiNAxSKcSqWl2r2z9H7gY-5wzxMTyl2yKdFrPvQT3K_8DFg91gK3Lx0YSwcCMvolUEi7_DE1cjibxRJWyVClp4FxPxXpti_D4VIQVP2_UDsm7nQeXTQ/s1600/tiongbahru_01_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIVxp7ShGSyhmtGbBG8dsu4OihLiNAxSKcSqWl2r2z9H7gY-5wzxMTyl2yKdFrPvQT3K_8DFg91gK3Lx0YSwcCMvolUEi7_DE1cjibxRJWyVClp4FxPxXpti_D4VIQVP2_UDsm7nQeXTQ/s1600/tiongbahru_01_0.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tiong Bahru residents, Mr Oei Khie, 72, (in grey) and Mr Koh Seow Mor, 54, (in red), explain the history of their neighbourhood to Swiss tourist, Mrs Catherine Buholzer, 59. TNP Photo.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Swiss tourist Catherine Buholzer, 59, said she had read the rave reviews about Tiong Bahru and included a visit to the area as part of her two-week holiday here. Said Mrs Buholzer: "It looks like an older area where Singaporeans lived before, like a slice of authentic, old Singapore." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But talk to old-timers in the neighbourhood and you get a very different picture. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When TNP told them about Vogue's listing, they were surprised. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Where got?" asked a resident of 60 years, who wanted to be known only as Mr Tan, 89. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"I've lived here for so long and no one said (it was cool) before. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's an all right neighbourhood, that is all." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mr Tan believes part of the reason Tiong Bahru has lost its charm is the younger residents who have moved there because of its hip appeal. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Several are foreigners who have rented homes in the neighbourhood, he said. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"In the past, there was a large group of people practising qigong in the mornings at an open space near my flat. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, they are no longer here," he said. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mr Oei Khie, 72, a resident of 15 years, did not mince his words over Tiong Bahru's uber hip rating. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"It's all bullshit," he exclaimed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While the taxi driver was glad that people thought highly of his neighbourhood, he remained sceptical of the accolades. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That's because it is not the first time he has heard such praises. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Each time, he questions how people arrived at that conclusion. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Said Mr Oei: "There are books out there written about this place. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There's one book called I Ate Tiong Bahru. I've read it. It's 60 per cent nonsense."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: red;">LOSING ITS CHARM</span> </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He believes the recent changes to Tiong Bahru have led to it losing its original charm. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"The praises changed the neighbourhood. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">People come here and set up Western cafes and restaurants meant for much younger people and (at prices that) are far too expensive." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Coffee at these cafes, for example, costs $6.50 a cup, he said. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The new cafes and eateries have also taken a toll on local businesses in the area, said char kway teow seller Koh Seow Hor, who has been working at Tiong Bahru Market for more than 40 years. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He said: "It's becoming more competitive, rents are getting higher and we're getting less profit as a result." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But wouldn't the rave reviews of Tiong Bahru's food places bring in the crowds? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yes, but the younger and trendier crowds don't eat at food centres, he said. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"People who come for the cafes will not want to eat char kway teow." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>WHAT VOGUE SAID</strong></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In an article in its September issue, Vogue magazine highlighted the 15 coolest neighbourhoods in the world known for their "street style". </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It wrote of Tiong Bahru: "There's a small nook of town dubbed Tiong Bahru that's the artisanal, coffee shop-filled foil to Singapore's endless skyscraper sparkle. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Here, low-profile Art Deco-style buildings house eclectic boutiques like Strangelets, which sells quirky design objects, and Fleas & Trees, which offers baubles from emerging designers. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Feeling jet-lagged? Tuck into Nimble/Knead, a concept massage parlour providing relaxation in a common Singaporean sight: corrugated shipping containers." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Other neighbourhoods featured include Shimokitazawa in Tokyo, Japan; West Queen West in Toronto, Canada; Sodermalm in Stockholm, Sweden; Canal Saint-Martin in Paris, France; Bushwick in New York City, US; Brera in Milan, Italy; Fitzroy in Melbourne, Australia; Hackney in London, UK; and Kreuzberg in Berlin, Germany. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: red;">History of Tiong Bahru</span> </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Originally a cemetery, Tiong Bahru later became the site of a pre-war public housing programme to alleviate housing woes in Chinatown. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Following a modified form of the "Streamline Moderne" architecture style, the flats were designed to look like cars, trains, ocean liners and aeroplanes with sweeping, streamlined and aerodynamic lines. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These buildings were given conservancy status in 2003 and comprise 20 blocks of two- to five-storey flats. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before World War II, two rows of shophouses at Tiong Poh Road marked the centre of the neighbourhood. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In 1945, they were converted into a wet market and five years later, a new market called the Seng Poh Market was constructed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The market is now known as Tiong Bahru Market, and has one of the highest concentrations of "heritage hawkers" in Singapore. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Reports by Ng Jun Sen</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="mailto:ngjunsen@sph.com.sg">ngjunsen@sph.com.sg</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Source: National Heritage Board, Urban Redevelopment Authority </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: red;">4 quaint places in Tiong Bahru</span> </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctTcK4irCuOuYMJtc-C-ymFkIOFJNANlCUUueQclS-vxu3zEyMm4i8r3XYHPWMsk3C7nuvS7i8uUMC1ApQ9jK7j_y5yFGVLKvRu0CP1OgMfG2FzFx-VaXJ07QqbEF9jLXCnYnVANcvuw/s1600/tiongbahru_20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctTcK4irCuOuYMJtc-C-ymFkIOFJNANlCUUueQclS-vxu3zEyMm4i8r3XYHPWMsk3C7nuvS7i8uUMC1ApQ9jK7j_y5yFGVLKvRu0CP1OgMfG2FzFx-VaXJ07QqbEF9jLXCnYnVANcvuw/s1600/tiongbahru_20.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="color: orange;">BOOKSACTUALLY A bookstore at 9 Yong Siak Street that sells books not commonly found in other places, including those by local authors.</span> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-sY7-lMxj9EJ4yeFSMZ-pgzVbGR1qnGDK-gnbPK5Y4Kfyo4HMSJXk1Dro1sRykY-alPClfyADKV7s8JX4mzBu6f-BOI5KHnXZWe-G47_JYlR0npbo85WORnRA2dGJ1a4Fd9N-U8S9Sk/s1600/tiongbahru_16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-sY7-lMxj9EJ4yeFSMZ-pgzVbGR1qnGDK-gnbPK5Y4Kfyo4HMSJXk1Dro1sRykY-alPClfyADKV7s8JX4mzBu6f-BOI5KHnXZWe-G47_JYlR0npbo85WORnRA2dGJ1a4Fd9N-U8S9Sk/s1600/tiongbahru_16.jpg" height="242" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="color: orange;">THE DISPENSARY The former Chinese medical hall at 69 Tiong Bahru Road has been converted into a cafe and bakery.</span> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3n4NBTYCwoFXZyQZZEMbIHBcrvJf7H0kV0ZxQtNijW9PjSHvNFhjlrAzroobA8WPTC-lE13WtMxAclbifuBIapZkNI8dJ6963JdLkWlC7RmdYrTi6uud9CJw1L3CIBaLkBuUFt_BPk8/s1600/tiongbahru_14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3n4NBTYCwoFXZyQZZEMbIHBcrvJf7H0kV0ZxQtNijW9PjSHvNFhjlrAzroobA8WPTC-lE13WtMxAclbifuBIapZkNI8dJ6963JdLkWlC7RmdYrTi6uud9CJw1L3CIBaLkBuUFt_BPk8/s1600/tiongbahru_14.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">STRANGELETS A design shop at 7 Yong Siak Street that sells a variety of products, such as furniture, bags and other interesting curios.</span> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK5r-EHv7ATv9P5N2d1yt16mSNKiaV3YgTQnNA9H6s4SwRNayo8uLBDAFVptvo43nZe8cm-rcAdqVAIjWwp57aJfiNg_KfmUTwe3nAcKIa0PKEixRI4vL3Z70Edj7mPFTSOhCc0fREyxY/s1600/tiongbahru_17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK5r-EHv7ATv9P5N2d1yt16mSNKiaV3YgTQnNA9H6s4SwRNayo8uLBDAFVptvo43nZe8cm-rcAdqVAIjWwp57aJfiNg_KfmUTwe3nAcKIa0PKEixRI4vL3Z70Edj7mPFTSOhCc0fREyxY/s1600/tiongbahru_17.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">WE NEED A HERO The men's grooming salon at 57 Eng Hoon Street offers premium haircuts, shaves, brow shaping and waxing to its customers.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360583188844510356.post-26208952953153635722014-10-15T13:35:00.000+08:002014-10-15T13:46:30.643+08:00The Straits Times : Tomb uncovered in Outram, 150 years on<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Straits Times</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;">By Melody Zaccheus<br />15th October 2014</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;"><strong>Grave hunter makes surprise find in forested Tiong Bahru area</strong></span></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;"></span></strong><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMomhPJAh4_WjGUq6kpYsvwEqMa-fR8FjTmRG5RlWqCSYZRNurokLUuzJd-j7b1_f8ONyf0CoqA_peb40c5c6iDVwFLXpjqOvQN3326vD_98vhLBJ2JGnpKaM8VThGyn1zQcbA_vabijE/s1600/ST_20141015_TOMB15_740115e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMomhPJAh4_WjGUq6kpYsvwEqMa-fR8FjTmRG5RlWqCSYZRNurokLUuzJd-j7b1_f8ONyf0CoqA_peb40c5c6iDVwFLXpjqOvQN3326vD_98vhLBJ2JGnpKaM8VThGyn1zQcbA_vabijE/s1600/ST_20141015_TOMB15_740115e.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The lone grave in Outram discovered by Mr Charles Goh (right, with brother Raymond) has stayed untouched in its original spot since the 1860s. Mr Goh hopes it will be included in heritage tours of Tiong Bahru estate. -- ST PHOTO: JAMIE KOH </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A FORGOTTEN tombstone in the heart of Outram has been found, on the heels of the rediscovery of an abandoned reservoir on Keppel Hill last month.<br /><br />Wrapped snugly by creeping tree roots in a forested area, the 150-year-old tombstone was discovered last month by intrepid grave hunter Charles Goh, 46.<br /><br />He made his latest find last month while bashing through the forest hunting for remnants from old cemeteries in the Tiong Bahru area. "I often walk by the forested area, but I had no idea that it housed an ancient treasure and relic from Singapore's first few Hokkien cemeteries," he said.<br /><br />The construction safety manager had also stumbled across the lost reservoir near Mount Faber back in 2005, without knowing it, while he was tomb-hunting.<br /><br />The lone grave in Outram has stood the test of time even as modern Singapore grew around it, staying untouched in its original spot since the 1860s. It is sandwiched between the defunct 1828 Tiong Lama and 1859 Tiong Bahru cemeteries.<br /><br />Mr Goh hopes the tomb, which belongs to Madam Ho Koon Neo, will be included in heritage tours of Tiong Bahru estate.<br /><br />Both cemeteries were exhumed after the 1920s to make way for the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and later housing projects.<br /><br />Most of these exhumed graves now rest in Greater Bukit Brown, which Mr Goh and his brother Raymond, 50, a pharmacist, have been researching and documenting.<br /><br />The brothers, who also co-founded Asia Paranormal Investigators, realised some relocated tombs and urns in Greater Bukit Brown had been haphazardly rehoused, leading them to believe that some reburials were done in a hurry.<br /><br />Mr Goh said: "We then wondered if some graves had been left behind from the Tiong Lama and Tiong Bahru cemeteries."<br /><br />After consulting maps, he narrowed his search down to a forested parcel of land about the size of two football fields. Bounded by College Road, Jalan Bukit Merah and MacAlister Road, the forest is part of the SGH compound.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGusYFapZPGAfowyhwBe_IigqSaai5ERI6Yp1MmfOwa2EIzSGHy1SBFU-20mgHvozkfZbmNcbrqm9e43H5Vh-2H4GCg7F4FhyphenhyphenfYGJB79gsf7AwUt7yXRSClEDnKbtFK7j3D4JRvG1dHw/s1600/Capture33.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGusYFapZPGAfowyhwBe_IigqSaai5ERI6Yp1MmfOwa2EIzSGHy1SBFU-20mgHvozkfZbmNcbrqm9e43H5Vh-2H4GCg7F4FhyphenhyphenfYGJB79gsf7AwUt7yXRSClEDnKbtFK7j3D4JRvG1dHw/s1600/Capture33.JPG" height="400" width="307" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">SPH Photo Superimposed on Google Maps</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">According to an 1884 land deed, the hilltop graveyard where Madam Ho's tomb rests was owned by a Chua Bian Kay.<br /><br />The 1m-high tombstone states that Madam Ho, who married into the Chua family, was from Zhong Shan in Fujian, China. Her exact date of death is not listed, although her grave states that she died during the 1862-1875 reign of Chinese emperor Tongzhi.<br /><br />The tomb also lists her children - son Gim Guan, daughters Huat Neo and Eng Neo, and grandson Choon Swee.<br /><br />The Goh brothers, who have hunted down hundreds of graves including those of pioneers Seah Eu Chin and Chia Ann Siang, are appealing for Madam Ho's descendants to come forward.<br /><br />They hope the National Heritage Board (NHB) clan associations and other volunteers can help do more research on the country's pioneers.<br /><br />An NHB spokesman said the board looks forward to doing research on the grave with the brothers to "shed more light on the discovery".<br /><br />Meanwhile, Mr Kelvin Ang, the chairman of Seng Poh Residents' Committee in Tiong Bahru, said residents who conduct heritage tours and talks on the conservation estate might consider including the tomb as part of their talks.<br /><br />He added that the find proves "history is all around us". "Mr Goh's discovery adds to the historical knowledge of the area and, hopefully, as we go on, more stories can be built upon such finds."</span><br />
<br />
<a href="mailto:melodyz@sph.com.sg"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">melodyz@sph.com.sg</span></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360583188844510356.post-70118575667449972522014-10-04T22:14:00.000+08:002014-10-10T12:10:49.479+08:00The Business Times : The new 'new Tiong Bahru' <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Business Times<br />By Debbie Yong<br />4th October 2014</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Debbie Yong looks at the latest wave of openings that is transforming the aged estate into a trendy cafe cluster popular among the young</strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;"></span></strong><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGdCOjr_cYROg5mkREhrUwmuXtMyq7ZW8IcufSv_dZI3eM4miH18tViqlOSsb9wtFOMh_SLGidIGRwu9SjCE8HeQg_0S3c4YNkxhO8tV4YxEVCPfnI0G9gFXLcOuGz3xWQ2eEULdhw2BQ/s1600/BT_20141004_DYCLUB4T56J_1300250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGdCOjr_cYROg5mkREhrUwmuXtMyq7ZW8IcufSv_dZI3eM4miH18tViqlOSsb9wtFOMh_SLGidIGRwu9SjCE8HeQg_0S3c4YNkxhO8tV4YxEVCPfnI0G9gFXLcOuGz3xWQ2eEULdhw2BQ/s1600/BT_20141004_DYCLUB4T56J_1300250.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">CULTURAL IMMERSION: The businesses in Tiong Bahru are helping to highlight the area's rich history; Tai Kwang Huat coffeeshop, a pre-war unit is now home to heritage bistro The Tiong Bahru Club. </span><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">PHOTOS: DEBBIE YONG, NANA AND BIRD</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">WHILE up-and-coming neighbourhoods such as Everton Park and Jalan Besar have been wresting over the spotlight as the "new Tiong Bahru", the neighbourhood that first popularised the idea of heritage-chic has quietly been revamping itself to suit the times.<br /><br />New businesses have been slowly trickling into once-sleepy Tiong Bahru over the last few months, accelerating the pre-war housing estate's transformation from a trendy cafe cluster popular among the young into a complete lifestyle destination.<br /><br />Among the latest entrants are the Clothes Curator, a three-month-old boutique specialising in loose-fitting cotton and linen apparel for women in their late-20s to 50s, as well as fortnight-old Curated Records, which offers vinyl records from independent bands of various genres. Deeper into the neighbourhood, The Modern Outfitters is a menswear store started by entertainer Dick Lee and young tailor Clinton Zheng; Nana & Bird Kids on Eng Hoon Street specialises in homewares and socially conscious, sustainably produced products for children, and is a sister store to their two-year-old Chay Yan Road flagship store; pop-up Crateful is a collection of locally produced food; while Bloesem, a creative art studio for home decor enthusiasts now has two units along Eng Hoon Street and Seng Poh Road.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMRxqcN17CQlv7f2Y7T5C8rQDOABOks8aRcUPspinxnKrpPmnlPbmC1ghXXM_PgMSA8IjBvCGVy1O5u8JWepX0gMj-IK2h9EAxsobxlueAqvf8cPoG7ApFtZ80uKEA5QlQLvxa6xN7eaQ/s1600/BT_20141004_DYTIONG4NANA_1301866.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMRxqcN17CQlv7f2Y7T5C8rQDOABOks8aRcUPspinxnKrpPmnlPbmC1ghXXM_PgMSA8IjBvCGVy1O5u8JWepX0gMj-IK2h9EAxsobxlueAqvf8cPoG7ApFtZ80uKEA5QlQLvxa6xN7eaQ/s1600/BT_20141004_DYTIONG4NANA_1301866.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nana & Bird Kids on Eng Hoon Street specialises in socially conscious, sustainably produced products for children and home PHOTOS: DEBBIE YONG, NANA AND BIRD</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Even decades-old businesses in the area have been prompted to spruce themselves up, in keeping with the neighbourhood's growing vibrance.<br /><br />Cheng's Delicacies' owner Dawn Cheng says that the month-long revamp of her family's 25-year-old eatery on Yong Siak Street in June was carried out with the aim of making the place more comfortable for their existing clients, but it has unexpectedly helped to stretch their diner demographics. The Hainanese zichar and curry rice specialist's new cafe-like decor and attractive dessert counter now lures in youthful weekend shoppers with their coconut oil-seeped gula melaka chiffon cake and handmade traditional kuehs. "Before, we would get parents who bring their children here for dinner, but now we see younger diners bringing their parents and grandparents in for a meal," Ms Cheng observes.<br /><br />Decade-old nail parlour and spa Hui Aesthetics, too, spent S$30,000 to spruce up their space three months ago. Even though owner Jade Shen Jie didn't expect the neighbourhood to develop so quickly when she moved into the venue a decade ago for its lofty ceilings and sleepy village feel, she isn't surprised that it has. "We're not quite as old as some of the businesses that have been around for decades, but we aren't new either, so I've been able to watch the neighbourhood's growth from the middle ground," she observes. "I like the buzz that the new businesses bring - we visit them often to buy cakes and flowers - yet I couldn't help but shed a tear watching some of elderly tenants move out of the old coffeeshops."<br /><br />But she adds: "At least the architecture of the buildings was left untouched thanks to the government's conservation efforts. But the businesses within have to evolve to suit the times - that is inevitable."<br /><br />"We knew from talking to residents that there was a lot of anxiety and hype over what we would open here," says Jerry Singh, who took over the lease on Tai Kwang Huat coffeeshop, a pre-war unit prominently sited across from Tiong Bahru Market in July. "We wanted to create something that would restore and celebrate the space's rich history," he adds of his three-day-old heritage bistro, The Tiong Bahru Club. The coffeeshop's landlord Lim Ah Boon, who ran a fruit stall in the space for 45 years, put up the entire unit for rent when he had to undergo an operation last year. He now helps out at the bistro daily. "I'm not getting any younger and my two children don't want to take over, so this was the only option. Of course I miss the place, but what's the point in thinking about the past? We have to move on," says Mr Lim.<br /><br />And move on is exactly what marketing executive-turned-baker Tricia Lim did when she took over the corner coffeeshop that used to house Hong Kong Jin Tian for close to two decades . "I didn't want to do another local-inspired concept, that's become too common these days," says the New York-trained baker, explaining her cafe Whisk's minimalist, European-inspired decor.<br /><br />And while adapting their concepts to suit the neighbourhood is a personal choice, not all of the new businesses have been keeping to the stipulated conservation guidelines, says Tiong Bahru resident and active community contributor Carolyn Oei. Several have altered building facades by installing glass-door shop fronts. "It might be time for the re-establishment of a business association to complement the residents committee and to make things more cohesive," Ms Oei suggests, adding that she hopes to see new more residents, whether residential and commercial, become more active in volunteering their time to conduct heritage walks or writing in to the authorities requesting recycling bins for the betterment of the neighbourhood, as current residents regularly do.<br /><br />Echoing her thoughts, Ms Shen adds: "The new businesses that come in should hopefully be a place where, anyone - whether you're a resident, an expat or a tourist - can walk into and get a feel of the local culture."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">________________________________</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Vinyls for a lifetime</span><br /><span style="color: red;">Curated Records</span><br /><span style="color: #666666;">55 Tiong Bahru Road #01-53<br />Tel 6438 3644<br />Hours: 11am-9pm daily</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"></span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiptYRqW1i9tPTAtd343ovAEAQrsNUtalXT2L7D8c7auG5zgsG5mFm8YJkTFhu75m68j4YyGQqUlqw0PBdDAyhsrqlM38FK5VNWn-iMpTBhkYdHVojiBRlhziksoX8cAxU1fI8dX7UKfUc/s1600/BT_20141004_DYRECORD4_1301865.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiptYRqW1i9tPTAtd343ovAEAQrsNUtalXT2L7D8c7auG5zgsG5mFm8YJkTFhu75m68j4YyGQqUlqw0PBdDAyhsrqlM38FK5VNWn-iMpTBhkYdHVojiBRlhziksoX8cAxU1fI8dX7UKfUc/s1600/BT_20141004_DYRECORD4_1301865.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">SAY IT WITH MUSIC: Mr Lim (above) settled on his existing unit hoping to add colour to the historic neighbourhood, which did not have any music-related shop, he further plans to host autograph and meet-up sessions with independent local musicians and bands in the shop. </span><br />
<div class="field field-name-field-copyright field-type-text field-label-hidden copyright-text">
<span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">PHOTO: CURATED RECORDS</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">FORTNIGHT-OLD Curated Records is the realisation of a childhood dream by Tremon Lim, who left a publishing job of six years in May to start the independent records shop along bustling Tiong Bahru Road.<br /><br />It was a dream that the 30-year-old thought was done and dusted at one point in his life but the yearning was revived again a few months ago, thanks to a visible vinyl resurgence of recent years, says Mr Lim.<br /><br />The little nook of a shop packs in over 1,200 records into its brightly lit 280 square foot space, mostly from independent bands and performers in genres spanning electronic, rock, folk and pop music. It's "the stuff that most large record shops don't bring in", he explains, because "regular bands may move much faster, but there's no point selling what everyone else is already selling". Prices range from S$27 to S$49 per record.<br /><br />Mr Lim was initially scouting for a store in the City Hall area close to the existing cluster of record shops in the area, but settled on his existing unit hoping to add colour to the historic neighbourhood, which did not have any music-related shop.<br /><br />Besides expanding his repertoire to include used records, Mr Lim further plans to host autograph and meet-up sessions with independent local musicians and bands in the shop.<br /><br />"People who come to Tiong Bahru are the types to appreciate and want something to hold and keep for a lifetime, and vinyls are exactly that," he says.<br /><br />Heritage bistro<br /><span style="color: red;">The Tiong Bahru Club</span><br /><span style="color: #666666;">57 Eng Hoon Street, #01-88<br />Tel 64380168<br />Hours: 8am-10pm (Mon-Fri), 8am-midnight (Sat-Sun)</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_BMyINegxc7YHCN0cUN8yQEvZWvOZNDkx7MZyFln-D_5eoeWybse5sx9BmzUG1R7XHgs6YN7lVd6xx1xuX5CdllcCu-YMMdSxZPnOP7-zDv_IoIdifFp7XIpn7hJhJAgxzf9XOd2ZRis/s1600/BT_20141004_DYCLUB4QF6X_1300253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_BMyINegxc7YHCN0cUN8yQEvZWvOZNDkx7MZyFln-D_5eoeWybse5sx9BmzUG1R7XHgs6YN7lVd6xx1xuX5CdllcCu-YMMdSxZPnOP7-zDv_IoIdifFp7XIpn7hJhJAgxzf9XOd2ZRis/s1600/BT_20141004_DYCLUB4QF6X_1300253.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">CELEBRATING OLD TIMES: The club's food to the decor, made up of old kopitiam kitchenware and vintage knick-knacks (above), provide a reminder of the rich history of the area PHOTOS: DEBBIE YONG</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">THE club rules are stated clearly above the bar: No outside food, no mischief making, and no flirting with the cashier. But then there's also a catch: there are no real penalties for bending the rules, nor are there any criteria to qualify for membership - or any membership fees to begin with.<br /><br />What this three-day old "club" really is is owner Jerry Singh's tongue-in-cheek jibe at the idea of an exclusive country club set right in the heart of historic Tiong Bahru. Membership, incidentally, is handed out in the form of cardboard discount cards that you have to pencil your own name onto.<br /><br />The "heritage bistro", in Mr Singh's own words celebrates all that is old, from its food - a hodge podge of plates that pay homage to the culinary culture of past and present immigrants to Singapore - to the decor made up of old kopitiam kitchenware and vintage knick-knacks scavenged on Mr Singh's global escapades.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_jUhm4lqP8_sHBErII94g7vF0vh9GwhfbV1xNn__aB9o1INSftpAwbAjdsO4Nm4yB75hKv_ZEuclDO2ncPWNcxwppR_Lt90wVfGAWciRbqRn743zxvx-qQ1ynRsxIbWFA3ibn7z_038/s1600/BT_20141004_DYCLUB4M0XS_1300251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_jUhm4lqP8_sHBErII94g7vF0vh9GwhfbV1xNn__aB9o1INSftpAwbAjdsO4Nm4yB75hKv_ZEuclDO2ncPWNcxwppR_Lt90wVfGAWciRbqRn743zxvx-qQ1ynRsxIbWFA3ibn7z_038/s1600/BT_20141004_DYCLUB4M0XS_1300251.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Interior of the Tiong Bahru Club PHOTOS: DEBBIE YONG</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Besides retaining the former Tiong Bahru coffeeshop's old tiled blue floors and metal shutters, don't be surprised if you see an elderly uncle helping to direct customers to seats and hand out menus. He's actually the coffeeshop's landlord who ran a fruit stall in the space and still supplies the fresh fruit platter on Tiong Bahru Club's dessert menu.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJiNvVdLAyhQHBfxXozIrCnLXnOj3HHniijgHqDcJkl0G6gn2-TyUHrUX_24RTpdkKxgqDEaekSSnKHF9WC81LlQ46KBYI9BsGjUPKxil5YgNbjx2Oty0rvtDLKjN18zNGEfXZFYIR5KU/s1600/BT_20141004_DYCLUB4VES0_1300081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJiNvVdLAyhQHBfxXozIrCnLXnOj3HHniijgHqDcJkl0G6gn2-TyUHrUX_24RTpdkKxgqDEaekSSnKHF9WC81LlQ46KBYI9BsGjUPKxil5YgNbjx2Oty0rvtDLKjN18zNGEfXZFYIR5KU/s1600/BT_20141004_DYCLUB4VES0_1300081.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Truck Stop chicken wings PHOTOS: DEBBIE YONG</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Food-wise, expect Asian-inspired starters such as the crispy fried Truck Stop chicken (S$10.80), named for the rest stops built for truck drivers plying India's treacherous North-South highway; satay served on mini tabletop charcoal grills (S$11.80); and a duet of Thai sausages (S$10.80) made up of a fat-chunked Isaan-style sausage and a spicy lemongrass and chilli speckled Chiangmai-style sausage.<br /><br />Mains comprise a multi-racial mix of Eurasian, Malay, Indian, and even Spanish and Italian-inspired fare such as pastas, fish fillet, soto ayam and fried rice, along with "a curry for every culture," says Mr Singh of his four options of Thai, Indonesian, Indian and a searing Eurasian devil's curry (S$16.80 to S$18.80).<br /><br />On weekends and public holidays, there's the Good Morning brunch offerings of nasi lemak and bacon-wrapped egg cups or chorizo and beans.<br /><br />End your meal on a sweet note with their selection of traditional kuehs such as kueh ko swee, ubi pisang and pulut udang all produced in a central kitchen. Wash it all down with sodas, coffee, tapped beers and easy-drinking wines or pick from a selection of over 14 flavours of chai teas from Chaiholics, a two-year-old tea cafe and retail brand also run by Mr Singh.<br /><br />The legal-trained former manager in a global mining company left his corporate job in 2011 to start Chaitime, a tea chain "positioned somewhere between TWG and Starbucks" that currently has two outlets in the Marina Bay Financial Centre and Chevron House. The brand was renamed Chaiholics this June.<br /><br />The Tiong Bahru Club is the first of a Singapura Club series of dine-in restaurants he hopes to eventually run. A slightly larger second outlet, the Namly Club, will open along Namly Avenue in Bukit Timah later this month serving up the same menu in similarly vintage surrounds, along with a retail corner where customers can pick and purchase proprietary Chaiholics teas and gift sets.<br /><br />Meanwhile, Chaiholics, which already has an outlet in Cardiff in the United Kingdom, will soon launch a second outlet in London, presided over by Mr Singh's UK-based Singaporean business partner. The duo plan to open a further 30 Chaiholics shops in key cities around the world in the next two years.<br /><br /><span style="color: black;">25 years and counting</span><br /><span style="color: red;">Cheng's 27</span><br /><span style="color: #666666;">27 Yong Siak St<br />Tel 9748 9135<br />Hours: 10am-3.30pm, 5.30-9.30pm daily, closed Tuesdays</span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9gMWKFRO-KUtL_3D3M_pYDuaZc7nWzkNPL2Bzd2q6QR-JossN80nJTxHhFQVmlYadU3LI2exA-Nk2G7_SvLArDGFLQpj2kCnKB57M8WnpwkGshyYu3P67SibqCe4R4xPHiCPyGKHWnH4/s1600/BT_20141004_DYCHENG4_1301868.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9gMWKFRO-KUtL_3D3M_pYDuaZc7nWzkNPL2Bzd2q6QR-JossN80nJTxHhFQVmlYadU3LI2exA-Nk2G7_SvLArDGFLQpj2kCnKB57M8WnpwkGshyYu3P67SibqCe4R4xPHiCPyGKHWnH4/s1600/BT_20141004_DYCHENG4_1301868.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">REVITALISED The Chengs (Hugo, Dawn and Glenn) gave their 100-seater eatery a sprucing up in June </span><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">PHOTOS: DEBBIE YONG</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">THE Chengs regularly get offers between S$6 million and S$12 million for their home-style Hainanese coffeeshop along Yong Siak Street - but they aren't budging.<br /><br />In fact, the family has just given the 100-seater eatery that they've been running for 25 years in the same space a much-needed makeover in June.<br /><br />A new kitchen exhaust was installed, chipped marble tables were replaced with spiffy new wooden coffeeshop tables and plastic chairs, and a new dessert counter showcases their range of home-made cakes, traditional kuehs and their signature savoury pumpkin pie.<br /><br />The renovation - along with a name change to the trendier-sounding Cheng's 27 - was prompted by 25-year-old younger brother Glenn's joining the family business earlier this year, according to older sister Dawn, 40. Their parents Cheng Mook Boon and Lim Toi Ang, both in their early 60s, still help out in the kitchen. The elder Chengs first started Cheng's Delicacies in Pekin Street in the early 1980s, but moved the eatery to Tiong Bahru, where the family also lives, in 1989.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRg3BaoY9pHcjT5lDKBVH_6ZSmgvbLXPcuuoWIEu0F_Ku63PXDsHhqoS3dDM-yHXhl5Tgdp29CKEgfl69wgfFYcBiI8dXkwFKt5svWDKFJ8nuDfW6DRdzNnGDCadIL2UEYaWNFDzMQbm4/s1600/BT_20141004_DYCHENG4V4HI_1301869.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRg3BaoY9pHcjT5lDKBVH_6ZSmgvbLXPcuuoWIEu0F_Ku63PXDsHhqoS3dDM-yHXhl5Tgdp29CKEgfl69wgfFYcBiI8dXkwFKt5svWDKFJ8nuDfW6DRdzNnGDCadIL2UEYaWNFDzMQbm4/s1600/BT_20141004_DYCHENG4V4HI_1301869.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Gula melaka chiffon cake tinged with coconut oil </span><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">PHOTOS: DEBBIE YONG</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Their regular menu of Hainanese curry rice and cooked dishes such as vinegared pork belly and deep fried prawn rolls remain, alongside more trendy creations such as a gula melaka chiffon cake tinged with coconut oil that's popular with the weekend hipster crowd. Desserts start from S$5 and savoury dishes from S$7. Youngest brother Hugo is also working on an online store for their desserts to be launched in a month.<br /><br /><span style="color: black;">A bit of polishing</span><br /><span style="color: red;">Hui Aesthetics</span><br /><span style="color: #666666;">57 Eng Hoon Street, #01-80<br />Tel 6323 2821<br />Hours: 10am-8pm (Mon-Sat), 11am-8pm (Sun)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"></span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKb5BMtSCUcaSZmT9iiQQE_JeWzysifOAKaQOHXiJgwi1s1WavDASAvV0KuR_AK5v8kzLG_1VcHUqR6QYIvVFDgS0nbokCKVLonc2wQHZmhgEW6yiDoov8ioszf54ptzKzJob5iAZzAEs/s1600/BT_20141004_DYTIONG4HUIZTMH_1300581.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKb5BMtSCUcaSZmT9iiQQE_JeWzysifOAKaQOHXiJgwi1s1WavDASAvV0KuR_AK5v8kzLG_1VcHUqR6QYIvVFDgS0nbokCKVLonc2wQHZmhgEW6yiDoov8ioszf54ptzKzJob5iAZzAEs/s1600/BT_20141004_DYTIONG4HUIZTMH_1300581.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hui Aesthetics has doubled their capacity with four brand new pedicure stations and three manicure stations. PHOTOS: DEBBIE YONG</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">OLD is gold, they say, but even gold needs a little bit of polishing sometimes. After a decade of business in Tiong Bahru with nary a tweak to its decor, nail parlour and spa Hui Aesthetics underwent a little nip and tuck in June. Instead of its previous dark and wood-decked Balinese-inspired decor, the front half of the shop now has a brighter, whiter design palette that incidentally - though unintentionally - parallels the design aesthetics of their trendy cafe neighbours, says Hui's founder Jade Shen Jie, 46, who is also the wife of local Chinese television host Guo Liang. Its four brand new pedicure stations and three manicure stations are double their previous capacity. Manicures and pedicures cost an affordable S$25 and S$35 respectively, inclusive of nail art. One-hour massages start from S$100 and facial treatments range from S$98 to S$250.<br /><br /><span style="color: black;">Passion for pastry</span><br /><span style="color: red;"><strong>Whisk</strong></span><br /><span style="color: #666666;">58 Seng Poh Road #01-15<br />Hours: 9am-7pm (Tues-Thu), 9am-11pm (Fri-Sat), 9am-9pm (Sun), closed Mondays</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"></span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBwRrTh-fW26-TKbYdMbLCHV5IWGQyGU5G1n0K_FSDZsgMMHn2ak-lpCeO-Ak0611ZXDD0DVzpGuUyaj_FQ_oJR1rwrvnzAIYMrsLBXCxl_bwv9194kfXZ83uNah02QS7xVK-UQ-xSTlU/s1600/BT_20141004_DYWHISK4_1302406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBwRrTh-fW26-TKbYdMbLCHV5IWGQyGU5G1n0K_FSDZsgMMHn2ak-lpCeO-Ak0611ZXDD0DVzpGuUyaj_FQ_oJR1rwrvnzAIYMrsLBXCxl_bwv9194kfXZ83uNah02QS7xVK-UQ-xSTlU/s1600/BT_20141004_DYWHISK4_1302406.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">DIFFERENCES ARE IN THE DETAILS: Ms Lim settled on the Tiong Bahru venue to site her 45-seater Whisk for its high foot traffic and eclectic mix of aged aunties, uncles and youths. </span><br />
<div class="field field-name-field-copyright field-type-text field-label-hidden copyright-text">
<span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">PHOTO: DEBBIE YONG</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br />IT DOESN'T matter if hers is the umpteeth iteration to open in the by-now cafe-saturated neighbourhood, or that its all-white decor and flash bulb-studded signboard looks somewhat out of place in the aged estate. Tricia Lim of month-old Whisk Cafe believes that the differences are in the details.<br /><br />Before setting up shop, for instance, she spent time checking out the baked goods of neighbouring cafes to make sure none of her offerings overlap with theirs, says the 30-year-old.<br /><br />To formalise her passion for pastry, the former PR and marketing executive left her job in 2011 to enrol in a six-month course at the French Culinary Institute (now renamed as the International Culinary Centre) in New York - and she hasn't looked back since. Besides training under her long-time idol and globally renowned pastry chef Jacques Torres, Ms Lim also spent time apprenticing at the Dominique Ansel bakery in New York, famed for creating the cronut.<br /><br />The 45-seater Whisk is a physical manifestation of the online home bakery EatLoveBake that Ms Lim has been running since her return to Singapore two years ago. After scouring the island for over a year, Ms Lim settled on the Tiong Bahru venue for its high foot traffic and eclectic mix of aged aunties, uncles and youths. She spent a "six figure sum" doing up the 1,000 square foot space, which is partially owned by her banker parents.<br /><br />Besides macarons in various flavours, her signature bakes such as carrot cakes, orange-scented cheesecakes and lemon tarts with less meringue to suit the local palate are also on offer from S$2.50 for a macaron to S$7 for a slice of cake. Seasonal specials such as a brown butter pumpkin cinnamon roll topped with a maple cream cheese frosting will be created intermittently, while savoury dishes such as sandwiches and quiches for lunch as well as easy drinking wines for evening diners will be introduced in the coming weeks.<br /><br />The baby stroller-friendly space also offers mini-"babycinos", or petite cups of foamed warm milk topped with cocoa and marshmallows for the little ones.<br /><br /><span style="color: black;">Win-win situation</span><br /><span style="color: red;"><strong>Clothes Curator</strong></span><br /><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;">2/F, 69 Tiong Bahru Road<br />Tel 6438 9622<br />Hours: 12pm-7.30pm (Mon-Tues, Fri-Sun), closed Wed</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2EpqdzwISViLBB2N5KoDVsjryl5ZosLQHaOBRvL_9BmqwlUDepZT7viDGJWeNvHJKe5-mL4LyRBrSPBvI2Am0TgPSHZAqYE54nWywGg8rXYzSiwJkmDqUFzkKvcafFpnHUDk-oe3as0/s1600/BT_20141004_DYCLOTHES4_1299978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2EpqdzwISViLBB2N5KoDVsjryl5ZosLQHaOBRvL_9BmqwlUDepZT7viDGJWeNvHJKe5-mL4LyRBrSPBvI2Am0TgPSHZAqYE54nWywGg8rXYzSiwJkmDqUFzkKvcafFpnHUDk-oe3as0/s1600/BT_20141004_DYCLOTHES4_1299978.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">SHARING WINS: Combining the two national past times of eating and shopping is a no-brainer, says Ms Tan. </span><br />
<div class="field field-name-field-copyright field-type-text field-label-hidden copyright-text">
<span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">PHOTOS: CLOTHES CURATOR</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />WHAT'S a budding entrepreneur with limited resources in a neighbourhood with rising rentals to do?<br /><br />What every kampung dweller of yore would have done: share. Sequestered away on the second floor of year-old The Dispensary cafe in Tiong Bahru is the Clothes Curator, a four-month old clothes boutique run by former ad agency art director Iris Tan.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-DMi28gTIkviCVkLwn2B_Ps-jV7ZWEhnfBidNBZ0Y15jKm1y-UR6eZFgNu-4Z036Rs2ur-gBUFhRlGAgLdJ1TLUEQVv1L5GM3HghOPE5etm3jROUYgxEgvuwpNWTtbsqfYtdE770SBQ/s1600/BT_20141004_DYCLOTHES4Z55O_1299979.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-DMi28gTIkviCVkLwn2B_Ps-jV7ZWEhnfBidNBZ0Y15jKm1y-UR6eZFgNu-4Z036Rs2ur-gBUFhRlGAgLdJ1TLUEQVv1L5GM3HghOPE5etm3jROUYgxEgvuwpNWTtbsqfYtdE770SBQ/s1600/BT_20141004_DYCLOTHES4Z55O_1299979.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ms Tan PHOTOS: CLOTHES CURATOR</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Tiong Bahru resident of seven years was looking for a space in the neighbourhood to run her own business, but landlords were asking for frightful amounts in monthly rent for retail units in the rapidly gentrifying neighbourhood.<br /><br />She then chanced upon The Dispensary, and struck a deal to carve out a 320 square foot nook on the 2,200 sq ft cafe's upper floor as a petite boutique. Aside from two labels, Tata and Exotic by Hong Kong designer Carmen Wong, the rest of the mainly cotton and linen apparel in loose fitting forms and handmade jewellery and accessories are individually handpicked from South Korea by Ms Tan and her business partner, who also owns Oka boutique in Far East Plaza. Prices range from S$40 for a t-shirt to S$189 for a dress.<br /><br />The second floor space with no street-level visibility was no deterrent, says Ms Tan, who says most of her customers either heard about her through social media and by word-of-mouth recommendations from other shoppers. Or they are cafe patrons who chanced upon the store accidentally.<br /><br />Combining the two national past times of eating and shopping is a no-brainer, according to Ms Tan.<br /><br />"When the women are shopping, the men can have a coffee or read the papers - it's a win-win situation for everyone," she laughs.</span><a href="mailto:debyong@sph.com.sg"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">debyong@sph.com.sg</span></a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/@DebbieYongBT"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">@DebbieYongBT</span></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360583188844510356.post-38572518408746653192014-10-02T14:00:00.000+08:002014-10-02T14:16:34.093+08:00Home-Based Businesses<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnzUZDRC9eQ6xibrwsbV8uwqS3zz5cDhp07vT8OeNPwFYo6RBhyphenhyphenhtaRodk7AHzfliwEeqcHM0gWOeO62oVDBr7N9YaftzJqZU75WVMYmo4t1Tmcybm6-ulrAOPUqj3pG9JO5O4QDWR15o/s1600/Old+Stall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnzUZDRC9eQ6xibrwsbV8uwqS3zz5cDhp07vT8OeNPwFYo6RBhyphenhyphenhtaRodk7AHzfliwEeqcHM0gWOeO62oVDBr7N9YaftzJqZU75WVMYmo4t1Tmcybm6-ulrAOPUqj3pG9JO5O4QDWR15o/s1600/Old+Stall.jpg" height="400" width="386" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Photo taken from </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/myqueenstown"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">https://www.facebook.com/myqueenstown</span></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Back then, it was not uncommon to walk into someone's home to buy some
titbits. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I was studying at the Tiong Bahru Primary between 1978
- 1983, there is an old lady who would parked her make-shift stall at Block 80
Chay Yan Street, just outside unit #01-14. (I think she resided at #02-16B)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I always looked forward to buying a refreshing SNG PAO (Ice
Sticks) after school. My fave was the Sour Plum flavour as there is a preserved
sour plum at the bottom of the stick.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There were quite a few home based businesses and
hairdressing / tuition & piano lessons were the common ones. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fast forward to today, the "home" based business
has evolved and gotten more sophisticated in Tiong Bahru. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just walk around and you will notice home-based art
galleries, home-based clothing retailers, home-based nail spa, home-based
offices, home-based antique shops, home-based art studio, home-based cobblers, home-based bakery, home-based
hairdresser, home-based grocer, home-based home furnishings, home based lighting
retailers, home-based yoga, home-based bicycle shop, home-based book
shops,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>home-based "hotels" etc
etc.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some of the home-based businesses looks so legit that one
cannot be faulted to think that they are operating out of a legit commercial
space.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In fact, some realtor are also trying to package residential
units as "commercial" units. Not sure if these realtor are really
ignorant or they have just conveniently overlooked it</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Am just hoping the home-based businesses in the Pre-War Tiong Bahru estate
don't eventually displace the home makers.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360583188844510356.post-10034225120582200852014-09-26T11:22:00.001+08:002014-09-26T12:51:24.180+08:00The Straits Times : Patching heritage cracks<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Straits Times</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;">By Melody Zaccheus</span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;">26th September 2014</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>The uncertain fate of Singapore's historic dragon kilns highlights problems of overlapping roles and varying priorities of the three heritage bodies.</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj042-G80B_2PUlgH26RBZMhyRWcWF-zGki24wTcAeiMgZdeM-OLyWW1qX-UHshThTk4fCVIPMG6P_16AI8xhLhoDgsR0bbjKUbvU7uf8lggK4jlkujWxka-gIpr2oSjXad-Yj4RW7bBLE/s1600/ST_20140926_MZHERITAGE_688448e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj042-G80B_2PUlgH26RBZMhyRWcWF-zGki24wTcAeiMgZdeM-OLyWW1qX-UHshThTk4fCVIPMG6P_16AI8xhLhoDgsR0bbjKUbvU7uf8lggK4jlkujWxka-gIpr2oSjXad-Yj4RW7bBLE/s1600/ST_20140926_MZHERITAGE_688448e.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />THEY may be Singapore's only two surviving dragon kilns from the 1940s and 1950s, part of a once-booming brick industry here, but their fate is up in the air.<br /><br />The wood-fired dragon kilns - their distinctive shapes resemble a dragon's tail and smoking head - at 85 and 97L, Lorong Tawas, in Jurong are part of a fascinating history.<br /><br />Up till World War II, Singapore was home to at least 20 smouldering kilns. Some of the Jurong kilns used to produce latex cups used by nearby rubber plantations.<br /><br />However, they sit on government land earmarked for long-term development.<br /><br />And the <u>National Heritage Board (NHB),</u> the statutory body some would think is responsible for their safe keeping, <u>actually has no power to conserve the site</u>.<br /><br />This is even though its impact assessment and mitigation division deemed the kilns historically unique and of artistic value last August, and managed to persuade the site's owner, the Singapore Land Authority, to extend its lease by three three-year terms.<br /><br />The board's division, the Preservation of Sites and Monuments (PSM), has the power only to gazette - or preserve - national monuments based on stringent criteria.<br /><br />For the site to be conserved, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) would have to step in. Even then, it would have to weigh the needs of the agencies involved in the site - this includes the JTC Corporation, which runs the CleanTech Park there - and the future land needs of the area. The agencies involved must come to an agreement.<br /><br />So, after surviving for decades, the dragon kilns' future is clouded due to a hodgepodge of rules on heritage and conservation matters, and overlapping or conflicting development priorities.<br /><br />Other historic sites and monuments are falling through the cracks too.<br /><br />In 2008, five heritage bridges along the Singapore River were put on the conservation list by the URA. Under the law, conserved structures and buildings must retain their original structure and achitectural elements.<br /><br />They must also be sensitively restored or repaired carefully, should the need arise.<br /><br />But some of these structures, which fall under the charge of their site owners, the Singapore Tourism Board and the Land Transport Authority, fell into disrepair.<br /><br />This would not have happened if a government body had been appointed to galvanise and see to it that different agencies and developers work towards the same goals.<br /><br />Architectural conservators, historians and civic groups say <u>the problem lies in the overlapping and unclear roles of the three bodies charged with heritage matters</u> - the NHB, PSM and the URA.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color: red;">The situation today</span></strong><br /><br />THE NHB promotes heritage appreciation through managing its national museums, and documentation and outreach efforts.<br /><br />Under its umbrella is the PSM, which provides legal protection for national monuments - these must have socio-historical, cultural and architectural value on the level of national significance - and offers monument owners guidance and regulatory support.<br /><br />Then there is the URA, established in 1974, and which is charged with studying old buildings for possible conservation as part of land use planning.<br /><br /><span style="color: black;">For a structure to be worthy of conservation, it needs to fulfil the URA's requirements, including having architectural, social and cultural significance; the rarity of the structure; and the contribution to the environment.</span><br /><br />Experts have given these bodies the thumbs up for their good work so far.<br /><br />They applauded the NHB's landmark move to set up an impact assessment and mitigation division last July to study and act as consultant on the effects development has on the country's heritage. The new division came about as part of an internal reorganisation. Comprising a group of conservation architects, historians and researchers, its job is to conduct impact assessments of redevelopment works on heritage sites and structures and work with parties involved to establish mitigation measures.<br /><br />It acted as mediator, working with the Housing Board and Singapore Heritage Society, to incorporate heritage elements into the new Bidadari housing estate, for example. It also worked with civic group My Community, the URA and Housing Board to help conserve several landmarks in Queenstown, Singapore's first satellite town.<br /><br />NHB chief executive Rosa Daniel said NHB plays the role of heritage promoter, facilitator and regulator. "Each role is important and we seek to find the balance that best serves the needs of a more discerning public and a more complex operating environment."<br /><br />Experts acknowledged the URA's work as well. The authority has close to 7,200 buildings in its conservation stable.<br /><br />They noted that its latest gazette in June saved warehouses, public housing flats and social institutions such as health-care facilities and a library - marking a shift from the large numbers of shophouses and black-and-white colonial bungalows it started out saving.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color: red;">Gaps in the system</span></strong><br /><br />HOWEVER, gaps still exist. Experts argue that the NHB's main business is still the operation of its eight museums and heritage institutions.<br /><br />Meanwhile, the Sungei Road Flea Market, which has to make way for a new MRT station by 2017, and rustic island Pulau Ubin are, like the historic dragon kilns, not safe from future development works.<br /><br />Despite valiant efforts - including extensive documentation projects of these places by the <u>NHB</u> - the board's <u>hands are tied, for it has no actual power to protect them</u>.<br /><br />The <u>PSM division</u> has also got flak from some monument owners for <u>not providing enough technical expertise or funding for repair and restoration efforts</u>, which can cost millions.<br /><br />As for the <u>URA</u>, concerns about <u>conflict of interest</u> have been raised because, <u>while the authority sizes up places for conservation, it is also associated with "bulldozers and demolition, acquisition and redevelopment</u>", says cultural geographer Lily Kong of the National University of Singapore.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color: red;">What experts want</span></strong><br /><br />EXPERTS believe a <u>more holistic way to promote and protect heritage is needed</u>.<br /><br />Some say the NHB, with its existing resources, should be the lead agency and be armed with greater bite to push for the protection of sites it deems historically worthy. Others say there is a need for an independent and dedicated government agency.<br /><br />Some suggestions include expanding the NHB's scope and operations to take on the URA's role of conservator.<br /><br />Under this scenario, the NHB would also preferably have the power to require site owners and caretakers to report to it on maintenance matters and provide more financial support to national monument owners.<br /><br />Others, such as Dr Kevin Tan, president of the International Council on Monuments and Sites Singapore, said this power should be vested within a new and independent agency. Describing the agency as an ombudsman, he said it would be able to take both private developers and ministries to task if heritage laws are violated.<br /><br />Take the Tan Si Chong Su temple, where the secretary of the temple's management committee was fined $500 in 2003 for making unauthorised renovations to the national monument.<br /><br />The monument's owner, the SLA, was not taken to task, said Dr Tan. "<u>There must be political will to give this body enough power to do the job and this would involve amending or creating legislation for this</u>."<br /><br />He added: "<u>The heritage ombudsman would sit across ministries and account only to Parliament</u>. If this is in place, then there is no need to worry about the pecking order of the various ministries.<br /><br />"It would have powers to receive complaints and investigate them. If rules are violated, it would have powers to prosecute the parties involved."<br /><br /><span style="color: red;"><strong>The way forward</strong></span><br /><br />NO MATTER who takes the lead in this effort, it is clear that there is a need for a body to step in and impose mandatory impact assessments across the public and private sectors before development decisions are made, said Dr Jack Lee, a heritage law expert from the Singapore Management University.<br /><br />Architectural conservation specialist consultant Ho Weng Hin said the assessment report should detail the condition of the building or site, the heritage elements worthy of protection and the parameters for future use, given its existing state.<br /><br />Mr Ho said: "Singapore has a dwindling stock of heritage buildings, so we must be diligent about the background work that we do."<br /><br />Singapore University of Technology and Design assistant professor Yeo Kang Shua, who is also the honorary secretary of the Singapore Heritage Society, said such reports would ensure that, at the very least, "we will know what we are losing, if we have to let them go".<br /><br />Dr Yeo added that the process should be open for public comment and viewing - as in the case of Hong Kong, where people can submit historic buildings for grading and the results and meetings are open to the public.<br /><br />This would start the conservation conversation early on.<br /><br />Law expert Dr Lee agreed. "<u>Heritage groups often don't realise that a site is in danger of redevelopment until after the decision has been made</u>," he said.<br /><br />The extra pair of eyes could also help identify important historic areas that have been left out of the country's annals.<br /><br />These include the Singapore Heritage Society's suggestions, such as schooling, housing and leisure heritage sites and forgotten parts of Singapore like Tanjong Malang in the Palmer and Hill road area.<br /><br />Alongside civic groups, the body would also champion a mindset shift, where heritage considerations, now in their infancy, carry the same weight as the country's developmental needs.<br /><br /><u>Such a multi-faceted approach would prevent historically valuable places from slipping through the cracks - such as the red-brick National Library building and parts of Bukit Brown Cemetery</u>.<br /><br />It is timely to relook this sector, especially with the nation's bid for the Singapore Botanic Gardens to become its first Unesco World Heritage Site.<br /><br />More importantly, with the country's jubilee year coming up next year, Singapore must develop an overarching and all-encompassing system - through a process of constant refinement - that can work for another 50 years, to ensure a lasting legacy for future generations.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="mailto:melodyz@sph.com.sg"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">melodyz@sph.com.sg</span></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360583188844510356.post-8243512481122522492014-09-23T19:16:00.001+08:002014-09-23T19:16:55.773+08:00Feeling Blue with the Green Programme<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since last week, there were blue recycling bins that appeared all over the
estate</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mUMmcej2EFE4QOuAz3vT7Y94IXPfePe87HAMq13vf_0CY3O-9ERbHr9745AZDTUdGrRStM0BObhGAbyotbJ9kiqaLRg7p4lvWQw-J66w2nVTIOzovEhVTSnVHLWarv_1c8xNuCV-KYM/s1600/collage_20140922183025614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mUMmcej2EFE4QOuAz3vT7Y94IXPfePe87HAMq13vf_0CY3O-9ERbHr9745AZDTUdGrRStM0BObhGAbyotbJ9kiqaLRg7p4lvWQw-J66w2nVTIOzovEhVTSnVHLWarv_1c8xNuCV-KYM/s1600/collage_20140922183025614.jpg" height="320" width="304" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It seems the recycling company are at it again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Same old tired strategy with most likely the same outcome.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They had just conveniently placed the bins in front of all the blocks with no
regards to the aesthetic of the community.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since my blog post about this issue in 2009, nothing much has changed. (<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-SG; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><a href="http://tiongbahruestate.blogspot.sg/2009/02/getting-red-over-green.html"><span style="color: blue;">http://tiongbahruestate.blogspot.sg/2009/02/getting-red-over-green.html</span></a>)<u5:p></u5:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The recycling company hasn't learnt anything as some residents remained equally
stubborn and ignorant as they will persistently dump foodstuff into the recycling bin.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqtIeRhvAg7Z6Md22NwoVieYd6pIG7VGWeGVlQgOqR14f05UT90NHvHfJPTaIJhh05WB36yxS8mtzxSroi1S-blf6U8TscYtvNnYZhMT_naV8fmGYwnIwInxUVxW64IWWzgejYs9Hiojg/s1600/collage_20140923085740729.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqtIeRhvAg7Z6Md22NwoVieYd6pIG7VGWeGVlQgOqR14f05UT90NHvHfJPTaIJhh05WB36yxS8mtzxSroi1S-blf6U8TscYtvNnYZhMT_naV8fmGYwnIwInxUVxW64IWWzgejYs9Hiojg/s1600/collage_20140923085740729.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was taken on 22/09/2014 and there were clearly food stuff and rubbish in and around the bin</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since these bins are not cleared daily, it will emit bad smell and attract vermin.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oversight and practicality could be why the bins were placed along the road. It is much easier for the truck to drive alongside it to pick it up. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp2v3AjSjxiBr32ACZfPGtBwF3eYAZ27TyjMkF_gzKsq35k2fCN2HXVVHfq7zKRVBxXr_SYtsoqIYqw2qkZ8rn-Vi0oFl4lJp-HE3s0SEZANetDhL3eswc63kiTFVoA4BwfH0wp7BWIDw/s1600/Truck.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp2v3AjSjxiBr32ACZfPGtBwF3eYAZ27TyjMkF_gzKsq35k2fCN2HXVVHfq7zKRVBxXr_SYtsoqIYqw2qkZ8rn-Vi0oFl4lJp-HE3s0SEZANetDhL3eswc63kiTFVoA4BwfH0wp7BWIDw/s1600/Truck.JPG" height="161" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Practicality rules the day</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This
unfortunately mars the facade of our estate.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What if the same is done at these iconic places? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPR5Pc1D7uH3u8VabueqNLUOfIkbhiLPEC2kPAJ8irkpbjO0lMECnCeKNJ-sWeIQaLg4hOkc2yrTJZejugej_yyM2R-QFK7TquWxToAA3ffbzqW22LDDBfJv046NIEYI2A9Dk_ZsqMRWw/s1600/collage_20140923185122185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPR5Pc1D7uH3u8VabueqNLUOfIkbhiLPEC2kPAJ8irkpbjO0lMECnCeKNJ-sWeIQaLg4hOkc2yrTJZejugej_yyM2R-QFK7TquWxToAA3ffbzqW22LDDBfJv046NIEYI2A9Dk_ZsqMRWw/s1600/collage_20140923185122185.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Can you spot the iconic blue bins?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
There are 2 things the recycling company needs to do.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">First thing is <span style="color: red;">WORKING CLOSELY</span> with the town council and second is <span style="color: red;">EDUCATION</span>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With the town council involved, bins could be placed at the back alley and an electric buggy could be used to clear the recycling bins efficiently onto a central collection area. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The recycling trucks could come
and pick up the recyclables at one or two designated locations instead of
picking them up all over the estate.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The recycling education will most likely go the way of the Courtesy campaign, it has to be a protracted on-going campaign until everyone becomes socially and environmentally responsible about their trash.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Until that happens, please execute the green campaign thoughtfully.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360583188844510356.post-20208844445487503682014-07-28T11:46:00.001+08:002014-07-28T11:46:31.435+08:00The Straits Times : Tan Tock Seng's descendants celebrate Tiong Bahru link<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Straits Times</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">By Kash Cheong</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">28th July 2014</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>New plaques there mark two roads named after his son and grandson</strong></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbqlWit8DdxTvWSSdKXMLxrx6PSy53imV6eB0h9e2hDqjNkswnS7Xhu5xYETFDMhNCzvtnZZyIgxcqP0B6clOQsGPRpiCKeRheNh9A5pvnTokST0r78hI9dL_EB7xUV3kQKCuEvsNt5c/s1600/TTS1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbqlWit8DdxTvWSSdKXMLxrx6PSy53imV6eB0h9e2hDqjNkswnS7Xhu5xYETFDMhNCzvtnZZyIgxcqP0B6clOQsGPRpiCKeRheNh9A5pvnTokST0r78hI9dL_EB7xUV3kQKCuEvsNt5c/s1600/TTS1.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tanjong Pagar MP Indranee Rajah (in red) unveiling the Tan Kim Ching plaque with Mr Tan Hsien Chuang, 45, a descendant of Tan Tock Seng's eldest son Tan Kim Ching. -- ST PHOTO: LAU FOOK KONG</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">THEY had some big shoes to fill, but descendants of merchant and philanthropist Tan Tock Seng did not disappoint.<br /><br />Tan Tock Seng's eldest son, rice trader Tan Kim Ching, who was the first leader of the Hokkien Huay Kuan, donated to hospitals and built facilities to prevent the Thian Hock Keng Temple in Telok Ayer Street from flooding.<br /><br />And because of his trading business, he established good ties with the Siamese ruler at the time, King Chulalongkorn, recommending English tutor Anna Leonowens to teach the royal family English. The fictionalised account of her story was made famous in the musical The King And I.<br /><br />And Tan Chay Yan, Tan Tock Seng's grandson by his youngest son Teck Guan, was the first rubber planter in Malaya. He donated generously to medical causes.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZvNfpNez40zRl5wOPyIX3SfpL5L4nGITwezvVXpuNxFOekEqQI4x5CJ7Uf5iTI3xbN08oU-eLRhufII2lLK7Be3I46IvAugo-gDVmWsrnt2PiuGzd1yL9zhx2idhU1JeqyId2-OS9hA/s1600/TTS2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZvNfpNez40zRl5wOPyIX3SfpL5L4nGITwezvVXpuNxFOekEqQI4x5CJ7Uf5iTI3xbN08oU-eLRhufII2lLK7Be3I46IvAugo-gDVmWsrnt2PiuGzd1yL9zhx2idhU1JeqyId2-OS9hA/s1600/TTS2.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Sixty-eight descendants from the Tan clan gathered for the unveiling of two plaques yesterday. -- ST PHOTO: LAU FOOK KONG</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Yesterday, two new plaques telling the stories of the two men were unveiled in streets named after them in Tiong Bahru.<br /><br />Tan Tock Seng had six children. His family genealogy now spans over eight generations.<br /><br />Descendants from the Tan clan joined Tanjong Pagar MP Indranee Rajah in unveiling the plaques. The plaques in Kim Cheng and Chay Yan streets would give residents a greater sense of heritage, said Ms Rajah, who is Senior Minister of State for Law and Education.<br /><br />"I am proud to have my ancestor's story on a street named after him," said Ms Sylvia Tan, 82, a housewife and Tan Chay Yan's granddaughter.<br /><br />The boards were produced by Seng Poh Residents' Committee, in consultation with the Tan clan.<br /><br />Clan members made several stops on a tour tracing their roots yesterday. The 68 descendants, part of a group of 200 that arrived in Singapore for a reunion dinner last Saturday, paid their respects at Tan Tock Seng's grave in Outram Road, and visited the Thai Embassy to commemorate relationships built by their ancestors.<br /></span><a href="mailto:kashc@sph.com.sg"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">kashc@sph.com.sg</span></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360583188844510356.post-15739828865510673982014-06-15T23:18:00.000+08:002014-06-16T23:20:58.531+08:00The Sunday Times : Earlybird hawkers<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Sunday Times</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">By Paige Lim<br />15th June 2014<br /><br /><strong><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Some hawkers do a brisk business in the wee hours, catching the night owls and early risers</span></strong></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGoXG5TK0_31ivUV0tkScxpnJO4J9mC4BM3EQHZcGaZtbyy2hCJxbwVgJDNoL5Wl1UGRf2-O6BebhJFxaPQ_7WkQoLvS1_yv9P7C85lOJgsPDukOeIbClYgQ0cm9UvlHcAQUOZc4pSOqI/s1600/early+bird+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGoXG5TK0_31ivUV0tkScxpnJO4J9mC4BM3EQHZcGaZtbyy2hCJxbwVgJDNoL5Wl1UGRf2-O6BebhJFxaPQ_7WkQoLvS1_yv9P7C85lOJgsPDukOeIbClYgQ0cm9UvlHcAQUOZc4pSOqI/s1600/early+bird+1.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stalls in Tiong Bahru Market And Food Centre which open early include Xi De Li (above), Teck Seng Soya Bean Drinks and Yuan Ji Fishball Noodle. -- PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI FOR THE STRAITS TIMES</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is 2am and on the streets, there are people staggering home after a night out in clubs and bars, and others who have just ended a late shift at work or are gearing up for an early shift.<br /><br />Most people are sound asleep but not hawker Loh Teck Seng, who is busy at his soya bean milk stall at Tiong Bahru Market And Food Centre.<br /><br />He is among a group of hawkers who open for business in the wee hours of the morning and then pack up in the early afternoon.<br /><br />Over a span of three days, SundayLife! visited 18 hawker stalls whose opening hours range from as early as 2am and close no later than 3pm. Most of them do brisk business before most of Singapore wakes up.<br /><br />Mr Loh, 60, says he cooks batches of soya bean milk at his stall, Teck Seng Soya Bean Drinks, from midnight to 5am.<br /><br />He says: "It can get extremely busy from 6.30am onwards, and if I start late, I cannot finish making my batches in time."<br /><br />As customer traffic is not as brisk before 6am, he can cook the soya bean milk and curd and sell them at the same time. He has been operating his stall from 2am to 2.30pm for more than 30 years.<br /><br />Hawkers interviewed say their customers are workers who have just ended late-night shifts or have early morning shifts. They include taxi drivers, police officers, 24-hour restaurant operators and wet market stallholders. Nightclub patrons also make up the pack.<br /><br />Among this mix of customers, the majority are regulars who have been patronising the stalls for years.<br /><br />Poultry seller Stanley Yow, 44, who opens his stall between 3am and 4am at Tiong Bahru market, buys breakfast from Teck Seng Soya Bean Drinks, fried dough stall Xi De Li or Yuan Ji Fishball Noodle, all of which open before 5am.<br /><br />He says: "It's good that these stores open early because where else can you find food so conveniently at this hour?"<br /><br />Some of the hawkers enjoy brisk business during these early hours.<br /><br />One of them is Mr Teo Chai Kim, 53, who runs a porridge and noodle stall in a coffee shop in Bukit Panjang. It opens at 2am.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTmmQHgxuPt6tPr-TQgaJFfApTGWY_iN4H7TuxFKzY9Kw1lw924Mp1dBlI1QpssFTLi2XHUgFRDccFyypgZuTKiz-U5LnA3N4bKfMjmgHd-aBzwf9AQwJhA14eo5lVF2Ux-vlykqlmMDw/s1600/early+bird+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTmmQHgxuPt6tPr-TQgaJFfApTGWY_iN4H7TuxFKzY9Kw1lw924Mp1dBlI1QpssFTLi2XHUgFRDccFyypgZuTKiz-U5LnA3N4bKfMjmgHd-aBzwf9AQwJhA14eo5lVF2Ux-vlykqlmMDw/s1600/early+bird+2.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The stall’s most popular dish is Koka instant noodles cooked in a pork broth (above). -- PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He sells the Koka brand of instant noodles cooked in pork broth and customers can add ingredients such as pork slices, minced pork, eggs and seafood such as prawns.<br /><br />It is a hit with youngsters and the hawker says he sells more than 50 bowls between 2 and 3am.<br /><br />When SundayLife! visited the coffee shop at 2.30am, there were about 15 people, ranging from teenagers to young adults, devouring the noodles. His stall had a regular stream of customers.<br /><br />Student Ho Zhong Yu, 19, who was there at 3am and lives nearby, says he goes there to eat when he has to stay up late to complete assignments.<br /><br />Student Kasey Lim, 22, who goes there once or twice a week in the wee hours for supper, says: "His noodles taste better than the normal instant noodles you cook at home. I come here because it's the only stall I know of that is open at this time."<br /><br />Others hawkers have changed their hours to meet the increasing number of early risers.<br /><br />Mr He Mei Fai, 43, whose stall, Pin Xiang Noodles, in Toa Payoh has been around for over 20 years, says his operating hours used to be from 6am to 2pm and 5pm to 11pm, but are now from 4.30am to 11am.<br /><br />He decided to open earlier after having to turn away customers who would often show up before 6am.<br /><br />On good days, he can sell between 20 and 30 plates of wanton noodles from 4.30am to 5.30am and says he no longer operates at night because his daily target can usually be met from just opening in the morning.<br /><br />At the market and food centre at Block 112, Jalan Bukit Merah, seven stalls out of 22 are open for business by 5am.<br /><br />Two of them, Jit Man Prawn Noodle And Lor Mee and a no-signboard stall which sells minced pork and fishball noodles, start at 3.30am daily without fail.<br /><br />Ms Serene Teo, 50, who owns Jit Man Prawn Noodle And Lor Mee, says it is common for stalls at the food centre to open very early because of the poor afternoon crowd.<br /><br />"It gets really quiet here from about 1pm and traffic slows down, so we usually close then and depend on our morning sales."<br /><br />Though she gets only about three to five customers at 4am, business picks up at around 6am.<br /><br />School cleaner Hui Yew Hoo, 70, whose morning shift starts at 6.30am, says: "I come here at 4.30am to buy prawn mee to take away for breakfast as I don't like to queue and fight with a crowd later on."<br /><br />Taxi driver Yeo San Teck, 55, adds that he usually drives to Redhill Porridge at Redhill Food Centre to eat after his night shift ends at 4am.<br /><br />"Many taxi drivers frequent these haunts in coffee shops and hawker centres over 24-hour fast food places or restaurants because the food is much cheaper and tastes good."<br /><br />The queue at the stall when SundayLife! visited at 5.30am last Wednesday was testament to its overwhelming popularity.<br /><br />The stall owner wanted to be known as just Mr Han and would only say that his stall, which opens at 5.15am, does not need any more publicity as he is unable to cope with the current demand. He sells out before 8.30am every day.<br /><br />Having to wake up at the witching hour to prepare their ingredients does not deter these hawkers, who say they are used to it after years of operation.<br /><br />Madam Ngern Kah Cheng, 65, of Tanglin Halt Delicious Duck Noodles, says she has been getting up at 1am every day to prepare for her stall's 4am opening since 1969, when she started the business.<br /><br />Closing in the early afternoon has its advantages, as hawkers say they can go home earlier to rest and have more time to prepare for the next day.<br /><br />Mr He of Pin Xiang Noodles says going home earlier allows him to spend more time with his children and cook them dinner. He has a daughter, 19, and a son, 16.<br /><br />Housewife Lee Cheng Toh, 54, says: "I always knew there were places that opened late but never knew there were ones that opened so early."</span><a href="mailto:paigelim@sph.com.sg"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">paigelim@sph.com.sg</span></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="color: red;">HAWKER FOOD FROM 2AM</span></strong><br /><br /><span style="color: red;"><strong>FROM 2AM</strong></span><br /><br /><strong><span style="color: blue;">Teck Seng Soya Bean Drinks</span></strong><br /><br /><span style="color: orange;"><strong>Tiong Bahru Market And Food Centre</strong></span>, 30 Seng Poh Road, 02-69Open: 2am to 2.30pm, closed on Monday<br /><br />What: Soya bean milk and beancurd made from scratch in batches from midnight to 5am. The first batch is ready for sale by 2am.<br /><br />Price: From <span id="goog_1193824970"></span>.80 for a cup of soya bean milk and from <span id="goog_1193824970"></span>.90 for a bowl of beancurd<br /><br /><span style="color: blue;"><strong>Hai Xian Zhu Zhou</strong></span><br /><br /> Block 163 Bukit Panjang Coffee Shop, 163A Gangsa Road<br /><br />Open: 2am to 2.30pm, closed on Thursday<br /><br />What: The stall's most popular dish is Koka instant noodles cooked in a pork broth. Customers can add ingredients such as lean pork slices, minced pork, eggs and seafood such as prawns. The stall also sells porridge with sliced fish, pork and seafood. Other dishes include mee sua, ee-meen and mee hoon kueh.<br /><br />Price: From $2.50 for a bowl of Koka noodles, depending on ingredients added, $3 for Koka noodles with seafood and spicy Koka noodles, from $2.50 for a bowl of porridge<br /><br /><span style="color: red;"><strong>FROM 3AM</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="color: blue;"><strong>Jit Man Prawn Noodle & Lor Mee</strong></span><br /><br />Jalan Bukit Merah Block 112 Market And Food Centre, 112 Jalan Bukit Merah, 01-16<br /><br />Open: 3.30am to 12pm daily<br /><br />What: Stallholder Serene Teo's father ran this stall for 50 years before she took over 20 years ago. It serves prawn noodles, laksa, lor mee and sliced fish soup. Saturdays are the busiest day of the week and Madam Teo says she can sell up to 50 bowls of noodles between 3.30am and 6am.<br /><br />Price: $2.50 or $3 for a bowl of prawn mee, laksa or lor mee; $4, $5 or $6 for a bowl of sliced fish soup<br /><br /><strong><span style="color: red;">FROM 4AM</span></strong><br /><br /><span style="color: blue;"><strong>Tanglin Halt Delicious Duck Noodles</strong></span><br /><br />Tanglin Halt Market and Food Centre, 48A Tanglin Halt Road, stall no. 23<br /><br />Open: 4am to 2pm daily, closed on Monday and Friday<br /><br />What: This stall has been around since 1969 and sells braised duck noodles and duck drumstick noodles, among other dishes. Add-ons include duck tongue, duck feet, gizzard and beancurd.<br /><br />Price: From $3 for braised duck noodles, $6 for duck drumstick noodles, from 50 cents for add-ons<br /><br /><strong><span style="color: blue;">Tanglin Halt Original Peanut Pancake</span></strong><br /><br />Tanglin Halt Market and Food Centre, 48A Tanglin Halt Road, stall no. 16<br /><br />Open: 4.30am to 11am daily, closed on Monday, Wednesday and Friday<br /><br />What: This popular, 25-year-old stall sells traditional peanut pancakes. Customers can also buy pancakes filled with red bean paste, yam paste, pandan-flavoured green bean, salted bean paste and black sesame paste. It has regular customers who have been patronising the stall for 10 to 20 years. About 80 per cent of its sales are made before 9am.<br /><br />Price: From 80 cents<br /><br /><strong><span style="color: blue;">Pin Xiang Noodles</span></strong><br /><br />Block 93 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh, 01-46<br /><br />Open: 4.30am to 11am, closed on Monday<br /><br />What: This popular stall sells wonton noodles, wonton soup, mushroom-chicken feet noodles, mushroom and shredded chicken hor fun and dumpling noodles. The stall used to operate from 6am to 2pm and 5 to 11pm about five years ago, but opening earlier has proven lucrative for the owner.<br /><br />Price: $3 for noodles, from 50 cents for add-ons<br /><br /><strong><span style="color: blue;">Yuan Ji Fishball Noodle</span></strong></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxea8TWxBz-4bC0Iln8pCgrDGGzRxmYe4hwsOHxCE-piREcGKMEJ2Qq8Yaz5kE74dwaBKX5R7iQJFlshx2aT6yg1BuMcSkNPlEx66YXigV4Yw8LSEqfD84eesWXty_esOKDA2WeB4Ms8/s1600/early+bird+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxea8TWxBz-4bC0Iln8pCgrDGGzRxmYe4hwsOHxCE-piREcGKMEJ2Qq8Yaz5kE74dwaBKX5R7iQJFlshx2aT6yg1BuMcSkNPlEx66YXigV4Yw8LSEqfD84eesWXty_esOKDA2WeB4Ms8/s1600/early+bird+3.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">All the action happens before 11am at this stall (above), which sells fishball noodles and mushroom minced pork noodles -- PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI FOR THE STRAITS TIMES</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;"><strong>Tiong Bahru Market And Food Centre</strong></span>, 30 Seng Poh Road, 02-72<br /><br />Open: 4.30am to 1pm, closed on Monday<br /><br />What: All the action happens before 11am at this stall, which sells fishball noodles and mushroom minced pork noodles. About 10 regular customers would come at about 4am to get their fix.<br /><br />Price: $2.50 and $3<br /><br /><strong><span style="color: red;">FROM 5AM</span></strong><br /><br /><span style="color: blue;"><strong>Qing Zhai Vegetarian Food</strong></span><br /><br />Block 216 Market And Food Centre, Bedok North Street 1, 01-08<br /><br />Open: 5.30am to 1pm, closed on Monday<br /><br />What: A queue forms the minute the stall opens at 5.30am. The stall offers a wide variety of vegetarian food, such as beehoon, fried noodles, kuay teow, to which mock meats and deep fried items can be added.<br /><br />Price: From $1 for beehoon, fried mee and kuay teow, accompaniments from 70 cents for vegetable dishes, from 80 cents for mock meats and from 50 cents for deep-fried items</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360583188844510356.post-90512015062839948762014-06-10T10:23:00.000+08:002014-06-10T10:23:55.167+08:00URA Master Plan 2014 (Tiong Bahru)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRGnCIr8AHZykEOQ_2IAKz0DscIi6ke5Sk6pTA7OU2B_To3f95qfiwGbp6G9zNdqHJeYil7YvH-18blnTWAIiRyYD470Hp4HxBTmPAZhtAecssycIa5oyN6dLT5Krcwk13e5VkQ5dDfnY/s1600/URA+Mater+Plan+2014+Blog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRGnCIr8AHZykEOQ_2IAKz0DscIi6ke5Sk6pTA7OU2B_To3f95qfiwGbp6G9zNdqHJeYil7YvH-18blnTWAIiRyYD470Hp4HxBTmPAZhtAecssycIa5oyN6dLT5Krcwk13e5VkQ5dDfnY/s1600/URA+Mater+Plan+2014+Blog.JPG" height="418" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(1) Seems that Block 1 Tiong Bahru Road will be demolished as it has been scrubbed out of the Master Plan.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">(2) Just realised that our quaint Post Office is actually sitting on commercial space. Which means it can be turned into something else.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">With some much competition for commercial space in this estate, it doesn't take a bright spark to suggest an alternative location for the post office.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">(Please don't make us go to Bukit Merah Central to pick up our parcels hor)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">(3) Tiong Bahru Market is actually sitting on residential & commercial land! With a Plot Ratio of 2.8 (meaning 36 storeys building can sprout up here), someone is gonna say INTEGRATED buildings is the way to go!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Am sure this will happen if they ever en-bloc the post war side.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It would be convenient to entice a developer with this proposal.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">(4) Okay okay..... our park is still a park. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Currently a showflat and some eye sores are PARKED there. Yeah, it is still a Park nonetheless.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">(5) Ground floor owners at Block 55 Tiong Bahru Road can now point to this and say their RESIDENTIAL home could be turned into a commercial property coz URA say one.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">By the way, someone at URA forgot to PINK CODE Hua Bee and Flock at Block 78 Moh Guan Terrace. (To err is human, we understand, no worries)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And with this chart, we now know where the commercial properties should be located and where the clandestine ones are operating out from. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Its okay, allowed or clandestine, we QUIETLY love them all don't we. :-)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360583188844510356.post-87557293054249641722014-06-09T10:08:00.000+08:002014-06-09T10:08:08.383+08:00The Straits Times : Grave sparks quest to dig up ancestral connections<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Straits Times</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">By Melody Zaccheus</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;">9th June 2014</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">Seah Eu Chin's descendant also seeks to save tomb from wrecking ball</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;"></span></strong><br /><span style="color: orange;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ1xOeGOCft5j8WJx_IHfB32ymKQA1RC71YcjS0JBlVcrAsaXHsfB7IPYROSKPlrPBySPgKZPW9-XVQNNNrvBZpHS7FYw0Cvpf196S9ggciqd8qX5DSXaB8VOUq1vnoj-I_HJXIbjE6No/s1600/Eu+Chin+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: orange;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ1xOeGOCft5j8WJx_IHfB32ymKQA1RC71YcjS0JBlVcrAsaXHsfB7IPYROSKPlrPBySPgKZPW9-XVQNNNrvBZpHS7FYw0Cvpf196S9ggciqd8qX5DSXaB8VOUq1vnoj-I_HJXIbjE6No/s1600/Eu+Chin+3.JPG" height="400" width="271" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Inscriptions on his father's urn led Mr Sean Seah (above) to the villa built by his ancestor Seah Eu Chin in Yuepu village in Shantou, China (Below). Mr Seah has filmed a video documenting his visit to the villa. -- PHOTOS: COURTESY OF SEAN SEAH; LIM SIN THAI</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="color: orange;"></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3V1xh8jCjT_OFVz8JyDqpluse1YDm0a9dSgoh7GcOoed3_gCrA8x7NSHXGUSKyWZaUYTpw6AJsg9bLU_fe3d6XZNtnNpbi7n9WNhM2ldpmssYpUfG99MMhdtYibV1ipBn9pc0PUg5DfA/s1600/Eu+Chin+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3V1xh8jCjT_OFVz8JyDqpluse1YDm0a9dSgoh7GcOoed3_gCrA8x7NSHXGUSKyWZaUYTpw6AJsg9bLU_fe3d6XZNtnNpbi7n9WNhM2ldpmssYpUfG99MMhdtYibV1ipBn9pc0PUg5DfA/s1600/Eu+Chin+4.JPG" height="400" width="282" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">SOMBRE photos of Singaporean pioneer Seah Eu Chin used to hang on the walls of Mr Sean Seah’s family home.<br /><br />Then there are the roads, such as Eu Chin Street in Tiong Bahru and Seah Street in the city.<br /><br />But as a young boy, Sean had little inkling about just how influential his famous ancestor was.<br /><br />The late Seah, for instance, was known as the “King of Gambier”, having built his fortune as the owner of gambier plantations in areas like Thomson. He was also one of the founders of the Ngee Ann Kongsi, a Teochew clan association that was set up in 1845.<br /><br />It was only two years ago, however, when the younger Seah saw the large and newly discovered grave of his ancestor for the first time, that everything clicked.<br /><br />Now, he is hoping to save the grave in Toa Payoh West, which is at risk of redevelopment due to its proximity to the upcoming North-South Expressway.<br /><br />He approached the National Heritage Board last month and plans to put together a petition signed by descendants of Seah Eu Chin’s four sons to preserve the grave, which sits on land where the late Seah grew pepper and gambier.<br /><br />Said Mr Seah, 38, a business development manager at a multinational corporation and a sixth generation Seah: “I felt a connection to him after seeing something so large and tangible.<br /><br />“The grave is a living testament of his life and success, and very different from just reading off a list of his accolades or hearing stories from my grandfather about his achievements. For the first time, I felt that my lineage was truly special,” he said.<br /><br />His visit to the grave alongside 40 other family members prompted Mr Seah to embark on a journey to rediscover his lineage.<br /><br />Now, he is one of the more active Seahs on a mission to rediscover his roots and champion his family’s heritage.<br /><br />For instance, Mr Seah spends most of his time outside of work combing through archives, looking for distant relatives and filming videos documenting his quest.<br /><br />The grave where his ancestor was buried with his two wives in 1883 was discovered in 2012 by tombstone hunters, brothers Raymond and Charles Goh.<br /><br />For decades, the Seah family, of which there are about 500 members scattered across the globe, had not known its location.<br /><br />“I hope the Government can help us keep the grave so that we can show future generations a physical marker of their heritage,” said Mr Seah, who has two sons aged one and four.<br /><br />Mr Charles Goh, 46, who took a year to hunt down the grave, agreed. “It is a rare find and a rare tomb of someone so illustrious. We should conserve what we can, especially at a time when we are looking back at our roots and hoping to better tell the Singapore story.”<br /><br />Last month, Mr Seah also discovered that his ancestor had built a grand villa in Yuepu village in Shantou, China.<br /><br />He found it after doing some research on the inscriptions on his father’s urn, with some help from the Seah clan in Singapore.<br /><br />He filmed a video of his experience visiting the site – as the first descendant to return after 191 years – to share with other Seahs.<br /><br />The villa, located within a 300 sq m compound – about the size of three five-room flats – even housed a school once.<br /><br />Mr Seah said: “It showed that he had his hometown and family in mind even after achieving success in Singapore.”<br /><br />He added that he was inspired by his ancestor’s tenacity and said he has plans to conduct heritage tours to Yuepu.<br /><br />“I learnt about him during history lessons in school but questions still lingered, like why he had taken the treacherous two-month-long journey in 1823 to Singapore from China,” said Mr Seah. The trip helped answer some of these questions, he said. “I learnt that he was a fighter... someone who was willing to take risks for opportunities.”<br /><br />Although he did not inherit any of his ancestor’s material possessions, Mr Seah feels that he inherited priceless values and traits. His desire to trace his genealogy and lineage stems from a belief that there is more to life than just chasing material success.<br /><br />He said: “A person without knowledge of his roots is missing a part of his soul. Life starts as an empty page and it’s up to us to decide how to paint the colours of each page and chapter.”<br /><br />There is also the joy of finding other members of the Seah clan. Family ties are easily verified by checking generation names – a Chinese practice where family members from the same generation use the same characters for their middle names. This was how he met his cousin, chef Elton Seah, 38,three years ago while doing national service in-camp training.<br /><br />Then there is the thrill of saying that it is his grandfather’s road whenever he drives or walks by any of the four streets named after Seah Eu Chin and his two sons Peck Seah and Liang Seah.<br /><br />Said Mr Seah: “I feel very proud to have come from his line. I hope our family can continue to produce good people who will contribute to society just like he did.”<br /></span><a href="mailto:melodyz@sph.com.sg"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">melodyz@sph.com.sg</span></a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
_____________________________________________</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>BACKGROUND STORY</strong></span></div>
<div align="left" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Singapore's 'King of Gambier' SEAH Eu Chin (1805-1883), who came to Singapore in 1823, started work here as an accountant and a clerk on trading ships. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Later, he began working as a middleman, supplying ships with goods. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Over time, his fortune grew and he bought huge parcels of land for gambier and pepper plantations. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At one point, he owned plantations that stretched from River Valley Road to Bukit Timah. Seah, who received an education in Chinese classics back home, was well respected by both the Chinese and European communities for his business acumen. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He is known for his role in founding Teochew association Ngee Ann Kongsi. He was also one of the few Chinese here to become a member of the Singapore Chamber of Commerce, a largely European-dominated body. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">Descendants can join the Facebook group Seah Eu Chin Descendants. Seah's journey to Yuepu can be viewed at </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGrP7x5-j78"><span style="color: red;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGrP7x5-j78</span></a> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>NATIONAL LIBRARY BOARD, MELODY ZACCHEUS</strong></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360583188844510356.post-89210618329036410332014-04-27T09:00:00.000+08:002014-04-27T09:00:47.744+08:00The Sunday Times : Tiong Bahru roast meat shop to close<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Sunday Times</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Lifestyle</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;">By Kezia Toh</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;">27th April 2014</span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">Eatery is latest casualty in rapidly gentrifying neighbourhood</span></strong><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQLw-kZSSyvYk61ktKkHVjcv_e9slK0mkP5MP-3BSlD9iUNclvIoQRh-xTKleTe74iFSDLFpQJVIQFab02WCJbs0fUMykPRhL8NHyuspdmdG_5R1Rm92Btme0luQX3_vCPFNLemY9oFY/s1600/Sunday+Times+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQLw-kZSSyvYk61ktKkHVjcv_e9slK0mkP5MP-3BSlD9iUNclvIoQRh-xTKleTe74iFSDLFpQJVIQFab02WCJbs0fUMykPRhL8NHyuspdmdG_5R1Rm92Btme0luQX3_vCPFNLemY9oFY/s1600/Sunday+Times+1.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Roast meat eatery owner Yip Kwok Ching is moving out after his landlord upped the rental for the shop unit from $8,000 to $12,000 a month -- ST PHOTO: SEAH KWANG PENG</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Popular Tiong Bahru roast meat eatery, Hong Kong Jin Tian, will shut its doors after this weekend - in the continuing exodus of old-timers from the now hipster estate.<br /><br />The eatery's owners, a couple who moved from Hong Kong to Singapore in 1986, say they are moving after the landlord upped the rent for the 1,100 sq ft to 1,200 sq ft shop in Eng Hoon Street from about $8,000 to $12,000 a month.<br /><br />Owner Yip Kwok Ching, 62, says he is still hunting for another location to continue his business. The nearby Redhill market is one possibility.<br /><br />His wife, who wanted to be known only as Mrs Yip, says: "Of course, we are not happy about leaving because we have been here for many years."<br /><br />The couple started their eatery at a Tiong Bahru market stall in 2000 before moving it to the coffee shop five years later. It has been there since.<br /><br />Mrs Yip, 56, says: "Newcomers don't know the going rate for the place and spoil the market for us. It affects traditional food such as ours."<br /><br />Jacking up prices will not help pay the rent, she adds. Jin Tian charges $3 for a plate of roast meat with rice. Add 20 cents to the cost and customers will not come, she says. "It's very strange because customers are willing to pay $6 for a slice of cake across the road," says Mrs Yip, gesturing to the nearby Tiong Bahru Bakery.<br /><br />Jin Tian's is, by now, a familiar story in the now popular retro enclave with its pre- and post-war flats.<br /><br />Housewife Ang Soo Leong, a longtime resident, hopes another hipster joint is not sprouting up in its place.<br /><br />Mrs Ang, 84, moved to the area after she was displaced during the Bukit Ho Swee fire in 1961. She says in Mandarin: "It is a pity that the old businesses are gone because they hold a slice of history. The new places charge such high prices, I dare not step inside."<br /><br />The influx of new ventures began around 2010 when artisanal coffee joint 40 Hands opened in Yong Siak Street. Since then, chic boutiques, cafes and bookstores have sprouted.<br /><br />Long-time business owners in the area are receiving sizeable offers.<br /><br />Mr Rodney Goh, 59, of provision shop Pin Pin Piau Kay & Co in Seng Poh Road, says he gets offers to rent or buy his 1,500 sq ft space "every other day". Offers go as high as $2 million to buy or about $10,000 a month to rent.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzDev6_qTTRpEKknlTlZd2l3zPKfsS6gX0XC9dMyj4TZNveGoFLIvG27H_U9Ccs5WsdF7cL0g1rIJznH1BhgE06-IC5jK_U64QgviHowtpE8Wm7aCCKHRPuiJe3Wqzm3GWJ_lJ9TbdWeg/s1600/Sunday+Times+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzDev6_qTTRpEKknlTlZd2l3zPKfsS6gX0XC9dMyj4TZNveGoFLIvG27H_U9Ccs5WsdF7cL0g1rIJznH1BhgE06-IC5jK_U64QgviHowtpE8Wm7aCCKHRPuiJe3Wqzm3GWJ_lJ9TbdWeg/s1600/Sunday+Times+2.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Hardware shop-owner Michael Chan (above) and provision shop-owner Rodney Goh (below) say they have been offered up to $2 million to sell their space or $10,000 in monthly rent. -- ST PHOTO: SEAH KWANG PENG</span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbOLIkrs3HH1nvcwV_dpf6gyf7KSoC7-AioBFh6b97vCJ-Hj0Q90k-PMsM0dZ6sd0xbaIQiCxqNxDdAjVC-TkuPoI7Q0HBZ0Vaixi0CPDgiXZro0R6YDBIBrIz8rWE5TJb0og32uht6v0/s1600/Sunday+Times+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbOLIkrs3HH1nvcwV_dpf6gyf7KSoC7-AioBFh6b97vCJ-Hj0Q90k-PMsM0dZ6sd0xbaIQiCxqNxDdAjVC-TkuPoI7Q0HBZ0Vaixi0CPDgiXZro0R6YDBIBrIz8rWE5TJb0og32uht6v0/s1600/Sunday+Times+3.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Mr Michael Chan, 66, who owns hardware shop Hock Eng Hin in Seng Poh Road, says he has received six serious requests to buy or rent his 1,300 sq ft space in the past two years, with offers reaching up to $1 million.<br /><br />Mr Cheng Mook Boon, 65, who owns Cheng Delicacies, a 24-year-old Hainanese homestyle food coffee shop in Yong Siak Street, says he gets offers of between $6 million and $12 million for his 1,800 sq ft space.<br /><br />The grapple for space seems fierce but there may be a sign of the market cooling down. The light purple doors of the coffee shop located opposite Jin Tian have been shuttered since January.<br /><br />A previous tenant, Mr Loo Kia Chee, 55, who had been running his Hainanese curry rice stall since 1990 in the neighbourhood, says he left when the landlords asked him to rent the entire coffee shop for $20,000, up from $3,200 for a stall. He decided to move down the road, renting a stall for $3,000, while another tenant, a Teochew braised duck stall owner, has moved to Ubi.<br /><br />Mr Loo says: "The coffee shop needs renovation. Taps are rusty and ventilation is poor, which would easily set me back by $10,000 to $20,000."<br /><br />It has been nearly three months since the coffee shop closed and there is a "problem looking for tenants", says senior marketing director Jane Lee, in her late 30s, of property firm ERA Realty Network, who is marketing the space. The landlord wants a 50 per cent rise in rent, she says, jacking up the price to more than $20,000. The landlord declined to speak to SundayLife!.<br /><br />Regular foot traffic in Tiong Bahru, unlike Housing Board estates such as Ang Mo Kio or Clementi, is also slower.<br /><br />Ms Lee says: "It can be a dead town on weekdays. When the asking price is so high, it is difficult to find tenants."<br /><br />This could be a signal of the softening of demand in the heated Tiong Bahru market. But it is more likely that the asking rent is "too high", says Associate Professor Sing Tien Foo of the National University of Singapore's department of real estate.<br /><br />"The landlord might have made the call based on a high offer from someone before the current lease expired, but potential business owners may find the high rent is not sustainable," he says.<br /><br />Older businesses in the neighbourhood may be taking a hammering in terms of rent and takings, but old-time stalwarts are unfazed.<br /><br />Pin Pin Piau Kay provision shop's Mr Goh says residents still go to him for necessities such as rice and toilet rolls.<br /><br />And Mr Chan of Hock Eng Hin has moved with the times, displaying vintage crockery outside his 21-year-old shop. "Very popular with young people these days", he says. He also stocks home-fix tools to cater to new expatriate residents who prefer to do up their homes themselves and go to Tiong Bahru to look for tools.<br /><br />It would be interesting to see how the neighbourhood transforms when these old businesses fade away, says Assistant Professor Walter Edgar Theseira of the division of economics at Nanyang Technological University.<br /><br />He says: "The charm of Tiong Bahru comes from the mix of old and new, so would people still value the area when the old businesses disappear?"<br /></span><a href="mailto:keziatoh@sph.com.sg"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">keziatoh@sph.com.sg</span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What do you think of the gentrifying Tiong Bahru enclave? Write to suntimes@sph.com.sg</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360583188844510356.post-56004442567869846702014-04-25T11:17:00.000+08:002014-04-25T11:17:40.105+08:00The Straits Times : Serenading Tiong Bahru<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Straits Times<br />Life! Section <br />By Amanda See<br />25th April 2014 </span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">Eight artists have written original songs and poems to celebrate the enclave and will perform there at this year's Musicity</span></strong><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCge3tpW7d5RN8pagLgMVHTrTLvydveneaPvx9XMabQJIrXQp5G3K-6Rkcl-JRRCsL9K1C6FFgSM4BQ6C1p_qLcfkDf_rnLFVnyXo0eX6ABGNmpkdQct57XYcWgeQr_VwZBMTJ7Ij3vl4/s1600/ST_20140425_NKMUS_262768e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCge3tpW7d5RN8pagLgMVHTrTLvydveneaPvx9XMabQJIrXQp5G3K-6Rkcl-JRRCsL9K1C6FFgSM4BQ6C1p_qLcfkDf_rnLFVnyXo0eX6ABGNmpkdQct57XYcWgeQr_VwZBMTJ7Ij3vl4/s1600/ST_20140425_NKMUS_262768e.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Poet Jennifer Anne Champion (second from left) and singer-songwriter Marcel Lee Pereira (far right) with members of Monster Cat (from left) Meta Cat, drummer; Psycho Cat, guitarist; and Hentai Cat, singer; at Bincho, a Japanese yakitori bar in Tiong Bahru, where they will be performing. -- ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<!--start of story text--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While doing research for her poem based on the air raid shelter in Tiong Bahru, home-grown poet Jennifer Champion discovered a nugget of family history - her step-aunt was born in the shelter at 78 Moh Guan Terrace on the same day the step-aunt's father died in the bombings during World War II in 1942.<br /><br />Champion, 26, is one of the eight artists taking part in Musicity Singapore 2014, which opens tonight at Tiong Bahru. It will feature a panel discussion and shows by home-grown band Seyra, Champion and another Singapore poet Marc Nair.<br /><br />This is the second edition of the global music programme, which debuted here in 2012. Founded in London in 2011, it celebrates a city's music and urban design through music and architecture. The event has been held in cities such as Oslo and Tokyo.<br /><br />Recalling how she stumbled upon the family connection while watching a Channel 5 news segment on the air-raid shelter on YouTube, Champion says: "I didn't recognise my step-aunt from the video because we hardly meet and I know her only by her nickname. My dad told me we were related."<br /><br />She adds: "Finding out something like this gives a personal connection to the place. Before that, I was writing the poem, Let It Shine, as a member of the public. Knowing that there was family involved gave me a certain responsibility to convey the story sensitively."<br /><br />While the first edition of Musicity Singapore was held in places such as the ArtScience Museum and Gardens by the Bay, the artists will perform in various locations around Tiong Bahru this year.<br /><br />Ms Carolyn Oei, festival director and organiser of Musicity Singapore 2014, says: "Tiong Bahru as a festival location fits perfectly with the overall objective of Musicity. Tiong Bahru is rich in heritage and stories and, at the same time, is so contemporary."<br /><br />The event challenges the idea of performance by selecting, she says, "atypical spaces while still retaining the essence of experiencing a show".<br /><br />She adds: "The intimate and interesting venues invite the audience to go closer to the performers and take in both words and music at a deeper level."<br /><br />The eight artists have written 12 original music and poetry tracks based on different locations in Tiong Bahru. These tracks can be streamed through a mobile app when the user is at the site the tracks are tagged to. Ms Oei says this is to encourage people to enjoy the spaces the city has to offer.<br /><br />Besides connecting with her step-aunt, who is her father's step-cousin, Champion also made another surprise discovery while working on Musicity. She is related to fellow artist Marcel Lee Pereira, whose grandmother married Champion's granduncle after her husband died.<br /><br />Champion and Pereira will perform on May 9 at Bincho, a modern Japanese yakitori open-concept bar in Moh Guan Terrace.<br /><br />The track that Pereira has composed for the event, titled The Place Where We Met, is based on the Tiong Bahru Market and Food Centre in Seng Poh Road. The song tells a love story in which a woman looks out to the sea every day as she awaits her lover's return.<br /><br />Pereira, 33, a singer-songwriter who is also a sub-editor with The Straits Times' digital team, says: "I found out from my research that businessmen used to house their mistress in the flats in Tiong Bahru. It was likely that some of them would have been forgotten over the years, as a businessman would have to travel.<br /><br />"I didn't want to write a song just about the food and vegetables in the market. I wanted to bring a human element to it, so I imagined who would be there at the market."<br /><br />He will also perform in a fringe activity on May 4 with a busker who visits the food centre in his wheelchair on weekends singing Hokkien and Mandarin ballads.<br /><br />Also performing with Champion at Bincho on May 2 are Monster Cat. The three-man band composed a track, The Rich Dream, for the event. The song was inspired by Qi Tian Gong Temple in Eng Hoon Street, which is dedicated to the monkey god.<br /><br />The band's 28-year-old singer and co-songwriter, who goes by the name Hentai Cat, says: "This was a very interesting way to approach creation. I think all art is dependent on circumstances and location. It's surprising to me sometimes how much our songs are about Singapore and living here," he says.<br /><br />Tiong Bahru resident Jane Teo welcomes the event. The 21-year old student says: "My neighbourhood would be more lively and I get to see these performances up close."<br /></span><a href="mailto:seemanda@sph.com.sg"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">seemanda@sph.com.sg</span></a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
__________________________________________</div>
<div align="left" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="color: #666666; font-size: large;">WHAT TO WATCH AT MUSICITY SINGAPORE 2014</span></strong><br /><br />Musicity Singapore 2014 will present 10 ticketed performances, including today's opening night hosted by presenting sponsor Keppel Land. The other shows pair a singer or band with a poet.<br /><br />All the show venues, except for TBB Tiong Bahru Bar, do not usually host live performances.<br /><br />Who: A panel discussion on the topic of sonic architecture, as well as performances by home-grown band Seyra and poets Marc Nair and Jennifer Champion.<br /><br />Where: 1 Kim Tian Road<br /><br />When: Today, 7.30 to 10pm<br /><br />Admission: $40 (sales have ended)<br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ub_WcaqpKJ4KeOEOZKh0m-CRMT1htV-TYNk7n5BOOlw0-QPcML2Qv6NPaXJhCXNVALKMTzAw7FbC8ehLXqjk2VwU0fHZ7EZ_IeABpzRife7DLiNgxpfIVjCnrJttPj6MG8ndhI9mQM8/s1600/ST_20140425_NKMU4_263111e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ub_WcaqpKJ4KeOEOZKh0m-CRMT1htV-TYNk7n5BOOlw0-QPcML2Qv6NPaXJhCXNVALKMTzAw7FbC8ehLXqjk2VwU0fHZ7EZ_IeABpzRife7DLiNgxpfIVjCnrJttPj6MG8ndhI9mQM8/s1600/ST_20140425_NKMU4_263111e.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Marc Nair</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Who: Marcel Lee Pereira and Marc Nair<br /><br />Where: The French Bookshop, 55 Tiong Bahru Road<br /><br />When: Tomorrow, 7.30 to 8.30pm<br /><br />Admission: $20</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisScHasHIt6Lw7YmfNoRgnLQBV3OaJhTi4UZVNVopyN5pP4PrNVfkSzxotst_6vBDdQWk40DgxxagRDcUNQwYShcSW7lcOUH90i_dE2IeJOv-wAbp82Sqjev_bhlKEXu7HqTB94ZxQ6xk/s1600/ST_20140425_NKMU7_263140e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisScHasHIt6Lw7YmfNoRgnLQBV3OaJhTi4UZVNVopyN5pP4PrNVfkSzxotst_6vBDdQWk40DgxxagRDcUNQwYShcSW7lcOUH90i_dE2IeJOv-wAbp82Sqjev_bhlKEXu7HqTB94ZxQ6xk/s1600/ST_20140425_NKMU7_263140e.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Home-grown indie-folk music group Seyra (above) and poets Gideon + Allee, comprising Gideon Goh and Allee Koh. <span>-- PHOTO: MARC NAIR</span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Who: Seyra and Nabilah Husna<br /><br />Where: The Fab Lab (73 Eng Watt Street at 8.45pm)<br /><br />When: Tomorrow, 9 to 10pm<br /><br />Admission: $25</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Who: Monster Cat and Jennifer Champion<br /><br />Where: Bincho, 78 Moh Guan Terrace<br /><br />When: May 2, 6.30 to 7.30pm<br /><br />Admission: $30</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmsloTD-QrbZYMp3urAO_tnyL_eL7Xm_EorcUtieVOH4Rr9i0SVRq-Ui55nE3jPiC6xGOVp97sLbnpLy46PrMBQ8LTY0MC-DG0FwKFZdJ6PtUAi7QQOQ7_FMlQ9I7CX4SilCPRJHAms4M/s1600/ST_20140425_NKMU6_263124e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmsloTD-QrbZYMp3urAO_tnyL_eL7Xm_EorcUtieVOH4Rr9i0SVRq-Ui55nE3jPiC6xGOVp97sLbnpLy46PrMBQ8LTY0MC-DG0FwKFZdJ6PtUAi7QQOQ7_FMlQ9I7CX4SilCPRJHAms4M/s1600/ST_20140425_NKMU6_263124e.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Home-grown indie band The Sam Willows will also be performing. -- PHOTO: MARC NAIR</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Who: The Sam Willows and Gideon + Allee<br /><br />Where: Tiong Bahru Community Centre Music Room 2, 67A Eu Chin Street<br /><br />When: May 2, 6.30 to 7.30pm<br /><br />Admission: $20</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihS2G9LGcLot3npymjJSB_P1IXNrycenWnXMu2L9fQsN5bVAImItMo8bgSyebJk4srM9FIDyISNbwNF1IXvEThDxL-2atwuxy5Q4Nt0nrYXco52u1IWP14dxg7pCd4bEQqnxOTyxfu-nE/s1600/ST_20140425_NKMU5_263118e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihS2G9LGcLot3npymjJSB_P1IXNrycenWnXMu2L9fQsN5bVAImItMo8bgSyebJk4srM9FIDyISNbwNF1IXvEThDxL-2atwuxy5Q4Nt0nrYXco52u1IWP14dxg7pCd4bEQqnxOTyxfu-nE/s1600/ST_20140425_NKMU5_263118e.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nabilah Husna</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Who: The Sam Willows and Nabilah Husna<br /><br />Where: The French Bookshop, 55 Tiong Bahru Road<br /><br />When: May 3, 6.30 to 7.30pm<br /><br />Admission: $20</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_o_aiHu0yTRCmCDDaL75UfK-NZ2b_4tznUlk2kJeIelpEa0GO_2COH3YX2brZHOKTJmxOAiqQsDzkAvCpeC44GJNNTU1bWqNo0yasmYI9ggLuEnOIV44AcYXaMbD2KNRJYl-VVmh9sY/s1600/ST_20140425_NKMU3_263103e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_o_aiHu0yTRCmCDDaL75UfK-NZ2b_4tznUlk2kJeIelpEa0GO_2COH3YX2brZHOKTJmxOAiqQsDzkAvCpeC44GJNNTU1bWqNo0yasmYI9ggLuEnOIV44AcYXaMbD2KNRJYl-VVmh9sY/s1600/ST_20140425_NKMU3_263103e.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;">Home-grown indie-folk music group Seyra and poets Gideon + Allee, comprising Gideon Goh and Allee Koh (above). <span>-- PHOTO: MARC NAIR</span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Who: Seyra and Gideon + Allee<br /><br />Where: Tiong Bahru Community Centre Music Room 2, 67A Eu Chin Street<br /><br />When: May 3, 9 to 10pm<br /><br />Admission: $20</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Who: Marcel Lee Pereira and Jennifer Champion<br /><br />Where: Bincho, 78 Moh Guan Terrace<br /><br />When: May 9, 6.30 to 7.30pm<br /><br />Admission: $30<br /><br />Who: Monster Cat and Marc Nair<br /><br />Where: The Fab Lab (73 Eng Watt Street at 7.45pm)<br /><br />When: May 9, 8 to 9pm<br /><br />Admission: $25 (sales have ended)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Who: The Sam Willows, Gideon + Allee and Nabilah Husna<br /><br />Where: TBB Tiong Bahru Bar, 3 Seng Poh Road<br /><br />When: May 10, 7.30 to 10pm<br /><br />Admission: $20<br /><br />To book tickets, go to </span><a href="http://www.eventnook.com/event/musicitysingapore2014/home"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">eventnook.com/event/</span></a><a href="http://www.eventnook.com/event/musicitysingapore2014/home"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">musicitysingapore2014/home</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. For more information, go to </span><a href="http://www.sin.musicity.info/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">sin.musicity.info</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.<br /> </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360583188844510356.post-5563482064755919062014-04-21T08:55:00.000+08:002014-04-21T08:55:28.428+08:00The Straits Times : Insight into heritage of Tiong Bahru<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;">The Straits Times<br />By Amelia Teng<br />20th April 2014</span><br /> </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqGoUZ96vQtDgEZH_5t8DV5zlcY0YWj2AjEIIqdURH3MkabFxukBjdoGGrp4v3CfT0vP59P0PA8ec50C1c-CYbx7pW9dubAcYHhfOdcsjoE1Zp0OIfUV4GUwF4ALPCdIQ2uNzmnhInW8M/s1600/ST+Heritage+Tiong+Bahru+Walk+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqGoUZ96vQtDgEZH_5t8DV5zlcY0YWj2AjEIIqdURH3MkabFxukBjdoGGrp4v3CfT0vP59P0PA8ec50C1c-CYbx7pW9dubAcYHhfOdcsjoE1Zp0OIfUV4GUwF4ALPCdIQ2uNzmnhInW8M/s1600/ST+Heritage+Tiong+Bahru+Walk+2014.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Volunteer guide Choo Lip Sin, 43, taking people on a guided tour of Tiong Bahru estate as part of the Tiong Bahru Heritage Fiesta 2014, which runs until May 7. -- ST PHOTO: SEAH KWANG PENG</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Cafe owner Jason Soon has lived in Tiong Bahru for 14 years and in that time he has noticed more cafes and eateries "popping up" and more flats being built.<br /><br />But it was only yesterday that he got an insight into the area's past. The 34-year-old was one of 34 participants who explored the 78-year-old estate, one of Singapore's oldest, as part of the second Tiong Bahru Heritage Fiesta. The trail - spanning 2.5km and 10 stops - was launched a year ago by the National Heritage Board.<br /><br />But this time, the entire event, which runs until May 7, was organised by volunteers from Tiong Bahru Youth Executive Committee, Seng Poh Residents' Committee and the Tiong Bahru Heritage Volunteers, among others.<br /><br />Mr Kelvin Ang, chairman of Seng Poh RC, said: "We hope to make this an annual and sustainable event."<br /><br />As part of this year's event, volunteers will lead the tours over three weekends. There will also be air-raid shelter visits and an open-air movie night at Seng Poh Garden later this month.<br /><br />Among the things to look out for are five animal murals on the estate's walls - of common pets in the past like a chicken, and goldfish - by photographer and visual artist Ernest Goh.<br /><br />"Every street in the estate is named after prominent businessmen and people," said Mr Soon, regarding the historical nuggets he picked up yesterday. "The architecture of the pre-war flats is very interesting - their design was so detailed, down to even the colour scheme and the window grilles."</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360583188844510356.post-2058505412068391782014-01-06T07:50:00.001+08:002014-01-06T07:51:29.362+08:00The Straits Times : Your grandfather's road? Not in Tiong Bahru<span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;">The Straits Times<br />By Melody Zaccheus</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;">6th January 2014</span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Campaign urges motorists to use the 700 public parking spaces in estate</span></strong><strong><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></strong><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7SOvsbdKunvncPmMQZc7-3uebqMjJg-79GGE__FkMfd1WIPGD3cgnnl-SYE7olJ9VHCjCMPMMd0wyL9YoqYqTbRiS1KIc3K578DlNQHXGwTE7ZZesJne3moiZNr-8AFVVipTGal1rRs/s1600/Grandfather+road+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7SOvsbdKunvncPmMQZc7-3uebqMjJg-79GGE__FkMfd1WIPGD3cgnnl-SYE7olJ9VHCjCMPMMd0wyL9YoqYqTbRiS1KIc3K578DlNQHXGwTE7ZZesJne3moiZNr-8AFVVipTGal1rRs/s1600/Grandfather+road+1.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The leaflet also lists alternative parking spaces around the estate. -- ST PHOTO: SEAH KWANG PENG</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">THE traffic snarl-ups that have plagued the narrow streets of the Tiong Bahru conservation estate for the past five years could soon become a thing of the past.<br /><br />A new campaign - "Is this your grandfather's road?" - was launched yesterday as part of the Seng Poh Residents' Committee's kindness movement. It will encourage motorists to use the 700 public parking spaces across the estate instead of parking illegally.<br /><br />Complaints from residents about inconsiderate drivers and congestion have been on the rise since cafes and eateries started setting up shop in the neighbourhood. Common black spots include the area around the Tiong Bahru market and Seng Poh Road.<br /><br />"It now takes me six minutes to drive out of the estate via Tiong Poh Road on a weekend instead of the usual two minutes," said resident Choa Haw King, 37, a financial entrepreneur.<br /><br />A group of 20 residents and volunteers took to the streets with Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Indranee Rajah yesterday morning to distribute pamphlets, detailing the locations of these parking spaces, and placing them on windscreens of illegally parked cars. The parking spaces include the freshly repaved open-air carpark at Block 78 and another in Seng Poh Lane.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcthSUztvVQmQYKN45GtXqfwNhmJXAn_aMFBSQ9ftanG_TyAvrBfNxFjBYxUAMAM5thyFORWNmmElOkte5gRymQRd1Z36Eu7KJex8TmI2nV-QUSrquLYG8kG_7iPRkrtvaBclm7dQAeI/s1600/Grandfather+road+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcthSUztvVQmQYKN45GtXqfwNhmJXAn_aMFBSQ9ftanG_TyAvrBfNxFjBYxUAMAM5thyFORWNmmElOkte5gRymQRd1Z36Eu7KJex8TmI2nV-QUSrquLYG8kG_7iPRkrtvaBclm7dQAeI/s1600/Grandfather+road+2.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ms Indranee and volunteers giving out leaflets encouraging drivers to park at designated carpark spaces. -- ST PHOTO: SEAH KWANG PENG</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Now that I know there are parking spaces for us, I will make the effort to park there," said lorry driver Raymond Oh, 43, who frequents the Qi Tian Gong temple and had parked illegally in Eng Hoon Street.<br /><br />The initiative is part of a slew of measures rolled out by a seven- member task force set up by Ms Indranee last February to address "disamenities" caused by the rise in commercial activities in the residential estate.<br /><br />Comprising residents' committee members and residents, it works with agencies such as the Land Transport Authority and the National Environment Agency.<br /><br />Task force co-chairman Chris Hooi told The Straits Times: "The agencies used to act independently. The task force helps to coordinate and gel everyone together so that matters can be addressed quicker."<br /><br />Over the past few months, the team has worked on adding 50 public parking spaces in Eng Hoon and Eng Watt streets and has improved walkways, lighting and landscaping on the streets of the 77-year-old estate. It has also addressed hygiene concerns such as rat infestations and littering.<br /><br />The task force is monitoring the number and types of food and beverage outlets setting up shop there and helping to curb illegal sub-letting, alterations and additions to conservation buildings.<br /><br />Ms Indranee said these will continue. Efforts will also be made this year to foster a stronger sense of identity among the estate's stakeholders. There are plans, for instance, to include facilities such as a chill-out area for youth.<br /><br />"There are residents who have lived here for a long time and those who are new to the area," she said. "Both groups have a sense of pride and affinity to the neighbourhood. We want to build on that."<br /><br /><a href="mailto:melodyz@sph.com.sg">melodyz@sph.com.sg</a></span><br />
<br />
_________________________________________<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;"><strong>Seriously speaking, were any of the streets named after your ancestor?</strong></span><br /><br />AS WELL as encouraging motorists to park considerately, organisers of the "Is this your grandfather's road?" campaign are seeking out the descendants of the 17 pioneers whom the streets of Tiong Bahru are named after.<br /><br />"Their contributions will add to the body of knowledge about Singapore's very own pioneers and generate awareness among residents, their descendants and Singaporeans today about the impact they made on the community," said Mr Kelvin Ang, chairman of Seng Poh Residents' Committee. He hopes to erect storyboards in the estate bearing snippets of their biographies and accounts from family members.<br /><br />The following pioneers are three of the personalities whom the streets are named after:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><strong>Tan Kim Ching (1829-1892); Kim Cheng Street</strong><br /><br />The eldest son of philanthropist Tan Tock Seng was one of Singapore's leading Chinese merchants of his time. He was also a member of the Royal Court of Siam.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><strong>Seah Eu Chin (1805-1883); Eu Chin Street</strong><br /><br />Seah was a wealthy Teochew merchant who made his fortune from the cultivation of pepper and gambier. He was also the founder of social welfare organisation Ngee Ann Kongsi.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><strong>Low Kim Pong (1837-1909); Kim Pong Road</strong><br /><br />The businessman and devout Buddhist is famous for his contributions to the building of the Siong Lim Temple in Kim Keat Road in 1902. He was also a founding member of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce.<br /><br /><strong>MELODY ZACCHEUS</strong></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3360583188844510356.post-4818568200177024012013-11-15T10:12:00.003+08:002013-11-15T10:17:44.619+08:00The Straits Times : Newfound hip factor comes at a price<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;">The Straits Times<br />By Melody Zaccheus<br /> 15th November 2013</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;"></span><br /><span style="color: #666666; font-size: large;"><strong>Yong Siak St's rent rise ousts old businesses as chic ones move in</strong></span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoH-4JThwB6RVSvYB3BMqxOzWeAhn-YHz-qYB5j61KE7Iv8L_qvPxg7uJ0NdzM08TzWUqvaxobNEl8N_FBCGUiZCljTm944Ft8Gy3WQC-MvxZtd5Fk4QjZu2tJRZjXKSq_PtCVEMod53I/s1600/YSS1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoH-4JThwB6RVSvYB3BMqxOzWeAhn-YHz-qYB5j61KE7Iv8L_qvPxg7uJ0NdzM08TzWUqvaxobNEl8N_FBCGUiZCljTm944Ft8Gy3WQC-MvxZtd5Fk4QjZu2tJRZjXKSq_PtCVEMod53I/s400/YSS1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The owner of Books Actually, one of the newer establishments in Yong Siak Street, may move his shop as the rent is becoming too high. -- ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">THE last few veteran shopkeepers in Yong Siak Street, including noodle and beverage suppliers, a coffee shop, and a blinds and curtains manufacturer, find themselves out of place at Tiong Bahru's hippest stretch.<br /><br />Over the past three years, the narrow street has shed its laidback past and transformed itself into a hipster hot spot, as chic joints such as cafe 40 Hands and independent bookstore Books Actually set up shop.<br /><br />Their entry in 2010 and 2011 hastened the street's gentrification - several creative agencies, a boutique and restaurant-bars such as SocialHaus and Ikyu have since joined the influx. About 15 of the 25 or so shop spaces there belong to these businesses today.<br /><br />"It used to be a quiet place and rental was reasonable, but it (the rent) has since quadrupled to $8,000 as compared to six years ago," said Mr O.H. Lee, 45, co-owner of a family-run beverage supplier, who is considering moving out.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLM0M8GKR7NsifcfPrGfttSPNIM2zBAKsYtKWtgSTGkfB6YadMiEZ1dcvIr2wThKqVVZllExuQ-8EajnYDPZLrsynI8jgbiX-30vAtV7J_27MmGZL5tVwjXLZnbItb4XeYQAUXWFhAbys/s1600/YSS2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLM0M8GKR7NsifcfPrGfttSPNIM2zBAKsYtKWtgSTGkfB6YadMiEZ1dcvIr2wThKqVVZllExuQ-8EajnYDPZLrsynI8jgbiX-30vAtV7J_27MmGZL5tVwjXLZnbItb4XeYQAUXWFhAbys/s400/YSS2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At general supplies store Hock Leong Hin Teck Kee, Mr Lee Hon Fay (left), 75, and store owner Lee Sui Tiong, 65, load supplies for a client. -- ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Xing Zhi Language Centre owner Tan Mei Huan, 50, cited rising rents as the main reason for the upcoming move of her Chinese tuition centre to Jalan Bukit Merah.<br /><br />Said Mr Tony Neo, 40, the second-generation owner of Sin Yick Seng Bamboo Chick Centre, a blinds and curtains maker, who has fond memories growing up there: "While the (newer) shops have brought life to the neighbourhood, their clientele does not match ours and we don't get much benefit from their presence."<br /><br />He plans to move and rent out the 1,500 sq ft shop that his father handed down to him.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1w_Iagt5qjbDPS-ubAqZ-zMt570w0tLAMRXDzUKWd9sMBzxd4oN1JKB0l4XuvzVw9luqsgmnwHCquT61ybwjkKBWrXjy-Oe7oEqP4pFRpgJLF49io7DmugxtuzkU14qhrI_SVo9uCNo/s1600/YSS3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1w_Iagt5qjbDPS-ubAqZ-zMt570w0tLAMRXDzUKWd9sMBzxd4oN1JKB0l4XuvzVw9luqsgmnwHCquT61ybwjkKBWrXjy-Oe7oEqP4pFRpgJLF49io7DmugxtuzkU14qhrI_SVo9uCNo/s400/YSS3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Seamstress Lu Mei Cui, 37, working on a set of curtains at her boss' shop, Sin Yick Seng Bamboo Chick Centre, a blinds and curtains maker.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Rental rates per month in Yong Siak Street have more than doubled from $2.70 per sq ft (psf) in mid-2011 to $6.20 psf in the same period this year, said Mr Nicholas Mak, SLP International's head of research and consultancy.<br /><br />"With new condominiums springing up in the vicinity and nearby estates such as Redhill, rents are soaring and landlords will try to take advantage of the growing interest in Tiong Bahru," he said.<br /><br />The rising rates might ironically drive out some of the first wave of newer establishments such as Books Actually. Its co-owner Kenny Leck, 35, said the store, which pays $8,000 in rent, will not stay if the landlord goes ahead with his plan to jack it up by another $6,000 or so once the rental contract is up in early 2015.<br /><br />"It will be hard to sustain a bookshop at that new rental. It will be a pity because we have become friends with many of the residents here," he said.<br /><br />On the part of the authorities, there is an urgency to better manage the mix of businesses in the 77-year-old conservation estate which attracts Singaporeans and expatriates from all corners of the island, as well as tourists.<br /><br />The Urban Redevelopment Authority, which manages the private shophouses in Yong Siak Street and other nearby areas, and the HDB, which takes care of 64 commercial properties in the area, are keeping a tighter lid on eateries hoping to set up shop there because of concerns raised by residents.<br /><br />This year alone, four applications to turn shop premises into eateries were rejected.<br /><br />This comes after residents complained about loud music from some of the establishments and the rowdy - and often drunk - patrons who would spill over to other streets and leave a messy trail of cigarettes and alcohol bottles on weekends.<br /><br />The situation has improved somewhat after some Yong Siak Street residents banded together to give feedback to the authorities.<br /><br />Still, residents have different opinions about the recent transformation of the street from its sleepy past.<br /><br />Housewife G. Devaki, 47, said she misses the old Yong Siak Street, where it used to be "very conducive for children to study and was just a regular residential neighbourhood".<br /><br />But retired hairstylist Annie Cho, 65, who lives at Block 78, said that while the occasional rowdy groups are a source of annoyance for the residents, she believes the changes are for the better. "I like how some of the nice book shops and cafes create a pleasant atmosphere in the neighbourhood.<br /><br />"It's very different from the past when it used to be a very ugly street and nobody wanted to live here - just the elderly," she said in Mandarin, adding that many Yong Siak apartments used to be occupied by bar girls and prostitutes.<br /><br />Some of the shops there are also aware of their responsibility to residents. "We remind all our customers that they are dining in a residential area whenever we sit them outside the cafe. We also close shop at 10pm instead of midnight as our licence permits," said Ms Michelle Lingo, 27, supervisor of PoTeaTo.<br /><br />Mrs Vanessa Kenchington, 29, the chef-owner of Plain Vanilla Bakery, said businesses have the responsibility to bond with their community, not "merely take advantage of the area's hip and cool quality".<br /><br />"We are here to grow with the neighbourhood and build relationships. As business owners, we have to be aware of the environment around us - we are the guests and we don't want to be a nuisance," she said.<br /><br />Designer Ella Zheng, 27, who works in the area, believes this balance of needs between the two groups can be achieved. She said some shop owners carefully curate their space to cater to the growing number of Singaporeans interested in "style, design and culture".<br /><br />Cultural geographer Lily Kong from the National University of Singapore said some of the new tenants appreciate the historical and economic value of the vicinity.<br /><br />Although the commercialisation of Yong Siak Street may be viewed by some as "adulterating the authentic", Professor Kong said these new establishments help keep the memories of its past alive, as elderly residents pass on and older businesses pull down their shutters.<br /><br />"Some of the new tenants along Yong Siak Street are actually very interested in history and heritage, both as a source of identity and distinctiveness, and as a commercial opportunity."<br />
</span><a href="mailto:melodyz@sph.com.sg"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">melodyz@sph.com.sg</span></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1