People are People

The usual lunchtime buzz at Tiong Bahru Market was broken by sounds of plastic bowls hitting the floor loudly.

All eyes turned toward the source and we all saw a lady in pink berating the "Ban Mian" auntie.

I could not make out what the argument was about as the lady in pink was speaking Cantonese but appears to be in a very condescending manner.

The "Ban Mian" auntie did not take it lying down and she also got into a fierce shouting match with the Pink Lady.

I was a bit surprised as the "Ban Mian" auntie had always been very polite and cheerful and I do visit her stall quite often.

She is one of those rare One (wo)Man Stall who opens early in the morning and closed only at about 9pm for 6 days a week.

I'm impressed with her diligence and her "Ban Mian" is also nice enough to make me a consistent repeat customer.

Initially, I was not sure what had happened today but since my wife was queuing up for her food just 2 stalls away (And she understands Cantonese), she could hear what the argument was all about.

It was some miscommunication between the Lady in Pink and "Ban Mian" auntie.

Apparently Pink Lady ordered some dumplings thinking that it only cost $2.50 a bowl.

Perhaps "Ban Mian" auntie misheard the order and upsized the order and charged Pink Lady $4 which effectively "upsized" Pink Lady's temper immediately.

Such disputes could easily be resolved by replacing the order or accepting the upsized order.

But instead of trying to resolve it, Pink Lady turned provocative and uttered something disgusting.

"You China People are very good at cheating people, Why don't you go back to China!".

I guess when crass people utter detestable remarks or make brain-less statements, you expect a reaction right?

Yes, the response was flying bowls! (It was probably done in a fit of anger)

Those bowls elicited more crazy remarks from Pink Lady who seems to be stuck in a verbal frenzy mode.

Ban Mian Auntie did the right thing after she cools down and ignored the Pink Lady.

She went about clearing up the mess and continue with her routine.

About 4 customers in the queue walked away...I'm not sure in disgust or in fright.

Maybe both because the pink lady chose to sit at the table right infront of the stall and continue to provoke the poor woman.

Is she trying to win the argument or was she trying to make Ban Mian Auntie come out with a chopper

Whatever she was trying to do, it reflected very badly on herself and she doesn't seems to know it.

I guess this Depeche Mode song, People are People, best sums up the way how some of us who treat another fellow human being:

People are people

So why should it be

You and I should get

Along so awfully

People are people

So why should it be

You and I should get

Along so awfully

So we're different colours

And we're different creeds

And different people have different needs

It's obvious you hate me

Though I've done nothing wrong

I've never ever met you so what could I have done

I can't understand

What makes a man

Hate another man

Help me understand

People are people...

Help me understand

Help me understand

Now you're punching

And you're kicking

And you're shouting at me

I'm relying on your common decency

So far it hasn't surfaced

But I'm sure it exists

It just takes a while to travel

From your head to your fists

I can't understand

What makes a man

Hate another man

Help me understand

Our forefathers once risked their life and limbs to eke out a better life in this far away land and they may have been bullied by the colonial masters, gangsters or people who speaks a different dialect.

Why then are some of the offspring of these earlier immigrants behaving in a manner which our forefathers would not have condone.

I guess "prosperity" has made some of us think that we are more superior than others.

This may indeed be a sad effect of "progress".

"CON"SERVED!

Walk down along the Yong Siak Street side of Block 78 and you would have noticed this "CON"venient "CON"servation effort to make these brick wall blend in with the rest of the block.

It looks like "vandalism" or "desecration" to me.

If the person assigned to do the job is not going to put in some REAL effort to conserve or preserve these brick walls, how can you expect owners who have recently acquired one of these conserved apartments to adhere to the URA guidelines wholeheartedly?

No wonder not many care about retaining the old stuff in these historic apartments like the green stained glass windows or door frame.

Just as it takes effort to restore those walls to it former glory, it also takes a lot of effort and patience to restore those green stained windows.

If the guardians of this historic estate can "short-cut" the process, what do you think the residents will do here?

I could still remember what my army officer said to me: "You don't do what I do, you do want I tell you to do!"

Tonight, that statement ring very loudly in my mind.

Déjà vu

Remember the dangerous junctions which I blogged about in February?

I think an accident happened there a few days ago as I noticed a car's bumper that was left in the drain at Outram Road.

And today, I was tipped off by resident Aaron about another one and I decided to walk over to check it out!

This morning's crash is probably more spectacular and a rather expensive one as well!  A Porsche Cayenne went over the curb and landed in a drain!

I think no one's hurt as the ambulance staff was moving in an unhurried manner.

Last Friday, I also saw one badly damaged taxi along Kim Tian Road.

What's the matter with our drivers nowadays? 

This is not the expressways and your MAXIMUM speed limit is 50kph!

Accidents at 50kph should not cause so much damage!

Are we waiting for those A-signs from the police seeking witnesses to some fatal road accidents?

I hope that will never ever happen here in Tiong Bahru!

Dangerous Junctions

Maps from Google Street View

This junction at Tiong Bahru Road and Zion Road is one of the 3 junctions in Tiong Bahru that is very accident prone.

Just this morning, an Olive Green Honda CRV almost crashed into a taxi. 

The CRV was at where the truck is and the taxi was at when the silver van was.

The CRV tried turning left from the right most lane while the taxi was going straight into Outram Road from the left most lane.

Everyday, this scene is repeated many times at this junction.

Some motorist will carefully edge into the left lane before turning into Zion road while some do so recklessly and with no regards to other road users. 

I'm always on full alert when I'm approaching this junction.

The other accident prone junction is the one at Outram and Seng Poh Road, just after the shell station and before Cape Inn hotel.

Motorists who are driving into Seng Poh Road must STOP and give way to the approaching traffic from Tiong Bahru Road.

Sometime, the opposite happens.

The motorist from Tiong Bahru Road will stop suddenly to give way to those who are coming in from Outram while those from Outram do not even bother to stop at the stop line.

I think the authorities must put a STOP SIGN THAT FLASHES to remind those from Outram to stop and GIVE WAY!

Once, I had a near miss accident here when a black Lexus zoom past me even though all vehicles had stopped for me to drive pass.

The following motorist wasn't that lucky

The third one is not as dangerous as the other two since vehicles do not travel at high speed here.

This is the one where Seng Poh Road, Lim Liak Street and Eng Hoon Street intersect.

If you know your high way code well, you will know that motorists who are coming into Seng Poh Road from Tiong Bahru Road or Zion Road will have the right of way at all times.

And since there are STOP LINES on Eng Hoon Street and Seng Poh Road, those vehicles has to stop and give way to traffic.


And since we go by GIVE WAY to the person on the RIGHT, the ones waiting at Seng Poh Road, along Tiong Bahru Market, must wait for everyone to go before moving on.

But many a times, I have to give way to people that are coming out from this lane and they gave me those dirty look like I'm some ugly Singaporean who doesn't want to give way.


Anyway, I can deal with this problematic junction as it is a matter of being patient and forgiving.

But I really cannot accept the traffic violations at the other two junctions as someone else's mistake could be fatal for another and it is not fair to expect the innocent party to pay with their money, limbs or life.

Can it happen here?

PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

The Straits Times reported about a rundown five-storey housing block that collapsed in Hung Hom, a district of Kowloon in Hong Kong, yesterday.

Two people have been confirmed dead while at least four others are missing. The residential block is more than 50 years old.

I would have just skimmed through the report if not for the pictures!

I thought the building resembles those privately owned and maintained buildings along Yong Siak Street.

That area is an eye sore of the Tiong Bahru Estate.

The facade is in need of a long overdue repainting job.

There are many electrical wires dangling everywhere ON THE OUTSIDE of the building!

Aren't electrical wires supposed to be keep away from the elements?

And rubbish is not kept in the bins but is left all over the place by some migrant scavenger.

There is this guy with grubby long hair who comes with a lady in a wheelchair in the evenings to scavenge.

I've no problem with the scavenging but am upset with the mess these people leave behind.

I really hope the recent fire along this street will not be forgotten but will be the catalyst for this street to be cleaned up ONCE AND FOR ALL.

Pictures contributed by Jo Turner

RATS! There is no MISTAKE about it now!

Cute and cuddly RATS from Ikea

Following my blog entry last October about the mistaken identity between the Shrew and the Rats, I had always wanted to “correct” or “qualify” that I did make any claims that there are no RATS in Tiong Bahru and I found the perfect opportunity to do so today….or rather yesterday.

Right after that shrew blog entry, I bumped into Resident Mr & Mrs Joe while I was supervising my kids at the playground at Kim Pong Road.

Mrs Joe said she still doesn’t like those furry, rodent, shrews thingy, despite knowing that they are not RATS.

Immediately, a huge rat half scampered and half hopped across from Block 43 to Block 44 Moh Guan Terrace.

“And that is definitely a RAT!”, I exclaimed sheepishly.

Since Mrs Joe was jittery about RATS, we parted ways very quickly.

Ever since that encounter, I have noticed a pair of them (the rats lah) darting around that vicinity and I suspect they came from the nearby dumpster.

These RATS were probably pushed out by their parent RAT to look for their own homes.

Despite not getting a government “NEAR PARENTS GRANT”, these resourceful rats still managed to settle into some really prime real estate in Tiong Bahru!

I never had a chance to catch them with my camera as I’m always too late  slow and they are long gone when I’m back with my camera.

So I was rather happy that I managed to catch one of them having fun in the sun while I was on my way for an appointment yesterday.

pardon the grainy video as it was taken from my low resolution cellphone

The way the RAT was moving around seems to indicate that it has settled down very well here and is not jittery at all.

It fact, I was quite amazed that it was unaware of my presence until so much later.

I think it is time to make those responsible for the dumpster to clean up the place THOROUGHLY once and for all.

And the NEA must also educate those cat feeders to clean up all those leftovers after the cats are done with it.

Otherwise, the cockroaches and RATS will come out to play after the CATS had their fill.

By the way, I once visited a cockroach infested home in Tiong Bahru!

It was so bad that I could even smell the roaches from the stairways.

The roaches were obviously have a ball there coz the owner goes around collecting rice from “god knows where” and store them in those red plastic bags along the staircase.

She will only bring the rice out to feed the strays in the evenings.

I pity her neighbours! And eventually, it is those foreign workers who are willing to live next to her because they ain’t got any choice.

(By the way that unit is located near a coffeeshop and that may be why I was never thrilled to dine there)

Illegal advertisers - Think Twice or Thrice before you paste it here!

Finally the media is reporting about those pesky illegal, low class and unsightly advertisements that could be found all over Singapore.

Believe me, you can even find them in supposedly upper class enclave in River Valley!

(I wonder if people driving their Lamborghini around D09 or D10 would stop by a lamp post to see if they can find their next property there)

Anyway, Tiong Bahru has always been plagued by such advertisements and the most recent one was the most "cheapo" one I've seen.

The advertisement was scribbled onto a Singapore Pool's 4D betting slip and pasted all over Block 78, 79 and 80.

Have fun reading the following article. The enforcement agency should be "commended" for issuing so many warnings in 2009.
They were probably sleeping in 2008 and thus look as if they had done a great job last year...but it is a good start nevertheless, so I better not complain so much :-)

______________________________________________

Warnings issued for illegal ads pasted on street infrastructure rise
By Ng Lian Cheong/Hetty Musfirah, Channel NewsAsia
Posted: 12 January 2010 2132 hrs

SINGAPORE : The number of warnings issued for advertisements pasted illegally on street infrastructure went up by more than 10 times last year.

Sixty hundred and thirty-four warnings were issued, compared to just 56 in 2008. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is hoping a paint job will do the trick in curbing the sticky problem.

The columns of a linkway leading to Jurong East MRT station are the first to be painted with what LTA calls "anti-stick paint". Pasting anything using super-glue or even double-sided tape will not work on these columns.

It is part of a trial launched last July. LTA said the anti-stick paint was specially blended and improved based on its requirements. The trial cost about S$4,500.

The LTA said it has proven successful so far. In the last six months, all the columns were free of advertisements.

The project will be extended over a larger area to assess its cost effectiveness and public feedback before being implemented islandwide. Among the locations selected for the more extensive pilot trial are along Geylang Road and Sims Avenue.

With the new paint job on the Jurong East linkway, LTA said it can save about S$5,000 yearly in clean-up efforts.

The number of people who were fined for putting up such illegal advertisement also increased last year. Two hundred and one people were fined in 2008, but in 2009, the figure stood at over 450. First-time offenders were fined S$300 each. - CNA/ms

Coded Messages

Comic from Sunday Times, Life Section, 6th December 2009 by Lee Chee Chew, creator of the comics strip CHEW ON IT.

I don't want to get into trouble for sprouting nonsense but I think most of you out there will know what I'm driving at here with this comic strip.

You are DESPICABLE!

To read the content, click on the image to enlarge

Yesterday, HDB put up notices around the POST WAR side of Tiong Bahru to warn the residents here of some unscrupulous salespeople from Power Sense Enterprise.

About a fortnight ago, some of the salespeople from that company came around knocking on the doors of residents and duped them into thinking that HDB requires them to replace the pipes that are in their homes.

Since the sales pitch was done in the day, it was not surprising that most victims were the elderly or ignorant.

And I suspect their modus operandi was to look out for old and unrenovated units and zoom in on them.

These type of OLD units are frequently targetted by the door to door salespeople whilst the renovated ones were often left alone.

One of my neighbours parted with $700 to replace the pipes and she was told that the deposit was $300 and the rest could be paid on a 4 part instalments of $100.

The reason why she readily allowed them into her flat was because these salespeople actually wore clothing that resembled a uniform and they had name tags to make themselves look more “official”

Since the repainting and redecoration exercise is still on-going here, it was believable to her.

And these people even had the audacity to claim that they represented the HDB!

Anyway, this is not the 1st time Power Sense Enterprise had used this tactic. (See link: Complaints)

Over the last few days, these people could be seen going around to “replace” those pipes.

I suspect these people are just innocent third party contractors who did not know how the order was secured by the rogue salespeople. (Hence I dicided not to put up frontal pictures of them)

But based on their frequent presence here and their pick up truck, I think the sales guy is probably Power Sense Enterprise’s top salesperson of the month.

I’ve only got one word for that sales guy who preyed on the elderly and ignorant:

You're despicable!!

It's like that one

Saturday and Sunday mornings are the busiest time for the Tiong Bahru Estate.

These are the 2 days where people will bother to drive all the way here to do their “marketing” and traffic usually comes to a slow crawl.

And when the traffic slows down, the tempers quickens.

And it is usually during such occasions that people from Planet Oblivion stands out the most!

And I spotted one from that planet today!

I was trying to get onto Tiong Bahru Road via Kim Pong Road from Lim Liak Street.

And the 2 lane became 1 lane because this driver decided that that was a cool place to park his car and bask in the morning sun.

If you see the picture, the whole right-most lane was rendered useless and this guy was totally oblivious to the situation.

I’m not against anyone parking along the road to wait for someone but I supposed common sense must prevail right?

If my car is clogging up traffic, I will move it somewhere else.

Why can’t this guy park his car along Lim Liak Street so that he doesn’t get in the way of other motorists?

There are also other carpark lots on the other side of the road.

But many a times, I’ve seen inconsiderate drivers parked their cars on this side of the road while they scoot off to the Tiong Bahru Post Office to do their errands and everyone else has to squeeze into 1 lane.

Anyway, this inconsiderate act will continue to surface every now and then and no one can do anything about it.

And since we cannot do anything about it, the next time I see such stuff again, I will just say this to amuse myself: “It’s like that one”*.


*“It’s like that one” - I heard this great statement while I was listening in to the morning show of 98.7 for several mornings....those deejays kept saying: “It’s like that one”. It is Singlish but it is funny!

What's Going On Here?

About 3 days ago, as I was walking back home, I noticed 2 blue stained stairs at the HDB walkup section of the Tiong Bahru Estate.

Initially, I thought someone had spilt paint all over the stairs.

After I walked all the way up to level four to investigate, I knew it wasn’t an accident anymore.

"Maybe someone was just fedup with the stairs and wanted to beautify it", I thought to myself.

And since those residents living at that 2 affected stacks did not complain about that ugly blue stains, I should just mind my own business.

But as I was walking around the estate today, what I saw made my heart sank as I immediately knew that those blue stains were not that innocent mistakes after all.

It seems that the Tanjong Pagar town council is repainting all the stairs at the post war section of Tiong Bahru!

The finished product has erased (maybe covered up is a more appropriate word) all those lines and imperfection of these beautiful cement stairs.

The newly painted stairs looked so smooth and it does feels a lot more slippery.

And the dirt on the floor are magnified a lot more....especially those stairs landings that have plants around them.

Do we really need to spend money on this?

It is strange because no budget* was allocated to replace those rusted bamboo pole holders but there are budgets allocated to "uglified" these stairs.

I wonder what other unnecessary things our town council will spend on next.

*(I was asked by the NEA to ask HDB to replace my unused bamboo pole holder as it had rusted to a point where I cannot cover it and rain water might be collected in it. And HDB told me to wait as they will replace it during the repainting exercise. I called back to check on the progress and was told that they will not be doing it as they have no more budget!)

One is Enough!

I saw something that baffles me this afternoon.

A recycling company was seen emptying both the blue and yellow recycling bin into the same truck.

And while I was snapping the picture, I noticed a car that drove against traffic into Kim Pong Road and Lim Liak Street.
(And this is not the 1st time I’ve seen this)

Okay, back to the Recycling thingy.

If they are going to dump all the contents into the same truck, why must they place two bins all over the Tiong Bahru Estate and the rest of Singapore?

One bin would suffice right?

Next time, I wouldn’t even separate my recycling stuff when I dump it into the bins.

What’s the point right?

Check out my other similar post: Getting Red over Green

A Football Fan’s Haven

Remember the blog post where I over reacted and lamented about the profound loss of some old buildings along Eng Hoon Street?
(Profound Loss @ Eng Hoon Street)

This was how the new building looked like about 3 weeks ago.

And suddenly it took on a baby blue and white colour on the facade recently.

Isn’t that the signature colour of a chain of budget hotel we all know?

If their marketing campaign would have you believe them, it is the place where husbands or boyfriends go and watch soccer on the free football channels while their bored wife or girlfriend chats on the phone with their friends.

When a Straits Times reporter called me on Monday to ask about the illegal dormitories in Tiong Bahru, she passed a remark about a budget hotel being set up here.

Initially I thought she was confused with several of the new boutique hotels that seemed to have sprouted out of the blue in this area.

My curiosity got the better of my and I emailed my “TiongBahruSource” to check and he said he heard it from voices on the street.

“Voices on the street”?

I was puzzled.

Were the voices Supernatural or just plain natural ones?

Whatever it was, there was still hope that it might not be true.

But today, the reporter called me back to tell me that it is going to happen here in Tiong Bahru!

Still reeling from a state of denial, I walked over to Eng Hoon Street to take a look.

Yes, the colour scheme is correct but maybe someone just happened to like the same colour scheme.

So I walked over to ask the workmen about the building they were working on.

In his heavy Indian accented English, he said “Hotel Eighty One, Hotel Eight One”

The Voice on the street has spoken and my heart sank.

The reception counter look quite the part too:

In a daze, I slowly walked off to meet a tenant who was looking forward to rent a place here in Tiong Bahru.

Soon there will be many football fans and bored wives or girlfriends who will be heading this way.

I wonder how the landscape will be affected by these football fans.

One thing for sure, the eating places will be more vibrant than before.

And who knows, we may even have our own famous beef kway teow noodles here in Tiong Bahru!

For the Sake of our Earth!

Suddenly my world brightens up by many watts tonight!

It seems that the Tanjong Pagar Town Council has started to replace these types of orange glow lamps

to these kind of harsh white lamps:

And the Tiong Bahru sleepy romantic atmosphere that I like

is gone!

I’m not sure if everyone is in agreement with me because my 2-people survey showed me otherwise.

My son who is a little afraid of the dark loves the new level of brightness while my wife remained indifferent.

For me, I only love bright lights when I need to read or study.

Mmmm, since my son loves it so much, I might set up a table at the end of the block for him do his homework there to save on the electrical bills. (Don’t play play okay! Some big time ministers in Singapore used to study under the street lamps.)

But on second thoughts, my son is terribly afraid of lizards and lizards love bright lights because that’s where the flies hang out.

So that may not materialize any time soon.

Now I am also wondering if they will also change the type of lights at the Pre-War side.

Perhaps this “light changing exercise” is a demonstration of our town council’s heartfelt desire to BRIGHTEN up the estate as well as help us do our part in protecting our enviornment.

Watch the following video to understand the logic behind the change: (This is purely my speculation on the changes and I did not verify this with the town council)

So should I be sadly happy or happily sad about these changes?

I cannot decide.

You can put your "PEE" on me.

At about 3am last night, my sister in law was awoken by 3 migrant workers who were speaking loudly outside her window. (My in laws live in a ground floor unit within the Tiong Bahru Estate)

The 3 of them were drunk and one of them appeared more drunk than the other two.

As she was trying to get some sleep and this trio did not seemed to be ending the night soon, she had to call the police to intervene.

While she was waiting for the police to arrive, one of the trios walked across the road to relive himself in some bushes.

I think the plants were grateful for the nutritious drink but I am very sure the residents living near that fertilized spot will not share the same sentiments.

Anyway, our man in blue eventually showed up to take control of the situation.

I was told the policeman politely asked the two guys and a gal to move to the Seng Poh Garden to avoid disturbing the residents.

Seng Poh Garden

Wow, that is an example of thinking on one’s feet!

There are indeed a lot more thirsty plants over at the garden!

By the way, the title was inspired by Akon’s You Can Put the Blame on Me.(Other than the pun on the title, the song has nothing to do with this post).

The only problem I have now is that I could almost hear the plants swinging and swaying to this song whenever I walk past Seng Poh Garden!

Where did you go, my Singapore of old?

The Straits Times (Forum)
Feb 24, 2009

I AM a 45-year-old Singaporean much in love with this country, which I am proud to call home.

Over the years, I have visited a few other beautiful countries, but I cannot see myself living anywhere else but in Singapore.

However, as much as I call Singapore my home, there is almost nothing of it I can connect to when I try to look back in memory.

A few weeks ago, I decided to drive my parents around to revisit places to try to recapture the fond memories of our earlier years.

There was almost no place familiar left to go.

Almost everything has been eradicated.

It was a sad morning.

I am sure, to the zealots of change and development, this means nothing at all, and others may say people like me are like a broken record (nostalgia) that gets stuck and plays the same thing over and over, but I feel it is very sad.


The little we have left is also about to go: the last kampung in Buangkok, the New Seventh Storey Hotel and so on.

Who needs the kampung in Buangkok when there is the shiny plastic version in Geylang Serai, right?

After all, it is clean, safe and pristine.

With reference to last Monday's letter by Ms Lisa Healey-Cunico, 'Let Singapore shape itself naturally', I fully agree that Singapore has lost much of its soul.

It truly seems we have an unquenchable need to wipe out and develop anything and everything.

Alternatively, if a place is deemed worthy of heritage, redevelopment sets in with the original tenants, who contributed to the colour of the place, removed because of high rent and commercialisation.

Maybe I am just getting old, but I would like to be able to visit some places in Singapore with nothing added but a few coats of paint over the years.

I resort to flea markets for photocopy pictures sold at three for $10.

I used these to share old stories with my parents and daughters.

That is all there is.

Needless to say, one of my favourite haunts is Sungei Road.

I am certain it is already in someone's plans for eradication.


I appeal to whoever can make the difference, please leave some things as they are.


I love you, Singapore, but I fear I do not remember you.

Vincent Paul Carthigasu


Copyright © 2007 Singapore Press Holdings.
All rights reserved. Privacy Statement & Condition of Access
_____________________________________

I came across this letter from Vincent Paul Carthigasu in the Forum section of the Straits Times today and I thought it is a good reminder to everyone that we need some memory markers to help us feel belonged.

If you are subscribed to the Straits Times Interactive, you would be able to read some of the comments. Some of the comments are thought provoking while some are just frivolous.

I'm reproducing some of them here for us to read.

__________

In the 1970s, what remained of the 1950s Singapore?
In the 1950s, what remained of the 1930s Singapore?
...In the 1830s, what remained of Singapore before Raffles?

Even for first-generation buildings - the land itself had something else before the first-gen buildings came up.

It's not that I don't value and appreciate old buildings, I do like revisiting "old city" locations in Singapore as well as in other cities around the world.

Many have nice designs, and unlike modern buildings that depend on airconditioning etc., many of the older buildings were designed for natural ventilation and to benefit from natural lightings - an environmentally friendly feature sadly neglected, even though newer buildings do have better indoor plumbings and waste disposal etc.

The point I am raising to those who reminisce fondly of sights that were common in their younger days is that during their younger days, there were already changes that occurred, and there were changes that were taking place, albeit at a much slower rate or smaller scale compared to today.

What we really missed is what we had became familiar with, not necessarily the original.

The secondary school building I attended in the 1980s was not the school's original campus, the original site was at Bras Basah.

The school had since moved to yet another campus at Bishan.In the same way I missed my old campus, despite the new one being supposedly bigger and better, I suppose the students before my time would have missed the original building too.

One person's Singapore of old is not necessarily another person's Singapore of old.
Posted by: coolbeagle at Tue Feb 24 10:49:50 SGT 2009

______________________________

It's true, all we have now is all new buldings etc. The old 'buildings' by Changi Road are all gone now, even my family and I went back to where we used to live in the 70s, that too has diminished. Only when we visit Malaka, we feel "at home" cos nothing much has changed there.
Posted by: NonaSings at Tue Feb 24 10:11:11 SGT 2009

______________________________

Singapore govt are visionaries....They have seen the future...and the future does not permit old houses. The future only include spaceships and highscrappers.....
Posted by: luvmibiz at Tue Feb 24 09:47:31 SGT 2009

______________________________

No development = no injection of cash from govt = no contracts = no jobs = no money = society unrest = problems for govt.Hopefully this gives u an idea why nothing is spared
Posted by: weischin at Tue Feb 24 09:33:19 SGT 2009

Getting Red over Green

I've been putting off the opportunity to blog about those recycling initiatives we have here at the Tiong Bahru Estate.

I think this is an initiative that induces a love-hate mental state amongst residents here.

We all know by now that we need to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. I support that!


But deep down, I hate the way recycling is done over here!

Something happened yesterday made me snap!

No, it wasn't because SULO moved the recycling bins from between block 48 and block 50 Moh Guan Terrace to block 38 Kim Pong Road.

The bins used to be located in between block 50 & block 48 Moh Guan Terrace

It was the lack of "engagement" that cheesed me off the most!

When I saw the recycling bins in front of block 38 Kim Pong Road, my initial thoughts was why did they not placed the bins next to the rubbish collection centre.

The bins are now located in front of block 38 Kim Pong Road

Why place it here to create so many pockets of messiness within this housing estate?

So I decided to call the hotline to find out if I can get them to move the bins to a more suitable location.

The 1st call to SULO was straightforward enough.

The male voice told me Lawrence and Ismail are in charge of this area and I should call them to find out.

He also said that I should contact Ismail first since Ismail is the manager.

I called Ismail’s number and was told that he was out of the office.

So I asked if I could speak to someone else instead and that lady connected me to another lady.

Since I was always curious about how often SULO clear these recycling bins, I decided to ask this nagging question that I have before suggesting to them about moving the bins.

It was a straightforward question which requires a straightforward answer.

The lady couldn’t answer it and I was put on hold to listen to some music.

When someone seems to be back on the line and before I could utter anything, I was put on hold to listen to the music again!

This pick-up, put-on-hold process was repeated about 3 times and then the line seems to go quiet.

Thinking that the line was dropped, I starting grumbling about how they have dropped my call after making me wait for so long.

To my embarrassment, a voice suddenly came back on to ask me for my contact number so that SULO can get back to me with an answer. (I think she heard my grumbling and the words I used wasn't pleasant.)

Me: What do you mean you need to check? You mean you don't even know how often you clear the bins?

SULO: I need to check with the person who is in charge, I don't know!

Me: Never mind then, I will call Lawrence to find out…since I have his number.

When I called Lawrence, he appeared a bit annoyed with me and asked me where I was calling from.

After I told him I was calling from Tiong Bahru, he asked me to call another number.

I went ballistic from here onward!

Me: What’s wrong with you guys? I just wanted to know how often you clear the bins. And you have to push me around your organization to get this simple answer?!

Me: Isn't that supposed to be common knowledge? Don't you even know how often bins in Tiong Bahru are cleared?!

Lawrence: I will check and call you back.

Eventually, Lawrence returned my call and by then, I have calmed down.

Lawrence: The bins in Tiong Bahru are cleared every Wednesday… but my men have already cleared the bins yesterday!

Me: Okay, Thanks. Do you think I could suggest you move the bins to the side of the rubbish collection centre?

Lawrence: I cannot decide because all these issues are decided by the NEA. They gave instruction to move those bins from block 50 Moh Guan Terrace to somewhere else.

Lawrence: You have to call them to find out.

(During our conversation, Lawrence also insisted that these bins are not mosquitoes incubators as the bins are kept closed all the time and water can flow out of the bins from the holes below!

Doesn’t he know that there is an orange cover which you can open up to throw your stuff in? And if the bins are filled to the brim, these cover will be left in the open mode. The contents within the bin can also trap water, making it conducive for the mosquitoes to breed. Perhaps someone has to contract dengue before action will be taken….oh sorry, make it MANY MANY people have to contact it because 1 person doesn’t make this area a hot spot and so no action will be taken either.)

Since I was out for the day, I had to Google NEA on my phone to get the number. (I really wanted to resolve this matter ASAP)

The call to NEA was surprising efficient, within 3 rings, someone answered my call.

The female voice at the end of the line took all my details and information and say she will escalate this!

Escalate? Mmm, I know the word “escalate” is used quite liberally in the corporate world but somehow she made it sound like I'm a trouble maker here.

So now I will wait for her to escalate this request.

While I wait for NEA’s reply, here’re some pictures to describe what I meant:

Move the bins to the side of the rubbish collection centre.

Here’s how it would look like

Personally, I don't really like the recycling bins because the collections is too few and far in between, resulting in a lot of pilferages.

I will use picture to illustrate my point:

Some stuff is placed into the bin while some are placed near the bins. As long as they are neat and tidy, it is acceptable.

People pilfer them for their own gains

This is the resulting mess and this scene is repeated all over Tiong Bahru!

How could we live with all these mess?

We have to decide if we should give priority to the green movement or give priority to a beautiful estate.

I suggest SULO come and clear these “GREEN MINE” more often so that everyone wins.

(If you think I complained too much lately, here’s a video that was inspired by a complaining spirit.)