Bob - A Street Cat that glued a community together.

Bob - A street cat that glued a community together.

This is a story about a seemingly common street cat that has an extraordinary ability to bring a community together!

Bob was reported missing around the end of January 2011 and emails and FaceBook messages were flying around cyberspace, appealing to everyone to keep a lookout for Bob.

Within four days, Bob was found badly injured along Eng Hoon Street by resident Jerelyn.

Initially, Bob was thought to be scalded by hot water by some cat abuser lurking within the estate. But to everyone's relief, that turned out to be false.

However, the fact remained that Bob needed immediate treatment as the wound has become gangrenous.

The 1st vet at Mt Pleasant Animal Hospital gave a very hasty diagnosis despite having X-rayed Bob and opined that Bob was involved in some cat fight and a 2 weeks rest would do the trick.

A few days after, Bob did not seems to be getting better as he was still bleeding and pus was already forming at the wound. Bob also cannot pee and that was very unusual.

Bob's foster parents, Terence and Bella, quickly brought Bob to another Vet at the Namly Animal Clinic for a second opinion.

A surgery was done to remove the urine but Bob still wasn't getting any better.

The residents in Tiong Bahru, including those who are overseas, agonized over the Vet's recommendation to euthanize Bob to avoid prolonging his suffering.

Despite a seemingly hopeless situation, some suggestions came in through Facebook about getting in touch with a miracle Vet, Dr Lye, from the Balestier Animal Recovery.

Since Bob was running out of options, he was brought there in a last ditch effort to save him.

Dr Lye was quick to diagnose that Bob was most probably ran over by a car and his bladder has been displaced from the urethra.

And Dr Lye was very assuring as well. He promised that Bob will not be put to sleep.

So with the right diagnosis, the correct treatment could be administered.

Bob has to go through a few more gruelling surgery that also involves changing his penis to a vagina. (Read more about it in the dedicated FaceBook Page).

Besides human intervention, his fellow feline friend had to chip in by donating some blood to Bob.

Till today, Bob is not really up and about just yet but the vet says he should recover much faster in a familiar environment and the much needed love and care from everyone will aid the healing process.

If nothing goes wrong, Bob, the street cat who glued a community together for the past one month, will be back tomorrow in Tiong Bahru!

The residents at Eng Hoon Street has unselfishly given their time, effort, rest and sleep to rescue this street cat. It is now up to the rest of us to chip in whatever we can to help defray the $12,000 medical fees.

If you want to be part of this in a meaningful way, please check out the details at this facebook website : The Story of Bob - a very special cat or hop on down to Books Actually.

If you prefer to transfer money via the internet, an account has been set up.

Here's the details : DBS SAVINGS 008-5-051623

Please email to thestoryofbob@gmail.com after you have transferred and do indicate the amount.

For cheque donations, please email to that email for details.

Your generosity will go a long way here and the residents at Eng Hoon Street will be grateful for making this rescue possible and meaningful.

This community effort to get Bob back on his feet will go a long way in making this close knitted community even closer.

The Sunday Times - Cool, edgy vibe in Tiong Bahru

The Sunday Times
13th February 2011
By Natasha Ann Zachariah

The opening of art galleries and design studios has added to the bohemian charm of the neighbourhood

ST PHOTOS: CHEW SENG KIM

Amid the mom-and-pop hardware and provision shops in Tiong Bahru, art galleries, indie stores and design studios have been popping up recently, lending new charm to the bohemian neighbourhood.

The laid-back, chilled-out vibe of Yong Siak Street was one of the factors enticing bookstore BooksActually to move from its Club Street location.

Books Actually @ Yong Siak Street - ST PHOTOS: CHEW SENG KIM

Mr Kenny Leck, 32, co-founder and owner of the indie store, says: 'The feel of the place fits in with our store concept and it's an area that's familiar to me and my staff.'

Cheaper rent and a bigger space were also incentives. The new single-level store, which is set to open at the end of this month, is 2,200 sq ft and he pays one-third less rent than the previous location.

Tiong Bahru was gazetted by the Urban Redevelopment Authority as a conservation area in 2003.

The pre-war walk-up apartments found in Eng Hoon Street, Chay Yan Street and Seng Poh Road among others, feature architectural touches such as air wells, rounded balconies, back lanes and spiral staircases, uncommon to public housing in Singapore.

The colonial-era buildings, which go up to five storeys, have some ground-floor units that have been designated for commercial usage.

Another recent addition to the street is 40 Hands, a 50-seater speciality coffee shop set up by Perth native Harry Grover and his brother, which opened in October last year.

The 30-year-old barista tells LifeStyle that he had offers to start his first shop in malls such as Wheelock Place in the Orchard Road area, but felt that Tiong Bahru was a 'cool neighbourhood'.

'It's a bit run-down, but it's definitely edgy and it's such a hole-in-the-wall location.'

Art galleries have also added to the chi-chi factor of the area. There are now three galleries in Guan Chuan Street.

White Canvas Gallery opened in October 2009 and owner Maria Ng says the neighbourliness of Tiong Bahru residents gives the place a 'kampung feel'.

Ms Ng, 45, who also runs a private art gallery five doors away, says: 'Everyone knows everyone here. It's so informal, even for an art gallery. You don't need to be dressed up to walk in.'

White Canvas Gallery @ Guan Chuan Street - ST PHOTOS: CHEW SENG KIM

For others, the versatility of the interior space was a pull factor.

Artist and author Joanna Wong, 51, bought a ground-floor unit last year to set up her own private art gallery and studio, Jo's Creations, to work on her oil paintings.

The ex-banker paid $838,000 for the unit and knocked down the interior bedroom walls to create a more open concept.

The gallery opens next weekend and she says: 'It's a great area to showcase my art- works and books. It's also such a cosy village, with no tall Housing Board flats in your face.'

Jo's Creations @ Guan Chuan Street - ST PHOTOS: CHEW SENG KIM

Real estate analyst Tejaswi Chunduri of online portal PropertyGuru.com.sg says that Tiong Bahru is a hot location to buy or rent property as it is well-served by basic amenities such as schools, public transport and food centres and is located close to town.

She adds: 'From a business perspective, it is more affordable when compared to the same offerings in nearby areas such as Tanjong Pagar, where rent can cost at least $450 more a month for a 1,200 sq ft unit.'

Convenience and price aside, another draw is nostalgia for Tiong Bahru.

For independent curator Terence Yeung, 40, living here now with his designer wife brings back memories of the days when his parents lived there and dated each other.

They were childhood friends who lived only streets apart - his mother in Moh Guan Terrace and his father in Seng Poh Road - and who later became sweethearts.

Mr Yeung, who moved into the area seven years ago, says: 'The character of the place, the space and its people hold a certain charm in everyday living.'

One of the first design businesses there, architectural materials showroom RICE, which moved to Eng Watt Street from Kallang five years ago, welcomes the new businesses to the neighbourhood.

Mr Alan Tan, 38, director of the 10- year-old boutique stone and Italian tiles provider, believes the area's design for commercial units, which are spread out over five streets, allows each business to add its own style to the mix without being too overwhelming.

'We complement one another well and we are a close-knit community, but we each have our own character,' he says.

natashaz@sph.com.sg

The Straits Times : Tiong Bahru's London debut

The Straits Times
Life Section
5th Febuary 2011
By alison de souza

As it debuts abroad, a short film set in Tiong Bahru is showing the world a side of Singapore that is different from the usual images of high-rise buildings and placid prosperity.

The 19-minute Civic Life: Tiong Bahru, about a day in the life of three Tiong Bahru residents as they make decisions that will affect their families and communities, made its British premiere at a small arthouse cinema in London on Monday.

British university lecturer Sean Wood, 53, felt it provided a new perspective on a place many do not know well. He said: 'Singapore is a Far Eastern country that doesn't get as much in the press as China and South Korea. But with this film, you get a sense of the textures of the society. It's not so perfect and pristine and there are people with real lives and anxieties.'

Schoolteacher Dee Hinton, 60, got updated on the country of her birth. Her father served in the British army and she was born in Singapore, where she lived till 1966. She said what she saw on screen was 'far more modern and sanitised than the Singapore I knew' but the hawker centre scenes brought back other memories. 'The food - I could almost smell it.'

The film's portrayal of family dynamics also struck a chord with Ms Hinton. 'That's how families ought to be. I feel that, by and large, the Brits are very bad at looking after old people. In Singapore, that's part of the way of life,' she said.

Civic Life: Tiong Bahru is part of a series of short films by Irish film-makers Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor on the relationship between community and place and on themes such as identity and belonging.

Since 2003, they have shot nine Civic Life films in various cities in Ireland and England, each one a community-based project involving local cast and crew.

Tiong Bahru is the 10th instalment and the first set outside the British Isles. Shot at the historic estate and market in June last year, it involved a cast of more than 150 local volunteers. It was shown in Singapore last October.

Molloy and Lawlor's efforts seemed to go down well with the London audience, who were guests at a special screening organised by the Singapore International Foundation and attended by the Republic's High Commissioner to Britain, Mr Michael Teo.

During the question-and-answer session, Lawlor said: 'Initially, you think everyone in Singapore is a millionaire or something, which they're not.'

For those more familiar with Singapore, the film was especially easy to relate to. Mr Benjamin Foo, a 30-year- old Singaporean studying for his master's degree in London, said: 'The stories in the film, such as the grandmother thinking of moving in with her son, are very real and are things that have happened to people around me.'

Tiong Bahru, which was shown at a film festival in Rotterdam last week, will hit the screens at a festival in Dublin later this month and at selected British cinemas later this year.

The Straits Times : Tiong Bahru is shabby chic

The Straits Times
27 January 2011
By tan shzr ee

It suddenly dawned on me that Tiong Bahru was hip, with an old-world charm

This weekend, Civic Life: Tiong Bahru, a film on Singapore's historic Tiong Bahru district, opens in one of London's arthouse cinemas, Renoir.

Helmed by British film-makers Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor, it stars 'real life' people of the famed area's markets, who struggle with big decisions about life choices, belonging, identity and place.

My own tiny contribution to the project as a voiceover artist allowed an initial glimpse of the rushes, which showed Tiong Bahru in all its old-world charm, its almost ridiculous greens, reds and oranges; its dated multi-storey carparks that were so ugly they could almost be beautiful.

And then, it suddenly dawned on me: Tiong Bahru was hip. Old housing board developments were being reclaimed as not-quite 'historic' districts than viable, livable spaces whose slightly worse-for-wear and once unfashionable facades were now the epitome of cool.

Rydwan, my fellow consumer of Singaporean nostalgia in London, concurred over a Facebook chat: 'Yes, TB is quite the hip. No gentrification yet. Outram Park, Changi Village, the old Seletar airbase - people in these neighbourhoods have this solidarity and pride about their own kampungs. You never find it in Yishun or AMK.'

What about Chinatown?

'Chinatown where got people live there anymore? Same as Bugis.'

Yes - I agreed. They were choc-a-bloc with beautiful hotels, too-trendy design boutiques, or indeed the creature which crossed both genres: boutique hotels.

But what then, of Holland V?

'Too ang moh. But it's still villagey.'

Balestier?

'Hmmz. Not hip... yet. But getting there. It's seedy. Got edge.'

And Siglap? With its wine merchants and all?

'Laidback hip. It's the Holland V of the East but not so ang moh.'

And so we went through major sections of Singaporean topography, debating over their merits and faults in terms of our very own definitions of hipness.

As it turned out, Ryd's definitions were slightly different from mine, although we both decided that hipness was not so much measured by design-worthiness or pure old-world charm or youth culture, than an X factor reeking of tried-and-tested aliveness.

I, for one, ruled out Siglap on the grounds of its too-obvious colourful and new cafes in restored buildings which seemed to be reaching out to yuppies every single second.

To me, the architecture of the area and its communities seemed to be always declaring, oh-so-self-confidently, that it was neither Bukit Timah or Orchard Road, but 'a real village'. Not that I wouldn't choose to live in this beautiful district though - self-admitted pretentious bourgeois bohemian that I really am.

But Siglap did not have that unplanned, quirky and slightly rundown feel of slow-burning buzz which Outram Park, Selegie, Geylang, Redhill, Toa Payoh - even Ang Mo Kio and Balestier which Ryd felt could not make the list - all possessed.

As far as I was concerned, these neighbourhoods all had an uncle touch: they sported those ubiquitous, singlet-wearing, balding 60-something males who would be squatting by the pavement, griping about the abominable fashion sense of 'those young people' when not stoning in front of a kopitiam widescreen TV broadcasting the English Premier League.

And the 'uncle' touch wasn't just about live, grumpy old men in tatty clothes populating public and open spaces. It was a whole ethic - of shabby chic, of has-been-ness and finally, of a steely determination to remain marginally relevant to the pulse of everyday life in Singapore, every moment.

Of course, there are uncles in Yishun, Holland V and Siglap too. But they were not so much central to the landscape than incidental to it. They were either holed up in their swanky third-generation HDB flats' air-conditioned 'guest rooms' (watching the English Premier League, no less), or dutifully and invisibly walking their precious grandchildren to kindergartens and nursery schools.

Real uncle-hipness was a different matter: Here was an old man's stubbornness, an old man's recalcitrance - whether demonstrated in physical displays of kiamsiap (stingy) behaviour in disputes over correct change at the coffeeshop, or metaphored in the defiant, graffitised but not yet mouldy paintwork of walls, building archways and void decks.

In my books, Tiong Bahru - with its brilliant reds, greens, oranges, dirty yellows and ucky beiges - has the original 'uncle-hip' factor. And where newer, shinier, multi-purpose multi-swimming-pooled executive condominiums with skywalk passageways might cause you to take deep intakes of breath from within as well as from afar, I'm equally happy taking the heat any day from your cantankerous uncle on his crumbling, roadside perch in some rundown corner of neglected - but still alive - Singapore.

stlife@sph.com.sg



The film-makers are giving away 100 DVDs of Civic Life: Tiong Bahru. Go to www.civiclife.sg for more details.

Old School Health Service & School Dental Service Building

Now that DDB Worldwide Pte Ltd has moved out of the former School Health Service & School Dental Service at 226 Outram Road, I wonder what will become of this building.



It was a building of "terror" for me when I was growing up coz that was the place I had my teeth checked as well as got my BCG jab when I was 12!


There was once I even got trapped in their elevator with my grandma for about 30 minutes before someone pried open the doors to let us climb out of it.


Hope I still have a chance to wander inside the building again.

The Sunday Times - Featured Tiong Bahru Resident

Learn more about our fellow Tiong Bahru resident and also find out what's keeping him busy nowadays in today's Sunday Times write up.

The Sunday Times
Lifestyle Section - Bookends
9th January 2011
By Shairah Thoufeekh Ahamed

-- PHOTO: COURTESY OF MICHAEL LEE (Sunday Times)

Who: Michael Lee has a short attention span when it comes to reading books. The 38-year-old visual artist finds it difficult to stick to one book at a time, let alone the same chapter in a single book.

'I get bored very quickly. I think I end up benefiting in terms of breadth but suffering in terms of depth,' he says.

The self-professed book-hoarder, who is also a part-time lecturer at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, will be showing his latest work at this month's interactive art tour Open House.

Titled The Eulogist, his work features personal eulogies written by the owners of the households themselves and will take place in four HDB flats in Marine Parade. The Open House tours take place today and next weekend. For details, go to http://www.ohopenhouse.com/

What are you reading now?
I am now split between 6 Memos For The Next Millennium by Italo Calvino, Lives Of The Artists by Giorgio Vasari and Ideas That Changed The World by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto.

The first is a series of lectures delivered at Harvard University from 1985 to 1986, about what Calvino felt were important literary values, which are lightness, quickness, exactitude, visibility and multiplicity.

Lives Of The Artists was partly responsible for heralding the Early and High Renaissance, a period of artistic flourishing in the West during the 15th and 16th centuries.

Vasari was championing the trades of painting, sculpture and architecture, which were previously considered more craft than art. I hope one day I can do the same for Singapore, if not for the world.

The last book is an excellent mini- encyclopaedia with illustrated pages of the evolution of human thought.

All these books feature beautiful prose, even if they are considered non-fiction. More importantly, I like that they challenge conventional ideas.

If your house were burning down, which book would you save?

Human, All Too Human by Friedrich Nietzsche. It keeps me sane by reminding me that a lot of so-called human virtues such as morality and loyalty are nonsense, and are ways of preventing people from realising their fullest potential.


The bottom line is that anyone who wants to be really free needs to have this book on his reading list.


6 Memos For The Next Millennium (Penguin, 2009, $29.43),
Lives Of The Artists (Oxford, 2008, $25.95),
Human, All Too Human (Prometheus, 2008, $25.72)
are available from Books Kinokuniya. Ideas

That Changed The World (DK, 2007, $13.92)
is available at Amazon.com


Copyright © 2010 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

The Straits Times : iPhone app helps police nail suspect

The Straits Times
8 Dec 2010

POLICE have arrested a serial snatch thief with the help of an iPhone application that traces the location of the mobile phone.


A woman was walking along Lim Liak Street near the Tiong Bahru food centre early last Sunday morning when a man approached her from behind and snatched her iPhone. She notified the police.


Police were able to trace the phone with the 'Find My iPhone' application. They then established the identity of the suspect with follow-up investigations.


The application allows users to estimate their handset's current location with the use of Google Maps.


The suspect, a 18-year-old Malaysian man, was arrested on Monday evening near Outram Road.

Preliminary investigations show that he is believed to be responsible for other snatch theft cases in the Tiong Bahru and Kim Tian estates.

He will be charged in the Subordinate Court today for snatch theft which has a maximum punishment of seven years in prison and caning.

A court order will be made to hold him in custody for further investigations.