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".

"Holey" distractions

A few months ago, I saw a window that looked out of place.

Was this little window part of the original design?

I did not give it much thoughts until today when someone "sms" me to find out more about my previous blog on the painted over brick walls.

During our back and forth "SMSes" while I was in my church service (yeah, I wasn't paying attention today), I mentioned about a hole that was created in the facade and how that could even happened to a conserved apartment.

As I was ranting away with my fingers, it suddenly dawned upon me that this hole may have been created to insert those 1st generation aircon system many years ago and it may not be this owner's fault at all!

He may have merely inherited this infringement.

Holes hacked to accomodate the 1st generation aircons

Conservation status aside, can we actually hack holes through an apartment?

By the way, most owners nowadays will not bother to knock a hole in the wall to put in their aircon.

They will just go for the weakest point in the wall to get the aircon trunking through and the weakest point happened to be the air vents. (Trust me, no one police such things here even though it is a conservation area)

If everyone in this estate has the discipline and determination to at least keep the facade intact, many more people can come and enjoy these buildings without any blemishes for many more years.

Below are some example of how the walls should look like :

Anyway, if you are reading this, you may want to refresh your memory on the URA Guidelines for the Tiong Bahru Area. : TIONG BAHRU CONSERVATION AREA

And oh yes, I was so distracted with my sms that I did not know what the guest speaker shared in church today. :-(

"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.

WOW! A book about Tiong Bahru!

If you have time to spare on 9th September from 5-9pm, take a stroll down to the White Canvas Gallery along Guan Chuan Street to meet up with the author of the book, Black & White Tiong Bahru.

Here's the flyer which the white canvas gallery owner, Colin, passed to me.

And I've reproduced the text on the flyer here for easy reading :

White Canvas Gallery invites you to learn about our first book project, Black and White Tiong Bahru.

Now in production, Black and White Tiong Bahru combines original imagery and research with insightful writing to create a dynamic portrait of this unique area.

On Thursday, September 9th, from 5-9 PM, artist/writer Stephen Black will show photographic work and discuss topics related to the book.

You are invited to join us for this casual meet-the-artist session.

Light refreshments will be served.

A resident of Singapore since 2002, Stephen Black brings to the project a perspective that is both localized and global.

Black has worked with Annie Liebowitz, Kazuo Ohno, David Sylvian and Kenzo. as well as CNN. Fox, Cartoon Network, and Fuji TV.

His book, Bus Stopping, is a critically acclaimed photographic look at Singapore.

Recently, he created text for Michael Lee's installation at the National Museum and also performed as a member of show in the Lit Up Festival at LASALLE College of the Arts.


White Canvas Gallery is located at :
78 Guan Chuan Street #01-41
Singapore 160078

T : 62208723
E : wcg@whitecanvas-gallery.com
W: www.whitecanvas-gallery.com

I love my armpit....wanton noodles.

I was fortunate to be the last customer for the armpit wanton noodles yesterday.

Though the owner refused to serve me the large portion ($3.50 a plate) and I had to settled for the $2.50 plate, the lady boss nevertheless gave me all the available wantons.

And it was a very large bowl of wanton soup with at least nine of them sitting in the bowl!

The $2.50 was well spent and I felt bad because it was really worth $3.50 or more.

Perhaps I was the last customer for the day and the usual no-nonsense, no smile, always gloomy lady boss was a little relaxed and cordial and she actually came and sat at the same table.

I never expected her to say anything and thought she just needed to rest her feet.

She started the conversation and I went Wow!

I not only got extra helpings of wantons, I also got some insights into how their famous arm pit wanton noodle came about.

It was a story about their dogged determination to eke out a living and the ability to adapt and innovate in the face of adversity.

As I was enjoying my once a week "die die" must have food, I asked Mrs lee curiously why I do not recalled eating this when I was growing up.

I remembered they were famous for their soy sauce chicken but I had never tasted their wanton noodles until they moved into the temporary market at Kim Pong Road about 3 years ago.

Was there a best kept secret dish that escaped me all these while?

Mrs Lee confirmed that they never had this dish until the bird flu epidemic hit Singapore and their business almost went belly up as people were staying away from chickens and there was also an acute shortage of FRESH chickens due to the mass culling.

That was probably the darkest time of their business as they were struggling for about a year with very dismal business.

Instead of caving in to the situation and remaining helpless about it, Mr Lee a.k.a Dennis, started experimenting and he came up with this winning dish.

A few of us accidentally discovered this gem when Mr Lee introduced it at the Kim Pong Road temporary market.

But as soon as the media caught wind of this new mouth watering dish in Tiong Bahru, we always have to queue up for it now!

The Lees never looked back ever since and this outsell the soy sauce chicken now.

And Mrs Lee was so proud of her husband and his culinary skill that she told me that even she has not mastered the way Mr Lee cooks the noodles.

Hers always comes out a little soft while Mr Lee's is springy.

And even if you "tah pao" some home and let it sit in the container for a few hours, the noodles won't turn soggy.

And if you do make a trip to this stall in Tiong Bahru, try to eat this without the chilli sauce for once.

You will be able to savour the unforgettable taste. (It was Mr Lee who asked me to go without chilli back in the Kim Pong days and I never eat this dish with chilli ever again!)

As I wrote this, I cannot help but went back for another go to satisfy my cravings....and I also ordered the soy sauce chicken....for old time sake.

I will give way to this anytime!

I was on my way home at about 2:15pm today when I was stopped by this funeral procession at the junction of Chay Yan Street and Guan Chuan Street.

Since I cannot go anywhere but to wait, I thought I might as well record this event with my phone camera.

For an event that is supposedly sombre in nature, this one is quite a colourful one.

And my youngest daughter who will wake up to the the sound of thunder miraculously slept through this procession of gongs.

The Straits Times : Tiong Bahru's draw

The Straits Times
Life!
By boon chan
Jul 5, 2010

Tiong Bahru is turning out to be one of the most inspiring neighbourhoods in Singapore.

The artists (front, from left) Tia Boon Sim, Paul Wang, Don Low and Miel (standing) with their sketches of Tiong Bahru. -- PHOTOS: WHITE CANVAS GALLERY

First there was the documentary, Civic Life: Tiong Bahru, shot by London-based film-makers Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy last month.

Now, there is an exhibition titled Tiong Bahru Sketches: Outside-In at the new White Canvas Gallery which opened last Wednesday. It will be on till July 17.

The sketches are by four artists: Tia Boon Sim, manager at Temasek Design School; Paul Wang, a lecturer at Temasek Polytechnic; Don Low, a graphic designer; and Miel Prudencio, senior executive artist with The Straits Times.

Over 60 per cent of the more than 40 pieces in pen, ink and watercolour have been sold, according to gallery owner Maria Ng. They cost between $250 and $900 and were drawn over several weekends in May and last month.

Corner 71 (above), a pen, ink and watercolour on paper sketch by Tia Boon Sim

On the allure of Tiong Bahru, Ms Ng says: 'In a sense, you can't find another place like that in Singapore. In terms of location, it is very central but when you walk through the back lanes, it's a very kampung feeling.'

Backlane (above) a pen, ink and watercolour on paper sketch by Miel

Architect Kelvin Ang, 38, who is a resident there, agrees. He says: 'There's a stronger sense of community in Tiong Bahru because the design of the neighbourhood helps you to meet people - the small scale of it, the five-foot-way, the balconies and back staircases.'

He is a member of the Seng Poh Residents' Committee in Tiong Bahru and his two-bedroom walk-up apartment is featured in several sketches by Wang. He has bought two of the sketches, but not those of his own home as 'that would be too indulgent'.

Kelvin's Balcony (above), a sketch by Paul Wang

Another distinctive feature of Tiong Bahru is the architecture. Mr Leong In Chau, 56, who has lived there for over 20 years, says the buildings are pre-war. He says: 'I like the architectural details so I live there.'

While he likes the sketches, he says with a laugh that he is not planning to buy anything as there are no drawings of his block in Eng Hoon Street.

In addition to the nostalgic charm of the low- rise walk-ups, there is also the draw of the food.

Tia admits: 'Everytime we go down to sketch, we would end up eating somewhere. We know every eating corner there.'

This is lovingly reflected in the depictions of famous foods and restaurants such as Tiong Bahru Chwee Kuey by Low, and Ting Heng by Wang.

Monkey God Temple (above) a pen, ink and watercolour on paper sketch by Don Low

Tia's passion for sketching extends beyond the Tiong Bahru project. She founded the Singapore chapter of Urban Sketchers, a global organisation started by Seattle journalist and illustrator Gabi Campanario in 2007. The organisation's aim is to show the world one drawing at a time. She has also organised sketch walks to neighbourhoods such as Little India and Geylang and the results can be seen at urbansketchers-singapore.blospot.com

Those who are keen to learn more about drawing on location can sign up for a sketch walk with the four artists on July 17.

Miel, 45, says: 'Those who sign up are expected to sketch with us and pick up sketching tips from us and we could also act as mini-tourist guides.

'But the piece de resistance would be this - learning where the best food is to be found after all that walking and sketching.'

bchan@sph.com.sg

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TIONG BAHRU SKETCHES: OUTSIDE-IN

Where: White Canvas Gallery, 78 Guan Chuan Street, 01-41 Tiong Bahru
When: Until July 17

SKETCHWALK @ TIONG BAHRU WITH TIA BOON SIM, MIEL, PAUL WANG AND DON LOW

Where: Meet at the gallery
When: July 17, 2pm

Info: Call 6220-8723 or e-mail ricky@whitecanvas-gallery.com