[Buildings] Oh What Rubbish!

The humble Rubbish Chute, who do not know what that is? Well, you'll be surprised that this is not totally common in the household of people around the world.

I had interacted with a foreign student who had stayed in Singapore's high-rise apartment for three weeks. He was here for an exchange programme. He shared about how he had to bag his rubbish everyday and from his 10-storey apartment, made his way down to the rubbish bin to dispose of his rubbish. He only found out that there's a rubbish chute in each apartment only on the last day of his stay. We laughed over the gaffe but in truth, we forget that having rubbish chutes in high rise is uniquely Singapore.

I'd also just returned from, my holiday in Sarawak. I stayed in a condominium which I'd booked through Airbnb. In this condominium, residents are able to also dispose their refuse on the level that they are staying. However, it's not a rubbish chute that they have, but elongated squarish green rubbish bins enclosed in a rubbish area.

Forfar House. Source: http://www.mycommunity.org.sg/heritage/princess-trail/38-former-forfar-house-3.html

So the Singapore version of the rubbish chutes is truly unique to our country. In-home rubbish chutes have been ever present in public houses since the 1950s. An example of rubbish chutes in a high rise flat can be seen in an article lauding the launch of this now famous building called Forfar House. This public block of flats was built by the former our public housing authority - Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT). (Minister to open sky flats tomorrow, 1956)

"All kitchens are served by built-in refuse chutes running the full height of the building and discharging into removal bins at ground level".

That's me in 1977. Can you find the opening of the rubbish chute?

Of course, rubbish chutes are not unique only to Singapore, but with more than 80% of our population living in government-built high rise apartments, most of us would have experienced the use of rubbish chutes.

Modern Day Rubbish Chute Found In the Lobby Area

Over the years, there were interesting stories coming out from it, and it's not just rubbish we are talking about.

There were fires that were started from flat dwellers throwing charcoal down the rubbish chutes in the 1980s. Those were the time where charcoal stoves cooking was still a norm. It was reported that fire incidents rose during the Lunar New Year period as people threw charcoal down the rubbish chutes. What charcoal? The new generation of Singapore will find this unthinkable now as very few households now use charcoal to do their cooking. But there was a time where family matriarchs professed that the food cooked by using charcoal tasted better. Charcoal stoves were used to prepare food items such as boiling soup to preparing loveletters.

"...the rubbish chutes, which have been conveniently built into their flats, are an important part of their property, to be utilised in a proper manner" (Ministry of Culture)

In the same news release, residents were encouraged to bag their refuse using plastic bags.

How times have changed!

References
Ministry of Culture. March 13, 1982. Speech by Mr Lee Yock Suan. Press Release. 
Firemen to give talk at CCs. February 25, 1985. The Straits Times. P9.
Minister to open sky flats tomorrow. October 23, 1956. The Straits Times. P7.
Public Housing - A Singapore Icon. Housing Development Board. Retrieved on: June 26, 2017, from
http://www.hdb.gov.sg/cs/infoweb/about-us/our-role/public-housing--a-singapore-icon
  

[Singapore Parks] Punggol Park - A Park for Three Generations

Weather-beaten Cement Signage

Singapore knows fresh air when they smell it. So with clear weather and haze-free air, people of all ages started to throng the parks. This was no different for Punggol Park that I'd visited earlier. The park is located in an extremely tranquil location - lock in between two rivers - Sungei Pinang and Sungei Serangoon. Both of which have been relocated and in the case of Sungei Pinang, straightened.

Sungei Pinang

In the past, Sungei Pinang was a meandering river that patter out near Jalan Payoh Lai while the other led towards Sungei Serangoon, the lifeblood of fishermen for close to 100 years. Previously, there was a road called Lorong Santun that appeared in the 1966 street directory. It was here that ships and barges were built illegally. (1) This road has now be taken over by the park.


Punggol Park Pond
 

Looking Towards the Pond

The key landmark of this 16 hectare Punggol Park is the 5-ha pond. The running path hugs the perimeter of the pond and this makes it an extremely pleasant running experience. Other times, I would see anglers trying their luck on getting a catch. (2)


What Else Can You Do?

Elderly Folks Learning Taichi

For me, I'd say people watch! I completed my run. In truth, I just stopped in my tracks as there was much to see. I spotted a group of elderly drawing their swords. No, there wasn't any fights. They were practicing their sword play, which is part of their Taichi routine. All poised and elegant. Their moves were immaculate. There is also a Woodball Lawn, a game played largely by the elderly.

Children Screaming Their Hearts Out

I was beyond mesmerised now and had long given up my jog. Just slightly away from the pond was the children's playground. Thus, the park does not just cater to the joggers and taichi practitioners. It's also where children can come out to play. The slides, swings, climbing poles and the likes to keep the kids entertained.

Other than these, there's also a restaurant where you can have a decent meal and a bicycle rental shop where you can pick up a wide range of bicycles.


About the Park

The spire of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary could be seen in the distance

First mooted in 1992, the S$4 million park provides residents with a retreat from their busy lifestyles. (3) Dr Michael Lim, the former Minister of Parliament of Cheng San Group Representative Constituency opened the park in 1994. (4)

One of the reasons for naming the park Punggol was because the start of old Punggol Road was located just at the junction of the church. That stretch of road is now called Hougang Avenue 8.


References

1. The Straits Times. October 16 1979.Where building of vessels is illegal. P.13.
2. National Parks. October 8, 2015. Accessed on November 1, 2015. https://www.nparks.gov.sg/gardens-parks-and-nature/parks-and-nature-reserves/punggol-park
3. The Straits Times. November 27, 1992. Hougang to build $4m park for all in the family. P.33.
4. The Straits Times. November 20, 1994. Cheng San residents get park with fishing pond. P.26.

[Singapore Food] Mei Ling Market & Food Centre

A Road Sign Pointing Customers towards the Market

This is no air-condition food centre, but all the same. People are willing to come from all over the island to have a meal at this food centre, me included. As I'm not a frequent customer at this food centre, signs like what you see in the above picture helped me to get to the market easily.

Mei Ling Market Appeared in the 1972 map (1)

Though Mei Ling Street appeared in maps around the late 1960s, the earliest reference to the market I could find was in the 1972 street directory. Today though renovated, the market still holds many hallmarks of a market that was built more than 40 years ago.

The Entrance to the Market

Firstly, other than the red emblazoned words at the front of the market, the structure itself looked to have changed little. The windows on the second storey are also those that one would see installed as kitchen windows in HDB blocks of the 1970s.

Natural Lighting Helps to Luminate the Stairwell

One design that caught my attention was the brick wall of the stairwell. The walls had circles and semi-circles that not only provided natural lighting for the stairwell, the design also gives this market its character.
 

Well Ventilated Food Centre

The market major retrofitting work that was completed in 2009 (The market even has its own escalators) and both the wet market and food centre on the 2nd level have been well refurbished. Interestingly, live chickens were slaughtered in the market up until 1991 when the Environment Ministry laid down the law of not allowing such slaughter to take place. (2)

Trying the Fried Kuey Teow - Tan Song Heng

I know that there are many choices of food that I can choose from at the food centre, but I was just craving for Fried Kuey Teow that day. So a plate of Fried Kuey Teow I had to get. As I'm no food connoisseur, I'll leave the description of food to the expert. In the nutshell, the Fried Kuey Teow was just alright.

I heard that the chicken rice, lor mee and prawn noodles are worth a go. Any other recommendations?


References

1. One Map. http://hm.onemap.sg/ Accessed on September 28, 2015.

2. Poultry seller at Mei Ling Street want an area to slaughter fowl. October 8, 1991. The Straits Times. P. 23.

[Buildings] Blk 74-80, Commonwealth Drive

Emptied Blocks of Flats

Sound of Silence. If anywhere in Singapore comes close to a ghost town, it would be the seven blocks of Commonwealth Drive. These Housing Development Board (HDB) flats are slated to be torn down in October 2015. It was not like that.

Looking at Heritage Blogger James Seah's post about this place, this place was once full of life. It had life. There was a spritely dame of a coffeeshop, and a kindergarten with nice wall paintings. Sundry shops, hairdresser and hardware shop were all located under these blocks. Indeed it was convenient for the residents there.

A Towering HDB Block in the Background

With the booming population that we see locally, none of these 10-storey blocks will be able to meet the need. It's all about building it upwards. In a nutshell, we cannot stop progress, but we can immortalise some of these scenes through photographs. I'd taken more than 100 photos but I'd like to just share three photographs that I feel, are most meaningful to me. 

1. Old-School Mosaic Tiles

Mosaic Tiles Seen at Blk 74

I started my walk at Blk 74 and was immediately greeted by this beautifully-laid mosaic tiles. Such tiles are really a throwback into time as nowadays, no one will lay mosaic tiles in such a manner. Many will not even use these tiles unless home owners are planning to create a nostalgic feel within their homes.

2. Ground-Floor Kindergarten

Bright Painting Marks this Kindergarten

In its earlier years, Commonwealth Drive had a growing number of young families. Back in those kampung days, it would have been quite an effort sending the child to school and back as educational institutions were located centrally so that everyone would have access to schools. Things started to change in the 70s. Kindergartens were now located under the HDB blocks.

I can just imagine the crackling of children's voices as they learn to read and also, play. Looking at the louvered metal-windows, I can also imagine myself as an excited parent just hoping to meet the eyes of my child. I would have mustered a peep through the windows just to see if my child is doing alright.

3. Letter-Boxes

Row after Row of Letter-Boxes

 These were the HDB letter boxes that quite a number of us are accustomed to. This is how we open our letter-box. There's a circular hook that allows you to put in your own padlock if you so choose to do so. If not, you'd just need to flip the centre lock upwards. Then insert your key to open the letter box.

One other interesting thing to note about the mailbox. The centre flap bears the unit number of your house. If you're staying on the first level and your home address is 777, then it would just be listed as 777. But if you were staying the second level, then your unit number would be 777-A, and third level 777-B. In the late 1970s, the government must have felt that it was difficult for some people and thus implemented 01-777, 02-777. The new format for address can be seen riveted on the top right corner of each letter box.

What an Interesting Find!

In the midst of letter-box gawking, I chanced upon this letter dated 1980. That is a 35-year old letter. The envelope looked pristine in its condition, though the transparent plastic that one could then see our names, had totally disintegrated. The inside document was also tearing, but one could still make up the gist of the letter. How did this letter go missing for such a long time. Also,  how did it largely survive the test of time.

[Singapore Parks] Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park: A Walk in the Park

During the 1970s and earlier, a mention of Kallang River or of any rivers in Singapore would have brought a frown to people's faces. Such rivers or "longkangs" are truly filth pits. Foul-smelling water; filth consisting of everyday rubbish to bloated animal carcasses.

So to even think of getting close to the water was out of the question. Prior to 2011, the river was nothing more than just a canal. It was a straight concrete-based canal that was a reflection of what Singapore was like in the 70s and 80s - effective but not exciting. Much of this mimicked what Singapore was like then too. Nothing but concrete structures.

From a silty, dirty canal, this part of Kallang River along Bishan was transformed into peaceful oasis with a meandering river. Completed in 2011 and launched on 17 March 2012 by Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the waters are now teeming with fishes and kudos must be given to our water agencies who were able to not only keep the water clean, but to start the entire process of transforming the boring concrete canal into such a lovely site and sight.

The focus of this park is not only about the transformed canals, but also about the other facilities on offer. The cycling and running track along the parameters of the park; the nice, cosy restaurants and a spa tucked within the lush leafy garden; inline skating rink, and a dog park (There was not even enough money for people to feed themselves, what's more or dog, or even a dog park) for dog owners and their friend to have a bit of exercise.

With this success, the government has announced the next canal beautification project along the Bishan and Braddell Road. This 1.8km stretch of canal will be redone to include elevated viewing decks and a meandering river. The construction will be completed in 2018. 

[Buildings] Battle for Singapore Heritage Tour: The Tiong Bahru Air Raid Shelter

The battle for air and land supremacy between the British-led forces and the Japanese raged on ever since the latter landed on the Malay Peninsula and Thailand on December 7, 1941. 

In Singapore, preparations were already in order in 1939. By that year, the Germans flexed its muscle by taking over Czech and Slovakia, and were preparing to conquer Poland. Closer to home, the Japanese had invaded China in 1937 and was trying to get a foothold of the eastern part of China.

Though war was not at Singapore's doorsteps, the country took their first step in preparing for such a possible eventuality.

In 1939, it was reported that bomb-proof shelters would be built within one of the blocks at Tiong Bahru. (1) To give it a community feel, it was said that in normal time, the shelter could be used as a children's playing area.

When I stepped into the air raid shelter, the place felt cold and uninviting. Not a place where I'd send my children to play.

In another report, it talked about the construction of a large communal shelter for 1,600 people. There was even proper electric lighting and ventilation "from two centrifugal fans". (2)  The Improvement Trust then further allocated $200,000 in 1941 to increase the shelter size to accommodate 7,300 people, making it Singapore's largest air raid shelter. (3) (4)

The Main Entrance

I took my first step into the air raid shelter and boy was it huge! Also, it was pitch black too! The lights were not working. There were a couple of entrance, but the group took the easier one which did not require us to climb down via a ceiling entrance.

Ceiling of the air raid shelter

Talking about ceilings, everything in the air raid shelter was built using cement, even the ceiling. To allow for the cement to set, long wooden planks were used to help prop up the wet cement. Thus, the cement pretty much took the shape of the wooden planks.

Air Vent to keep the people breathing

During our walk in the shelter, we passed by rooms where shelves could be found. Apparently these shelves were used to store food items. It was said that there were sanitary facilities within the shelter. Though the toilets and the separator walls have all been removed, we could still see the base of these walls on the cement floor. There were certain area within the shelter where the smell of sewer was highly elevated. In simple terms, it stank! I'm sure the original air vents that rise up to the top of the building had surely helped to freshen up the air a little.

The Warden's room

Finally, we were ushered into the ARP Warden's Room. So what's ARP? Well, it's the acronym for Air Raid Precaution Warden. Only the ARP Wardens and their families were allowed to stay in this room. What was interesting here was that the wordings could still be seen on the wall. Was it re-painted or is it original? 

If you're interested in visiting the air raid shelter, check out the National Heritage Board's website for details or alternatively, you can do a virtual tour. http://www.nhb.gov.sg/NHBPortal/Resources/VirtualExhibitions&Tours/WalkingThroughHeritage/TiongBahruAirRaidShelter


References

1. Bomb-proof shelters for new blocks of flats. June 29, 1939. The Straits Times. P15.

2. New block of trust flats. April 4, 1941. The Straits Times. P10.

3. Singapore's largest air raid shelter. October 31, 1941. The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884-1942). P5.

4.Improvement trust allocates $200,000. February 22, 1941. The Straits Times. P11.

Bendemeer Housing Estate: Old World Charms

Bendemeer Housing Estate - One that saw the housing of families in the 1970s where many found jobs within the nearby Bendemeer Industrial Estate. In 2007, the government put the housing estate through an upgrading programme to spruce it up. (1)

Still, the housing estate has somehow managed to keep some of its original charm. Located just a stone's throw away from Boon Keng MRT station, here're 5 good reasons why you should visit this housing estate.

1. Are You a Heritage Buff?

Stepping out of Boon Keng MRT, one of the first things that will catch your eyes would be an information board to start you on your exploratory journey. Read about the famous Whampoa and go on a search to locate the original site of the once-famous Nam Sang Fu Un. After the passing of Whampoa, the property was purchased by a prominent Teochew, Seah Liang Seah and he went on to re-name the building Bendemeer House.


2. Teochew Restaurants Galore

This brings us to another reason why you should visit Bendemeer Housing Estate - The Teochew food. In this Teochew enclave that sees only 12 buildings, there are three Teochew restaurants.

Yuan Xing Teochew Restaurant - The business first started at Wayang Street in the 1950s. They moved to the current site in 1972. (2)

Liang Kee Teochew Restaurant - A restaurant that started in the 1968, this restaurant has been given a pretty good rating by a famous food blogger, Dr Leslie Tay of the ieatishootipost fame. (3)

Ban Heng@Boon Keng - This is a Ban Heng group of restaurant that also serves Teochew cuisine.

So there, three 'branded' teochew restaurants for you to choose from.


3. Knick-Knack Shops

 

From rice dumplings, to banks to coffee shops, there is an entire range of shops, 200 metres of shops lining both sides of the walkway. You can really shop till you drop! If nothing else, you can still take some time to soak in the atmosphere. Listen to the shopkeepers call out to potential customers; eavesdrop on the interesting conversation of the elderly men - Reads like a Chinese tabloids. 


4. Get a Hair-Cut on the Go

Other than the many Teochew restaurants, there are also many barbers and hair-dressers. Just take a look at the picture above - Louisa Permanent Wave. The word Permanent Wave just conjures up the image of that cylindrical contraption that give you the hardest perm you can ever have. This shop still retains the old unit number where it does not list the level. i.e. 673 instead of 01-673. "One karipok haircut, please!"

5. Food, food, More Glorious Food

If you want good food, you get good food. All at the Bendemeer Market and Hawker Centre. The variety of food is just mind-blowing. I had a go at a plate of carrot cake but as soon as I sat down with my food, my eyes started to rove around for other good spoils.

References

1. Bendemeer all spruced up now. January 15, 2007. The Straits Times. P28.

2. Yuan Xing Teochew Restaurant. October 3, 2009. Today. P41.

3. Liang Kee Teochew Restaurant: Teochew Chef Behind the Wok. http://ieatishootipost.sg/liang-kee-teochew-restaurant-teochew-chef-behind-the-wok/ Retrieved on: January 11, 2015.

[Housing Estate] A Lovely Place Called Toa Payoh

It was great to see that the National Heritage Board has put together a Toa Payoh Heritage trail booklet. I had the privilege of receiving a copy from a long-time Toa Payoh resident Nora. The booklet provides readers with a good history of Toa Payoh. In the past, the entire area was but a swamp. A very big swamp.

"the words toa (big in the Hokkien and Teochew dialects) and payoh (a loanword from the Malay word for swamp, paya)" - extracted from the booklet, p2.

From the booklet, I'd also learnt about the importance of a standpipe in the community. It was really a life source where some in the community would gather to trade stories, and sometimes, trade punches. Water was indeed precious. It seemed so much more precious then. The words of Mr Leong Weng Kee also resonated with what I had experienced in the past. 

When I was younger, my mother would sometimes say in her very colloquial way, "It's late. Don't have to bathe, just mat leong can already". "Mat Leong" in Cantonese means to "wipe your body". The origin of not having a full bath seems to point towards the difficulty in getting water for cleaning. It was a total luxury to see running taps in any household then. So using a wet cloth to wipe ones body was a good alternative.

Back to the story of Toa Payoh. I neither grew up nor stayed in Toa Payoh in my younger days. My memories of the place is also not as vivid as those who have stayed there a large part of their lives. Still, if one's a true blue Singaporean, your life would have been inter-twined with this housing estate in more ways than one.

I dug up a photo of my family outing to Toa Payoh Town Park. The photo was taken in the early 80s. With me was my eldest sister. You can see part of the Observation Tower in the background. I remember that I was bowled over by the massive size of the park. I even took the opportunity to dip my arms into the cool pond water and did a little bit of water splashing.

My other tie-back with Toa Payoh was the visiting of my aunty and her family every Lunar New Year and I always marveled over how nice Toa Payoh as an estate was.     

Over the years, I'd used the bus interchange, played basketball at the community centre, visited a friend who stayed at Blk 179 and attended weddings at Toa Payoh Methodist Church. I grew up as the housing estate grew mature.

Three years back, with me married with two kids, I read from the newspapers that the government would be demolishing both Blk 28 and the Dragon Playground. What travesty, I felt. The next generation of children will never know the type of playgrounds that their parents had spent much time at - playing and interacting with other kids.

So I had to bring my children to this dragon playground. When we arrived at the playground, both my kids took to it like any kids to any playground. But in an instance, my son froze just before he reached the sand-filled playground. This was when I had realised that my son had never played at sand-fill playgrounds. All the latest playgrounds are covered with those spongy flooring. But after a little introduction to the ground, they were off. Climbing, jumping, running. Just as kids of my generation would have done. No cares in the world.

In the past, we played, we fell, we grazed our knees. We dusted off the sand and wiped away the trickles of blood, and carried on with our game of catching.

So circa 2014, I'm just glad that the government has decided to keep the dragon playground. With this Toa Payoh Heritage trail, historical buildings and the way of life are now being preserved for future generations. So it was nice of NHB to have a bouncy version of the dragon playground. But for this and other rich historical sites such as Queenstown and Dakota Crescent, nothing can ever replace the real thing. Let's leave something for the kids to remember.

[Housing Estate] Living in Dakota Crescent

I had a chanced meeting with Uncle Vincent Chan. He was doing his weekly 'chi gong' at the open space close to the iconic playground and I was just cycling . I stopped my bicycle and waited for the bare-chested uncle to finished his exercise. He was totally immersed in his exercise and I didn't want to distract him. So I continued to cycle around to capture the last pictures of Dakota Crescent before the entire estate is demolished in 2017.

Tian Kee Provision Shop

After his warm down, we walked over to Tian Kee cafe for a morning tea.The current owner of the cafe, Mr CK Foo - came up with a brilliant idea of keeping the nostalgia of this former provision shop by decorating his cafe with old memorabilia and even kept the old sign board of the old provision shop.

Prior to this being a cafe, Tian Kee and Co. was a provision shop run by Mr Lim Tian Kee. The provision shop loyally served the Dakota residents for 54 years before its owner called it quits in 2013. (1) He cited rising rental and aggressive competition from large supermarkets such as NTUC. Age has also caught up for this 84-year old shop owner. 

Uncle Chan had taken his morning tea together with his fried fritters over at the Old Kallang Airport Market. Still, he was extremely kind to spend two hours with me to chat about a wide array of topics - from the history of housing estate, to his life and life lessons that he has learnt.

Uncle Chan, 68, is one of the first pioneer residents of Dakota Crescent. Together with his father, Uncle Chan moved into his rental flat at Block 50 in 1958. He was 12 years old then. 

In 1980, he was asked to move out as the government had wanted to develop that piece of land. He was then given another rental flat at Block 20. which he has been staying in with his son.

Uncle Chan went on to share -

1. Dakota Crescent was an ulu place in the 1950s. There were no public buses serving this area and in order to go to town, he had to take walk to Mountbatten to take the public transport

2. The blocks are generally even-numbered. The odd-number blocks have all been torn down   

Updated December 31, 2016

References

1. Cheong, K. October 19, 2013. Shutters for 54-year-old provision shop. The Straits Times. 

Further Reading

 Yeo, S. J. December 31, 2016. Some haven't moved out of Dakota Crescent. The Straits times. B1. http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/some-havent-moved-out-dakota-crescent