jeronimoloco

[jeronimoloco]

Singapore, the making of the Great Port City

A ceramic Buddha head found during an excavation at Empress Place in 2015. Genesis (1299 to 1869) Singapore’s emergence as a great 14th century port is recorded through the stories of the Malay Annals, which accords 14th century Temasek or Singapura with the status of the first great port of the Malay world. There is little doubt of Singapore’s place in the region’s rich maritime history. A…

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Panguni Uthiram 2025

Photographs of Panguni Uthiram 2025 Panguni Uthiram in previous years: Panguni Uthiram 2018: Panguni Uthiram and a sugarcane kavadi Panguni Uthiram 2016: The Full Moon of Panguni / Northern Singapore’s Chariot Procession Panguni Uthiram 2015: Panguni Uthiram 2015 in photos Panguni Uthiram 2014: Colours of April Panguni Uthiram 2013: The Silver Chariot returns Panguni Uthiram 2012: The sun…

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Chingay in JB, a feast for the senses

Johor Bahru’s Chingay is quite a spectacle to behold. Where Singapore’s modern take on the southern Chinese tradition of youshen, or procession of dieties, is contained and choreographed, the JB parade is an unabashed expression of faith, unity, and community spirit. The JB parade, which has been around for some 150 years. Except for 1942, when the war came, JB’s Chingay has been held annually…

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Taming the elephant

Photographs I took of another one of the surviving few mosaic and terrazzo playgrounds left in Singapore, one that is very well preserved and free of vandalism (probably because of its location at the Home Team NS Pasir Ris Chalets). The playground’s design takes inspiration from the series of playgrounds that were designed by Mr Khor Ean Ghee for the Housing and Development Board (HDB) in the…

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Festive Blues

Photographs of Chinatown and its Chinese New Year street bazaar during the rain-washed weekend.

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Pongal in the Village of Lime

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Life returns to 5 Kadayanallur Street

No 5 Kadayanallur Street, the former St Andrew’s Mission Hospital, looks fresh and new in its makeover as ‘KADA’. The latest addition to Chinatown’s developing lifestyle scene began its life just a little over a hundred years ago in 1923. Built as a hospital for poor women and children, it was shuttered following a hit during a Japanese air raid on 17 December 1941 before being reopened in April…

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The beauty of Adam Park

Adam Park is a beautiful colonial residential estate that was recently in the news, having been earmarked for conservation. Built from 1928 to 1932, the estate’s 19 residences housed Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) and Municipal officers. The residences are among 500 residences that have been described as ‘black and white’ houses. The common term relates more to their appearance, rather than…

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Kenri Tsutada: Legacy of a Japanese Dentist in Singapore

Singapore of a hundred years ago was home to a community of Japanese, which numbered as many as three and a half thousand at its height. The community began forming in the 1870s with the arrival of the karayuki-san — unfortunate women from impoverished parts of Japan, primarily Shimabara and Amakusa, who came in large numbers to work in the vice trade. With their arrival, businesses catering to…

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Restoring Faith

The beautiful St. Joseph’s Church has always had a place in my heart. It was the church at which my late mother received her sacraments as a child, were I often attended mass and Good Friday services in my youth and is one of few constants in the sea of change that has washed across much of the Bras Basah.Bugis precinct. Having closed for renovation and restoration in August 2017, the…

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Parting Glances: Singapore Turf Club at Kranji

After 182 years, horse racing in Singapore has like many things of the old and familiar world, passed into history with the last race at the Singapore Turf Club held at 5.40 pm on Saturday 5 October, 2024. Singapore’s need to intensify land use does mean that the closing of the chapter was going to be a matter of time. While substantial revenue is derived from the horse racing, the 120 hectares…

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The Chinese and Japanese Gardens reinterpreted

Together with Jurong Bird Park and Jurong Hill Park, the Chinese and Japanese Gardens made up an ensemble of parks and garden attractions developed in the Jurong of the 1970s. An emphasis was placed on making the new industrial town of Jurong a more attractive to live and play in. Some 12% of the initial land area allocated to the industrial endeavour was set aside for parks and gardens to give…

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The Pope's Buenos Aires

As Singapore and its Catholic community were preparing to welcome Pope Francis, who arrives here in a matter of days, I found myself halfway across the world in Buenos Aires. The Argentine capital, which was of course the home city of the first Latin American Pope before his election in March 2013 — when he was known as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, doesn’t hesitate to remind the visitor this fact. It…

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The new fairyland at Bidadari

Photographs taken at this morning’s opening of the 13 ha. Bidadari Park, set in a portion of the former Bidadari Cemetery turned public housing estate. See also: A Crestfallen Ghost of the Past The green, green grass, disappearing from home Temporarily eternal The park features a storm water management pond which doubles up as “Alkaff Lake” — recalling the days of Alkaff Gardens. The land…

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A visit to the unique Prima Tower Revolving Restaurant for the Singapore Heritage Festival

Among the buildings that have come to define the built landscape of Keppel Road and Keppel Harbour is the quite unmissable revolving restaurant topped grain silos of Prima Flour Mills. Prima Flour Mills and its revolving restaurant topped grain silo structure. The flour mills were established in 1963 as one of Singapore’s pioneer industries as we embarked on a journey to transform our economy…

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A celebration of old ties

The birthday of Mazu, the goddess of the sea and the queen of heaven, is one of the major festivals that is celebrated at temples dedicated to the protector of seafarers and fishermen, Mazu, who is also known as Tian Hou. Mazu temples in Singapore include the Thian Hock Keng, Wak Hai Cheng Bio and the Kheng Chiu Tin Hou Kong — all of which are located close to former landing points for…

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Singapore Heritage Festival 2024: paying homage to the building blocks of our nation