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C H Malan’s Tanglin Oval, a legacy ruined

The invasion of futsal cages across the so-called Tanglin Oval is quite a horrifying sight. Surely, the old Tanglin Barracks cricket ground deserves better, having had a place in history as Singapore’s very first dedicated military sporting ground. Set up by the soldiers of the barracks in 1870, the ground represents the commitment of their commander, Major Charles Hamilton Malan, to maintaining…

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Horse-drawn buses and that 1870s weekend hop to JB

Believe it or not, the exodus of Singapore residents to Johor Bahru during the weekends goes back a least 150 years to the 1870s. The draw of JB back in those early days were neither its food or shopping, but the Johor’s many gambling establishments. Gambling had been made illegal in Singapore in 1829, and many turned to illegal establishments to satisfy that gambling itch, or make the trip to…

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A window into a gas lit past

As well as having the power to evoke a deep sense of longing in us for places we can no longer see, old photographs can be windows into the past, and provide us with clues to life beyond what the rose-tinted lenses we often have on, have us see. This 1941 photograph, is a perfect example. Captured in colour — a rarity of photographs from those days, it was one of a large number taken by Harrison…

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Homage to the goddess of the sea

Homage to the goddess of the sea

The view from a reimagined sea … to an earthly abode of the goddess of the sea. It may be difficult to imagine it now, but there was a time when the sea washed right up to Telok Ayer Street. Those were times when the street was a landing point. Many who came ashore here would have left home and family to embark on a journey that was filled as much with hope and promise, as it would have been…

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Portugal in Singapore

Good Friday at the Church of St Joseph at Victoria Street is a special occasion. The church’s commemoration of the solemn occasion is when the church’s Portuguese influences are best seen, especially in its elaborate re-enactment of the events that followed the crucifixion of Christ that is accompanied by the visual spectacle of a candlelight procession. The church is thought of as the spiritual…

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The Girls of Jalan Saksama

I just uncovered this gem, from an interview that I conducted in 2014 with three sisters, Neng Atini Roslan, Danilah Roslan and Siti Dahlia Roslan. The Girls of Jalan Saksama, as I called the sisters, had some wonderful stories to share of their experiences in Kangkar Fishing Village and in Jalan Saksama in Changi — two places that we can now only imagine. With the Girls of Jalan Saksama, an…

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NHB's 24th heritage trail is a window to Changi's intriguing past

Changi is many things to me. It is a place, unspoiled in some parts, of great natural beauty, a place of much history, and most of all, a place whose magic is timeless. Changi has given me many moments of joy. I frequented Changi as a young child, and in my youth. There were many Sundays by the beach, strolls through the old village and then concretised version of it. I have also had many stay in…

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The full moon of Panguni, 2024

The full moon of the Tamil month of Panguni sees the festival of Panguni Uthiram celebrated with a procession of kavadis in the Sembawang / Yishun area. The tradition of the procession in Sembawang, dates back to the days of the Naval Base and is organised by the Holy Tree Sri Balasubramaniar temple now in Yishun Industrial Park A. On the asphalt in the sweltering heat of the day Panguni…

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Kyoto comes to the Flower Dome

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The final piece in the refurbishment of the Portuguese Church

The Church of St Joseph at Victoria Street was established by the Portuguese Mission to serve the spiritual needs of the Portuguese / Portuguese Eurasian community in Singapore. Having maintained its ties with Portugal through the colonies of Goa and then Macau, up to 1999 (it came under the jurisdiction of the respective Dioceses until 1981, with the Bishop of Macau making clerical appointments…

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Identifying the house that Taylor Swift's mum grew up in

Singapore was caught up in Taylor Swift fever with the American pop sensation in town for a six-concert Singapore leg of her sixth tour. There was also much excitement over Swift’s Singapore connection with the revelation that her grandmother, soprano Majorie Finlay, “spent a lot of time in Singapore”, and that her mother Andrea, “grew up here”. Screen grabs from Swift’s music video “majorie”, a…

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Ten magical spaces

Life in Singapore can be maddening at times. One of the world’s most congested territories, the city-state has a population density that translates into there being less than 124 square metres for every person, a space no larger than a HDB five room flat! This becomes quite evident at rush hour, at lunch time, or before and after mass participation events when the use of the Chinese expression,…

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The sun sets on northern Singapore’s last fishery port

Senoko Fishery Port, which has its roots in the Teochew run fish businesses of the old Kangkar fishing village at the end of Upper Serangoon Road, has less than two weeks before it shuts for good. Once home to the remnants of Singapore’s fishing fleet, which moved from Kangkar — when it boasted of 90 boats — to Punggol in 1984, before ending up in Senoko in 1997, the so-called port operates in…

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The ship's boy and survivor of the Empress of Asia attack who became a doctor

When we think of Changi Prison in the context of wartime internment, what often comes to mind is the deprivation, malnutrition, illness, suffering and ill treatment at the hands of merciless captors, that was an undeniable part of the experiences of both the civilians and prisoners of war who were held captive within and in the immediate vicinity of the old gaol’s infamous 20 foot walls. Beyond…

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Up close with the Airbus A400M

Amongst the military aircraft on the tarmac at the Singapore Airshow 2024, was a German Air Force’s Airbus A400M that seemed to have stolen the show — when visitors from China were allegedly barred from viewing the aircraft during the show’s public segment. The A400M at the Airshow © Airbus SAS 2017 – All rights reserved. Aside from the brouhaha over the incident, it has to be said that the…

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The super cool ACH130 Aston Martin Edition helicopter

Among the debutants at the Singapore Airshow, the Airbus ACH130 Aston Martin Edition helicopter takes the cake. The limited edition luxury corporate helicopter draws on the Aston Martin DB11 for inspiration and boasts of its interiors and exteriors having been designed in collaboration with the British luxury sports car maker. The cool helo on display at the airshow, which is said have cost…

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Lepak @ the reopened Cebtral Public Library

A look at the newly reopened Central Public Library, 12 Jan 2024.