My SRP When I was searching for some old documents in my drawer, I came across my old SRP. You may ask what’s “SRP”, it’s “Singapore Restricted Passport”. The younger generation may not be aware of it but it’s our blue passport for travel to West Malaysia only. After Singapore separated from Malaysia on 8 August 1965, freedom of movement existed between the two countries for a short period of time. Later 2 checkpoints were built, one at the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station and the other at Woodlands Checkpoint. Malaysians entering Singapore had to produce their identity cards until passports were used on both sides in July 1967. Thus from 1 July 1967, this Singapore Restricted Passport was issued to facilitate travel to West Malaysia only. So to travel to West Malaysia, the Singapore restricted passport and the Singapore Certificate of Identity was needed. The Singapore Restricted Passport Centre was set up in South Quay. It moved to Outram Road in 1976 and closed its doors on 31 December 1994. I believed the General Post Office was given the task to first issue this Special Causeway Passport around May to June 1967; Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS A passport office was opened at Joo Chiat Complex on the fourth floor on 5 Nov 1984. This office issued both international and restricted passports and was closed on Sep 1999. Due to falling demand and the introduction of the new passport system, the SRP was abolished. SRPs were no longer issued from 1 Jan 1999 and were valid for travel until 31 Dec 1999. When was the last time I used it? Nov 1988 and that was the year I completed my 6 yrs contract with the Air Force. Now I remember I first applied for this Restricted Passport to go to Malaysia when I was 17 yrs old. Probably had a trip there with some classmates after Sec.4 while waiting to go Poly. This passport was also used when I drove in to Johore Bahru with my camp mates during my signed-on days in the Air Force. Rather convenient to drive to  JB from Tengah Air Base. The thing I hate most is filling in this card; Why? Because I always have problem in filling the “Last place of embarkation” and “Next Destination”. I remember my SRP was renewed once at this Joo Chiat Complex in 1985. But where did I get my SRP from in 1979? Is it Empress Place or Outram Road (which part of Outram, I really don’t know. Maybe Peter and Chun See will know)? Below shows Joo Chiat Complex in 1985; Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS For more details, read here. C.K.Tang 詩家董 When I read about the recent news article “Kidney-for-sale: CK Tang chairman charged with 3 counts” on 10 Jul 2008, Straits Times, I couldn’t believe my eyes. CK Tang’s chairman Tang Wee Sung, 55, was charged in court with trying to buy a kidney from a living donor, for which he was willing to pay $300,000 to a middleman to procure it. Mr Tang Wee Sung is the second son of the late Mr Tang Choon Keng, founder of Tangs department store. He joined the Company in 1975, at the age of 22. The late Mr. C.K. Tang died at the ripe age of 99 on 3 Sep 2000. I remember when I was still staying with my Godparents place at Beatty Road, in the 60s and 70s, C.K. Tang was commonly known as 詩家董百貨公司. You may read more about how C.K.Tang started in Singapore here. Below are the summary of it; - 1923, Mr. C.K.Tang came to Singapore. He started off as a door-to-door salesman and would hired a rickshaw to put his pair of tin trunk which probably still around now (but no photo of it shown so far). He was later known as the “Tin Trunk Man” or “Curio King”. His products then were just hand-made Swatow lace, emboidery and linen. - 1932, 9 years after he came to Singapore, he saved enough to set up his first store on the first floor of a building in River Valley Road. His initial capital was only $3000! - 1940, he built an edifice probably named after his father Mr. Tang Gan Urn “Gainurn Building”. This was located at the corner of Jalan Mohamad Sultan and River Valley Road. I know that a buidling by the same name “Gainurn Building” is still around there and it’s near to the UE Square but whether it’s the same building, I don’t know. I’ve not taken a look at the building now, but here is how it looked like in the 40s; Credit : Delcampe.net Credit : Photo taken by Victor Koo. Gainurn Bldg in 2008. As mentioned by Victor, note the pillars of both bldg. View Larger Map Credit : Google - 1958, he bought a 1,351sq.m. piece of land at the corner of Orchard Road and Scotts Road at a price of $10,000. Though this site faced the then Tai Shang Ting cementary, he believed it had commercial value. Below shows the aerial view and photo of the original CK Tang store at Orchard Road in the 50s; Credit : Editions Didier Millet, Over Singapore 50 Years Ago, by Brenda Yeoh and Theresa Wong. Below shows the late Mr. CK Tang at his new building in Orchard (1958); Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS It was not so smooth sailing for CK Tang after opening at this Orchard Road site. In 1960 it was closed due to problems with trade unions but reopened the following year. Below shows the labour strike at CK Tang in 1960; Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS A few months before the above strike in 1960, Mr. Tang was kidnapped by four armed thugs, but was freed unharmed within 84 hours after the family reportedly paid S$150,000 in ransom. I really respect his “never give up” attitude. And this is how it looked like in 1962; The green tiled roof and facade was said to be modelled after the China’s Imperial Palace in the Forbidden City. I find resemblance to the old OCBC bank building near the Singapore River then; Credit : Delcampe.net - 1982, the old green tiled roof building was demolished to make way for expansion - a 33 storey Dynasty Hotel (now renamed as Singapore Marriott Hotel) and the Tangs shopping complex (now Tang Plaza). Credit : Delcampe.net You can see that the new complex still retained the same green-tiled roof pattern, but of course I don’t think it is the “recycled” green roof from the old building. So did the late Mr. CK Tang retain anything from the old building? Maybe yes, I thought, probably that pair of stone lion outside the building; But how many stone lions are there? Is the above pair the same old pair, I don’t know….see for yourself the below photo in 1983 when the lions were placed at the footpath during the construction of the new complex; Credit : National Archives Of Singapore, PICAS Hope that all these stone lions can bring good luck to their owners. How many still remember the fire at Tangs in 2006 December? Credit : pigaholicling Oh, there is one thing that was memorable about CK Tang - it was probably the only major shopping centre that did not operate on Sunday until 1996! That was to allow his family and his Christian staff to attend church on Sundays. My Version Of Old Singapore Videos Remake For National Day 2008 This is my version of plagraism - a remake by editing all old Singapore videos together. I give credit to all original sources, but it’s getting late now and I’ll put in the credits next few days time (pls bear with me). If I left you out, kindly inform me… Thanks to Victor who SMS to highlight that video to me and gave me the inspiration. Took me 2 days to do it and rushing to post it up on National Day. Though it’s already 11.12pm now, hope you enjoyed it as it’s terribly done. ———————————————————————————- Let me append the following today; Though it’s our 43rd National Day this year, but let’s not forget about our past. I’ve put together some old videos from some very good sources (credit to them) and hope you all like it. As I’m using the Adobe Premiere Element 1 (given free with videocam) and my pc is rather slow, so it had taken me quite sometime to do it. Moreover to convert videos from Youtube to .avi is rather slow… Here are the credits to the original sources and should I left out any, pls let me know: - Michael Rogge - Rony Tan - Dick Lee - Kit Chan - Hkgalbert - Floser75 - NDP EXCO 10 Pcs A Box Butter Cake How many pieces of cake can be packed in this box? 10 pieces, yes in the past we usually have such 10 pieces a box cake. Like my godmother’s family, there are 8 children and including godmother and godfather there will be 10 of them. So a box of cake will be just enough! This is the good old tasty type of butter cakes that I like best. Frankly I don’t like those cheese cakes or blueberry cheese cakes and fresh cream cakes nowadays. I still prefer the old butter cakes but some confectionary shops just don’t make them well. This one at Beach Road, said to be an very old shop, their butter cakes are to my liking (I’ve no relation or dealings with them, I’m just a customer). Simple design, simple taste that brings back good old memories. Of course it was very much cheaper in the 70s, now it’s 80 cents a piece. My godfather used to buy at least 2 boxes of cakes home in the past so that some of us can have more than 1 piece. One thing I missed very much is the Rum cake. Anyone know where I can still find them? My 10 Cents Bowl Of Noodle Of course this bowl of fish ball noodle costs more than 10 cents now in a food court. I remembered when I was a primary school boy in Beatty Primary School, around 70s, I paid only 10 cents for 1 bowl of fish ball noodle. Though the quantity was not much, but it tasted so wonderful! Was it really so tasty? Or because the joy of having making your own decision to buy whatever food you like without your parents interference in the school tuckshop (we used to call the canteen - tuckshop then)? I guess so too…. The other thing about eating noodle soup in the school tuckshop was after finishing it, we could just walked right into the stall to refill the soup as many times as we like. I would tried to scoop right to the bottom hoping to find some leftover fishcake or meat in the soup. After refilling the soup, I would add in more chilli to add taste to the soup. Well just a simple thing like this could made us very happy then. Of course, life was simple then. The bowl design was very similar to this one below, those “cock” pattern bowl; Now a bowl of fish ball noodle in my girl’s primary school canteen costs her 60 cents. Of course the kids now will not bother about such free refilling of soup any more. My Father’s Time So what am I going to talk about my father’s time? I got a surprise when my mother dig out some old documents during my lunch visit to them yesterday. Among the old documents, I saw a photograph of my father’s education certificate - not 1 but a stack of it (all the same); My father told me that in the past before the introduction of photocopier or xerox machine in Singapore, most students would bring their school certificates to the photo studio to have them photographed. The minimum print then was probably 12 pieces. Even if photocopy or xerox was available later, it was still very expensive. My father would used this photographed copy to apply for jobs, similar to us now using photocopied type. It’s about the size of 3R photo but slightly longer and narrower, so it may have problem fitting into a normal pocket album. As you can see from the photograph, my father had his Senior Middle education in Catholic High School then. Many people asked my father what is Senior Middle? My father told me that during his time, the education system was 3-3 compared to my time 4-2. OK, so my time was 4 years of Secondary education and 2 years of Pre-U (later then it’s Junior College). My father’s time was 3 years of Secondary education and 3 years of Pre-U education. So his graduation from Senior Middle 3 means he had completed his Pre-U 2 education and could continue to further his studies in the university. He didn’t go to the U then because at that time, my grandfather and my uncles could not afford it. One thing to note is why was he 21 years old when he graduated from Senior Middle 3 in 1952 then? Most of us would be 18 years old if we will to complete Pre-U 2 but why was he about 3 years older? Clue - he did not repeat his education. My father was educated in Chinese then but in Catholic he was also taught English. Most Chinese-speaking parents then usually wanted their children to be educated in Chinese for their cultural identity.Catholic High School was founded in 1935 by Rev. Fr. Edward Becheras, a French missionary. Although it is a Catholic school, it also accepts non-Catholic students like my father. Thanks to Rev. Fr. Edward Becheras, my father was educated in both Chinese and English. Becheras envisioned the school of bilingual learning. So have you got the answer why was he 21years old when he completed his Senior Middle 3 in 1951? Journey Through Our Public Utilities Do you still remember the above envelope (this one about 20 years ago) ? Now let me show you the back of the envelope; This should remind you of the old Public Utilities Board bill! And if I’m not wrong, it’s around the 80s period. This can be seen in the Save Water Campaign on the front of the envelope. The Save Water Campaign was by PUB in 1985. Credit : Challenge Our utilities bills include water, electricity and gas were in charged by Public Utilities Board (PUB) then. The Public Utilities Board (公用事业局) was set up in 1963, to take over the functions from former City Council to supply water, electricity and gas. Of course at that time, PUB logo was; Credit : PICAS, National Archives of Singapore The logo was later changed in the late 80s ( probably in 1988 ) to; Credit : PICAS, National Archives of Singapore. You can see the changes in the logos from simple pictorial form to the icons type. The blue and black semi-circle probably represents water and gas while the red “resistor like” represents electricity - I think so hehe. So what comes before the PUB? Soon after the founding of Singapore by Raffles, municipal matters were under the jurisdiction of the magistrates and later a Municipal Committee was established in 1851. What are municipal matters then? The municipal matters include transportation and infrastructure needs. It was only in 1856 that a proper Municipal Council was set up. It looked after street lighting, water supply, and even maintenance of roads, in 1864 gas supply and 1906 electricity. The Municipal Health Department was opened in 1887 and the Municipality also controlled public transport provided by the Jinrikishas. As a British colony, Singapore was conferred city status by a royal charter from King George VI IN 1951. The original Municipal Council was therefore renamed as City Council. It was only in 1965, upon Singapore’s secession from Malaysia, the City Council was abolished.  The Singapore Gas Company (founded in 1861), a London Company carried on business in Singapore for 38 years sold its business to the Municipality in 1901. The Municipal Gas Department was housed on the ground level of the Amber Mansions; Credit : PICAS, National Archives of Singapore. In 1901, the Municipal Commissioners took over the operation and rapidly extended the gas supply network. By 1940, gas was used more for cooking and water heating than for lighting. Of course by 1963, PUB took over the gas department as well. As Singapore is very good in making simple things complicated hehe, the Electrictiy and Gas Departments of the Public Utilities Board were corporatised to form the Singapore Power in 1995. Singapore Power (新加坡能源有限公司) is the only electricity company in Singapore, and is also one of the largest corporations in Singapore. SP Services is a subsidiary of the Singapore Power Group. SP Services provides billing and payment collection on behalf of other utilities service providers such as the Public Utilities Board, City Gas and refuse collectin companies. City Gas was formed as a divested entity from PowerGas Ltd on 2 January 2002. Today, as a fully owned subsidiary of CitySpring Infrastructure Management Pte Ltd, its core business is to produce and retail town gas to all domestic, commercial and industrial customers. So that’s how our current utilities bill envelope look like; and our new PUB logo and slogan; Credit : PUB PUB now concentrates on Water business haha. As the national water agency, PUB is responsible for the collection, production, distribution and reclamation of water in Singapore. My Old Chinese Composition Exercise Book This is my old Chinese Composition exercise book, 31 years ago when I was in Sec.3 (1977); Note that this old Chinese Composition exercise book was turned from left to right as it was binded on the right side instead of on the left side. Take a look at the inside; The unique part is the pages are joined in this manner; Nowadays I don’t think the school is still using such Chinese Composition exercise book. My Sec.2 son’s Chinese Composition paper is in the form of foolscap paper type; Of course I prefer the new type which is more convenient! Lost Islands Of The Singapore River - Part 2 …continued from Part 1 Sorry for the delay in Part 2 due to my poor health for the past few weeks. It will be interesting to note the differences when we compared the old map of Singapore River with the current one. There seems to be more sources and the river seems longer in the past. The area around and along the Singapore River was swampy and muddy even before the colonial times. This can be seen from most old maps of the Singapore River. Credit : The Singapore River, A Social History 1819 - 2002, Stephen Dodds, Singapore University Press As you can see from the above map, there were many sources of the river. Some seem to be at the foot of Fort Canning Hill (known as Bukit Larangan in the past), and Pearl’s Hill (known as Mt. Stamford in the past). Also from the above map, you will note that the areas near the Singapore River were mainly marsh (a marsh is a wetland submerged by water). Let’s start with Area 1 (from the above map); As shown above, this Area 1(island) is prone to flooding at the South Bank. What I’ve read was that the Area 1 at South Bank was raised and the marsh behind filled to overcome the flooding. This should be around 1822. So maps after 1822 may not show this island Area 1, I think so. Area 2; Credit : The Singapore River, A Social History 1819 - 2002, Stephen Dodds, Singapore University Press From 1869, the area above Coleman Bridge were filled up to prevent flood and thus more godowns were built. As such, pollution of the river was another problem to be fixed from 1870 to 1970. Before 1860, most commercial activities were below Elgin Bridge and seldom up to Coleman Bridge and above. Area 3; This is the triangular shaped Pulau Saigon which Victor ever mentioned in the comments in my previous post. In Chinese, it’s called 浮罗西贡. Before I proceed on, I would like to highlight why sometimes it’s called “Pulau Saigon” while in some street directories, you see “Pulo Saigon”. Javanese called “Pulo“, while Indonesian called “Pulau“, both mean Island. I have always wonder why it is called “Saigon”? Anyone has any idea? Frankly even during my early visits to the Singapore River in the late 60s or early 70s, I don’t remember seeing any Pulau Saigon. Maybe I was too young to remember it…Peter, Chun See or Victor may have some memories of it. When I took a look at my old Singapore Street Directory (the early 70s Chinese edition), the only thing I can find is the Pulau Saigon Road. You can find a footbridge to the north of this road. The original Pulau Saigon Bridge was built in 1890, but demolished in 1986. The reason for the demolition was that the Bridge was too old and it blocked the development of Central Expressway. Pulau Saigon Bridge was also called Footbridge because the completion of Clemenceau Bridge in 1922 forestalled any need of developing it further and its status as a pedestrian bridge was maintained. The map below shows 2 bridges connected to the Pulau Saigon island; Credit : Old map from Cornell Education. A new Pulau Saigon Bridge was constructed near the former location of the original Pulau Saigon Island as an extension of Saiboo Street. Before reclamation works merged the Pulau Saigon Island with the south bank of the river, there used to be two bridges which connected the island to both river banks. Both bridges were demolished by 1986. - BY National Heritage Board Credit : Chief Surveyor, Survey Dept. Ministry of Law This is how the Pulau Saigon looked like in 1900; Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS Below shows the Pulau Saigon Bridge; Credit : National Heritage Board Take a look at the Pulau Saigon Bridge in 1974; Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS Here is another photo of the Pulau Saigon Bridge which is also the Bridge No.1 from the Chinese Newspaper in 1985; Credit : Nanyang Sinchou, Chinese Newspaper, 15 Dec 1985 This Pulau Saigon Bridge was also known as Butcher Bridge as there was a butcher staying nearby. This was also mentioned in the Straits Times 1985 copy; Credit : The Straits Times, 30 Sep 1985 So from the above, I believed that the Pulau Saigon Bridge was still around in the 80s. Peter may remeber something about the old railway track via this Pulau Saigon island. But that railway track bridge is another bridge, not the same Pulau Saigon Bridge as show below; Sources : Singapore Railways History The railway joined on the same footbridge No.2 though but not on the footbridge No.1. So what happen to Pulau Saigon Bridge now? Is it still around? The Pulau Saigon Bridge is now a Vehicular Bridge, completed in June 1997, linking Havelock Road to Robertson Quay; Credit : URA Credit : Sengkang (nickname) Before I end, here is another view of the Pulau Saigon in the 80s; Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS It seems the area around Singapore River has changed tremendously and whether there were islands or islets at the Singapore River before, is no longer important now..or maybe long forgotten… Lost Islands Of The Singapore River - Part 1 When I was sorting out my stamp album, I came across this “Old Maps Of Singapore” collection; And among these 4 stamps, I’m most interested in the 60cents Singapore River area stamp; You can see the red arrow pointing at the darkened triangle “island”. Is that really an island? Even when I used a magnifying glass, I really can’t tell. The map in this stamp was reproduced from the 1862 Jules Michael Moniot map as shown below; Credit : Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, NUS You can see the same darkened triangle island on that map too. So are there other islands along the Singapore River too? The river had changed over it’s shape, length and appearance over time. Let us take a look at some very old maps of the Singapore River. 1819 : Credit : Belly of the Carp by Roger Vaughan Jenkins This is probably the earliest map of the Singapore River I’ve come across. This part of the Singapore River is known as the “Belly of the Carp” as it probably looks like it. This is a very simple map but as we know, early maps are not so accurate due to lack of technology. Below is another 1819 map from the book “The Singapore River, A Social History 1819 - 2002″ by Stephen Dobbs, Singapore University Press; Credit : The Singapore River, A Social History 1819 - 2002, Singapore University Press, NUS Publishing The above map shows a lightly shaded part known as “Kuala Bank” (River Mouth Bank) at the mouth of the Singapore River. 1822 : Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS The above is the town map which shows an “island” at the mouth of the Singapore River. This is represented by the dotted lines at the previous “Belly of the Carp” location. This map is probably from the Raffles Town Map. 1825 : The above map doesn’t show any “islands” at all. I don’t remember where I got this map from, sorry if I left out the credit for this. 1828 : Credit : Singapore : A Pictorial History 1819 to 2000 by Gretchen Liu This is probably the well know Raffles Town Plan map by Lt. Philip Jackson. From this plan, you can see those dotted lines showing like an “island” at the mouth of the Singapore River. So what is the dotted line “island” shown on some old maps (but not all)? Is that really an island? Why is it missing from the river now? I checked with a map enthusiast Mok Ly Yng and he told me it is not an island but a sandbar. What’s a sandbar? I didn’t learn that in my Geography lesson or I’ve forgotten about it haha. Thanks to Ly Yng, he explained that to me in his email clearly; “Island’ no. 1 is actually a sand bar, this is indicated by the use of dotted lines for the boundary in the 1828 map and dots without a clear solid line boundary in the 1836 map. A sand bar can only be seen mostly during low tides and is usually not permanent in shape or size. This sand bar was removed by dredging sometime by the 1840s when the famous ‘Singapore Stone’ was removed too. I do not have a definite date or reference for this. Just an educated guess. That was part of the improvement plan for navigation in Singapore River. Dredging in Singapore River continued until the river was converted into its present state. Due to Singapore’s elevation and the volume of water in the river, sand deposit very easily at the mouth, forming obstacles for navigation. I do not know of any record of this sand bar’s name.” Credit : Mok Ly Yng’s Public Gallery of Old Maps 1869 : Credit : The Singapore River, A Social History 1819 - 2002, Singapore University Press, NUS Publishing Another reason for the sandbar is stated in the book “The Singapore River, A Social History 1819 - 2002″ by Stephen Dobbs mentioned earlier. In his book it was mentioned that in late 1822, a considerable amount of sand had built up around the mouth of the Singapore River due to the construction of the jetties on the North Boat Quay side. Those structures were interfering with the natural course of the river thus resulted in the silt near its river mouth.From the book, we understand that many dredges were put at the river to remove the silt but not really successful. At least I learned something new despite my age - “sandbar”. I’ve never like Geography when I was young, so probably I was sleeping when my teacher was teaching about it or …. Guess this sandbar is completely removed from the mouth of the Singapore River by now. Update from Mr.Mok Ly Yng (dated 4 Jun 2008); “Dear Laokokok, I have read your post on the islands of Singapore River. Sandbar (now apparently written as one single word) is also known as a ’sandbank’ (now also as one word). Perhaps it could have been a ‘mudbank’ then. It all depends on the type of sediment that was deposited there and then. The type of sediment is very much dependent on the type of rock or geological environment through which the river passes through upriver. This includes the main course plus any tributaries that feed into the main river. ‘White sand’ was observed at the Bugis area, hence the Chinese name of ‘White Sand Float(ing)’. Scientists have very precise definitions for ’sand’, ‘mud’ and ’silt’ etc. I don’t have a geology map of Singapore handy with me. But the dredging is to remove any obstacles to shipping, it is not necessarily a reflection of the muddiness of the river at that time. Again this is educated speculation without knowing the dominant material that made up the river bed of the Singapore river near the mouth, and the sea bottom material at the mouth of the river. The tidal forces could also flush the river, but that depends on the strength of the tides. A combination of these factors could turn the water near the river mouth rather murky or turbid. Thanks for the post and the interesting links to other maps. Best regards, Ly Yng” I will talk about the other islands in my next part. Remember That Ten Years Series How many of you still have those old Ten Years Series in the 60s and 70s? Yes they are the so called official compilation of past years examination papers for the GCE ‘O’ Levels and ‘A’ Levels. But whether these are approved publication by the MOE and University of Cambridge Local Examination Syndicate, I’m not sure. How much was it then? See who is the publisher; See above, I drew a picture of the Jaws on it! Probably influenced by the Movie Jaws then…haha… Those ten years series in the past were really “No Frills” type of books - simple cover designs and even the inside will make you fall asleep; Of course when buying the Ten Years Series, we must ensure that it comes with the answers found at the back; Above all photo credits : Scholastic Books and Publications Now even the Pri.6 PSLE also have the similar type compilations of past examinations papers but only 5 Years Series. And now it’s by MOE, Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board. Credit : MOE and Hillview Publications Pte Ltd Not to mention now we have too many types of assessment books and those past years examinations papers from top schools sold at the road side stalls or push carts for Primary to Secondary schools. 80 Years Old Fullerton Building I was officially introduced to this Grand Old Dame when I was in Primary 3 (1971). I’m talking about the Fullerton Building and the Chapter on “A Bus-tour of our City” from the History book “The Pioneering Years”; The top left corner shows the General Post Office which was the Fullerton Building at that time; Closer view; Above credit : Credit : Educational Publication Bureau, MOE, Singapore In Primary 4, I was again introduced to it now from my Geography Book (Social Studies); From the sea view; From another page; Above credit : McGraw-Hill Far Eastern Publishers (S) Ltd From the past till now, It’s difficult to find a complete history write up of this Fullerton Building in our school textbook. It’s always a bit here and a bit there. Maybe we should ….. anyway below is a bit of the history on Fullerton Building and Fullerton Square. Before Fullerton Building was built; - 1829 : That year, Sir Robert Fullerton (first governor of the Straits Settlement of Singapore) built the Fort Fullerton at the mouth of Singapore River to defend the harbour and warehouses. The Fort was built with Artillery Barracks, a house for the officers and barracks for soldiers. On Battery Point, 68-pounder guns guarded the entrance to the River. The site it was located was now known as Fullerton Square. Above shows a 1825 map. The Rocky Point was the site where the Fort Fullerton was built. It was then known as Battery or Artillery Point. The Singapore Stone was also found there. - 1843 : The Singapore Stone (the monolith, a very large standing Sandstone about 3M height and width, with lines of inscription founded soon after the arrival of Raffles) located at the mouth of the Singapore River, was destroyed by the British to extend the Fort Fullerton. Below shows a fragment of the Singapore Stone; Credit : Curriculum Planning & Development Division, MOE, Singapore - 1854 : The Fort Fullerton was expanded by Captain Collyer. By 1859, it was expanded by nearly 3 times its original size and at a cost of $840,000. The fort was demolished in 11 June 1873. - 1876 : On this site, the first General Post Office was built. The first POSB was established here. Below shows the first General Post Office building in the 19th century; - 1879 : On the same site the Exchange Building was built besides the first General Post Office. opened in 1879, and was replaced by Fullerton Building in 1928. - 1882 : A Victorian-styled fountain was built in Fullerton Square to commemorate the influential merchant Tan Kim Seng’s donation to the City’s Waterworks. In 1925, this fountain was moved to the Esplanade and the space vacant became a car park which was also the venue for many election rallies in the past. Many important buildings also then built around this Fullerton Square. Below shows the first General Post Office, the Exchange and the Tan Kim Seng fountain in 1885; Another postcard showing the General Post Office in 1900; A 1910 postcard of the General Post Office; - 1923 to 1924 : The Exchange Building was demolished. After the Fullerton Building was built; - 1925 to 1928 : The construction of the Fullerton Building began. During the initial groundwork, excavations revealed the gun casements of the old Fort Fullerton. In fact, the Fullerton Building was built over reclaimed land. This Neo-classical architecture was originally built to house the General Post Office. 2 tablets, one on each side of the entrance stairway reveals that the construction work began on February 1924, and the building was completed in June 1928. The building cost was estimated at S$4,098,808, but The Straits Times of 27 June 1928, quoted the cost of S$4,750,000, as the eventual bill. A 1928 postcard showing the Fullerton Building; Another view of the Fullerton Building in 1929; - 1928 : The General Post Office moved in 2 weeks after the completion of the Fullerton Building. The GPO used the basement and two lower floors as sorting rooms, postal halls and offices. It utilized the waterfront along Collyer Quay to transport the post onto ships. A historic tunnel under Fullerton Road was used to load the mail onto waiting ships, bound for the world. The tunnel still exists today. Other Tenants; - The Singapore Chamber of Commerce was the first tenant to move in. Here were the headquarters of the international trade organization. - The Singapore Club occupied the upper floors of the building. The Club’s 6,968 sq. m (75,000 sq. feet) of facilities included dining rooms, club rooms, billiards and card rooms, and, sleeping accommodation on the upper floors. - The other early occupants of Fullerton Building included The Exchange and Chamber of Commerce. Government Office Tenants; - Other early Government Office tenants included the Marine Surveyor and Marine Department, Imports and Export Department, and the offices of Chief Health Officer, the Government Vetinerary Surgeon, Agriculture, Fisheries and Forest departments. Other departments of the Ministry of Finance were also based here. A 1930s photo of the General Post Office besides the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank; A 1935 photo of the General Post Office. Note the British Crown above the word General Post Office; - 1942 : During the war, Governor Shenton Thomas and Lady Thomas stayed in the sleeping quarters in when the Government House (now the Istana) was hit by artillery and aerial attacks. During the last days before the British surrender of Singapore to the Japanese in 1942, the building was used as a hospital with make-shift operation rooms to treat British soldiers. Below shows the Japanese soldiers marching in at Fullerton Square in 1942; Above photo credit : Imperial War Museum During the Japanese Occupation, Fullerton Building was the headquarters of the Japanese Military Administration. Singaporeans may remember that the Japanese demanded $50 million from the Chinese in Singapore and Malaya in atonement for the crimes committed by Chinese people against the Japanese. A cheque for $50 million was handed to Lieut-General Tomoyuki Yamashita at a ceremony in the Singapore Club at the top of Fullerton Building sometime in February 1942. - 1950s : Since the 1950s, Fullerton Square has been the site of many election campaign rallies. 1950s was the decade with the most riots and strikes in Singapore. Below shows the aerial photo of the Fullerton Building in the 1950s. Did you see the lighthouse on the building? Above photo credit : Editions Didier Millet, National Archivers of Singapore - 1958 : A lighthouse was installed on the rooftop of the Fullerton Building to guide ships out in the harbour. inactive since 1979. Round lantern with aerobeacon, originally mounted atop the Fullerton Building, which was then the General Post Office. Below shows a 1930 aerial photo of the Fullerton Building without the Lighthouse yet; Above credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS Below shows a 1950s aerial photo with the Lighthouse on the Fullerton Building; Above photo credit : Editions Didier Millet, National Archivers of Singapore - 1960s : SM Goh Chok Tong used to work in this building when he was in the Economic Planning Unit of the civil service. For lunch, he was a regular at the Spartan, roof-top canteen. - 1970 to 1995 : When the General Post Office vacated the Fullerton Building, it was taken over by the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore as their headquarters from 1970s to 1995. - 1996 to 1999 : All the tenants had moved out by 1996. The building was up for tender bids in early 1997, and the building was bought over by Sino Land, who spent S$400 million, for a full two-year restoration and redeveloped project which converted and transformed Fullerton Building to a 6-star hotel. - 2000 to 2001 : The Fullerton Hotel was opened on May 2000 and officially launched on 1 January 2001. Below shows the Fullerton Hotel; Interesting isn’t it? Now take a look at the Fullerton Building with it’s skyline changes over time. I will try to find photos taken from almost the same Queen Elizabeth Walk (now known as Esplanade) of the building; 1. 1905 - 1910 : View from Queen Elizabeth Walk when the Fullerton Building was not built. This is a 1976 stamp in the Art Series launched in Singapore; 2. 1930 : A photo postcard showing the then General Post Office (Fullerton Building). Note the original color of Anderson Bridge then; 3. c1935 - Probably the later part of 1930s view of the General Post Office. Note the change in color of the bridge and the background building if any; 4. 1946 : Still not much changes in the skyline; Above photo credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS 5. 1954 : One major change in this 50s photo of the Fullerton Building. The Bank Of China was built besides it as seen in the background; Above photo credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS 6. 1960S : The photo still showing only the Bank Of China besides the Fullerton Building. Note the coconut tree in the foregroud still there since 1930s haha; 7. 1970 : Even until 1970, still not much changes; Above photo credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS 8. 2003 : Guess the major changes should be started in late 70s and 80s; 9. 2007 : This one taken by myself last year; You may see the below poster on the changes in the skyline by URA; Before I end this post, let’s take a look at the construction of the Fullerton Building from 1925 to 1927; Above : 1925 - under construction. Above : 1927 - almost complete. Below is one very nice sketch of the Fullerton Building; Above credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS You may read more about Fullerton Building at Sale of Fullerton Square by URA …my apology if I left out any credits (pls let me know). April - The Month Singaporeans Hate Guess it’s the month that no Singaporeans like! Yes, April is the month that you must file your Income Tax return - can’t remember the date as now there is no date for me! Thanks to e-filing. Now I don’t have to do any e-filing for my wife and myself too. I remember when I was young and staying with my parents in the 70s, my father would visit my 6th uncle to help him to fill in his income tax return. Of course there wasn’t such thing as e-filing then. When I got married, it’s my turn to do the income tax return for my wife - and I wonder why am I tasked with this job??? Is it written in the Income Tax brochure? So when was my first Income Tax Notice of Assessment? Since I was an Air Force Regular from 1982 to 1988, so mine was the IR8C; Now take a look at my wife’s Original Assessment for the Year of Assessment 1988; Notice the Merlion Logo on the right and the address of the left. The above address still at Fullerton Building. I hate such ‘carbon copy’ type of letter, as it’s very difficult to read; Below is my Notice of Assessment for YOA 1984. It’s ok since I was a regular and the pay is of no secret haha; You may see the list of participating banks for GIRO payment. Some of the banks are no longer existing; I remember in 1986, I was asked to go down to the Income Tax dept. at the Fullerton Building to settle my tax problem; Finally got it settle via instalment payment from my salary; Frankly I still remember at that time those income tax officers sound so unfriendly. Below is my Notice of Assessment for the YOA 1994. Note the address is still at the Fullerton Building; In 1994, I received a letter from the Inland Revenue (Income Tax dept) bearing the New Logo but the address still showing Fullerton Building; And guess what the New Logo represents or means; An early-day coin, energised by a subtle “S” curve across it. Read more from here. Here is a brief history of the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS); - Singapore Income Tax Department was created in 1947. - Following self-government in 1959, the Inland Revenue Department was formed in 1960. - When Singapore attained independence on 9 August 1965, substantial changes were made to the Income Tax Act, which came into effect on 1 January 1966. - In 1970 that year saw the appointment of the first local Commissioner, Mr Hsu Tse-Kwang. - On 1 September 1992, the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) was established by legislation as a statutory board under the Ministry of Finance. Detail of history here. Credit : IRAS Below shows the first Notice of Assessment for the year 1996 with the New Logo and New Address at Newton; The other thing I hate most about the Income Tax is the reading of all those enclosed brochures; And I really hate filling in this; I’m glad that they started e-Filing for Income Tax. Initially though there was some hiccups but now everything is fine. Now it’s even better, no more e-filing for me and my wife! For those that been to the new Inland Revenue Building at Newton, you will surely see this ‘Ring Fountain’ outside the building; Below is the photo during the Ground Breaking Ceremony of the Inland Revenue Building in 1992; Ovaltine VS Milo When I was shopping at Shop N Save at Tampines Mart last week, I realised that the prices of almost all items have gone up tremendously. Even the 3-1 Milo pack (my children reminded me to replenish it) has gone up in price. This led me to compare the prices between Milo and Ovaltine (as I used to substitute Coke with Pepsi)…Ovaltine is cheaper by about 50cents and comes with a free premium game! After I reached home, I started to think - Ovaltine or Milo, which is ‘older’? I mean which product was marketed first? I remember when I was very young and staying with my Godmother’s family at Beatty Road, she used to make ‘O val tin Kar Dan’ (Cantonese) for me, which is breaking an raw egg into a cup of very hot Ovaltine. My first contact with Milo was maybe in mid Primary (probably Pri. 3 or 4), when I was told to draw a tin of Milo and color it with poster color. So I guess should be Ovaltine first then Milo….hehe. Below shows the old Milo tin that I used to draw for my art lesson; OK, let’s do some research; Ovaltine; Started in : 1865 Country of Origin : Switzerland but first manufactured in Britain Meaning of Name Ovaltine : Oval means Egg How It Started : In 1865, George Wander set up his own laboratory in Bern (Switzerland) . There he produced a malt extract which for decades was to provide a vital food supplement for children and sick people. When he died, his son Albert, a pharmacist and chemist, worked to improve the product, adding other natural energizing ingredients to the malt extract. In 1904, Ovaltine was born. Invented by George Wander originally as “Ovo-Maltine” in Switzerland - a fortified barley powdered egg malted-milk beverage. His son’s Albert had it produced in Britain but the British spelt it wrongly and thus the name “Ovaltine”. It was later that cocoa was added to it and thus the current Ovaltine! Read more about it here. Product : Sold as nourishing bedtime drink Look at the billboard ad along New Bridge Road in the 60s; Photo Credit above : singas.co.uk How a 1921 Ovaltine tin looked like; A 1961 Ovaltine ad; Milo; Started in : 1934 Country of Origin : Australia Meaning of Name Milo : Derived its name from MILON (600 BC), a champion athlete of ancient Greek mythology. He was renowned for his feats of strengths. How It Started : Invented by Thomas Mayne, an industrial chemist working at a Nestlé factory in Australia. The product was launched in 1934. Product : Sold as tonic food drink Below shows an old advertisement in 1940 (Straits Times); Credit : SPH, Straits Times If you can’t see clearly how a 1940 Milo tin looked like, here it is in color (the top tin); Credit : Nestle Many uses of such Ovatine and Milo tins such as storing of money as ‘piggy bank’. The Milo tin was usually used as kinda ‘cash register’ in some old shops. You can find this Milo tin hanging as a ‘cash register’ in this shop even in the 90s; Photo Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS You may find Milo ads in most sports competition; Credit : SPH, Straits Times Below shows an Ovaltine signboard in a shop (1986); Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS Now both Ovaltine and Milo have undergone many changes in packaging, product types and taste as well. It seems that Milo are more aggressive in advertising especially in the sports arena as you can see on the Milo tin itself. Did Ovaltine still comes in tin form now??? So which one do you prefer Ovaltine or Milo? My kids prefer Milo - don’t know why? From 2 Is Enough To 3 Or More The above was the First Day Cover issued on National Day in 1974. What’s so special about it then? It’s probably one of the most popular campaign in the 70s. Do you still remember this popular logo of the 70s? That’s the Family Planning logo! So what’s Family Planning all about and the changes from the past till now. All the while I thought Family Planning only started in the 70s when the Singapore population was dropping then. At that time there wasn’t such a thing as Internet for me to check it out haha. All that we saw are those Family Planning posters and TV or Radio ads. Below are some popular posters on Family Planning; This one with the phrase “Girl or Boy, Two is Enough” - this was the most popular phrase in the 70s. “The Second Can Wait” - this one was for those who were married and probably telling them that the second child can wait, no need to rush for it. This one probably was probably asking couples not to rush into marriage. Look at the age of that couple in the poster…still wait…. What a contrast compared to now! In the 70s, the government was advising the people to “Stop At 2″, that’s try not to have more than 2 children per family. Why? In 1965, on the average 1 baby was born in Singapore every 11 minutes. Check out this link here. So birth rate already started to fall since 1957 to 1970. I remember there was such policies as “population disincentives” for couples having 3 or more children. You may read about it here too. So all these were very contrasting to our current “Have 3 or more if you can afford it” and tax incentives for more children. Why the 180 deg. change in policy? Probably due to the very successful implementation of the first Family Planning campaign. You may take a look at Singapore population from the past. You may note that in some years, there was negative growth too. It’s rather funny that in the 1966 to 1968, Singapore is consider over crowded with a population of almost 2 million then in an area of just over 2 hundred square miles. But now, though we have reclaimed lots of land from the sea, what population are we aiming at? 6.5 million? Besides Singapore, Hong Kong also facing the same population boom in the 60s and 70s. Below are some interesting TV ads from Hong Kong. In 1972; In 1973 (very similar to our “Stop at 2″); In 1983 ; I like this ad best; Interesting right? How I wish to find some of our local ads too.. In 1975 National Day, we also had the Family Planning float; and the one in 1968; Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS And before the Singapore Family Planning and Population Board,what do we have? You may wish to read about the Singapore Family Planning Association (FPA) from the 30s to 72. What’s My National Language? If you were to ask me what’s my National Language when I was in Primary or Secondary school, I may be able to answer you then. When I ask my son (Sec.2) and daughter (Pri.3l) what’s their National Language, guess what they said? Listen to the below recording to hear what my children said about their National Language; I wouldn’t blame them for not knowing. I myself do not know the answer too now! What’s my National Language now? Is it still Malay? I guess even the teachers or MOE didn’t want to mention or promote Malay as our National Language openly. Malay was not taught as a National Language in Singapore to Non-Malay students for many many years but now, MOE wanted to re-introduce Malay back to schools (Primary and Secondary) for Non-Malay students. It’s good to learn another language if the students are able to cope with it and the schools are not just implementing it because so and so said so… I was taught Malay as a National Language in Primary School and right up till Secondary 1. It was even recorded our Report Book as National Language and teachers then told us so too. Though Malay was not an examination subject then, it was taught during curriculum time. Yes I’ve blogged about this report book before. See the school’s letter to my Primary 3 girl; Here is my Secondary 2 son’s letter from the school; Note that both have to pay for the book ourselves though the Primary School one is a free course and non compulsory. My son’s Secondary school said it’s compulsory and have to pay for it ourselves though subsidised and the rest by Edusave. Both are taught outside curriculum time! Total only 10 lessons - approx. 2hrs per lesson per week. See both did not mentioned that Malay is our National Language regardless of what objectives are given. Also see this speech from MOE site. Actually what is taught in Primary School and Secondary School are the same, more or less based on the textbooks they used. The inside; Now below is my old textbook used for my National Language in 1973 (Pr.4); See inside; See I even wrote the meaning on top of the words; See the price then; Did you see the difference in the picture illustrations compared to nowadays. Which you prefer? Oh btw my son told me that even his teacher (in his 20+) is not so sure whether Malay is still our National Language… Excuse Me, Do You Sell Tracing Paper? Laokokok : “Excuse me, do you sell tracing paper?” Young salesgirl : “Tracing paper? …What is it? ..pls wait…” She hurried off to ask another more elderly salesgirl. Together they showed me to a shelf where it was. Young salesgirl : “Oh, so this is tracing paper!” I’m rather surprised that the younger generation like my kids (Primary 3 girl and even my Sec.2 boy may not know), do not know what tracing paper are. Some do know about carbon paper. OK, these are Tracing and Carbon Paper; The tracing paper now is a bit too thick compared to the past. Of course, the prices have gone up many folds too. The carbon paper was usually of the brand Pelikan (not too sure the spelling) in the past and they are usually used for typing and those receipts and invoices. I used the tracing paper mainly for my Geography lessons in the 70s - tracing countries maps. With digital cameras, scanners, Photoshop software, etc.. and many modern technology, all these tracing and carbon papers are seldom used nowadays. So many younger generations may not have seen or heard about it, can’t blame them. Let me try to show you how I used the tracing paper and carbon paper in the past. Below is an example of me trying to trace Pinocchio from a book onto a piece of paper. Unless one can draw very well, otherwise, this is what I will do. So do you still use the tracing and carbon paper? Every Paper Bag Tells A Story Paper bags were used during the 60s, 70s and early 80s. They were then replaced by the current plastic bags. In the past, most products or companies advertisements were placed on the paper bags. Of course most of us will remember those bigger paper bags used for the mooncakes boxes. Look at these 2 paper bags found in my mother’s house. They are probably 25 to 30 years back. 1. Chee Seng Sesame Oil; Take note of the old telephone number and the number of digit then. Also the old address 937 Serangoon Road. This Chee Seng Sesame Oil probably has a very long product life cycle. They have been here since 1943 though started off as coconut oil instead of sesame oil. Here is their company history  and their double pagoda logo reason. 2. Heng Kee Lemon Juice ; This was my favourite lemon juice in concentrated form, to be mixed with water. My mother used to buy a bottle of this lemon juice when she was out shopping. Note the address printed on the paper bag - Capitol Shopping Centre, Stall No.52 and $1.30 per bottle. Stall No.52 - those who been there before in the 80s will remember how the place like. Maybe Peter and Chun See can shed some lights. Let’s see when the paper bags were made and who made them; So don’t you think every paper bag tells a story? In the past, I used to say to my mother why was she keeping all these paper bags like garung guni…now I’m the one keeping it haha. Now I understand when there are aplenty - it’s like rubbish, and when it’s gone - it’s like treasure!     Beach Road Pt.2- Shaw Tower Revisit …cont’d from Beach Road Pt.1 - NCO Club I must admit that I’ve very poor sense of direction and not only that, I’m always confused with Shaw Tower, Shaw House, Shaw Centre and Shaw Plaza… Ok for this post of course, I’m sure Shaw Tower is the one at Beach Road! Built in 1974 at Beach Road, this was probably one of the tallest building there in the 70s. 3 things I remembered very well about this Shaw Tower; - The steep slope leading into the building car park. I’ve so far parked inside this tower less than 5 times and I don’t wish to try that again. In the past, I usually used manual gear cars so it was rather difficult to do clutch control. - The 2 cinemas inside : Prince and Jade. Seen quite a number of movies at Prince than Jade. Think both the Jade and Prince were opened in 1977. Prince is the bigger cinema and both are located on different floors and parts of the building. Later they have Prince 1 and 2, Jade 1 and 2 too. Read more here. It’s still around now; - The 2 gift shops. The Jade Gift Shop still around; Used to go there to buy those items like belts, lighter, pen, etc..with brand like Dunhill, Cartier, Gucci, etc. Not too sure where is the other gift shop now but the Jade Gift Shop still around though what they sell now may be different from the past. - The mobile disco (probably named Disco World) setup by a ex-poly grad. This shop is no longer there now as the mobile disco popularity in the 70s and 80s was gone. I think I’ve not been to this Shaw Tower for at least many years or maybe 2 decades. Yes, the last time I been to inside was probably in the late 80s. I don’t know why last Saturday when I drove past there, suddenly I felt the urge to take a walk inside. Of course I didn’t park inside the building but opposite (the public car park). I am surprised that it’s no longer the same Shaw Tower that I’m familiar with. The crowd I used to see in the past also no longer there. At least found some old photos of Beach Road framed up along a passage way; Besides some old photos of Beach Road, there are some interesting ‘gems’ on display. A Punch Card Machine used by the employees to show time in and out (top left); Below shows a blue cash register and a film cutter on the right; Below shows some old cinema tickets; Portriat of Rumme Shaw; Credits : Above all - Shaw Organisation Let us take a look at the Shaw Tower in the 1988 Street Directory; Credit : Chief Surveyor, Singapore Government Now take a look at the early 70s Street Directory just before the Shaw Tower was built; You can see that the whole building was not there yet in the early 70s and the 2 old cinemas - New Alhambra Cinema and Marlborough Cinema were demolished. So is Shaw Tower built on the same location where the 2 old cinemas - New Alhambra and Marlborough Cinemas were? If we take a look at the 50s city map below, we can get the answer; Credit : Shell, Singapore Government Survey Department So it’s actually sited on both cinemas but more towards Marlborough Cinema. Note there was a side road besides Marlborough Cinema in the 50s! The New Alhambra Cinema was built in 1907 and later, the cinema was bought over by Cathay Organization and was renamed as Gala Theatre. Another cinema, Malborough Cinema, was constructed beside it. Below is how the Alhambra Cinema looked like; Photo Credit : Shaw Organisation Alhambra Cinema was nicknamed “Hai Kee” (by the sea) due to its proximity to the sea. This theatre was one of the pioneer cinema halls in the early 1930s. The Alhambra became the first Singapore cinema to have air conditioning. Below shows both the Alhambra and Marlborough Cinemas on the right; Photo Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS So when was your last visit to Shaw Tower? Sea View Hotel - Old, New & Gone I’ve only seen the ‘New’ Sea View Hotel at 26 Amber Close. Most of us are familiar with this Sea View Hotel logo at the top of the hotel building; Surprisingly I find it more difficult to find photos of this ‘New’ Sea View hotel building than the Old Sea View hotel at Meyer Road. Below is the only photo I can find on internet; For those not sure where exactly is Amber Close, here is the map; See the * on the building next to the Sea View hotel. That’s where I usually hang out in the 70s, 80s and 90s. The old Katong Yaohan there with Ikea on the second floor…then we have the old Cold Storage taking over the place there too. Shopping seems so easy and close to my house at Haig Road. Thinking back, I wonder why I liked to go shopping at Katong Yaohan and Cold Storage there even though I don’t have much to buy? Maybe just to enjoy the aircon haha. As for the hotel, I had been to the restaurant a couple of times only with my clients. In the 70s, this Sea View Hotel must be a luxury hotel too. But in it’s last decade, it’s just a 2 or 3 star hotel. So they are going to build some condos on this same site and named it ‘The Sea View’. There will be 6 blocks of 23 storeys condos. You will be surprised how fast the progress is; Photo Credit : Aaron Chong When I started to shift in together with my parents in the 70s (around 1976 when I was in Sec.2) at Haig Road, the Sea View Hotel was already there near the Amber Close. So I’ve not seen the ‘Old Sea View Hotel’ at Meyer Road. I’m sure Peter has seen it as I remember he mentioned something like ‘dome’ shaped building at Meyer Road when I posted the topic on Haw Par Villa previously. 1. Sea View Hotel in the 70s; Credit : Singapore Government, Chief Surveyor Though the Marine Parade Road and ECP still not built, the ‘New Sea View Hotel’ had already been built at the Amber Close in the 70s. So when exactly is the ‘New Sea View Hotel’ built? Let’s take a look below; - 1906 : Established Sea View Hotel at Meyer Road and owned by Reuben Manasseh Meyer - 1909 : Grove Hotel became one of its 2 annexes - 1912 to 1923 : Leased to Eleazar Johannes - 1923 to 1931 : Leased to Sarkies Brothers (operated is as Sea View Hotel and Sanatoruium, and from 1926 as Sea View Hotel) - 1931 to 1962 : Taken over by the executors of the estate of late Manasseh Meyer. Sea View Hotel Ltd became the proprietors and operated till 1962. The Peach Garden condo replaced the site occupied by the Old Sea View Hotel in 1976. - 1969 to 2003 : The New Sea View Hotel began operations at Amber Close and ceased in 2003 2. Sea View Hotel (before the major land reclamation along East Coast in Mid 70s onwards); Credit : Shell, Singapore Government Survey Department. Note the location of the Sea View Hotel in the 50s. Also a number of roads like Marine Parade and East Coast Parkway were not built before the land reclamation. Of course the shoreline was immediately after the Amber Road and Sea View Hotel really means sea view. Read more about the Old Sea View Hotel. Read about how Grove Hotel became one of the 2 annexes of Old Sea View Hotel. So the Old Sea View Hotel started off as a large colonial bungalow situated at the sea front surrounded by coconut trees. This one shows the Old Sea View Hotel circa 1900. I wonder if that was how it looked like before becoming a hotel; Photo Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS Below shows the living quarters of the Old Sea View Hotel at Meyer Road; Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS In 1910; Photo credit : Singapore Philatelic Museum In 1926; Photo credit : Singapore Philatelic Museum In around 1937; Photo Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS The dome-shape building of the Old Sea View Hotel; Photo Credit : Joo Chiat, A living legacy by Lily Kong and TC Chang The site of Old Sea View Hotel at Meyer Road is now occupied by Peach Garden condo; Now both the old and new Sea View Hotels are gone…and both sites are replaced by condos. Should have taken some photos of the new Sea View Hotel before it was demolished.     My Old Singapore Road Maps Below are the oldest copies of the Singapore Street Directory I have in my house…until what I have found at my mother’s house at Haig Road on last Sunday. Ha I believed Peter and Chun See may even have older copies than this since they are at least 10yrs my senior. Frankly buying the Singapore Street Directory is like buying First Day Covers issues, every now and then new edition come out due to more new roads being built. Credit : Singapore Government, Chief SurveyorOn the left is the Chinese Edition (1976) which is based on the English Edition (1975) and on the right is the English Edition (1988). Now I have another even older map of Singapore from the Shell. The year 1959 was written on the inside cover of the map; Credits for all the Shell Map Reproduction: Shell, Singapore Government Survey Department. So this map was prepared by SIT (Singapore Improvement Trust, which is the ‘ancestor’ of HDB) in 1956; Let’s take a look at this old map; Only this part of Singapore was reproduced in the map; Below are some of the Places Of Interests in the 50s where a number of them were no longer around now; Now let’s take a close up view of this old map and see what’s in 50s; You can see the Singapore Airport at the Paya Lebar from the above map, but has it been completed then? Guess… Of course all the expressways like PIE, ECP, etc.. were not built then. Also Singapore size then was much smaller before the major land reclamation from 60s to 90s.     My Hero No no, I’m not talking about that HEROES TV series on Monday! It’s my old HERO brand fountain pen. Sad to say many students nowadays don’t use fountain pen or may not even know/seen one too! I started using HERO fountain pen since Secondary school, think around Sec.1 or 2. Sometimes I got my fountain pen leaking, so my shirt pocket may be stained. The worst case was the ink bottle cap was not tighten properly thus my whole school bag was filled with the blue ink! The HERO 336 Fountain Pen; This is probably the most common fountain pen found here. It was released in 1968. The fountain pen probably costs about S$1.20 (I think)? This HERO pen resembles that of PARKER 51 (American brand). The iridium nib tip was very tough and we like to use it as a dart. I can use it as a flying dart on the class table or chair. It’s fun playing with it, anyway, what other things can we played with at that time… For those that have used the Hero fountain pen before, their refill system is probably most memorable; Above photos credit : Chinapenking When comes to refilling the pen, sometimes there will be a spill and we need those white blotting paper. Oh my son my not even seen one yet haha. Of course the other item that comes to mind when refilling is the ink bottle; As seen on the packaging, this HERO brand ink and fountain pen was manufactured in Shanghai, China. See the Chinese Tradmark below; The side view of the box; And the unique cap with the HERO embossed on it; I wonder if I can still find this old HERO fountain pen at Sungei Road…     Singapore Badminton Hall - Conserve? When I read about the news on the closing of Singapore Badminton Hall by end of January 2008, I was saddened. Credit :Straits Times, SPH The Singapore Badminton Hall (SBH) was built in 1952 and for 56 years of history, it has seen 3 major events in it. - Hosting the 1955 and 1958 Thomas Cup - Vote counting station for the 1962 merger referendum Oh though not a major event, the Rolling Stones also had a concert there in 1965; Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS The National Heritage Board marked the SBH as a Historical Site due to the above 3 major events, but that does not mean it will be conserved. It’s fate probably lies with URA, let’s cross our fingers. There are 2 buildings I’m talking about along this Guillemard Road. The 1st building is the one on the right and built in 1952. This is the one and see the crowd outside the SBH in 1962 during the vote counting session; Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS Below you can see the same old building but with the newer one on the left; Here is another view of the 1962 scene; Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS Note the building behind - the Fatty Weng restaurant still not at the corner coffee shop then. See how it looks like now in 2008; The newer building on the left opened in 1986 by the late President Dr.Wee Kim Wee; Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS Both late President of Singapore, Mr. Ong Teng Cheong and Dr.Wee Kim Wee at the SBH in 1986; Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS The same place in 2008; Well before they do any ‘face lift’ to these Singapore Badminton Hall, let’s take a final look now. Main Entrance To The Old Building; The old booth in the old building; Side view of the old building; Another view of the new building; Maybe for most of us, our trip to the Singapore Badminton Hall means going to the Fatty Weng’s restaurant or in Cantonese “Fei Chai Weng or Rong”. I’ve eaten at that restaurant there before but it’s not the best I’ve tasted frankly. Entrance to the Fatty Weng’s restaurant at the new building; Carpark entrance to the Fatty Weng’s restaurant; The sheltered carpark at the new building; And why don’t they wait till I’ve my last try at the Fatty Weng Restaurant inside there for a last time before they….. Read more about the Singapore Badminton Hall.     Memories From My Old Ang Pao Maybe most will just clear their contents (money) and throw away the packets (ang pao). But for me, new or used, I will keep them (same as my mother). We keep the ang pao in albums, and boxes. Here are some old ang pao that will bring back some fond memories; At one glance, they don’t seem that old right? OK but before that, let me show you one very very old ang pao type that I’ve received when I was a few years old in the 60s; Well the above seems like those used in funeral. But it was this type of ang pao that I received in the 60s and the amount usually like 2 5cents or 2 10cents. Close relatives usually gave more than distant ones. Some said certain dialects group gave more, I’m not too sure about that. Some establishments still exit but some don’t in the following; 1. This above was from Motorola. Many will remembered that Motorola is the brand that our 1st pager and handphone was. But now, there are so many brands to choose from for handphones. 2. The younger generation may not know about this Oriental Emporium Holdings Group. They probably had more outlets (25 I think) than NTUC Fairprice then in the 70s or 80s. But one by one, they started to close down. Most town centres will have at least one Oriental Emporium like the one at Bedok Town Centre, now occupied by NTUC Fairprice. 3. Maybe the ladies will know of this boutique shop Pisces. One of the outlets was located along Orchard Road just outside the Plaza Singapura (along the same side as McDonald House). Think these Pisces outlets are no longer around, am I right? 4. For those interest rate hunters, Tat Lee Bank was probably one will go for in the past. Too bad, it had merged with Keppel Bank to become Keppel Tat Lee. 5. It was an old ang pao envelope from NTUC Fairprice. Of course they are still around though the new logo already replaced the old logo above. The name NTUC was removed from the new logo (I think) and only Fairprice is used. 6. It was so popular back then that SAFE (SAF Enterprise) branched into Travel business for the SAF personnel. I remembered I had even booked a tour to Taiwan and the price was so low that one need to be balloted. I was lucky then haha. You may read about SAFE Trave here: SAFE Travel 7. Now known as M Hotel. But before that, it was also known as Copthorne Harbour View Hotel in 1995. And even well before that - Harbour View Dai-Ichi Hotel. Why all these re-naming of this hotel at Anson Road? After doing a check on the internet, the hotel’s owner, Hong Leong Group, was legally barred from using the Millennium brand in Singapore as it could be confused with The Ritz-Carlton Millenia. So M-Hotel is ok as only the initial is used. So now, you can’t get the same ang pao with the old hotel name haha. Before I end this post, I would like to wish all a Happy and Prosperous New Year!     Tay Buan Guan Entrance There seems to be some confusion regarding my previous post on Tay Buan Guan…regarding it’s entrance haha. My fellow blogger friend Peter has emailed me too that Rumah Bebe doesn’t seem to be the Tay Buan Guan entrance that fits the black and white photo I posted; Photo Credit : Portrait of Places So it’s the current Rumah Bebe shop the real entrance to Tay Buan Guan? If it’s not, then many sources have been wrong… Let’s investigate! 1. First take a look at the URA Walking Guide; Photo Credit : Oceanskies79 In the guide, it said; “Check out the origins of the former Tay Buan Guan Katong Shopping Centre • Former Tay Buan Guan Shop, now Rumah Bebe, 113 East Coast Road, Tel: 6247 8781 The faint TBG print on the shopfront of 113 East Coast Road is the only sign of its once bustling former occupant, the Tay Buan Guan shop. The Tay Buan Guan department store grew from this humble shophouse to a multi-storey shopping centre located to the rear of East Coast Road, and was one of Singapore’s best-loved shopping hubs. … …This shophouse is now known as Rumah Bebe (Bebe’s House), a Peranakan arts and crafts…..” My Point : This unit number may be the first Tay Buan Guan shop along East Coast Road that the late Mr.Tay started. From this first shop (unit 113), it grew bigger. 2. Now let’s check the National Library Board, Singapore Infopedia; - Early History …Then he rented a shophouse and opened the first Tay Buan Guan shop, a provision shop in Pennefather Road. … But after the war ended, he returned to his business with a renewed vigour, opening three shops on East Coast Road. The shops presumably did well as in 1948, he was able to purchase a piece of land bound by East Coast Road, Joo Chiat Road and Fowlie Road. He built the Tay Buan Guan Supermarket on that piece of land, the first department store in the east. … - Description The Tay Buan Guan Supermarket had a Chinese emporium, a costume jewellery shop and a pharmacy within its premises. … The Chinese emporium was called the Singapura Emporium Limited and it occupied the first floor of the 4-storey building. … - Later Developments The Tay Buan Guan Supermarket was made up of 13 freehold shophouses, some 2-storeys high, located at 83-119 (odd numbers) East Coast Road. My Point : There may be 3 shops at East Coast Road. Tay Buan Guan Supermarket was 4 storey high. 3. When I do a Google Search with Tay Buan Guan Adress, I was pointed to 83A East Coast Road. The link shows the map by Singapore Street Directory. Note the address is 83A and not 113. Unit 83 now is occupied by Greentown Audio Video (SONY products) and unit 113 is occupied by Rumah Bebe. So is Greentown Audio Video the real entrance to Tay Buan Guan Supermarket (the old photo)? My Point : So the official address of Tay Buan Guan may be 83A East Coast Road instead of 113 East Coast Road. But why 83A and not 83. Usually ‘A’ refers to the staircase entrance to upstair unit. 4. Again when you Google Search East Coast Road, the National Library Board, Singapore Infopedia shows; “Description Katong area …Popular landmarks in the 1950s and 1960s include Katong’s first supermarket, Tay Buan Guan Building and cinemas like Odeon, Palace and Roxy. …The Tay Buan Guan shopping centre were torn down in 2001 to make way for a condominium project.” My Point : So part of the properties owned by Tay Buan Guan were torn down to build a condominium. If I can find the condo, that must be part of Tay Buan Guan too. Oh no, so how big is Tay Buan Guan? Yes, unit 83 to 119! 5. Another blogger, Katong Gal, blogged about Tay Buan Guan too. “…Tay Buan Guan (also called TBG) was situated just behind the row of shophouses on East Coast Road which continues into Joo Chiat Road; it could be reached through three of the shophouses. One of these shophouses was a confectionary. … The other two shophouses had different uses - can’t remember exactly what but I do recall that for some years one was used as a thoroughfare into the main East Coast Road. Near the entrance to this particular building was a games arcade. … My Point : So there may be 2 or 3 entrance to Tay Buan Guan. One is via the carpark or the backlane. And these backlane or carpark may housed one of the Tay Buan Guan shops. The other may be via the front shophouse like unit 83 or unit 113. 6. Now what Peter said in his email; “…You see I used to park my car in TBG carpark. There were 2 carpsk, the big faced the back of the bank, this small carpark was closer to ths supermarket. Separating the carpark from the row of shops was a lane and a fence. …There were two ways to get to East Coast Road. One was through TBG Shop (”Katong Shopping Center”) where there was an Indian framemaker called Adi. The other was through a small lane sandwiched between two buildings. I usually took the side lane to get to the former Hong Kong Noddle House (enter by back door) and the Asia Commercial Bank (later became 101 Beauty and Health Center, a massage joint). All this while I thot the side lane was beside Katong Bakery; which was not the case. In fact the side lane was beside the bank (right of bdlg) which is now Sing Ho Hainanese Chicken Rice. The cobbler sat outstide the Katong Bakery. …” My Point : So this confirm that there was another entrance via the carpark and lane behind. There is a small lane between two blocks of building. Like what Peter said, that 113 unit (Rumah Bebe) may be used as an office by Tay Buan Guan. So I make a trip down to view from behind. Before that let’s take a look at the map provided by Singapore Street Directory; Click for : Singapore Map of Tay Buan Guan Shopping Centre (Demolished) 83A East Coast Road (S)428786 Streetdirectory.com : Singapore No 1 Travel Guide, Food & Singapore Florist I went in via the Onan Road and hope to find the old carpark there. But as confirmed by the above sources, the carpark was not there and part of the Tay Buan Guan properties were gone and made way for the Malvern Springs Condo; Then I went via to the backlane via the side lane between the 2 blocks of building as mentioned by Peter; Above Photo provided by Peter. I took a look at the #113 Rumah Bebe back, but it was not as high as the #83 Greentown Audio Video. Let’s take a look at the back view of this #83 unit; The Katong Bakery is just a few units from this #83 old Tay Buan Guan unit. The Katong Bakery is extended all the way back as seen in this back lane view; Now if we take a second look at the first black and white photo of the Tay Buan Guan in this post (at the top), I noticed that both pillars at the entrance were ’slanted’ or at an angle. It’s not like the rest where it’s right angle. This coincide with the ’slanted’ pillars of the #83 Greentown Audio Video too; The #113 Rumah Bebe pillars are not ’slanted’. So from all the above points, the chances of the black and white Tay Buan Guan photo matches the #83 unit are higher. Also please take note of the flooring pattern of the old Tay Buan Guan photo matches that of the #83 one (stripes type). Below is a photo of the old carpark at Tay Buan Guan; Photo Credit : National Heritage Board, Joo Chiat CCC     My Godmother’s Pillow And Fan Credit : Chinatown Heritage Centre The porcelain type of pillow on the right, hollow with 2 oval holes on both sides, was the type of pillow my Godmother used when we were staying at Beatty Road. It’s rather small in size compared to those new pillows we used nowadays. I’ve tried sleeping on it but it’s hard to sleep on it and it’s cold too. When I tried to turn to my side, my head fell off the pillow. I don’t understand how my godmother managed to sleep on it so many years. The one on the left is also a pillow but of better quality. Maybe it’s more expensive than the porcelain one, so not many could afford it. But even now, pillow price can range from a few dollars to hundred over dollars…and you won’t know how it suit you until you buy it and used it. In the foreground of the above photo, you can also see the type of fan my godmother used. That is the normal types of fans made of probably bamboo leaves (correct me if I’m wrong) that most household will have. But now, how many of us still have it??     My Old Katong Final Pt.- Other Lost Landmarks The other lost landmarks of Katong were located at the Heart of Katong - from Katong Shopping Centre to Still Road. I will just emphasize on the 4 main icons of Katong - Katong Bakery House, Tay Buan Guan, Joo Chiat Police Station and Katong People’s Complex . You can see the map below; With the old names gone and new names over its place, it’s rather difficult to find them if you are not a regular at Katong. Even I am having trouble to locate the old TBG (Tay Buan Guan). Katong Bakery House aka Red House Bakery How I missed the fragrance when walking past this bakery shop. When it was there, I don’t seem so keen to pop in as it was rather old fashion and crowded. That was many many years ago when I was still in my 20s. Located at 75 East Coast Road, the eye-catching red colored building has been an icon or landmark of Katong for many years. It was around for 78 years since 1925 to 2003. It finally came to stop when it was deemed unsafe by the authority. It is said that Katong Bakery was the first to bake a 3-tier western wedding cakes in Singapore around 1920s. This bakery was famous for its curry puff too but I’ve yet to try it before… So take a look of it in the past; Photo Credit : Portrait of Places And now how it looks (taken on 11 Jan 2008); A subsidiary of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis), is the legal owner of the property. So it’s currently undergoing restoration works and will it be an office unit or school or remain as a F&B outlet, let’s cross our fingers. Glad to know that this icon has been conserved by the authority. Click here to learn more about this Red House Bakery. Tay Buan Guan Supermarket It was probably the first supermarket in the East set up in 1948 by Mr. Tay Leck Teck. Its business was badly affected by the newer shopping area nearby like Parkway Parade, and it finally wound up after 52 years in 2000. Photo Credit : Portrait of Places If you see the above photo, besides the name Tay Buan Guan, it also has the name Katong Shopping Centre. It housed a Chinese emporium called Singapura Emporium, a pharmacy and a costume jewellery shop. This emporium occupied the 1st floor of the 4-storey building. The ground floor and 2nd floor were other departmental stores, while the 3rd floor was roof garden. The ground floor where the supermarket located also had a milk bar. Click here to learn more about Tay Buan Guan Supermarket. The TBG was located at 113 East Coast Road, on the same stretch as the Red House Bakery. Though I’ve walked past this TBG many times, but I’ve only been to inside only a couple of times, shame right? So what has it becomes now? It has turned into a shop called “Rumah Bebe”, a Peranakan Heritage Home; But is the structure still the same from afar; Doesn’t look quite the same right? Though there is a year 1928 on the front, but how can we confirm that it was previously the TBG building? Let’s examine some ‘tell-tale’ signs left behind; There are 2 TBG logos left behind on the 2 side pillars. The rest of the wall tiles and floor tiles, I’m not too sure if they are from the past; The trishaw above seems to be part of the shop decoration. Now that the TBG was gone, I yearn to go in…are you like me haha? Joo Chiat Police Station Of course it’s one of those places that I don’t wish to go in. I have walked past it and also parked my car on the side road besides it when I wanted to visit that DBS bank there. The DBS bank was located at this GRTH No.66 Building; On the left of this side road, is the old Joo Chiat Police Station now called the Katong Village or Hong Kong Tea House; Take a look below when it was still a police station; Photo Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS So how old is this Joo Chiat Police Station building? Probably as old as the TBG building, about 80 years old. So when did this police station cease to be one? Maybe in 1980s if I’m not wrong. Katong People’s Complex Before I end this Old Katong episode, do you know what comes before Katong Mall? Many may have forgotten the former Katong People’s Complex (not to be confused with People’s Park Complex though same developer) - the shopping complex with steel structure and gigantic pipes at the exterior. Some said the pipes constituted to the bad fengshui. Built in 1983 and aka ‘prison with pipes’ back then, the building was struggling with poor business and in 1994, a woman was shot by an unknown gunman. Now take a look at this Katong People’s Complex in 1990; Photo Credit : National Archives of Singaore, PICAS Then what’s on this site before Katong People’s Complex? If you take a look at the 1970s Singapore Street Directory, you may find that it’s actually a market before this complex! This market was previously from the now Hock Ann Eating House site. Where is this market now…somehow it has now shifted to Marine Parade. Read more about Katong; - Katong History - Rediscover Katong/ Joo Chiat     My Old Katong Pt.2 - Roxy And Palace …cont’d from Pt.1 I’m talking about the old Roxy and Palace Theatre…funny right…they used to call it theatre instead of cinema. These 2 theatres are located along the same East Coast Road on the same side but opposite to the Odeon Katong Theatre. Both theatres are demolished. If we walked along East Coast Road from Katong Shopping Centre to Still Road, this stretch was known as ‘The Roxy Area’. It was also the traditional ‘Heart of Katong’. From this, what can see how popular is the Roxy Theatre back in the 50s and 60s. Take a good look at how the ‘landmarks’ changed its look over time… sad to say I’ve not been to any of these 2 theatres for a show but only passed by. Roxy Theatre This old theatre was there before World War 2 and much much older than me. Let’s check out some old photos; Credit : Fairypoint When I see the above photo, I doubt it’s Roxy Cinema in Singapore as it looked totally different. If it was then it must be very very long ago. Sad to say there isn’t much photos of the old Roxy in Katong. Luckily after searching for sometime, I managed to find another old photo which resembles the above; Credit : Donor N Lloyd, Australian Was Memorial The above shows the Roxy Theatre circa 1945. Read more about Roxy Theatre here. When the Roxy Theatre was demolished, I’m not sure. The land now is occupied by Katong Plaza / Roxy Square and the back portion of the land is Grand Mercure Roxy hotel. Take a look now and you cannot never visualise how the old Roxy Theatre sits in there. Palace Theatre This is another old theatre along the East Coast Road which is demolished now. Take a look below see how it looks like in 1960; Credit : National Archives of Singapore , PICAS You are still able to see the theatre in 1990 as shown in the photo taken from Ceylon Road ; Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS Understand that this theatre in her later years was used more for live performances. Probably in the 90s, the name of the theatre was also changed to Paradise Theatre. Below shows the Paradise Theatre in 1994; Creadit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS The theatre was demolished and now a Eastgate building in its place; These 2 theatres Roxy and Palace were separated by a road called Brooke Road.     My Old Katong Pt.1 - Katong Shopping Centre And Odeon Katong Let me wish all friends here a Happy 2008 New Year before I begin my first post for this year. Katong Shopping Centre; So when was it built? Yes, 35 years ago, opened in 1973, it was one of the nearest shopping centres from my home in Haig Road back then. I loved to visit there during Saturday especially after my NCC Air ECA (now known as CCA) at the Haig Road Camp. When my dad bought a 5rm flat at Haig Road in the early 70s, I was so happy as it was within walking distance to so many shopping area there like Katong Shopping Centre, City Plaza, Tanjong Katong Complex, Parkway Parade - of course some were built later. This 35 years old shopping centre used to be full of textiles and shoes shops in the early days. The popular Oriental Emporium was located at one corner occupying 2 floors. It was fun shopping there especially before the Chinese New Year. Below is how it looked like in 1994; Photo Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS Now the whole place especially the basement and ground floor, are full of eatery shops. But I must said some of the eateries shops served value for money food. The good old Oriental Emporium, and many textiles and shoes shops were gone… This used to be a good place to know some Tanjong Katong Girls School students haha. Luckily this old shopping centre still retains its old look and not much of a makeover like most other shopping mall. The main structural change is probably the addition of a lift at the corner near the Haig Road. This is how it looks now(photo taken Dec 2007); The eateries at the basement; Somehow as I’m very much older now, this shopping centre seems to have ’shrink’; Odeon Katong Shopping Complex; I wonder how many still remember the old Odeon Katong Theatre (Cinema) here before this Odeon Katong Shopping Complex was built? For how long the old Odeon Katong Theatre was here, I really don’t know. If I will to base on the 1988 Edition of Singapore Street Directory, it was still here in 1988. However the 1998 Edition of the Singapore Street Directory, it shows Odeon Katong Shopping Complex instead. So it must be between 1988 to 1998 that there was a makeover. This is the old Odeon Katong Theatre in 1960; Photo Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS Frankly I’m not too sure if there is a mix-up of dates as I recall that in the early 80s, the new Odeon Katong seems to be there already. During the Chinese New Year, I remember I went up to the cinema by escalator to book 3 days advance tickets for a movie. It was a norm to book advance tickets up to 3 days and usually the queue was extremely long during the Chinese New Year period. Haha, maybe I’ve got the years wrong myself….anyway… Here is the 1994 look of the Odeon Katong Shopping Complex; And the updated look in 2007 below; I didn’t realise that the cinemas inside were gone…until I dropped by last month. See what the whole building becomes; Can’t see…haha…let me tell you: 80% of the building occupied by Cornerstone Community Church! In fact, a number of old cinemas in Singapore have been converted to Church. Here is the escalator leading to the old Odeon Katong cinema; There is some changes to the road when the Odeon Katong Shopping Centre was built. Before the Odeon Katong Shopping Centre was built, the Mugliston Road was terminated before the canal at the Katong Shopping Centre Carpark Entrance; Now after the Odeon Katong Shopping Complex was built, the Mugliston Rd was extended below the building and joined with the Ean Kiam Place; I don’t know how long these 2 buildings will last especially the Katong Shopping Centre. Those old buildings surrounding are going and gone one by one… to be continued in Pt.2…     Christmas in the 60s The above shows the simple Christmas Tree in 1968. I was 6 years old then. See the difference of the Christmas Tree compared to now. Also take note of the old ‘hi-fi’ set (radio with record player) the Christmas Tree was placed on. Now we are even using the LEDs for the Christmas lights and the decoration looks much better. But again, that was almost 40 years ago when my Godsister and I posed for that photo. Celebrating Christmas was much simpler and I remember occasionally, my Godsisters would bring me to attend their companies’ children parties. It was the usual lucky dips, magic shows and singing. Orchard Road was not so well decorated compared to now and lots of buildings were still not built yet then. Note : With this, I end this year 2007 posts. I wish all a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2008 New Year. Hope to see all of you here again in 2008!