Singapore skyline taken from Hill Street
Sunday, September 25, 2005
I want to be a tourist in my own country...
You must be wondering what I mean by that...
one school of thought: after all, Singapore is such a small country, I should have learnt my Singapore history better, I should read more newspapers and then I should know enough about Singapore... besides, Singapore is not like China or USA which is really big and you need to take domestic flights to see another part. Singapore isn't that different in the east and the west and for goodness sake you don't even have a domestic airport! so yeah... why would I want to be a tourist..."
But that's just wrong... Singapore is small for sure... you can travel from one end to the other in 2 hours by MRT... but who says that everything is the same?
Have we ever realised that each housing estate and constituency is different? Why don't you compare Toa Payoh culture and Seng Kang culture? The former is one of the oldest estates in Singapore and the latter is one of the youngest. Are they really that similar?
Have you walked along the Padang and observed the monuments there? Everytime I go there I realise that the last time I went, I had left out one or two monuments... yeah u can say I'm blind but that's not the point.. the point is how many Singaporeans make an effort to strolll along that area and learn about the monuments?
Does being an expert at Singapore history mean you have seen these monuments? Have you admired their design and wondered how their styles can be so different? Have you noticed the contrast of having a modern stylish building standing just behind a history-rich building like the Parliament House?
Have you strolled along the whole stretch of the Singapore River, wondering how kids could swim in the days when the water was black? Have you taken the River Boat tour in that little boat that chugs along and driven by a very tanned ah-pek? Have you posed for shots along the river with the Singapore skyline of skyscrappers in the backgroud?
No? Why? Is it because it is something we only associate with tourists? with foreigners? Is it because we think that we've been here all our lives and don't need a photograph as a keepsake? In the first place, is taking photos only just about having a keepsake, to show that "I was there?"
But if you think about it, you don't go to the Singapore River all the time... even if you do, the landscape changes... 5 years ago, there was no Esplanade and the Merlion was standing at a different location...
Every place in Singapore has a story to tell... I want to know more of these stories, even if they do change here and there... and I think... the only way I can do that.. is to become a tourist in my own country...
Armed with my map and trusty camera, I will not be ashamed to be seen taking photos of the various stories in my own country...
one school of thought: after all, Singapore is such a small country, I should have learnt my Singapore history better, I should read more newspapers and then I should know enough about Singapore... besides, Singapore is not like China or USA which is really big and you need to take domestic flights to see another part. Singapore isn't that different in the east and the west and for goodness sake you don't even have a domestic airport! so yeah... why would I want to be a tourist..."
But that's just wrong... Singapore is small for sure... you can travel from one end to the other in 2 hours by MRT... but who says that everything is the same?
Have we ever realised that each housing estate and constituency is different? Why don't you compare Toa Payoh culture and Seng Kang culture? The former is one of the oldest estates in Singapore and the latter is one of the youngest. Are they really that similar?
Have you walked along the Padang and observed the monuments there? Everytime I go there I realise that the last time I went, I had left out one or two monuments... yeah u can say I'm blind but that's not the point.. the point is how many Singaporeans make an effort to strolll along that area and learn about the monuments?
Does being an expert at Singapore history mean you have seen these monuments? Have you admired their design and wondered how their styles can be so different? Have you noticed the contrast of having a modern stylish building standing just behind a history-rich building like the Parliament House?
Have you strolled along the whole stretch of the Singapore River, wondering how kids could swim in the days when the water was black? Have you taken the River Boat tour in that little boat that chugs along and driven by a very tanned ah-pek? Have you posed for shots along the river with the Singapore skyline of skyscrappers in the backgroud?
No? Why? Is it because it is something we only associate with tourists? with foreigners? Is it because we think that we've been here all our lives and don't need a photograph as a keepsake? In the first place, is taking photos only just about having a keepsake, to show that "I was there?"
But if you think about it, you don't go to the Singapore River all the time... even if you do, the landscape changes... 5 years ago, there was no Esplanade and the Merlion was standing at a different location...
Every place in Singapore has a story to tell... I want to know more of these stories, even if they do change here and there... and I think... the only way I can do that.. is to become a tourist in my own country...
Armed with my map and trusty camera, I will not be ashamed to be seen taking photos of the various stories in my own country...
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
What's in a name?
Sharon Tan Xin Ni
You are an individual with high standards. You have a strong and stable character with a keenly analytical and logical mind. Preferring a practical and constructive approach to life you put your energies into activities which build material abundance. Your worldly success is an example to everyone of what careful organisation and determination can achieve.
try it out at this site
You are an individual with high standards. You have a strong and stable character with a keenly analytical and logical mind. Preferring a practical and constructive approach to life you put your energies into activities which build material abundance. Your worldly success is an example to everyone of what careful organisation and determination can achieve.
try it out at this site
Random thoughts
Here I am.. stoning in front of my laptop at 1.30am on a Wednesday morning... it's quiet outside... and the radio is croning some really nice songs...
so much on my mind these days.. so much on my to-do lists... so much to settle, so much to think about... yet... don't feel like doing anything... why? irresponsible? tired? maybe... I dunno...
but tonight... seems the perfect night to do nothing.. to just sit back... enjoy the breeze (from my room fan), enjoy the song on radio ("tonight I need your sweet caress, hold me in the darkness. Tonight you calm my restlessness, you relieve my sadness...") and stone... to just blank out all the deadlines, the tasks... to just enjoy... to relish in whatever random thoughts running through my head... to relive certain memories trapped at the back of my head... to just indulge in the night air... to feel alive... to feel like me...
so much on my mind these days.. so much on my to-do lists... so much to settle, so much to think about... yet... don't feel like doing anything... why? irresponsible? tired? maybe... I dunno...
but tonight... seems the perfect night to do nothing.. to just sit back... enjoy the breeze (from my room fan), enjoy the song on radio ("tonight I need your sweet caress, hold me in the darkness. Tonight you calm my restlessness, you relieve my sadness...") and stone... to just blank out all the deadlines, the tasks... to just enjoy... to relish in whatever random thoughts running through my head... to relive certain memories trapped at the back of my head... to just indulge in the night air... to feel alive... to feel like me...
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Good food and Good company = Satisfaction
What an evening... I don't think I have eaten so much good food in such a short period of time...
As a kind of send off thingy for Hwan Cui, Aileen organised a Food Night (after the on-the-spur idea after MAF that day)... basically, we meet up and travel around seeking out the good food of Singapore...
Randal, Jie An, Hwan Cui, Aileen and myself were the food hunters this time round...
1st Round
1st Round took place at Tiong Bahru Food Market... it might be a make-shift food centre but this is THE place to go for lots of good food.. a lot of the stalls there have already been talent spotted by various eating programmes as you can tell from the posters and newspaper clippings hanging at the stalls..
anyway, I was late so when I got there, this was all that was left...
Food covered:
- BBQ Sting ray
- 15 Sticks chicken satay with 3 ketupats
- Fish ball mee pok
- ICe Kachang
- 1 packet of Chee Kueh
- 1 oyster omelette
2nd Round
After the 1st round, we decided to head for the famous Milo Godzilla... where you may ask? to.. Spize - The Makan Place at River Valley Road... it's a muslim stall so get ready for a whole menu of prata varieties, bbq hot plate stuff, and interesting drinks...
Food covered:
- 1 Bee Hoon Goreng Ikan Bilis
- 1 Mutton Murtabak
- 1 basket of french fries
- 2 plain prata
- 1 apple cinammon prata
- 1 mushroom cheese prata
- 1 banana plus ice cream tissue prata: tissue prata with filling of ice cream and banana slices
- 1 bandung
- 1 Milo Godzilla: Milo with milo powder and ice cream
- 2 iced teh-oh
This is our spread of food for the 2nd round...
don't forget the tissue prata delight...
Till now I can't believe the 5 of us finished ALL that food... we were sooo bloated after the night... but man it was fun... =)
we should do it again guys... but not too often ok? I don't want to put on too much weight...
As a kind of send off thingy for Hwan Cui, Aileen organised a Food Night (after the on-the-spur idea after MAF that day)... basically, we meet up and travel around seeking out the good food of Singapore...
Randal, Jie An, Hwan Cui, Aileen and myself were the food hunters this time round...
1st Round
1st Round took place at Tiong Bahru Food Market... it might be a make-shift food centre but this is THE place to go for lots of good food.. a lot of the stalls there have already been talent spotted by various eating programmes as you can tell from the posters and newspaper clippings hanging at the stalls..
anyway, I was late so when I got there, this was all that was left...
Food covered:
- BBQ Sting ray
- 15 Sticks chicken satay with 3 ketupats
- Fish ball mee pok
- ICe Kachang
- 1 packet of Chee Kueh
- 1 oyster omelette
2nd Round
After the 1st round, we decided to head for the famous Milo Godzilla... where you may ask? to.. Spize - The Makan Place at River Valley Road... it's a muslim stall so get ready for a whole menu of prata varieties, bbq hot plate stuff, and interesting drinks...
Food covered:
- 1 Bee Hoon Goreng Ikan Bilis
- 1 Mutton Murtabak
- 1 basket of french fries
- 2 plain prata
- 1 apple cinammon prata
- 1 mushroom cheese prata
- 1 banana plus ice cream tissue prata: tissue prata with filling of ice cream and banana slices
- 1 bandung
- 1 Milo Godzilla: Milo with milo powder and ice cream
- 2 iced teh-oh
This is our spread of food for the 2nd round...
don't forget the tissue prata delight...
Till now I can't believe the 5 of us finished ALL that food... we were sooo bloated after the night... but man it was fun... =)
we should do it again guys... but not too often ok? I don't want to put on too much weight...
Monday, September 12, 2005
MAF 2005
For those who don't have the faintest idea what MAF is, it actually stands for Mid Autumn Festival.. yup.. my junior college holds an annual huge celebration for MAF and in typical Singapore fashion, the many generations of HCJC graduates have successfully made the acronym sound so cool and funky that it's now officially part of our JC tradition... *beams happily*
so what's so big about MAF? well nothing much, just that the council puts up decoration in the central plaza (think lights display), put up a fountain (for aesthetic purposes i guess.. traditions kind of make u forget the reason they do such stuff), there's a stage in central plaza, performances by performing groups, and about at least 8 generations of HC students.. no big deal... =)
ok well, the big deal about MAF is that wushu gets a performance slot every year, and every batch holds special memories of THEIR MAF... it's also kind of the 1st performance after the seniors step down so you know, you get those 1st-Big-Performance-on-our-own jitters and excitement... the main thing i remember about my MAF? playing with fire and gunpowder... man that was fun...
but reminscing aside, this year's MAF was kind of disappointing in terms of performances.. too many individual singers kind of performances.. i tell you this whole project superstar and singapore idol is NOT good for our society...
but the great part was seeing my batch mates again... crapping about our good ol days and breathing the air at the hui suo(albeit a bit stinky especially after the wushu performance) and in HCJC in general...
hanging out with them always rocks... and it helps that aileen DRIVES!! and Jie An eats a lot.. which justified a trip to Adam Road Food Centre for supper... after 2 weeks of India, it's no surprise how happy ice kachang, rojak and satay can make me...
Makes it feel soooo good to be back in Singapore...=)
oh yah.. photos are up as well on my site... i'm too lazy to put the link here once again, though I just noticed that with all these words I'm typing, I should have saved the effort and typed the link instead.. oh well.. forgetful and lazy me...
so what's so big about MAF? well nothing much, just that the council puts up decoration in the central plaza (think lights display), put up a fountain (for aesthetic purposes i guess.. traditions kind of make u forget the reason they do such stuff), there's a stage in central plaza, performances by performing groups, and about at least 8 generations of HC students.. no big deal... =)
ok well, the big deal about MAF is that wushu gets a performance slot every year, and every batch holds special memories of THEIR MAF... it's also kind of the 1st performance after the seniors step down so you know, you get those 1st-Big-Performance-on-our-own jitters and excitement... the main thing i remember about my MAF? playing with fire and gunpowder... man that was fun...
but reminscing aside, this year's MAF was kind of disappointing in terms of performances.. too many individual singers kind of performances.. i tell you this whole project superstar and singapore idol is NOT good for our society...
but the great part was seeing my batch mates again... crapping about our good ol days and breathing the air at the hui suo(albeit a bit stinky especially after the wushu performance) and in HCJC in general...
hanging out with them always rocks... and it helps that aileen DRIVES!! and Jie An eats a lot.. which justified a trip to Adam Road Food Centre for supper... after 2 weeks of India, it's no surprise how happy ice kachang, rojak and satay can make me...
Makes it feel soooo good to be back in Singapore...=)
oh yah.. photos are up as well on my site... i'm too lazy to put the link here once again, though I just noticed that with all these words I'm typing, I should have saved the effort and typed the link instead.. oh well.. forgetful and lazy me...
Friday, September 09, 2005
I'm still alive
Yes after a very long absence from the blogging scene, this post is to indicate that I am still very much alive... and honestly I don't care if you greet that comment with groans or cheers...
well much has happened.. for one, today is the last day of the first half of semester 1... which means effectively, I have gone through 6 weeks of classes and should be chocked full of engineering knowledge... unfortunately, a close scrutiny of my brain last night proved otherwise... instead of technical concepts and mini blueprints, I find, to not much surprise, the following things in my head:
- steps for 2 new dances from IC
- lots of acronyms, some of which include PD, @XP, SLP, IC, R&R... the list goes on
- playback images of cool parties and cool people and cool sessions...
- vague images of how a typical Singaporean driver will (or not) survive in the streets of India
and that's just a small part of my head.. the other parts are trying to unclog themselves from the cold/flu/fever streak that occured in IC as well...
and in case you're lost, yeah I just got back from a near 2 weeks trip to India for AIESEC International Congress...
I have no way of describing the whole experience... just two words: Eye Opening
oh and some photos are up already.. mainly those of India sights... yeah I forgot to mention I went to the Taj Mahal!!! another Eye Opener.. check them out at http://sharontan.myphotoalbum.com/
p.s. this is a very random posting... complain all you like... more updates next time =)
well much has happened.. for one, today is the last day of the first half of semester 1... which means effectively, I have gone through 6 weeks of classes and should be chocked full of engineering knowledge... unfortunately, a close scrutiny of my brain last night proved otherwise... instead of technical concepts and mini blueprints, I find, to not much surprise, the following things in my head:
- steps for 2 new dances from IC
- lots of acronyms, some of which include PD, @XP, SLP, IC, R&R... the list goes on
- playback images of cool parties and cool people and cool sessions...
- vague images of how a typical Singaporean driver will (or not) survive in the streets of India
and that's just a small part of my head.. the other parts are trying to unclog themselves from the cold/flu/fever streak that occured in IC as well...
and in case you're lost, yeah I just got back from a near 2 weeks trip to India for AIESEC International Congress...
I have no way of describing the whole experience... just two words: Eye Opening
oh and some photos are up already.. mainly those of India sights... yeah I forgot to mention I went to the Taj Mahal!!! another Eye Opener.. check them out at http://sharontan.myphotoalbum.com/
p.s. this is a very random posting... complain all you like... more updates next time =)
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