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The crumbling bungalow at Upper Wilkie Road
There was a time when Mount Sophia had been a magical world, a place where men who made it big in the developing colony of Singapore had sought to build several wondrous mansions. This was a world that...
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A visit to the Raffles Museum
Earlier this year, I finally made the visit to the Raffles Museum (Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, RMBR for short). I was alittle apprehensive at first, knowing there would be dead specimens...
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A visit to Cyrene Reef
"It's a reef. A sea reef. It's off an island. Oh, it's part of an island? Erm it has starfish and other cool looking animals, corals on it. Do i get to see a 'Nemo'?". Probably common retorts and...
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Sembawang beyond the slumber
Highlights of a heritage tour of Sembawang, “Sembawang Beyond the Slumber”, with a focus on the Sembawang that our group's heritage advisor, Jerome Lim, was familiar with in the 1970s. This was...
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Gassy Galore
We are all too familiar with soft drinks like Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Sprite, bottled by Fraser & Neave in Singapore, a household brand that we see almost without fail every festive period, especially...
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Sembawang Hot Spring
" A hot spring has been discovered on some property at the 12th mile at Chan Chu Kang belonging to Mr. Seah Eng Keong. The spring is in a piece of swampy ground, and the water is said to be boiling hot...
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Take flight and explore!
"Fly aeroplane"That would mean to be 'left in the lurch' or being 'abandoned', colloquially used in Singapore. And no, I wouldn't allow my Old Kallang Airport article to be left in the drafts...
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Raffles Lighthouse
The Raffles Lighthouse built in 1855, located in the Straits of Singapore about 14 kilometres south of mainland Singapore. Goes by the direct Mandarin translation of the English name as well as in...
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National Art Gallery Open House
The former City Hall and former Supreme Court, gazetted as national monuments in February 1992. Both grand looking buildings sit along St. Andrew's Road in front of the Padang. Prior to the...
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The Pineapple Express
While many of us have enjoyed a refreshing slice of pineapple or some good old pineapple juice, I guess not many of those around my age or the ones from the younger generations have had the chance to...
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The Greenhouse
The second largest producer of palm oil in the world, palm plantations cover a massive 4,500,000 hectares of land in Malaysia. While our northern neighbour is home to an abundance of abandoned...
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Railway moments in Bukit Timah
Quaint little railway station at Bukit Timah, surrounded by a pure, rustic environment. This was perhaps one of many locations in Singapore where most would probably not seen/know of it's existence;...
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The humble fruit that is the Balonglong
Balonglong, Kedondong, Umbra, Ambarella, Bell Fruit, Hog Plum or even Tahitian Apple. For something so small and seemingly insignificant, there sure are a whole lot of ways to call this little green...
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The pillbox of Siloso Beach
Singapore, mighty fortress, guardian of the east, The Japanese didn't think so, they took it in a week. - "Pinkie" Evans, Manchester Regiment, 1942If you've ever been to Siloso Beach, you may have...
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Sule Pagoda - The Heart of Yangon
Rightfully known as "The Land of Pagodas", Myanmar is perhaps most famous for its Pagoda-studded skyline. The port city and former capital of the country - Yangon - has not one, not two, but three...
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In Search Of Olivia's Tomb
"I'm looking for the tomb of Olivia Mariamne Devenish. It's located in Tanah Abang. Can you bring me there?" I asked the driver as I boarded his car. I showed him the name of the place, and he looked a...
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The Serpent of Haw Par Villa
I'm sure many Singaporeans, especially those who grew up in a greater part of the eighties and nineties, has visited our very own Haw Par Villa before. However, as you enter the majestic entrance...
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The Search for Olivia's Tomb Continues..
As the car zipped along seemingly endless rows of dusty alleyways, I looked out of the window at the crowds of people sauntering along the streets of Jakarta. Street photography could have been much...
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The Lost Sultanate of Bantam
To all boxing fans, does the word "Bantamweight" ring a bell? (pun intended). A class used for boxers who are smaller in size, the "bantam" in "bantamweight" is actually derived from the Bantam...
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Anyer Lighthouse & Other Tales of Krakatau
This memoir is a continuation of our last post - The Lost Sultanate of Bantam. Departing the town of Banten Lama, we headed west towards the direction of Anyer, a idyllic beach town where the Great...
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The Betawi Bandit and the Captain from Ambon
Ask any person in Jakarta if they know who "Si Pitung" is and you'll probably hear them reply "Yes!" emphatically.An Orang Betawi or descendant of the indigineous people who lived in the Batavia ( the...
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Labrador's Forgotten Relics
Note: This article was first penned by the writer in October 2012 and the article was completed and published on 5 June 2014. For those who take a stroll along its esplanade, it would be difficult not...
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A Slice of Old Seletar
"For a long time, the Orang Seletar had lived a nomadic live in the mangrove swamps on the river banks found on both sides of the Johor Straits. One group lived on Pulau Belungkor, an island off the...
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The Guardians of Lim Chu Kang
Unbeknownst to most, the Hindus of Singapore observe something similar to the Chinese 'Qing Ming' Festival, where family graves are venerated and cleaned annually. The Hindu Day of Remembrance takes...
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The Battle Boxes of Bandung
The forests of Dago, which is northeast of Bandung, may look just like any other regular forest to unsuspecting visitors, but the area is home to a series of tunnel networks made by the Dutch and...
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