SIA Stewardesses - "Singapore Girl" (credit: Wikipedia)
An early TV advertisement of Singapore Airlines (SIA) shot to promote its tag line Singapore Girl - 'A Great Way To Fly'. Singapore Girl was coined in 1972 when Pierre Balmain, a Frenchhaute couture designer, was hired by Singapore Airlines to construct and update the Malay "Sarong Kebaya" as part of the cabin crew's uniform. Since then, the uniform has gained worldwide recognition as part of SIA's recognizable signature branding. Stewardesses dressed in the distinctive "Sarong Kebaya" SIA uniform remains a prominent element of SIA's marketing. Scenes shot at Colleyer Quay, Boat Quay, Paya Lebar Airport, Orchard Road.
I spotted a family of Macaques Monkeys at Hua Guan Avenue recently. As monkeys do, family members preening each other. Besides the business of preening each other adults mate rather freely. I recall from my visits to Botanic Garden as a child witnessing with some degree of embarassment the mating of these primates. They are totally uninhibited nor disturbed by the presence of other monkey families or humans in the park.
There are a few popular places that Singaporean Chinese visited during Chinese New Year in the 50's and 60's; Botanic Gardens is one of them. You can buy peanuts form hawkers at the entrance to feed the monkeys. As the years goes by the monkey population increased and became aggressive. In the 70's they had to be culled after a number of reported attacks on visitors, reducing the population to a very small number.
In the year 1971 two monkeys were found dying on the roadside outside the Botanic Gardens in Tyersall Avenue. The monkey are believe to have been fed with poisoned bananas. This was most likely the work of an individual with a grudge against the animal because the authorities would not have used poison to eliminate them. I remember news reports of pallet gun being used.
A group of 20 artists -Urban Sketchers Singapore, formed in 2008 got together last month to draw the Margaret Drive Hawker Centre before it's torn down for redevelopment at the end of this month.
Similarly, I've made a couple of visits to this hawker centre this last month to revisit some my old familiar favourite hawker food stalls. It's been years since I last step into Margaret Drive Hawker Centre. Also to take some pictures for remembrance.
My all time favourite is the Chicken Rice stall Sin Kee on the 2nd level. I was a chicken rice fanatic (still like it very much but not fanatical anymore) and I would say this is one of the better chicken rice around. When it comes to food I reckon a simple test to see how good it is would be literally eat more than you can stomach it. I'll usually finish off at least two plates of rice. For me good chicken has to have all the components right. The Chicken should be tender and smooth flavoured with a well blended sauce - salty, sweet with the fragrant smell of sesame oil . I like my Rice not too oily and more fluffy. It's frustrating and disappointing whenever I go to a Zhih Char stall that serves great food but provides rice that are not fully cooked or are too dry. The Chilly needs to be at least 'hot' enough and not too liquefied. And not forgetting the Garlic paste. I don't remember the thick Black Sauce being part of the package in the old days but I've come to like it. Sin Kee got it all right!
I like the Fried Kway Teow, the Teochew Fish Ball Noodle and the Western Food. The Fried Kway Teow stall was one of those that usually have a long queue. I used to order Ox Tail Soup with my main dish at the Western Food stall. As for the Teochew Fish Ball Noodle stall, the soup is so clear that you may not think it can taste special but it taste good. According to Mrs Kuak her husband worked as a hawker assistant since 13 year old. They operated this stall at Margaret Drive for more than 40 years. They'll relocate to Blk 159 Mei Chin Road. I understand the last day of operation is 27th February 2011 so if you'd like to pay one last visit to the hawkers there please do so.
I spent last Sunday afternoon at Sungei Road thieves/flea market. Every visit to Sungei Road is always fascinating browsing through the many old, odd, quirky and at times offbeat merchandise that could have come from somebody's discarded rubbish after a spring cleaning.
Photo credit: Wikipidia
On this occasion I striked out a conversation with a Mr Koh Ah Koon who sort of specialise in sound systems like gramophones, turntables, amplifiers and speakers besides other odds and ends. Mr Koh was an event organiser. Not the type that does conventions and exhibitions but "pasar malam" (night market) or what is sometimes referred to as trades fairs. Due to intense competition in the trade fair organising business he started to deal in secondhand goods.
Among the items on sales at his stall was an old gramophone. It was a familiar one because my family had an identical one when I was a child. This was an early 1930s portable wind-up phonograph from His Master's Voice. The familiar trade mark of the picture of a Jack Russel Terrier listening intently to the sound coming out of the horn of the gramophone goes way back then. EMI and RCA used to own the trade mark. It is now the trade mark of HMV.
Photo credit: Wikipedia
An item like that attracts a lot of attention without fail. And to add to the excitement of the moment was the sound of an old familiar Cantonese song from a 78 rpm record being played. The casing had some dents, but other than that it works fine. A short while after I took this video clip a Eurasian looking gentlemen bought it. He seemed to be a regular and a familiar figure with the stall holders. As soon as he appeared a number of stall holders greeted him and started chattering.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia;
The phonograph, record player, or gramophone is a device that was mostly commonly used from the late 1870s through the 1980s for playing soundrecordings. Usage of these terms is not uniform across the English-speaking world (see below). In more modern usage, this device is often called a turntable, record player, or record changer. When used in conjunction with a mixer as part of a DJ set up, they are often called decks.
English Concert - 20 August 2010, Friday, (8-10pm), SMU Campus Green
Lovers of local Music and supporters of local bands party the night away with popular bands from the past and rising artistes of the present. The English concert features a tapestry of musical genres and local bands such as The Great Spy Experiment, Tania, Gypsy featuring Mel and Joe Ferdinands, Wendi Koh, former members of the Flybaits and The X-Periments – all hosted by popular Radio DJ and Host, Hamish Brown.
English Concert - 21 August 2010, Saturday, (8-10pm), SMU Campus Green
If you are a big fan of Chinese evergreen songs, then mark this date on your calendar right now. Featuring artistes such as Chen Wei Lian, Chen Diya and Carrie Yang, Yi Ge Da Liang Ge Xiao, Xian Hong, Hong Shao Xuan, Pan Ying, Li Fei Hui, Ye Pei Fen, Li Chuan and Huang Qing Yuan, it's going to be an evening of songs and music under the stars.
Great video of Singapore in the 60's. You get to see what life was like. Everything from the buildings, the automobiles, the clothings, the shopping and trade and the most interesting of all the happy faces of children having a lot of fun over simple things.
Singapore in 1938
Rare 1938 pre-war black and white film footage of Colonial days Singapore before I was born. I was born in 1953. It is wonderful to be transported back in time to see what life was like in the bygone days. There are lots of familiar sights except for some of the old landscape and roads which I wouldn't have recognized. Many buildings still stand today - Fullerton Building and Clifford Pier (2.05), MICA Building and Coleman Bridge (3.31), Sri Mariamman Temple (4.50), The Sultan Mosque (5.22), Vitoria Memorial Hall, City Hall (Municipal Building). In the film the commentator called St Andrew's Cathedral, St George's Cathedral (8.38); this is a puzzle. Perhaps some Anglican parishioners would like to take up the challenge to investigate and let us know how and when the name got changed. And then there is our love and pride, the Raffles Hotel. No more around but recognizable are the Public toilet by the river near Clark Quay (2.58 building on the right), the Godowns (warehouse), the Tongkangs (wooden boats) and the Coolies (Labourers).
"Beautiful residential section of Tanglin" (8.51), wow I grew up in Tanglin Road but I don't recognize it in the film. It is beautiful nonetheless, with trees neatly lining both sides of the road.
The rickshaw, old motorcar, Overhead Electric Cable buses, Lady barbers in Samfu (4.08), Anchor Beer Van (4.42), Bullock cart (6.31) and the Amahs dressed in Black and White stirs up a sense of nostalgia.
