Old Ford (Motor) Factory

So today, we took a cab down to the Old (Motor) Ford Factory located at Upper Bukit Timah Road. When I first saw the building, it got me thinking, "Old Ford Factory? Old?" To me, it certainly didn't look 'old' at all. (Refer to image below!)

With curiosity, we proceeded into the building hoping to find out more about the history of the Old Ford Factory (OFF). This factory is the site of the historic surrender of the British to the Japanese on 15 February 1942, at the end of the Battle of Singaporean World War II. The original factory building was very deep but much of it has been removed leaving the front facade and a building of moderate depth. Careful restoration work has been undertaken for the building to ensure that its facade is restored as close as possible to the building's original facade when it was first completed in 1941. Guess how much did this restoration cost? S$10.3 million! We were so amazed by the figure. It's no wonder it's now NAS'(National Archives of Singapore) second repository for its growing archives of various media.

Further into the building, we found out that The Ford Motor Factory began its illustrious history in October 1941, as the first ever Ford vehicle assembly plant in Southeast Asia. Situated in a location close to the Malayan railway line, it allowed for transportation of goods to and from the docks at Tanjong Pagar. Its close proximity to Bukit Timah Road, the main road linking Singapore to Malaya, and ultimately to the rest of the mainland Southeast Asia, also provided an alternate transport route. We also gathered that The Ford Motor Factory had been most notably served as the venue for the formal surrender of Malaya by the British General Officer Commanding Malaya, Lt.-Gen. Arthur Ernest Percival, to the Japanese Commander of the 25th Army, General Yamashita Tomoyuki. The surrender document was signed at 6:10pm and all hostilities on the island ceased at 8:30pm.

Other than this, the Syonan Garden can be found at the backyard of the building. This quiet garden that exudes quaint, old-fashioned charm, is a unique feature of the exhibition. Here, we found an assortment of "food crops" such as tapioca, sweet potato, yam, banana, rice etc, that were widely grown during the Occupation. There is also a Syonan Race which is actually a WWII Snakes & Ladders boardgame that is sprawled across the long driveway, with the magnificent facade of the Old Ford Factory building as its backdrop. However at the end of the day, the weather drained all our energy that we were all too tired to take part in the activity. Such pity!

Reference:

http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_823_2004-12-13.html

http://www.s1942.org.sg/s1942/moff/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Ford_Motor_Factory

Kranji War Memorial

Our day started off in the early morning of Wednesday at seven. We took a MRT to Kranji Station and took a short walk to Kranji War Memorial.

Lo and behold, the first thing that caught our eyes was the well-maintained lawns. The second thing that caught our eye was this! The Cross of Sacrifice. It remembers those who gave their lives in war.


The Cross of Sacrifice


Moving on, we decided to explore the Kranji War Memorial. While exploring around it, we were amazed that Kranji War Memorial is made up of three cemeteries - Kranji War Cemetery, State Cemetery and Military Cemetery. We always had the perception that it was just one. Besides cemeteries, it also has the Memorial Wall. In the cemeteries were more than 4000 graves of honourable servicemen and about 24000 names of soldier and air force servicemen on the Memorial Wall. Seeing the intricate details of each alphabet of names on the Memorial Wall, reminded us to pay a tribute to the allied service personnel who lost their lives while defending Singapore. They were true heroes.


The Memorial Wall


The State Cemetery holds the graves of former presidents Yusof Ishak and Benjamin Sheares who died in 1970 and 1981 respectively.


The burial ground of Yusof Ishak



The burial ground of Benjamin Sheares


It was a very fresh experience for us whilst visiting the Kranji War Memorial because it was the first time for a few of us. The Kranji War Memorial holds Singapore’s heritage dearly – from all the way back in World War II. The allied servicemen fought bravely for freedom. Kranji War Memorial is a place to behold. It is immaculately looked after by us Singaporeans and maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The high regard that Singaporeans hold for the brave allied servicemen who defended our little island is of testament.

Last but not least before we left the place, we took a moment of silence to commemorate the brave men and women. "They Died For All Free Men"





Reference:
http://www.pbase.com/kepha/kranji
http://www.singaporevr.com/vrs/kranji_war_memorial/KranjiWarCemetery.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarah---jane/2514198882/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/snapsg/2570305448/

Eurasian - Quentin's Eurasian Restaurant

This quiant and wonderful place is located at 193 Celyon Road at the Eurasian community house, the ambience is comforting and the food is delicious. Dinner at this charming place was pretty decent. We ordered the Chicken Curry Devil ($16.80), Fried Ocra ($7) and Curry Moolie with Prawns ($13.80).

The Chicken Curry Devil is a mix of cocktail sausages, chicken, cabbage and assorted veg in a red sourish curry sauce. The Curry Moolie dish contained brinjal and prawns cooked in a lemak sauce. There is a choice of prawns or mackarel. The curries are actually not that spicy as we had pre-assumed. The Ocra was bascially lady's fingers stir-fried with some indian spices but it was lovely. In my opinion these are great dishes to go with piping hot rice. We really enjoyed the Ocra and the Curry Moolie. Unfortunately, we became too stuffed for desserts.

The menu has a wide selection of appetizers and western stuff such as Chicken Wings, Sheperd's Pie, Calamari, etc. Serivce was decent though I have to say the food took quite a while to come... but then again they've already "excused" themselves on the main page of their menu by indicating that food ordered are freshly prepared and would take 15-20mins, and fish keropok is complimentary while you wait. An overall enjoyable dining experience! Will make room for the Sugee Cake the next time I ever go there.




History of Eurasians
The community of Eurasians in Singapore is descended from Europeans who intermarried with local Asians. The ethnicities within the community span the length and breadth of Europe, although Eurasian migrants to Singapore in the 19th century came largely from colonies already in Asia, such as British Malaya; Chittagong and Goa in India; the Dutch East Indies and French Indochina.



Spoken language
English is generally spoken as a first language by Eurasians, whilst amongst the elder generation who are of Portuguese descent the Portuguese creole known as Cristão or Papia Kristang – the Kristang language – is still spoken by some people.



Religion
The Eurasian community in Singapore is overwhelmingly Christian, most being Roman Catholics of Portuguese descent who celebrate Christian feast days such as Christmas, Easter and Corpus Christi.



Cuisine
Foods commonly associated with Eurasian culinary traditions include devil's curry (curry debal in Kristang), curry feng, Eurasian smore (a beef stew), mulligatawny soup (mulligatani in Kristang), shepherd's pie and vindaloo (vin d'arlo in Kristang).



Currently, the community boasts family names which come from:
The Armenian (the Galistan, the Dragon and the Avakian families)
British (the Caine, the Hogan, the Reeves, the Fenley, the Hale, the Shirlaw and the Smith families)
Danish (the Lange, the Olsen, the Rasmussen and the Jensen families)
Dutch (the Marbeck, the Van Cuylenberg, the De Bakker, the Westenra, the Ten Haken, the Feenstra, the Gronloh and the Vanderstraaten families)
French (the Longue, the Poulier and the Cherbonnier families)
German (the Oehler, the Keller, the Kaiser and the Roelcke families)
Italian (the Marini, the De Luca, the Esposito, the Angelucci and the Scarpa families)
Portuguese (the Carvalho, the Conceicao, the De Almeida, the De Silva, the De Souza, the Lazaroo, the Monteiro, the Oliveiro, the Pereira, the Pestana, the Rodrigues and the Theseira families)
Spanish (the Castellano, the Fernandez, the Lopez, the Zuniga and the Hernandez families)
Swedish (the Holmberg, the Johansson and the Lindblom families)





Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasians_in_Singapore

Indian - Little India

Background on Indian Culture
As the name suggests, it is easy to infer that the Indian culture is brought about by India. India itself is the site of a civilization as ancient as any in the world. City states arose in North India, along the Indus River, at about the same time as the early civilizations of the Tigris-Euphrates at Sumer and other locations. Over the centuries, India was invaded by many different colonies, all of whom left their imprint and culture into today’s Indian society. In the religious context, Hinduism could be said to be the most “followed” religion among the Indians, even for today. Hinduism is formed by an array of local gods, goddesses, and heroes. Gradually these gods were given a coherent framework, in which the individual deities were seen as manifestations of a greater unity. Nonetheless, they remain a major feature of Hinduism, as it is of Indian culture in general.



Trip to Little India

For this visit, our group has decided to take the MRT down from Pasir Ris station to Little India station. After we came out of the station and proceeded on to Serangoon Road, the distinct smell of Indian perfume was already lingering in the air. Around us was filled with undulating music punctuated by car horns and bicycle bells, women drifting along in vivid saris and the pungent nose-tickling aroma of spices. At first, we all felt irritated with the endless rubbing of shoulders with other visitors and also, the perfume was too overpowering for us.

From the above picture that we've taken, it is easy to tell that this is a haven for the Indians. There are rows and rows of shops selling from fresh groceries to saris and even luxury gold items. This is the place where they can find all their shopping needs. For us, we stop by one of the shops to purchase some local Indian chips for a price of $2 only! After that, we began walking down the streets, visiting shop by shop. However, the hot sun forced us to cut our journey short and head for lunch. Even though the streets were really packed, it is a breeze to find good Indian food along the way.There are a wide selection of North Indian and South Indian fares to select from. Some are so famous that we've even seen it appear in magazines before. After scouting for about 15 minutes, we settled on a restaurant called Khansama Tandoori Restaurant. The dishes we ordered ranged from seekh kebab to mutton curry to garlic naan (garlic bread). And the best part of this restaurant is? The prices are cheap! For example, the mutton curry that we ordered cost a mere $6.50 while the garlic naan costs $3 only. Its easy to say that this restaurant is probably the one of the few in Singapore which offers good food at really low prices.

After a hearty meal, we have no problems to continue to explore the place. We love to stop and watch the henna works of the artist . It's such a beautiful paint of artwork on the limbs without the pain from tattoo. One of us even got it for a price of $5! After that, we decided to visit the famous 24 hours shopping centre in Little India called Mustafa. The setting of the shopping centre is very much different from what you can find in Orchard Road or Tampines Mall. They have many different shops that sells electronic gadgets, clothings, sports equipments as well as home equipments. In there, it is actually possible to bargain with some shopkeepers over the prices of the goods. As it was all our first time visiting Mustafa, we were taken aback when we realised there were so much stuffs to buy from there. Unfortunately, we didn't bring enough money.

When nightfalls, the place lighted up with colours so unique that one will certainly feel enchanted. As the weather turns cooler, it is easy to spot groups of men having a small picnic on the empty field. Unfortunately for us, we didn't get to visit the famous The Sri Veerama Kaliamman Temple as it was getting late. At about 9pm, our group has decided to call it a day and head back for a rest.

A tip for all of you : dress casually to Little India!

Malay - Kampong Glam

Yesterday, our group made a trip down to..

Kampong Glam!

To start off, I'd like to give some background information of the Malay Culture and Kamong Glam - In Malay, the word "Kampung" means "village or settlement" and "Glam" is the name of a particular tree, which grew in abundance in the area in early Singapore. In the beginning, Kampong Glam was a fishing village situated at the mouth of Rochor River. It became more populated and grew into prominence after the Sultan of Singapore, Hussein Mohammed Shah and the Temenggong signed a treaty with the East India Company in 1819.

Above is the Sultan Mosque

Unique Characteristics of Kampong Glam

There is a variety of rich heritage passed down from generation to generation. Some of these long enduring traditions are in the form of monuments, trades, cultures and practices. Conservation of places of worship, old school, old dwellings, some of which are still in their original form while others have been refurbished. These rich remains give a hint of the architecture and life style of the early days. Such diverse rich heritage can only come about through a sense of tolerance, sharing and bonding, all encapsulated in the Kampong Glam spirit.

Walking down the streets, we realized that like Little India and Chinatown, Kampong Glam has been restored, refurbished and new life breathed into it, bringing back the former colour and vibrancy of the area. We found rows of conserved shophouses in Arab Street, Baghdad Street and Bussorah Street. Many of these shophouses have new tenants such as design and IT firms, art galleries, crafts and curios shops, food caterers and restaurants. They blend in with traditional businesses like textile and carpet shops, blacksmiths and shops selling religious items used by Muslims which we found amazing because in this way, the modern culture and traditional one(s) can actually co-exist! It is also an area of good restaurants, from Malaysian coffee shops and bakeries to fine modern European dining, like Le Pont De Vie. Sadly, we didn't manage to get a taste of these delicacies ):

Reference: http://www-singapore.com/kampong-glam/index.html

Chinese - Chinatown

When we first arrived at Chinatown, we were amazed at the hustle and bustle of Chinatown. Chinatown is a colourful cultural hub that is packed with shopping and eating areas. Antique shops abound, selling everything from furniture to small antiques and jewellery. There is a wide variety of boutique hotel as well as Chinese medical halls.

Chinatown

We first started by walking in the Chinatown Street Market (牛车水街市). Here, we found ourselves immersed in a vibrant and lively traditional atmosphere accompanied with modern style. It is full of nostalgia especially for the older generation, as items sold here are authentically Chinese. One thing that we all know that is famous in Chinatown is the bargaining part! All of us really had fun haggling prices with the shopkeepers. One of us even managed to buy a scarf at $2!

After a few hours of walking (and bargaining), we settled at the Chinatown Food Street (牛车水美食街) for a feast. All of us ordered several local dishes. The dishes ranged from fishball noodles to laksa to barbequed seafood to desserts like sweet glutinous rice ball. The food was salivating and simply delicious - 5/5 stars! The average price for a meal here ranges from as low as $3 to $12. A bowl of noodles would cost about $3 and a plate of barbequed seafood would cost about $12.

Chinatown Food Street

Whilst walking, we spotted various places of interests. The Chinatown Heritage Centre that holds precious history of Chinatown, Singapore's oldest Hokkien temple- Thian Hock Keng and the Sri Mariamman Temple which is Hindu. Unfortunately, we did not have time to go into these places but we will definitely be back again. Since we do not know what is inside these places of interests, you can head down to Chinatown to check it our yourselves!

Thian Hock Keng Temple

Also, we found out unique characteristics of Chinatown by talking to some of the shopkeepers. Chinatown's is locally known as Niu Che Shui (Bullock Cart Water). In the past, conditions were not favourable and harsh. The only sources of fresh water were available from the wells of Ann Siang Hill and Spring Street. Households had to collect fresh water in bullock-drawn carts. That was how Chinatown's local name came about. Chinatown is also pronounced is many different ways due to the diverse dialect groups such as Hokkeins, Teochews and Cantonese.

After a long day of walking, we were all very tired so here is a tip for all of you: Always remember to wear comfortable shoes!

Reference:

http://www.visitsingapore.com/publish/stbportal/en/home/what_to_see/ethnic_quarters/chinatown.html

http://www.chinatown.org.sg/english/home.htm
www.flickr.com/photos/wantet/531005354/
www.flickr.com/photos/tigerpalace/3429650493/

Singapore Art Museum

Upon reaching the Singapore Art Museum, we found out that it was opened in the year 1992, which was not a very long time ago. We also found out that the mission of Singapore Art Museum stating that they are to preserve and present the art histories and contemporary art practices of Singapore and the Southeast Asian region. The current Singapore Art Museum is located in a restored 19th century mission school. We then went to 8Q Singapore Art Museum which is opened in August 2008. 8Q Singapore Art Museum is a contemporary art space with fresh, multi-disciplinary, interactive and community oriented programming. Its main aim is to engage a broad and diverse audience, create a sense of community and be a place for contemplation, stimulation, and discussion about contemporary art and culture, at the same time educating students.

As we walked around the museum, we were astonished by the amount of art work in the museum. Of all of them, the main highlight of the Singapore Art Museum is the Mang Emo+ Mag-himo Grand Piano Project. It is a work of many stories and journey. We read from the description that a person by the name of Alwin Reamillo, who is from one of the most well-known piano-making family in Philippines, is the maker of it. After the closure of his family business, he went to look for the lost techniques and now-forgotten methods his late father had developed. Working together with the former factory craftsmen, he created a masterpiece which is both a “social sculpture” and functioning musical instrument- and a deeply poetic piece bound up with family history and memory. On various parts of the piano, we are able to see signs of travel and migration, such as whale and cartographic markings. There are also other personal images, like a picture of Reamillo’s father, half-hidden under the piano strings. The name is a combination of phonetic play of “Mang Emo” (“Mang” suggesting uncle or an affectionate way of addressing a senior figure, “Emo” being his father’s nickname) and “Mag-himo” is a waray word meaning “to make, to craft”.

From a brochure we found in the museum, we realised that the Singapore Art Museum is extremely concern about community involvement. Singapore Art Museum wants to promote appreciation and awareness of art in both local and regional context, hoping to improve the cultural environment in Singapore as a whole. Singapore Art Museum has come out with a lot programmes to try and achieve those goals, ranging from exhibitions to public lectures, from art trends and practices to fringe activities.

Auditorium

One of the exhibition galleries

Glass hall in Singapore Arts Museum

The trip was a fruitful one as we all saw a lot of incredibly beautiful art pieces that we never knew existed.

Reference:

http://www.singart.com/index.php

Asian Civilisation Museum

We started off our visit to the Asian Civilization Museum (ACM) on a Tuesday afternoon at 1pm, agreeing to meet outside the ACM itself. When all of us reached, the first thing that caught our eye at the entrance is the emblem of the museum, illustrated by a picture below. Having done some research beforehand, we understand that the logo of the building has a special meaning by itself. The brown reflected image alludes to the museum as a place for reflection, while the vibrant orange is an invigorating colour which represents activity and energy. Also, based on our research, we also know that ACM is the the only museum in Singapore that focuses entirely on the arts and culture of the Asia-Pacific Region, thus the name Asian Civilization Museum.

Logo of Asian Civilisation Museum

After paying the entry fee of $2.50 for student, we proceeded on into the museum. The first thing that we realised was that it houses many different types of exquisite pan-Asia artefacts ; ranging from the Javanese temple sculpture to the Peranakan gold, textiles and tribal ornaments. Captivated by a particular Chinese gallery house in the museum, we decided to make it our first stop. Inside there, artefacts of olden Chinese era are laid out on the ground as we browse through it one by one. From paintings on the walls to Taoist and Buddhist statuary, we were mesmerized by how people from the old days managed to produce works of such quality with so limited tools. However, we were not allowed to take pictures inside the museum.

Next, we moved on to the South Asia Galleries. With the dim lightings and black background, it is easy to get soaked into the mood immediately. The first thing that we saw was the beautiful stature standing in the middle of the room in a glass case. Then, one of us decided to read the monologue under the stature and found out that its actually a replica of a Indian woman in traditional clothing. Walking around separately, we manage to find other replicas of various culture around South East Asia.

Before long, all of us felt hungry and hence decide to dine at the Pan-Asian restaurant inside ACM. Ordering chicken rice and other Asian-inspired food, we had lunch for 2 hours because the food inside indeed live up to its expectations. Although it was pretty costly, it was well worth the money.

After lunch and a little walk around, our group decided to call it a day. While walking back home, we discussed on why ACM is suited to be categorised under the Arts theme and how additional support could be provided to enhance visitor's experience. We came to the conclusion that Asian Civilisations Museum is fully-equipped with facilities and infrastructure to support Singapore’s Arts theme. Not only does it contain more than 1300 artefacts and art displays, it also strongly promotes the Arts theme by importing certain rare artefacts for temporary exhibition. However, it is still possible to further strengthen the theme appeal.

Here are our suggestions on how to increase ACM visitors :

- The media can emphasise on the importance of learning your own culture through means like television advertisements, radios, and newspaper.
- Encourage schools to visit the museum so that children of today would be more exposed to the Arts and heritage of pan-Asian.
- Asian Civilisations Museum to hold more interesting events on a frequent basis to give the public motivation to visit the museum and learn more about the Arts.

Asian Civilisation Museum today

Reference:

http://www.acm.org.sg/home/home.asp

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/southeastasia/0241020809.html

http://singapore.tourism-asia.net/asian-civilisation-museum.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Civilisations_Museum

National Museum of Singapore

Trip to the National Museum of Singapore
We arrived at 11am and gathered at the entrance of the museum, we found the museum was very visitor friendly as it had constructed a wheelchair friendly slope to aid wheelchair bound visitors, duely impressed, we proceeded up the steps into the main hallway.

Reading up on a plaque that stated the history of the museum, we were astounded by the information and history that the museum has been through to be where it is today.“The National Museum of Singapore’s history dates back to 1849 when it was started as a section of a library at Singapore Institution. After several relocations, the Museum was relocated to its permanent site at Stamford Road at the Museum Planning Area in 1887.The museum started in 1887 and is Singapore’s oldest museum. The museum focuses on exhibits related to the history of Singapore. The Museum was named the National Museum of Singapore in 1965. For a brief period between 1993 and March 2006, it was known as the Singapore History Museum, before reverting back to its previous name. The Museum underwent a three-and-a-half-year restoration and reopened on December 2, 2006, with the Singapore History Gallery opening on December 8 of the same year.The revamped National Museum was officially opened by President of Singapore S R Nathan and Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts Lee Boon Yang on 7 December, 2006.”

The sheer grit and tenacity of the museum’s will to live on in Singapore truly amazed us as it shows us how strong one can be even in times of difficulty.

Entering one of its main galleries, we admired the 11 National Treasures; namely the Singapore Stone, the Gold Ornaments of the Sacred Hill from East Java, Daguerreotype of Singapore Town which was one of the earliest photographs of Singapore, the will of Munshi Abdullah, the portrait of Frank Athelstane Swettenham, the hearse of Tan Jiak Kim, a Peranakan coffin cover, the mace of the City of Singapore commemorating King George VI's raising of the island's status to a city in 1951, the Xin Sai Le puppet stage, William Farquhar's drawings of flora and fauna and the portrait of Shenton Thomas, who was the former governor of Singapore.They looked fragile and stood under the spotlights looking important and valuable.

The galleries were really well maintained and adopted vibrant and varied ways of presenting history to us, making what seemed to be boring become fun, breathe-taking and interesting.


Singapore history gallery


Singapore living gallery


The smaller galleries featured an artist called future shape and we were impressed by many of his art pieces. They are the Pink Tanks, Statue with Laptop and Statues with headphones to name a few. The exhibits will not be there on a permanent basis as they are special exhibitions so we were pretty lucky to have arrived at that particular period of time.

Through enquiries with the guards on duty we found out that The National Museum of Singapore collaborates with students, educators and families to create active learning and engaging experiences on Singapore's history and culture. These are carried out by object-centred activities and guided discussions. Participants develop critical thinking and foster appreciation for works of art and history.We feel that this programme will provide the basis for building an interest in the young so that they will become adults who are cultured and have at least a base understanding of the Arts.This would in turn cause a snowball effect increasing the interest in the arts over time.The exhibiting of Singapore’s historical artefacts as well as history allows it to attract many tourists and patrons who are interested in Singapore’s history.



School Programme by National Museum of Singapore

http://www.nationalmuseum.sg/nms/nms_html/nms_content_41.asp?cat=About%20School%20Programmes


Outside National Museum of Singapore





Hallway towards exhibits

At the end of our trip, we left the museum feeling as though we had been taught by the best historans the entire day, our minds reeling with vibrant artistic visuals we returned home.
The National Museum of Singapore is truly a place I would recommend to anyone.



Reference:
http://www.nationalmuseum.sg/nms/nms_html/nms_content_4.asp?cat=Permanent%20Exhibitions