Clifford Pier

Clifford Pier was built in 1933 named after Sir Hugh Clifford, Governor of the Straits Settlements.  It was replacing then Johnston's Pier which was worn out also known as the Red lamp harbour referring to red beacons shone over the pier at night as a warning to ships plying there. Clifford Pier was later used as a terminal for tourist and who board small boats or ferries heading for the Southern Island.  During the annual pilgrimage season to Kusu Island.  It ceases operation in 2006 due to the construction of the Marina Barrage a dam was built and it turns it into a reservoir the place was later turned into retail, leisure, entertainment and a Hotel which included the former Custom Harbour Branch. For those heading to the southern island now use the Marina South Pier.

Clifford Pier view from MBS

Marina South Pier

Red Lantern

Red Lantern

The Oasis

View from the old National Stadium

The Oasis the most famous landmark around the Indoor Stadium and the old National Stadium.  Its is famous for its Taiwan Porridge, Night Club, KTV Seafood Restaurant.  In 2007 the construction of the Circle line commences and the digging begins. Business goes on as usual until the demolition of the National Stadium in 2010 that the building had to go for the new Sports Hub.  Come May 2014 when the Sports Hub open Oasis is already history.  The same Taiwan Porridge had moved to Toa Payoh Town Park after had been in business for about 40 years.  Taiwan Porridge anyone?

Floating Seafood Restaurant

Rocking, Rolling, Riding

Tiong Bahru Park is located between Henderson, Bukit Merah and Lower Delta Road, it was developed in 1967 and later combined with a nursery site in 1977.  In 2000 it begin upgraded to a new image.  The 3.9-hectare park is able to meet the requirement of the resident and non-resident recreational needs of different groups of park user.  Many children also have great enjoyment with the adventure playground equipped with a tilting train and an old-time favourite the merry go round.  Park user can also carry out workouts and even foot reflexology.

Merry go round

Missed but not forgotten

The Lion City Hotel at 15, Tanjong Katong Road was once the pride of the east side of Singapore. There Happy Restaurant, once house a Chinese emporium it was opened in 1968 and was demolished in 2011 after 43 years.

Then there is Hollywood Theatre which was opened 10 years early in 1958, it caters mainly to the Chinese speaking communities showing mandarin, Cantonese and Teochew movies later the premises were converted into a church-run by City Harvest and later on as a supermarket run by Sheng Siong.

Cinema-goers was able to catch a bite waiting for the shows to start at Hin Hollywood Canteen, some of the stallholders can be found at the nearby Haig Road market.  In its place will rise a new mall known as One KM and also 200 plus housing units tentatively call Katong Regency.

Gone with the wind

During the Fifty and Sixties Geylang Serai had a handful of cinema screening Hindustani Movies & Bollywood craze had hit Singapore  they are Garrick, Queens, Taj (later renamed Singapura by Shaw Brothers)

The other cinemas around the area are Roxy, Palace, Ocean, Odeon Katong found along East Coast Road and Siglap.

For us as a teenage we are always watching shows at Haig Road (where they called is Government Quarters),  Ten cents is all needed to attend the show such as Orang Minyak, Pontianak, and lots comedy shows starring P. Ramlee, Wahid Satay, Aziz Sater, Ahmad Daud, Jin Shamsudin..etc.  We were also able to catch a free movie at the Old Joo Chiat Police Station and our very own Joo Chiat Community Centre.  When my son told me that Singapura had been demolished I decided to walk and take a look and true enough everything was gone only a piling rig and some excavators are found at the site today (see image) Luckily for me I still have an only single picture of the old Singapura which was capture during Hari Raya way back in 2005

Iconic Dragon Playground in Tao Payoh escapes demolition

Today's news in the newspaper reported that the playground has been given a lifeline, most of us had grown up together with simple playground design by HDB interior designer Mr Khor Ean Ghee during the seventies.  Our future generation will be able to view these iconic during their growing up years that their father and mother once play with it or rather slide down it.  Mini one are also found in Ang Mo Kio Ave 3 and the image to the right is in the Macpherson area along with Jalan Pipit.  The other one found in the Old Kallang Airport is of a dove design and the fate of it is also unknown, hope to find out more of this playground around the island and will update later in another post.

Red House with the Little Red Book

Red Dot Museum was once a former Traffic Police HQ  (TP) under the umbrella of the Singapore Police Force (SPF) where all baby boomers remember having the driving test here.  Why am I doing all these because after my retirement I have been walking the street just to take a snapshot of the building which I had come across in my life, just to make sure that my grandchildren will know what it is used for during grandfather time, to instil a bit of Singapore building history for them to remember