Rediscover Singapore - Chingay 2021

The Chingay Parade celebrate its 60 years anniversary last year before the arrival of Covid19. It is the largest street and floats parade in Asia's that set an example of the dynamism of Singapore's vibrant and multicultural society, we can always expect a 6,000 strong of the volunteer from all walks of life and different organisation to showcase their passion and skill with a vivid display of songs and dances accompanied by colourful floats put up by our People's Association of Singapore. This year due to the pandemic, for the first time it will be held via live streaming.

Rediscover Singapore - Kreta Ayer People's Theatre

Sitting within the compound of the Kreta Ayer Community Club is the Kreta Ayer People's Theatre was officially opened in 1969, it is synonymous with Chinese theatrical arts and Cantonese opera it also screens films in conjunction with Cathay Organisation and during the Chinese Lunar New Year celebration distributing red packets to low income elderly living in the area.

Rediscover Singapore - Victoria Theatre Concert Hall

The Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall is an art performance centre in the downtown core of Singapore civil district, it starts as a town hall in  1862 and a second hall was built next to it and joined by the clock tower to form a larger complex. Today the theatre and had a sitting capacity of 614 while the concert hall side had a capacity of 673 which was reduced from the original numbers of seats previously set out after the refurbishment in 2010.

Rediscover Singapore - Singapore Polytechnic

The first and oldest polytechnic in Singapore is non-other than Singapore Polytechnic which was established in 1954. In 1957 the construction of the campus began at Prince Edward Road while classes were conducted with borrowed premises and in 1958 the campus was completed and was officially opened by Prince Phillip the Duke of Edinburgh in 1959. Today the Singapore Polytechnic had a new campus in Dover Road which was constructed in 1974 and completed in 1978.

Rediscover Singapore - Reminicing about vanished Rochor Center

Works had begun around the site of the famous colourful blocks of HDB flats around the Bugis area. Rochor Center motorists could no longer the eyecatching landmark while driving along Rochor Road and Ophir Road it was built in the seventies. In 1997 was successfully completed comprising with  4 blocks consisting of 481 units of three-room flats and 91 units of four-room flats than in 2011 it was announced that Rochor Center will be making ways for the construction of the upcoming North-South Corridor. The residents had moved out by end 2016 and demolition works begin in 2018 and by  2019 the 40 years old multi-coloured trademark blocks of flats were gone. I spent most of my working life at Rochor Center from 1986 till 2003 when I was retrenched.

Rediscover Singapore - Yusheng and Lo Hei

Talking of the Yusheng it usually happens during the Chinese Lunar New Year, I remember people taking yusheng from the pushcart fish porridge vendor with thin slices of sai toh fish with condiments consist of plum sauce. Today Lo Hei simply mean tossing up in Cantonese for the Yusheng dish with sliced fish, sliced carrots in rainbows colours accompanied by condiments but now many renditions of the Yusheng had emerged using different types of fishes, abalone and even vegetarians. In the past, this dish was only commonly observed on the 7th day of the Lunar New Years known as Renri, today people can enjoy this dish throughout the entire Lunar New Year period.

Rediscover Singapore - CNY let's go shopping

Counting down to the Chinese Lunar New Year just a merely 12 days to go, each year every household will be shopping for new year goodies mainly on the cookie, auspicious couplets, flowers and many others. This year there is no bazaar along the streets of Chinatown due to the pandemic and new sets of rules to observe during the CNY house visiting and the tossing of the yearly Yusheng but the reunion dinner is a must.