Undoctored photo of the old houseHere is the answer to Old Singapore Quiz (8):
Geylang RoadIn fact the house is situated between Lorongs 35 and 37 at address 681 Geylang Road.
The reason for YG's deliberate comment about the "heavy chested" Chinese woman should now be obvious. For those still in the dark, that is the time when you should visit Geylang to find out, i.e. when it is dark. However sometimes, such activities occur in the daytime as well. But mostly, these activities happen after sunset and are confined to the even-numbered lorongs around Lorong 20 (plus or minus a few lorongs).
Okay, enough said about that
This photo shows the matching forlorn and rickety gate
The queer "dollar-signed" fence
Perhaps the fence was designed with wealth and prosperity in mind?A few days ago, I passed by 681 Geylang Road and it looked like this:
So Question No. 6 in my last post is pertinent:
"Will it be demolished soon or will an impending makeover completely deprive it of its original character, like what has happened to so many other similar buildings in Singapore?"Do you know the answer to that question? I certainly don't... but I fear the worst.
Update on 8 Jun 09:
I found this Chinese video from this blog post dated 21 Oct 2007 (click to play):
Besides giving you a close-up view of the house and its compound, the video also reveals some interesting information about the house and its owners. According to the narrator, the house is distinctively Malay in style and is gazetted for conservation. It has been left vacant for 15 years (17 years now).
The original owner of the house was an Arabic merchant. When he passed away 15 years ago, he bequeathed the house to his 5 children. However, his children subsequently sold the house to another party.
Update on 10 Jun 09:
Surprise, surprise! This house is going to be turned into a hotel.
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7 comments:
I have updated this post with an interesting video which I found from this this blog.
The video was taken 6 months after date of my photos. By then, the overgrown plants in front of the house had been removed.
Hey Victor,
Dropping by just to say Hi, wow looks like you are still going strong on the blogging. :D
Kopi Soh
Kopisoh, long time no hear! How come your blog is "open to invited readers only". Can invite me?
What will the house be used for? I have updated the post with the answer.
Hi I came across your blog by chance. Don't know where you got the info about the owner of this house passing away 15 years ago leaving the house to his 5 children - your facts are all wrong. I should know because this is my family home. My grandfather Haji Hassan was a diamond merchant who bought this house for his family. He passed away before I was born and I was born in 1960! My dad and his siblings grew up there, and for many many years this is the place where the entire Banjar clan ( that's the name of my people - we come from Martapura in South Kalimantan) would gather in this HUGE house for our many family gatherings. I even had my engagement ceremony in this house. Sadly the family decided to sell it many years ago.
Thanks for your comment, Faizah. Wow, I am glad and surprised that recently there have been comments from the owners of the things that I blog about. (The owner of this car commented only a few days ago.
The information about the owner having died 15 years ago and the 5 children selling the house to a third party was not my own but was obtained from the Chinese video which was came this blog.
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