tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-133031092024-03-08T08:21:39.525+08:00Taking Up The ChallengeMy answer to a colleague's challenge for this old dog (that's me) to blog. I hope I've proven that 'every old dog could do a good blog'.Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339178864363140977noreply@blogger.comBlogger379125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13303109.post-70661362056211347582013-08-05T00:58:00.000+08:002013-08-05T00:58:12.701+08:00Old Bottle Caps Of SingaporeOne of my blog readers from Italy by the name of Massimo is a collector of old bottle caps. He has commented on my post <a href="http://victorkoo.blogspot.sg/2009/10/framrozs-aerated-waters.html" target="_blank">Framroz's Aerated Waters</a> as follows:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"I've just bought this cap</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjcHnoReX3QVfVzU0aUeWNrS3hUt52vCVKd1EUiZ6lVq_clO98U49O2Ol61Qv7vBfBWzMjmBk-TU9RPtMFRM2OGTKoeRrD-j9mSixUg19xUmNNwjSbc3_RSpsPnw6vKyGbjEl/s1600/framroz_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjcHnoReX3QVfVzU0aUeWNrS3hUt52vCVKd1EUiZ6lVq_clO98U49O2Ol61Qv7vBfBWzMjmBk-TU9RPtMFRM2OGTKoeRrD-j9mSixUg19xUmNNwjSbc3_RSpsPnw6vKyGbjEl/s320/framroz_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Framroz</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>and you can find other bottle caps from Singapore in my site at the page (<a href="http://www.worldcrowncaps.it/singapore/index.html" target="_blank">here</a>). If you want to use any photos you are free to do it.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ZNdfW6dCDRMGl0D9jK0FNYYV6XO_vUcRVxBu9EeV38mxz2uAsNj5Tt2O6X-Rz1PDDcRkpaFS4aryrUehlED2gggVvqCMZyPK9BfYUIRgU5pWFqRTGf9n-KBgrliUjSfE63vA/s1600/Pearl.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ZNdfW6dCDRMGl0D9jK0FNYYV6XO_vUcRVxBu9EeV38mxz2uAsNj5Tt2O6X-Rz1PDDcRkpaFS4aryrUehlED2gggVvqCMZyPK9BfYUIRgU5pWFqRTGf9n-KBgrliUjSfE63vA/s320/Pearl.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pearl</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwI1AveTTMeUONwAdAwRz_F-8lEx3oZgypRp43JUAdHfYYHwFToZhyphenhypheny8uQrGiBUY_21pyfcstkaHRQPaWU_5gX9l3jiLBVyEGq17v3Vn5_l1P73rgFLWCLKl8q8Gf19c87yrle/s1600/Ippocampo.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwI1AveTTMeUONwAdAwRz_F-8lEx3oZgypRp43JUAdHfYYHwFToZhyphenhypheny8uQrGiBUY_21pyfcstkaHRQPaWU_5gX9l3jiLBVyEGq17v3Vn5_l1P73rgFLWCLKl8q8Gf19c87yrle/s320/Ippocampo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seahorse</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Can you tell me something about the caps with the pearl and the one with the sea-horse?"</i></blockquote>
<s>This is a challenge which I cannot take up</s>. Not knowing the answers to Massimo's challenging questions myself, I emailed my heritage blogger friends, hoping that someone would know.<br />
<br />
YG, who blogs <a href="http://ivyidaong4.blogspot.sg/" target="_blank">here</a>, said:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Victor,<br /><br />Could the 'Seahorse' bottle cap be for some Chinese cooling water sold at medical halls? No idea about the 'Pearl' cap.....don't know how to read the Chinese characters.<br /><br />Rgds,<br />YG"</i></blockquote>
<br />
Massimo followed up on the matter by sending me an email:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Hello Victor,<br /><br />I’ve found very interesting the news about Framroz in your blog and it’s been amazing to see the Eastern Aerated Water building. Its cap is one that I specially like in my collection.<br /><br />Thank for forwarding my question in your blog to your heritage friends. Now I better explain my request. I would like to know if the caps that I display in my Singapore page are all really from there, as well as the ones that are in Malaysia and Hong Kong.<br /><br />I’m mainly interested in these caps:</i></blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ZNdfW6dCDRMGl0D9jK0FNYYV6XO_vUcRVxBu9EeV38mxz2uAsNj5Tt2O6X-Rz1PDDcRkpaFS4aryrUehlED2gggVvqCMZyPK9BfYUIRgU5pWFqRTGf9n-KBgrliUjSfE63vA/s1600/Pearl.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ZNdfW6dCDRMGl0D9jK0FNYYV6XO_vUcRVxBu9EeV38mxz2uAsNj5Tt2O6X-Rz1PDDcRkpaFS4aryrUehlED2gggVvqCMZyPK9BfYUIRgU5pWFqRTGf9n-KBgrliUjSfE63vA/s320/Pearl.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pearl</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>What is written on it? The upper side should be something like Pearl Ring, but the rest?</i></blockquote>
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwI1AveTTMeUONwAdAwRz_F-8lEx3oZgypRp43JUAdHfYYHwFToZhyphenhypheny8uQrGiBUY_21pyfcstkaHRQPaWU_5gX9l3jiLBVyEGq17v3Vn5_l1P73rgFLWCLKl8q8Gf19c87yrle/s1600/Ippocampo.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwI1AveTTMeUONwAdAwRz_F-8lEx3oZgypRp43JUAdHfYYHwFToZhyphenhypheny8uQrGiBUY_21pyfcstkaHRQPaWU_5gX9l3jiLBVyEGq17v3Vn5_l1P73rgFLWCLKl8q8Gf19c87yrle/s320/Ippocampo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seahorse</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Do you know this kind of drink?</i></blockquote>
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZb9_Vwf-DfNitf2CLozkaIhor1p16HByLc5N5_GsaKnii20Q7UwZpIncwlK_GDE46rkDjVD-CogtIHtAbnklWThD_KqrnAJ9poLSs4toEaxxsvUSI7KL0Cxn3l1GujxuxJXP/s1600/Snowman.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZb9_Vwf-DfNitf2CLozkaIhor1p16HByLc5N5_GsaKnii20Q7UwZpIncwlK_GDE46rkDjVD-CogtIHtAbnklWThD_KqrnAJ9poLSs4toEaxxsvUSI7KL0Cxn3l1GujxuxJXP/s320/Snowman.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snowman</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Snowman. The text should say Snowman Aerated Water, but where was used?</i><br />
<br />
<i>Anyway, any other info about the Asian caps in my site will be welcome.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Greetings from Italy</i></blockquote>
<br />
Hi Massimo, thank you for your compliments about my blog post on Framroz. You can find more articles on soft drinks in my blog by clicking on the following links:<br />
<br />
1. <a href="http://victorkoo.blogspot.sg/2007/06/ice-ball-man-2.html" target="_blank"> Ice Ball Man (2)</a> dated 9 Jun 07; <br />
<br />
2. <a href="http://victorkoo.blogspot.sg/2008/09/old-singapore-quiz-2.html" target="_blank">Old Singapore Quiz (2)</a> dated 22 Sep 08; and<br />
<br />
3. <a href="http://victorkoo.blogspot.sg/2009/10/phoenix-aerated-waters.html" target="_blank">Phoenix Aerated Waters</a> dated 26 Oct 09.<br />
<br />
Regarding your questions, looks like my blogger friends have not been able help much thus far. So I hope you don't mind that I am inviting comments from my blog readers via this post. I can answer one of your questions about the Chinese characters on the Pearl cap though. Yes, the characters on the top, read the traditional way from right to left mean "Pearl Ring". Those at the bottom simply mean "Registered Trademark" and hence I am afraid that they do not say much about the product in the bottle.<br />
<br />
One more comment that I would like to make is that Singapore and Malaysia are geographically very close to each other. Hence, they share many of the brands of bottled products, especially when Singapore was part of Malaysia before 1963. Therefore, many of the <a href="http://www.worldcrowncaps.it/malaysia/index.html" target="_blank">bottle caps classified as belonging to Malaysia</a> in your website were also found in Singapore at that time, namely RC, Sinalco, Coca Cola, Fanta, Mirinda, F&N Sarsi and Green Spot. And I would certainly not be surprised if the converse turns out to be also true. <br />
<br />
Readers, if you can throw more light on Massimo's questions, please leave a comment here.<br />
<br />Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339178864363140977noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13303109.post-9472800011865124322012-11-05T02:57:00.000+08:002012-11-05T10:11:53.046+08:00Old Singapore Quiz (25) - Old Road in 1930s - Answers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNF-EY0IpibAFNGwNdXnkc7vDtfmHrVaHB4z-T9wjFGxrSOHxdhrgX69k3qf89M3Cuk8kJXHyytAPrXATe65_xq4e3oiLs6xET-WxBcxTPfBgIfI4E-NcnDrHPJyIjAQfTEY0o/s1600/Singapore+Quiz+No.+25a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNF-EY0IpibAFNGwNdXnkc7vDtfmHrVaHB4z-T9wjFGxrSOHxdhrgX69k3qf89M3Cuk8kJXHyytAPrXATe65_xq4e3oiLs6xET-WxBcxTPfBgIfI4E-NcnDrHPJyIjAQfTEY0o/s400/Singapore+Quiz+No.+25a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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24-year-old <a href="http://salup18.blogspot.sg/" target="_blank"><u>n.i.C</u></a> first got the answer to the main question Q1 correct. Pastimes got 3 out of 4 answers correct (for Q1 to Q3). FL who put in a last-minute entry concurred with Pastimes. FL also remembered an air-conditioned cafe which he believed was called Les Bistro located near the piano shop. He had visited this cafe with his NS friends in the early 1970s.<br />
<br />
Q1. What is the name of the road in the photo?<br />
<i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="background-color: white;">Ans: Orchard Road. (This is the end of the road which is near the Cathay Building.)</span></span></i><br />
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Q2. What is nam<span style="background-color: white;"></span>e of the building shown on the left side of the photo?<br />
<i><span style="color: blue;">Ans: Amber Mansions.</span></i><br />
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Q3. From 1930s - 1970s, what goods was sold in the 2-storey building which is partially shown near the right edge of the photo?<br />
<i><span style="color: blue;">Ans: Pianos.</span></i><br />
<br />
Q4. What is the name of the road (where the premises of Peter's father was located) that runs to the right of the photo?<br />
<i><span style="color: blue;">Ans: Dhoby Ghaut. (This road name is no longer in existence today but there is an MRT station with this name.)</span></i><br />
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<u>More Information / Further Reading</u>:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3wH8FF_DQd7HStkGFN8GqdIRgSLIkk7wrA7Bsu1DAA5Yte32xEVmJzwOJpC7fuRn73L46I5CtWiITqga7maJNJMKVdzblVofRwyO0ZoOW7gt63CdyglTfTyzYFNjzFgMBKFL/s1600/Orchard+Rd+1928+vs+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3wH8FF_DQd7HStkGFN8GqdIRgSLIkk7wrA7Bsu1DAA5Yte32xEVmJzwOJpC7fuRn73L46I5CtWiITqga7maJNJMKVdzblVofRwyO0ZoOW7gt63CdyglTfTyzYFNjzFgMBKFL/s640/Orchard+Rd+1928+vs+2012.jpg" width="504" /></a></div>
Comparing the old photo (top) with one that is taken recently (bottom), one realises the extent of transformation this area of Orchard Road has undergone in the last few decades. Only 3 or 4 buildings on the right of the old photo still remain today.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnBeHmPDIMyzSnge1FAESQqqfpVf09aOJ5BQGS1pqFBgzML2bT2Hhv98szXis9D_B8jpQxb9gCLWyHtS3Fzti_qV_Frozx6CydL6QvXr959bffT6qgjoSrlROTKg2A3MQHr6Ew/s1600/1963+vs+2007+map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnBeHmPDIMyzSnge1FAESQqqfpVf09aOJ5BQGS1pqFBgzML2bT2Hhv98szXis9D_B8jpQxb9gCLWyHtS3Fzti_qV_Frozx6CydL6QvXr959bffT6qgjoSrlROTKg2A3MQHr6Ew/s640/1963+vs+2007+map.jpg" width="488" /></a></div>
1963 street map of the area (top). The red arrow shows the direction in which the old photo was taken. Compare it with a 2007 street map of the area (bottom).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDorhPaRvyvnu10xDeHKZlpHXeplNuw0kKtroPJXWCsV4GfA4VB2l-e1ufb2P36Rlz5DmuLQGTiY7S7WSjf_Loy4TYk6PaFcBdIq_pv9IegFAO9TCgH2rnbZFdDwoWRxGnmmLq/s1600/Orchard+Road+(c.+1928)+-+from+500+Early+Postcards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDorhPaRvyvnu10xDeHKZlpHXeplNuw0kKtroPJXWCsV4GfA4VB2l-e1ufb2P36Rlz5DmuLQGTiY7S7WSjf_Loy4TYk6PaFcBdIq_pv9IegFAO9TCgH2rnbZFdDwoWRxGnmmLq/s400/Orchard+Road+(c.+1928)+-+from+500+Early+Postcards.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
1. Similar photo circa 1928 taken from the book "Singapore - 500 Early Postcards".<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvvjs9M1tjycb4W5CvIlkpOIfmWjCl-BLevUM2jn_wWSeXH2OrjTpEdRIG541-itb9QFH-hzG-TRJO_Y-gapBC0clD_8_WcpYVK2KfJGjyFvKOVhKepgQFPiBybBYI721fcKu/s1600/Singapore+-+500+Early+Post+Cards+-+Cheah+Jin+Seng+-+EDM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvvjs9M1tjycb4W5CvIlkpOIfmWjCl-BLevUM2jn_wWSeXH2OrjTpEdRIG541-itb9QFH-hzG-TRJO_Y-gapBC0clD_8_WcpYVK2KfJGjyFvKOVhKepgQFPiBybBYI721fcKu/s1600/Singapore+-+500+Early+Post+Cards+-+Cheah+Jin+Seng+-+EDM.jpg" /></a></div>
The book was published by Editions Didier Millet in 2006 and was written by Cheah Jin Seng. The photo in the postcard provided the answers to Q2 and Q3.<br />
<br />
2. Amber Mansions was built between 1922 and 1928 by renowned colonial architectural firm <a href="http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_1478_2009-02-26.html" target="_blank"><u>Swan & Maclaren</u></a> and was one of Singapore's first shopping centres. Owned by Joseph Elias, a prominent Jewish businessman, it was demolished in 1984 to make way for the Dhoby Ghaut MRT station.<br />
<br />
2a. My blogger friend Andy's <a href="http://singapore60smusic.blogspot.sg/2009/05/blog-post_4777.html" target="_blank"><u>post</u></a> about his 1960s experience in performing at tea dances with the Silver Strings in the Celestial Room located on one of the upper floors of Amber Mansions.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrkAm2zHkU2RjBFCuCT25oCauq1Ea7k6xpJ-UIcPuqcio5ovU39p67fKo0ur8HtIQdsU8sAiL-bbbVYvNaJRgDuFOYPof3sVxT55B3oqAHmbv7tZ-KwdUGjrrccmUOzAh04hyphenhyphenI/s1600/Amber+Mansions+Daisy+Flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrkAm2zHkU2RjBFCuCT25oCauq1Ea7k6xpJ-UIcPuqcio5ovU39p67fKo0ur8HtIQdsU8sAiL-bbbVYvNaJRgDuFOYPof3sVxT55B3oqAHmbv7tZ-KwdUGjrrccmUOzAh04hyphenhyphenI/s1600/Amber+Mansions+Daisy+Flowers.jpg" /></a></div>
2b. Daisy Flower Shop in Amber Mansions. Straits Times advertisement dated 3 Aug 1934 taken from <a href="http://newspapers.nl.sg/" target="_blank"><u>National Library's newspaper archive</u></a>. Note that Amber Mansions' address was 15 Orchard Road and the telephone number had only 4 digits then. (The SMA House, where Morris Motor Vehicle shop was located in the olden days and where MDIS is now, has the address of 14 Orchard Road.)<br />
<br />
2c. National Library's <a href="http://pictures.nl.sg/650fbb6f-c4a3-4242-9276-d6f335b4726b.aspx" target="_blank"><u>article about Amber Mansions</u> in its picture archive.</a><br />
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2d. Infopedia's article on <a href="http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_587_2005-01-25.html" target="_blank"><u>Amber Mansions</u></a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDkv4ghCvBJpaah-dQwlIqbtDLpOnSGFU4660iknA7dE7WxdCGhErjXTl-9cVPgWmLGbpAEDBfsmhnR9xkJOeZ4o8g4mhpgtNzgs98Apr8_diPHA8hdf1r_6s0CNwLZEu3Tah/s1600/National+Archives_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDkv4ghCvBJpaah-dQwlIqbtDLpOnSGFU4660iknA7dE7WxdCGhErjXTl-9cVPgWmLGbpAEDBfsmhnR9xkJOeZ4o8g4mhpgtNzgs98Apr8_diPHA8hdf1r_6s0CNwLZEu3Tah/s400/National+Archives_03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTtJgYkT9TRKogKdNDKPz7-SQiVEwLHvlxATRRIolsTb0LJHbdm63zsC0dHwukBe8d6SgHqTOTEn7pW28g9PIUuNUZVsY50NhITmkprnc3dkcHaEO53KjU_jqMJB0W4yuRmc2Q/s1600/National+Archives_05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTtJgYkT9TRKogKdNDKPz7-SQiVEwLHvlxATRRIolsTb0LJHbdm63zsC0dHwukBe8d6SgHqTOTEn7pW28g9PIUuNUZVsY50NhITmkprnc3dkcHaEO53KjU_jqMJB0W4yuRmc2Q/s400/National+Archives_05.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
3. Photos from the National Archives showing Keller Piano Co Pte Ltd. The company, founded by the late Chiu Seck Joo in 1944, occupied the 2-storey building till the 1980s. Besides pianos, the company also sold other music instruments, music scores and records. (The company is now operating at 176 Orchard Road #04-01 Centrepoint, Singapore 238843.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilknmaCqZowPR1zFQky60JbfKa6sDJc7esRpxOVUYXv4k_Ag1i96Xv2HtLybs-Ml4wsv-nU0CQHnZDvas37fIxLDJqqH4xcEN08uRZdBqghQKHXe-6pqxhK7ZSIBOCeneD8FR-/s1600/National+Archives_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilknmaCqZowPR1zFQky60JbfKa6sDJc7esRpxOVUYXv4k_Ag1i96Xv2HtLybs-Ml4wsv-nU0CQHnZDvas37fIxLDJqqH4xcEN08uRZdBqghQKHXe-6pqxhK7ZSIBOCeneD8FR-/s400/National+Archives_04.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
4. Aerial photo from the National Archives showing the same row of shophouses in the 2nd street level photo in Para 3 above.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeA9MI6iD8vgBKTf7zPgsCCbAusjOurCGHoBoVTmX3_JhyphenhyphenndXqtgvd1cKR0T-v3FShRQpchmtH7z31Xxiup05y80l0dvK9O1G-4tTWQrBqFU2qCe5Ac_oCad4BsKcQGlkoSeY_/s1600/Straits+Times_2+Mar+1935_Pg+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeA9MI6iD8vgBKTf7zPgsCCbAusjOurCGHoBoVTmX3_JhyphenhyphenndXqtgvd1cKR0T-v3FShRQpchmtH7z31Xxiup05y80l0dvK9O1G-4tTWQrBqFU2qCe5Ac_oCad4BsKcQGlkoSeY_/s320/Straits+Times_2+Mar+1935_Pg+5.jpg" width="281" /></a></div>
Two of shophouses (circled red), at 2 to 4 Orchard Road, are likely to have been occupied by Radio Service Malaya Co where Peter Howard's father James Howard worked as a electrical/radio engineer in the 1930s.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx_mkxaoH8kkMDAcKRo9nlOx3G0Iw5Ai2vNFsq2R04YzEO71lrfEczXyo-rmMpm8ywgWw5KdkAtrL12bB6ilfEffYr0FTaZSiyttZwWoB9ZQ5Dl8VwOTnkf9-n6wxajhp8kexP/s1600/James+Howard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx_mkxaoH8kkMDAcKRo9nlOx3G0Iw5Ai2vNFsq2R04YzEO71lrfEczXyo-rmMpm8ywgWw5KdkAtrL12bB6ilfEffYr0FTaZSiyttZwWoB9ZQ5Dl8VwOTnkf9-n6wxajhp8kexP/s320/James+Howard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
James sailed from England for Singapore in 1934. Peter believed that his father worked for the British Government. During the years leading to World War I, his work involved checking the houses of people under suspicion by the British to see if their premises had transmitters capable of sending information to Japan. (Such interesting work! The modern-day term for this kind of work is called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_countermeasure" target="_blank"><u>electronic countermeasure</u></a>.)Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339178864363140977noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13303109.post-87157024384649727592012-10-29T00:10:00.000+08:002012-10-29T00:44:42.840+08:00Old Singapore Quiz (25) - Old Road in 1930s<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLKzFMe5HbNLAUlsT9tEqikd4lGr2Hc2MQNOOHFfjm4QNufo6cGTBYGLhiwimQyD-96EZQVFFVtKbI2lJopicvml1TS-sAITYYMZEyyzVuTiEY9dnYvjFbxoNDv3XNSKAw0wTR/s1600/Singapore+Quiz+No.+25a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLKzFMe5HbNLAUlsT9tEqikd4lGr2Hc2MQNOOHFfjm4QNufo6cGTBYGLhiwimQyD-96EZQVFFVtKbI2lJopicvml1TS-sAITYYMZEyyzVuTiEY9dnYvjFbxoNDv3XNSKAw0wTR/s400/Singapore+Quiz+No.+25a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I received this email on 24 Oct 2012 from a UK gentleman by the name of Mr Peter Howard: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: blue;"><i>Hi Victor,</i></span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: blue;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: blue;"><i>I stumbled across your blog when looking
for old photos of Singapore. My father went to work in Singapore in the
thirties before the Second World War, for the British government I
believe.</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: blue;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: blue;"><i>I have found a post card, which I have
attached [above], that he sent to my grandmother of [place name deleted by blog author] Singapore,
and on the back he has written, "This photo is of [place name deleted by blog author] our premise
(sic) are unfortunately around the corner on the right hand side of the
picture."</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: blue;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: blue;"><i>Do you recognise this from the photograph and do you know the name of the street to which he refers?</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: blue;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: blue;"><i>While
I am asking you all these questions, can you tell me if there is anyone
or any organisation I can contact who would hold records of this period
and enable me to find out more information concerning his stay in
Singapore?</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: blue;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: blue;"><i>He loved living there and had to return to England when he contracted Yellow Fever.</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: blue;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: blue;"><i>I would really appreciate you sending me an email with any information you might have.</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: blue;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: blue;"><i>Best wishes</i></span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="color: blue;"><i>Peter Howard </i></span></div>
</blockquote>
I did a bit of research and found the answers to Peter's question quite easily. However, I suggested to Peter to put up his questions as an Old Singapore Quiz. I am confident that this quiz is easy and <s>senior persons</s> old-timers will have no problem providing the correct answers.<br />
<br />
Q1. What is the name of the road in the photo?<br />
<br />
Q2. What is name of the building shown on the left side of the photo?<br />
<br />
Q3. From 1930s - 1970s, what goods was sold in the 2-storey building which is partially shown near the right edge of the photo?<br />
<br />
Q4. What is the name of the road (where the premises of Peter's father was located) that runs to the right of the photo?<br />
<br />
As usual, complete answers to the above quiz will be revealed in a week's time.Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339178864363140977noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13303109.post-43732679514063264422012-05-21T01:59:00.000+08:002012-05-21T02:03:04.112+08:00Old Grange Road Bungalow (Circa 1920s) - Julian Davidson's CommentsOne rewarding experience about having a blog is that you may get interesting comments long after a blog post has been written. Exactly this happened when Julian Davidson pleasantly surprised me recently with an email which provided fascinating insights about the <a href="http://victorkoo.blogspot.com/2010/06/old-grange-road-bungalow-circa-1920s.html" target="_blank"><u>old Grange Road bungalow</u></a>, a post which I wrote almost 2 years ago on 6 June 2010.<br />
<br />
For the uninitiated (like myself), Julian is an angmoh who spent his childhood years in Singapore back in the days when she was still part of British Malaya. In his book <a href="http://blogs.nlb.gov.sg/highbrowseonline/general/one-for-the-road-and-other-stories-by-julian-davison/" target="_blank"><u>One for the Road and Other Stories: Recollections of Singapore & Malaya</u></a>, Julian describes his experiences of bygone days, for example, the Cantonese amah who took care of him when he was young and the seafront in Singapore before it was reclaimed.<br />
<br />
<u>Julian's email</u><br />
<br />
<div style="color: blue;">
I don't know how to leave a posting on your blog – I'm a bit <i>bodoh</i> in that department – so I thought I'd contact you direct ...</div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: blue;">
Re-the Grange Road bungalow that a gentleman by the name of Sean was enquiring about in June 2010, the house was almost certainly built between 1910 and before the end of the First World War.</div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: blue;">
The architect would have been Scotsman David McLeod Craik – the little brick arches set in the basement or stereobate of the house were a signature feature of his, and though copied once or twice by other people are seldom seen outside his work. Craik came to Singapore to work for the Municipality as a Government Architect – he was one of the earliest (but not the first) members of the prestigious Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) to practice in Singapore. During his time with as a government employee he deigned the Jinrickshaw Station at the junction of Neil and Tanjong Pagar Roads.</div>
<div style="color: blue;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4Rw0OSuNWlHuZD_60G_ZuKwUQEKuHiP18iwRtO-lGGj6oMV-We6ANaC8vnEFXBXgBkpGX2kg9RxDSQkdfug5G1innsyEfMUcpmSZcnHfAJXo39snP60YQNWGbA_BVQmzT50f/s1600/Jinricksha+Station+Tyers+p.191-640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4Rw0OSuNWlHuZD_60G_ZuKwUQEKuHiP18iwRtO-lGGj6oMV-We6ANaC8vnEFXBXgBkpGX2kg9RxDSQkdfug5G1innsyEfMUcpmSZcnHfAJXo39snP60YQNWGbA_BVQmzT50f/s400/Jinricksha+Station+Tyers+p.191-640.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: blue;">
He left the Municipality in 1907 and went into private practice during which time he designed three or four bungalows in the Grange Road area (including Rochalie Drive) which were all very similar to the house in Sean's photo: single storey affairs, but raised on a basement or stereobate with those brick-arches for ventilation, plus generous verandahs and half-timbered (black and white) gables.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="color: blue;">
</div>
<div style="color: blue;">
Here's an illustration of one of them – designed for A. W. Cashin in 1913. I've compared Sean's photos with the plans that I have, but none of them seems to fit – the verandahs in my drawings all have slender timber columns (see below), rather than the robust brick piers that you see in Sean's photos.</div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEislSA2HbfoV2n_lcW5wArC0Z7vIyaeEAS-XmXkW_46Pp68MVf_p86Wr11i80f7gs7diwbJEZXefqC0rLW8OK99-cSQ_LjNNy3eAq_NgpfGtMsfLBSH6ip4AxrGNVu-sVTP46qz/s1600/1912_395+DMC+AW+Cashin_+Grange+Rd-640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEislSA2HbfoV2n_lcW5wArC0Z7vIyaeEAS-XmXkW_46Pp68MVf_p86Wr11i80f7gs7diwbJEZXefqC0rLW8OK99-cSQ_LjNNy3eAq_NgpfGtMsfLBSH6ip4AxrGNVu-sVTP46qz/s400/1912_395+DMC+AW+Cashin_+Grange+Rd-640.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: blue;">
In the 1913 Craik joined the British architectural firm of Swan & Maclaren, which was the leading architectural practice of its day. He volunteered for the Royal Engineers during the First World War – he was in his forties when war broke out – and was wounded in France in 1917. After the war he returned to Singapore and rejoined Swan & Maclaren. In 1921 Craik was posted to Penang to head their office in Georgetown and he lived there until he died in 1938.</div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: blue;">
That's all I can say for now; if Sean has any other photos of the house, I might be able to help.</div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: blue;">
Best wishes,</div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: blue;">
Julian</div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: blue;">
PS my father was also born in Singapore in 1920 but at the General Hospital!</div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<span style="color: black;">Thank you so much for the email, Julian.</span></div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="color: blue;">
<span style="color: black;">Over to you. Sean. </span> </div>Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339178864363140977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13303109.post-80164521089920677032011-11-28T01:46:00.001+08:002011-11-28T02:09:18.268+08:00Selegie Integrated School - My Primary School Days (1)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL5HcvdisBiMLCJ9Q2pTGbyFe5rO6ZHPGYu-SjjlwYSXq_fi1SoRaNyvhgINHDxLF-r7ykcsZMqAiGHvxuMJe0KoPsjguGFL7aCOw43diYA2xWXsltXdK5mgRvmnmkZ4vbBJPX/s1600/Selegie_Sch_SANY2293.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL5HcvdisBiMLCJ9Q2pTGbyFe5rO6ZHPGYu-SjjlwYSXq_fi1SoRaNyvhgINHDxLF-r7ykcsZMqAiGHvxuMJe0KoPsjguGFL7aCOw43diYA2xWXsltXdK5mgRvmnmkZ4vbBJPX/s400/Selegie_Sch_SANY2293.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How Selegie Integrated School Looks Like Today</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In February this year, Sunday Times reporter Kon Xin Hua requested me for an email interview as the newspaper would be publishing an article on old buildings and Selegie Integrated School was one of them. Her questions and my answers are reproduced below:<br />
<br />
<div style="color: blue;">
Q1. What was the reason that saw you studying at Selegie Integrated School?</div>
<br />
A1. Our family lived quite near to the school then. We were staying in Cheng Yan Place, a mere 15-minute leisurely stroll to the school which was less than one kilometre away. Of course, in those days, there was no such thing as priority for registration if you lived within one kilometre of the school. Even if there was, we would have no problem with it.
As my family was not very financially well off, we could save on transportation costs if the school was nearby. The school was also brand new. I went to Primary One in 1963 which was year when the school was opened. (The then DPM Dr Toh Chin Chye officially opened the school on 19 Jan 1963.)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYW5wDgnv9aJiOjqICCL36sZH9vL2-dBLL475nnFblSD9ETFjByb7_0gM4nsQfKrlimduDFfotnRSdxgxHRfh5V7IkjB2lIKjFyvbmDOZmf2Tyry3-GTtX129VSHnk4_uPJMSn/s1600/Selegie_Sch_PICAS_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYW5wDgnv9aJiOjqICCL36sZH9vL2-dBLL475nnFblSD9ETFjByb7_0gM4nsQfKrlimduDFfotnRSdxgxHRfh5V7IkjB2lIKjFyvbmDOZmf2Tyry3-GTtX129VSHnk4_uPJMSn/s400/Selegie_Sch_PICAS_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr Toh Chin Chye, Deputy Prime Minister and Assemblyman for Rochore Declaring the School Open on 19 Jan 1963 - Photo Courtesy of the National Archives</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="color: blue;">
Q2. What were your initial thoughts on the 10-storey tall building?</div>
<div style="color: blue;">
<br /></div>
A2. Having attended one or two years of kindergarten classes on the 2nd storey of a 4-storey SIT residential block in Prinsep Street, the 10-storey building certainly looked huge and imposing. (The SIT blocks are still in Prinsep Street. They have been conserved and possibly been converted into dormitories.) I had not seen such big lifts before. The only times when I took a lift was when my family visited my uncle's flat in a 9-storey SIT red-brick resident block (Blk 1) on Upper Pickering Street.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: blue;">
Q3. I'm sure there was more than one memorable feature of the school for you, would you be able to share with me a few features of
the school that strike you the most? I read on your blog about the two canteens and lifts? :)</div>
<br />
A3. Other than the 2 canteens, 2 lifts and the dental clinic which I mentioned in my blog, I remember part of the school ground was covered with coloured rectangular tiles of size about 1-foot by 2-foot. They were of yellow, red and green colours. I used to walk on them while trying to avoid all the lines in between the tiles. To me, it was a giant hopscotch.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: blue;">
Q4. What was life like as a student there? Any particularly striking events that happened in that school that come to mind?</div>
<br />
A4. School life was quite routine. I remember one incident when due to a misunderstanding, a schoolmate punched me in the stomach. We were both brought to the principal's office. When the principal found out that I did not retaliate to the boy's attack, I was released. I didn't know what happened to the boy who punched me.
There was another incident when a boy disturbed some female classmates and was punished in a unique way. The teacher put an unstrung badminton racket to rest at the neck of the boy and then pulled the racket back and forth. If this were to happen today and the boy's parents were to lodge a complaint to MOE, I am sure the teacher would be in serious trouble.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: blue;">
Q5. Do you recall the reason why they built a 10-storey high school?</div>
<br />
A5. I don't recall the reason why they built a 10-storey high school. However, I believe that the land within the city area is scarce and expensive and hence the government had to fully utilise the land area by constructing a tall building.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH70S9qhF5Qk3vpsb_t0cM3cFxzbViwPNTRSaO56VQ5N7KpKGMCAXWMPO4rYj1vudO0T2GDXa-sM8YkbiXslERfKd_ipS_AueShzud3sAI9IIBr0LkNXAB7w-pSCqHedasiNtZ/s1600/Selegie_Sch_PICAS_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH70S9qhF5Qk3vpsb_t0cM3cFxzbViwPNTRSaO56VQ5N7KpKGMCAXWMPO4rYj1vudO0T2GDXa-sM8YkbiXslERfKd_ipS_AueShzud3sAI9IIBr0LkNXAB7w-pSCqHedasiNtZ/s320/Selegie_Sch_PICAS_1.jpg" width="318" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selegie Integrated School in 1963 - Photo Courtesy of the National Archives</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: blue;">Q6. What do you think of the building today, having been left abandoned for some time? (Is it a waste etc)</span><br />
<br />
A6. I think it is a waste to leave it abandoned and in a derelict state. It should have been used to generate some revenue for the government's coffers, e.g renting it out to commercial schools or organisations.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: blue;">
Q7. What would you like to see happen to the building in the future?</div>
<br />
A7. I would like to see the school converted to a hotel. This has been done for Pearl's Hill School which is now Hotel Re!. By the way, Pearl's Hill School was a 12-storey building and in 1971, it took over the unofficial title of the "tallest school in Singapore" from Selegie Integrated School.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: blue;">
Q8. Is it correct if I say you were fascinated by the big lifts in the school as you rarely took lifts unless you were visiting your uncle?
Do you regularly take the lifts in your primary school? Which floor did you study on?</div>
<br />
A8. Yes, I rarely took lifts then except when visiting my uncle. I was in the school for 6 years so I must have been on various floors before in different years. I think the classrooms I was in didn't go above 7th floor though. From the windows of the higher floors you could see quite far as there were not many tall buildings around to block the view then. I had to take the lifts several times a day - when reporting for school, going for and returning from recess breaks, going for and returning from PE classes, returning home as well as when I was "summoned" by the school dentist (which was quite often as my teeth were not very well-kept)<br />
<br />
<div style="color: blue;">
Q9. I would also like to ask you if you know anything about why the building was abandoned, and when it was abandoned?</div>
<br />
A9. Sorry, I am not sure when Selegie School last operated in the building or when NAFA took over and when it abandoned it.<br />
<br />
<u>Further reading</u>:<br />
<br />
1. 4 Nov 2005 <a href="http://victorkoo.blogspot.com/2005/11/vanishing-scenes-of-singapore-part-5.html" target="_blank"><u>Vanishing Scenes of Singapore - Part 5 (My Primary School Days)</u></a><br />
<br />
2. 5 Aug 2006 <a href="http://victorkoo.blogspot.com/2006/08/hello-again-38-years-after-eating.html"><u>Hello Again 38 Years After "Eating Fishball"</u></a><br />
<br />
3. 13 Aug 2006 <a href="http://victorkoo.blogspot.com/2006/08/class-of-1968-pr-6j-of-selegie.html" target="_blank"><u>Class of 1968 (Pr 6J of Selegie Integrated School) </u></a>Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339178864363140977noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13303109.post-91317606626769652792011-05-29T23:34:00.003+08:002011-10-24T01:50:10.857+08:00Modes Of Road Transportation In Singapore In The 1930s - The RickshawSince my last two posts (<a href="http://victorkoo.blogspot.com/2011/03/old-singapore-quiz-24-old-car.html" target="_blank"><u>here</u></a> and <a href="http://victorkoo.blogspot.com/2011/04/old-singapore-quiz-24-old-car-answers.html" target="_blank"><u>here</u></a>) were about a 1930s car in Singapore, do you know what were modes of transportation in the 1930s? I will be answering this question in this and the next few blog posts. I have posed the question as quizes because they would be <a href="http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=872118" target="_blank"><u>rides in the park</u></a> (pun intended), that is, they would have been too easy for you.<br />
<br />
Besides, the answers are already given in <a href="http://retrievia.wordpress.com/2008/02/17/horse-powered-man-powered-transport/" target="_blank"><u>this book</u></a> which I co-wrote with Dr Tan Wee Kiat and Noel Hidalgo Tan. (On the website, you may read the entire book on page at a time by clicking on right link at the bottom of the page. In case you have missed it, I mentioned about the book <a href="http://victorkoo.blogspot.com/2007/07/my-first-book.html" target="_blank"><u>here</u></a> when it was published.)<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjip5gJ9ye8xM75BQylmBXJHVuKu1ARlMdtEn-bDuk8KBdN_rBTBz6njIy2E_BRSunlcgvuc4jnLG6WeyzkGMxxAs1zuXMN6D8ymy0Hyz2DV_eG9HNuKcEd3Qs0YM2YX_Rul4Pr/s1600/bookcover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjip5gJ9ye8xM75BQylmBXJHVuKu1ARlMdtEn-bDuk8KBdN_rBTBz6njIy2E_BRSunlcgvuc4jnLG6WeyzkGMxxAs1zuXMN6D8ymy0Hyz2DV_eG9HNuKcEd3Qs0YM2YX_Rul4Pr/s400/bookcover.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The 5 pages in the book about the rickshaw, otherwise known as the jinrickshaw, are reproduced below:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyKlFO2gBqxkqeQvJioYfmH1QgC5NWkG3x5VhtISTqkV1WWo_gACeCOqrX-1TKSMMEA7tei-3LStGC0PXA0uaMk58OA72INxxXs3iRLQLnuOPmNV6mpqry9ZL1079E607RLGuh/s1600/page09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyKlFO2gBqxkqeQvJioYfmH1QgC5NWkG3x5VhtISTqkV1WWo_gACeCOqrX-1TKSMMEA7tei-3LStGC0PXA0uaMk58OA72INxxXs3iRLQLnuOPmNV6mpqry9ZL1079E607RLGuh/s400/page09.jpg" width="376" /></a></div><br />
Jinrickshaw (Rickshaw)<br />
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The word ‘jin-rick-shaw’ (or ’jinricksha’) literally means ‘man-power-carriage’. Later, the words ‘jinrickshaw’ and ‘jinricksha’ were simplified to ‘rickshaw’.<br />
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The rickshaw was first brought into Southeast Asia from Shanghai in 1880. Fares were cheap and the rickshaw’s popularity grew rapidly.<br />
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This photograph shows a rickshaw puller in normal day attire – long sleeves and straw hat to keep out the sun; shorts and unbuttoned shirt to keep cool; a towel around the neck for wiping off sweat and dust; and barefooted for a better feel of the road.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEerQ3srzNptykMSLY9VIViIAL2XkB3UYvyFT0pUye4lAERwaXklAMpyhYYUOnPiSzcqDtb7e5M3RIOkWffkba4s-Ca0bjDI3vh4FjLhoj9tQhIz5r33J6GvdQkSBM_RCU-JW2/s1600/page10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEerQ3srzNptykMSLY9VIViIAL2XkB3UYvyFT0pUye4lAERwaXklAMpyhYYUOnPiSzcqDtb7e5M3RIOkWffkba4s-Ca0bjDI3vh4FjLhoj9tQhIz5r33J6GvdQkSBM_RCU-JW2/s400/page10.jpg" width="393" /></a></div><br />
With the increasing number of rickshaws plying the roads in Singapore, a separate department was set up in 1899 to register and inspect the rickshaws. In 1903 the Jinrickshaw Station at the junction of Neil Road and Tanjong Pagar Road was built to house this rickshaw registry and inspection centre.<br />
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However, the activities that go on within the Jinrickshaw Station building nowadays are very different from those for which it was built.<br />
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The building currently houses a restaurant and nightclub with the sign “the one LCD KTV”.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEbbSi1HuSt-xHMAMlhEhUN7YJ9-A2FSyHFkdaDo35pawU7oaxDmh7asiaFRvSjziLMgMuXfVsYNEKkQdwMy6CsUvnC25ZOGeaDEB5hqh0MkHGmS58hGaBV2NYd353MDmsNvw/s1600/page11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEbbSi1HuSt-xHMAMlhEhUN7YJ9-A2FSyHFkdaDo35pawU7oaxDmh7asiaFRvSjziLMgMuXfVsYNEKkQdwMy6CsUvnC25ZOGeaDEB5hqh0MkHGmS58hGaBV2NYd353MDmsNvw/s400/page11.jpg" width="395" /></a></div><br />
At the Jinrickshaw Station there is a plaque describing the history of the jinrickshaw. Below is an excerpt from the plaque to give an idea of the fares paid by passengers. The wording on the plaque also indicates that many rickshaw pullers hoped to go back to China rather than settle here permanently.<br />
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“Early rickshaws were small, lightweight, hooded carts with large wheels, pulled by a single man. Hoods that were easily erected provided protection against the rain or strong sun, and, in some cases, prying eyes. A hood up in fair weather often meant that the passenger was a call girl or some character of disrepute. For three cents, one could go half a mile (0.8 km), or for 20 cents, have the rickshaw at one’s disposal for an hour. Most rickshaw pullers were coolies, who laboured in the hope of saving enough money to return to China after their sojourn. So popular was the rickshaw that it edged out its competitor, the steam tram.”<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHejkQ-I_Bg17MSssXAAwMl5311N71UBr-aqttZv2QfUeSEIBGGgPJszhqPm_HoaYiXcPANMt3vUxvI-Cquf-vfq06f-bzqynpE_qsHNuPU8Cc0HpY9HNAmmbT9SlZL8ogJSd/s1600/page12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHejkQ-I_Bg17MSssXAAwMl5311N71UBr-aqttZv2QfUeSEIBGGgPJszhqPm_HoaYiXcPANMt3vUxvI-Cquf-vfq06f-bzqynpE_qsHNuPU8Cc0HpY9HNAmmbT9SlZL8ogJSd/s400/page12.jpg" width="393" /></a></div><br />
With their low wages, rickshaw pullers could afford only the cheapest of meals. One of their meals consisted of three (or more) bowls of plain yellow noodles cooked with green vegetables and dried shrimps.<br />
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As this dish was popular with the rickshaw pullers, it became known as ‘rickshaw noodles’.<br />
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It is still possible to find food stalls that sell rickshaw noodles. One such stall is located in the Maxwell Road Food Centre just across the road from the old Jinrickshaw Station. Note the words “RICKSHAW NOODLE” on the sign.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAbbFhvnW-Bs7Rh6yQMTtJfVTfYkdOvWO8oKLoTu-3P8qf4Xh3PdT14cOuZ77TGfdzpuCX2xqA7UMemkEgl_QqrdycIEtnt4BCwX4z9FsQZ7ULFCCCApLuhZVwmOxzKVTWuus2/s1600/page13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAbbFhvnW-Bs7Rh6yQMTtJfVTfYkdOvWO8oKLoTu-3P8qf4Xh3PdT14cOuZ77TGfdzpuCX2xqA7UMemkEgl_QqrdycIEtnt4BCwX4z9FsQZ7ULFCCCApLuhZVwmOxzKVTWuus2/s400/page13.jpg" width="388" /></a></div><br />
Many cities have banned the rickshaw. In Singapore the rickshaw was phased out in 1946 – 1947. In the Indian city of Calcutta (Kolkata) it was in use till 2006 when a law to ban rickshaws from its roads was passed. (TIME Magazine, 18 Dec 2006).<br />
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“WHEELS OF MISFORTUNE: Invented in Japan, rickshaws became a ubiquitous symbol of Western imperialism in the 19th century as native coolies hauled around their foreign masters in places as far afield as Shanghai and Zanzibar. But as they were steadily replaced by more efficient – and less demeaning – conveyances, the two-wheeled, human-powered carriages gradually disappeared from streets around the world.”<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT9Ah_3fFfqEr2N85Plw5LEYtrt-o_HLrFKJiN2Kz0u6vFzK-Y-RVN3bwYsQuirAcM_pTljMsaozSnIEdnxMLdikfQjKXJqGKImBqYFYQOuCY9ZM_Z66RaXnrC2LZMezPPAvN6/s1600/rickshaw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT9Ah_3fFfqEr2N85Plw5LEYtrt-o_HLrFKJiN2Kz0u6vFzK-Y-RVN3bwYsQuirAcM_pTljMsaozSnIEdnxMLdikfQjKXJqGKImBqYFYQOuCY9ZM_Z66RaXnrC2LZMezPPAvN6/s400/rickshaw.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
To round off this blog post, the undated article below was written by Crystal Chan, probably an SPH journalist.<br />
<blockquote><i>Yesterday's Tales - People Power That Takes You Places</i><br />
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</i><br />
<i>Rickshaws were once the last word in public transport around town - By Crystal Chan</i><br />
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<i>Introduced here in 1880 from Japan, via Shanghai, the people-powered rickshaw was basically two parallel wheels onto which a carriage was mounted.</i><br />
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</i><br />
<i>By the 1890s, the rickshaw trade was flourishing.</i><br />
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</i><br />
<i>Other forms of public transport were evolving but were seldom as cheap or convenient: Trams or buses served mostly the city and cost 10 cents a ride.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>In 1897, rickshaw pullers charged six cents per mile (1.6km). From 9pm to 5am, an extra cent was charged per half mile.</i><br />
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</i><br />
<i>Unsurprisingly, the puller stayed poor. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, records James Warren in <a href="http://books.google.com.sg/books?id=wVyqbmHS2zQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=james+warren+rickshaw&source=bl&ots=9UkfRVXyhV&sig=Q6bLAPszZAdzY_9sftjdSHT9Hsc&hl=en&ei=JQmrTZPgN8-JrAeOn4WoCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=true" target="_blank"><u>Rickshaw Coolie: A People's History Of Singapore</u></a>, average income was $1 a day.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>Of this, he spent 30 cents on food, and between 45 and 50 cents on rickshaw rent.</i><br />
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</i><br />
<i>Pullers from Fujian province wore cotton shirts, blue denims and straw hats, while those from Guangdong had hats with down-turned brims.</i><br />
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</i><br />
<i>Rain or shine, they would pad about barefoot or in sandals made from old car tyres.</i><br />
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</i><br />
<i>At night, they returned to Duxton Road and Duxton Hill in Tanjong Pagar, where they lived among opium and gambling dens and cheap brothels. The area was known as Che Zai Jie or Rickshaw Street.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>From 1947, rickshaw pullers were retrained to operate trishaw - a rickshaw-bicycle hybrid. They had to pass tests set by the licensing authority.</i><br />
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</i><br />
<i>The number of trishaws declined from the 1970s, and survivors now serve the tourists.</i><br />
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</i><br />
<i>Timeline</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>1880: Rickshaw arrives from Japan.</i><br />
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</i><br />
<i>1890s: Trade flourishes as they're cheap convenient and go everywhere. Trams and buses serve mostly the city.</i><br />
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<i>1947: Pullers retrained to operate trishaws.</i></blockquote>Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339178864363140977noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13303109.post-32157433118493996802011-04-25T01:57:00.000+08:002011-04-25T01:57:50.972+08:00Old Singapore Quiz (24) - Old Car - Answers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Hmm... what was my last blog post about? Sorry, it was so long ago that this old memory of mine could hardly remember.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipq7kdmTCHk5eq6wyPq6ZtE5DrDm4AB4oGz2U4yoSwefW5oUsX81vnHo1KK_TtQwOaybpKLA6_dU4jxKFzhu6nIVNOiAcDERRU0NdMj4bfA9-djMkol5TDGbCR_m8VyDm-PBP4/s1600/Ford+Y8_a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipq7kdmTCHk5eq6wyPq6ZtE5DrDm4AB4oGz2U4yoSwefW5oUsX81vnHo1KK_TtQwOaybpKLA6_dU4jxKFzhu6nIVNOiAcDERRU0NdMj4bfA9-djMkol5TDGbCR_m8VyDm-PBP4/s400/Ford+Y8_a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGzhQ0O78b667ZP8XOiMLVpJsFwPvzndJhXkYoqIqhDqm-md2zWPDxprB21bCpLPRwficq3qASMw_wKKSsNidd6SCQjHM782EWyNwNjobm8w2Qv_l6xoch0w_CfS2ZaK0FGDtT/s1600/Ford+Y8_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGzhQ0O78b667ZP8XOiMLVpJsFwPvzndJhXkYoqIqhDqm-md2zWPDxprB21bCpLPRwficq3qASMw_wKKSsNidd6SCQjHM782EWyNwNjobm8w2Qv_l6xoch0w_CfS2ZaK0FGDtT/s400/Ford+Y8_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw2wy7ZMaxFAtiIBBGPhA_tr89j6tPkeNXpN5-UXOnP4uRzCOvDXEmZtc-lhBm1eWXyeCdIqtbK38cuEcFPmf-1LSZeSvvg6oXsvBcx-ssEZDwJlJp6cql1BmV-bMimsK6mDF2/s1600/Front_view_Ford_Y8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw2wy7ZMaxFAtiIBBGPhA_tr89j6tPkeNXpN5-UXOnP4uRzCOvDXEmZtc-lhBm1eWXyeCdIqtbK38cuEcFPmf-1LSZeSvvg6oXsvBcx-ssEZDwJlJp6cql1BmV-bMimsK6mDF2/s400/Front_view_Ford_Y8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Oh yes. It was about an old car quiz. Now the answers.<br />
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<u>Answers to Quiz Questions</u>:<br />
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Q1. What is the make and model of this car?<br />
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A1. Ford Y8. The emblem "Y8" on the following photo says it all.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg__jL8cEqJFaU0LxCOeyO4wAQSM-GEFwmxreevh-vmR1d0S_pKtM44Hsn3Jr4et5VYYK4c2j8Gg9hDnMj0K-SZNnykzSx9ZQ6Eu90IEm8SNDd_4pGfOS9n8WUirHoufK0XlUEm/s1600/Ford-V8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg__jL8cEqJFaU0LxCOeyO4wAQSM-GEFwmxreevh-vmR1d0S_pKtM44Hsn3Jr4et5VYYK4c2j8Gg9hDnMj0K-SZNnykzSx9ZQ6Eu90IEm8SNDd_4pGfOS9n8WUirHoufK0XlUEm/s320/Ford-V8.jpg" width="199" /></a></div><br />
Q2. When was this car manufactured? <br />
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A2. 1932 to 1937.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwH5shObNhPzam8oBsrLhdUJJx4iyesZxznqK5IBKE29qIsSZhwjbQ-mKPe3M7vk5LQlJ2p6NZjZrAhhkpkdJyDTNVU9MVwX-aKvFggM49ypzshyphenhyphen0MTCtXMDTfPErfulUYzplm/s1600/Ford+Y8_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwH5shObNhPzam8oBsrLhdUJJx4iyesZxznqK5IBKE29qIsSZhwjbQ-mKPe3M7vk5LQlJ2p6NZjZrAhhkpkdJyDTNVU9MVwX-aKvFggM49ypzshyphenhyphen0MTCtXMDTfPErfulUYzplm/s400/Ford+Y8_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The car was probably imported from the United States as the metal holder for the number plate at the back (blacked out in the above photo) says "FLORIDA - LAND OF SUNSHINE".<br />
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Only <a href="http://wigglesplay.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><u>Joshua Ng</u></a> got part of the answer to the first question correct, i.e. it is a Ford. And he did it on 13 Mar 2011. Well done, Joshua.<br />
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Anonymous and <a href="http://ivyidaong4.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><u>YG</u></a> both on 15 Mar 2011 gave the year 1937 which is in the correct range.<br />
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<a href="http://efficientagony.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><u>R. Burnett Baker</u></a>'s answer 1934 is also in the right range.<br />
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You can refer to more details on this <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Model_Y" target="_blank"><u>Wikipedia link</u></a>. The following passage is extracted from the link:<br />
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<i>"For the first 14 months the original model with a short radiator grille was produced, this is known as the "short rad". After this in October 1933 the "long rad" model, with its longer radiator grille and <u>front bumper with the characteristic dip</u> was produced. By gradually improving production efficiency and by simplifying the body design the cost of a "Popular" Model Y was reduced to £100, making it the cheapest true 4-seater saloon ever, although most customers were persuaded to pay the extra needed for a less austere version."</i><br />
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The "front bumper dip" manifests itself as a slight "V" shape in the front bumper. (It is an original characteristic of the car and is certainly not caused by an accident or a careless knock.) You can see the "front bumper dip" in the photos of the car below:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixJlHsfliseUsAGYyVmj3UxjvJvZlxSvCWA4y6P6nIbo0_9sTdgzkYUvUlpTkBSHoFJ-NgyCM4UhQAngN6qLS6RoIh0QW_22CxXm8k0KqJSbvp4VRb45wGuYdsfRy59UmH6fxj/s1600/What_Car_DSCN0593.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixJlHsfliseUsAGYyVmj3UxjvJvZlxSvCWA4y6P6nIbo0_9sTdgzkYUvUlpTkBSHoFJ-NgyCM4UhQAngN6qLS6RoIh0QW_22CxXm8k0KqJSbvp4VRb45wGuYdsfRy59UmH6fxj/s400/What_Car_DSCN0593.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJN5NHNjV3JdJISTBpdJFs143mGdVg67F2XuAgXEqg_dTCaYeolEUzcq7mm8YpnXSpVmoASal99dKlcuuWw6q6sAEYbiZn14-swg5EvYwgyFg02KpPjUDvv4SyA9ssVVlK5-yb/s1600/1933-Ford-Y.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJN5NHNjV3JdJISTBpdJFs143mGdVg67F2XuAgXEqg_dTCaYeolEUzcq7mm8YpnXSpVmoASal99dKlcuuWw6q6sAEYbiZn14-swg5EvYwgyFg02KpPjUDvv4SyA9ssVVlK5-yb/s400/1933-Ford-Y.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wikipedia photo of the Ford Y</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Just imagine, the car is only powered by a 933 cc, 8 hp engine. Perhaps, the best part is that it costs only £100 in the 1930s, which is probably less than the equivalent of S$1,000 even when the pound is at its strongest. No such nonsense as COE (Certificate Of Entitlement) some more. Moreover, the <a href="http://www.theaa.com/public_affairs/reports/Petrol_Prices_1896_todate_gallons.pdf" target="_blank"><u>price of petrol in those days</u></a> was less than 20 old pence an imperial gallon. Based on the conversion rate of 1 imperial gallon = 4.55 litres and 240 old pence = £1, the price of petrol then was probably only a few cents per litre!<br />
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Oh, how I wish I was living in the 1930s! Do you?Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339178864363140977noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13303109.post-24136617323722496922011-03-06T23:04:00.007+08:002011-03-07T18:14:44.753+08:00Old Singapore Quiz (24) - Old CarToday, I was at an old part of Singapore. To be precise, I was walking along Dickson Road.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEfFGgoWcwewoYx8JC-B_0lIkqwMKANfeD2Xd_UJgSBH08N29ADTf9ltUL0LIpWPqdDJkVTyAdr7KzKUD7wFB47r0_DKhqxLcGSYhn8Jeg_N9cB2yamHG21M64Or-ECfiydVM4/s1600/dickson_rd_DSCN0594.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEfFGgoWcwewoYx8JC-B_0lIkqwMKANfeD2Xd_UJgSBH08N29ADTf9ltUL0LIpWPqdDJkVTyAdr7KzKUD7wFB47r0_DKhqxLcGSYhn8Jeg_N9cB2yamHG21M64Or-ECfiydVM4/s400/dickson_rd_DSCN0594.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dickson Road - The tower in the centre of the photo is the Church of the True Light</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Most older Singaporeans know that this area has many shops that sell second-hand goods. It may be a misnomer to call them second-hand goods for some of the goods might have passed through many hands. Some of these "multiple-hand goods" are even sold from lorries by enterprising business people.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZc-1q5dHQE9qUIoaT36cuZlhirwhdFY9wWKXaF24WHn4bHveBM_Gdl5w6SAan4uqENsBVv1zAj5_ZN20iDQW3aArgfzWxCPXHgIs_x-i72ZNb_0RkhEhi_awMFv5sHTG9bBWR/s1600/lorry_2nd_hand_goods_1_DSCN0598.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZc-1q5dHQE9qUIoaT36cuZlhirwhdFY9wWKXaF24WHn4bHveBM_Gdl5w6SAan4uqENsBVv1zAj5_ZN20iDQW3aArgfzWxCPXHgIs_x-i72ZNb_0RkhEhi_awMFv5sHTG9bBWR/s400/lorry_2nd_hand_goods_1_DSCN0598.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX5FbgGBiZ9RL9QzfOsTur9Sk8VyyHPmGY12AG-hmVePE-OhW63xXkrCHxS19mh_O27u8oBkkzbM9K4ZacbLlXoa7a3lPYDBw0JmPckX-e61MRTDVdIomHVj5N2bvw5x6z2vmC/s1600/lorry_2nd_hand_2_DSCN0599.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX5FbgGBiZ9RL9QzfOsTur9Sk8VyyHPmGY12AG-hmVePE-OhW63xXkrCHxS19mh_O27u8oBkkzbM9K4ZacbLlXoa7a3lPYDBw0JmPckX-e61MRTDVdIomHVj5N2bvw5x6z2vmC/s400/lorry_2nd_hand_2_DSCN0599.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Suddenly, something old and deliciously chocolaty caught my eyes. No, it was not some mouldy Valentine's Day chocolates which were rejected by a disinterested lover. Neither was it for sale...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFnP4vxYQdKiZ-WeDHJzCHPMJg7vodOgbrT1OFiQ9AwhHz28aemwFvCg5kAQxdBIJUrAnWsIBBaWkm1OMKJbHUn4u3foVTfOxMyHB2qusA2KgA327GeFMy7Whrm6iLnbGv_dgV/s1600/moldy-chocolate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFnP4vxYQdKiZ-WeDHJzCHPMJg7vodOgbrT1OFiQ9AwhHz28aemwFvCg5kAQxdBIJUrAnWsIBBaWkm1OMKJbHUn4u3foVTfOxMyHB2qusA2KgA327GeFMy7Whrm6iLnbGv_dgV/s400/moldy-chocolate.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>It was a chocolate car!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2fWetOEDDa7RnNyfMEcsPyFZ-lOrzsoYA376qkDszd-uflMW9xgyP2coT4oPTadBXX4Qh0fOD81RHI1AGIN3GyoCxxxqba2GGZSvu8NKLnCGE05FhZ7sK6pMbU0oey4sbImu/s1600/What_Car_DSCN0593.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2fWetOEDDa7RnNyfMEcsPyFZ-lOrzsoYA376qkDszd-uflMW9xgyP2coT4oPTadBXX4Qh0fOD81RHI1AGIN3GyoCxxxqba2GGZSvu8NKLnCGE05FhZ7sK6pMbU0oey4sbImu/s400/What_Car_DSCN0593.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The car did not have a <a href="http://www.lta.gov.sg/motoring_matters/motoring_vo_policynschemes_classic.htm" target="_blank"><u>classic number plate</u></a> but a new one that starts with "SJS". (I am quite sure that it would have easily qualified to be registered as a classic car as the rule only requires that the car be at least 35 years old. This car is definitely way, way older than that.)<br />
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The car is probably not a vintage that is first registered here but rather, one that is imported from elsewhere. Why do I say so? You see, the car is a "left-hand drive" while we all know that cars registered in Singapore are "right-hand drives".<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaIEmJ-gn-of1Tyg-luAOTFaT4KoDjS3wMxQfcCO_pnPM4dhg_YdiFjNKP6jpYcWxWSiB5xvxWliGFkp6OFIBXL_pJu2g0GpQTWNTFXuDTm8ai10On4DEvCt2RPqa-Xz9EEVmS/s1600/lefthand_drive_DSCN0591.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaIEmJ-gn-of1Tyg-luAOTFaT4KoDjS3wMxQfcCO_pnPM4dhg_YdiFjNKP6jpYcWxWSiB5xvxWliGFkp6OFIBXL_pJu2g0GpQTWNTFXuDTm8ai10On4DEvCt2RPqa-Xz9EEVmS/s400/lefthand_drive_DSCN0591.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
And it was probably driven by someone who had just migrated here. Why? Because he left all the windows down (and windscreen up - something which is impossible to do for modern-day cars). I didn't check if the doors were locked though - they probably weren't. Although Singapore is generally considered a safe place with a low crime rate, the authorities do not recommend such a cavalier attitude.<br />
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Or maybe, the car owner thinks that any potential car thief will have a real problem disposing of the car? Anyway, who would want to buy a stolen car which turns head at every street corner? To add to the buyer's woes, he would likely also find it difficult to find the required spare parts to maintain the car in good running condition.<br />
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<u>Quiz Questions</u><br />
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1. What is the make and model of this car?<br />
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2. When was this car manufactured?Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339178864363140977noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13303109.post-3406419574979566542011-02-06T00:31:00.000+08:002011-02-06T00:31:21.080+08:00Old Singapore Quiz (23) - Old Petrol Station - Answers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvBHGJ0TyE3aDWHva_ItWYziY2l6GqB89NEU41aS1UqMEpPLFyj6cSlgxyVv0XYUWQBQeoelMokKUl38gGMzgly93bcOyszGwU4smoG7mCa8pULl-AEip5ZvPRo6KSPmXEKa0/s1600/Spore%2527s+oldest+petrol+station.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvBHGJ0TyE3aDWHva_ItWYziY2l6GqB89NEU41aS1UqMEpPLFyj6cSlgxyVv0XYUWQBQeoelMokKUl38gGMzgly93bcOyszGwU4smoG7mCa8pULl-AEip5ZvPRo6KSPmXEKa0/s400/Spore%2527s+oldest+petrol+station.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Happy Chinese New Year to all of you. Sorry for having kept you waiting so long for the answers. Chun See, Peter, YG and Walter knew the answers but not all of them answered directly.<br />
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<u>Answers to Quiz Questions</u>:<br />
<br />
<div style="color: blue;"><i>Q1. What brand of petrol does this petrol station sell?</i></div>A1. Caltex<br />
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<div style="color: blue;"><i>Q2. Where is this petrol station located? Give the road name.</i></div>A2. Woodlands Road. (The address is 337 Woodlands Road and the company name is Hup Soon & Co. It is located near Stagmont Ring.)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKPS1P55jYiXxGGik2WOP5n-xW28nBfb5UFj7Ek7dEcJGB95dGs_-3qWMXT-l6Wpe5Bm6i4_DnK80Hx-xmqXrhozs-D6aHqyL_GwtFExidGZCcAszsje-0WK2kL85WiwdBWL-/s1600/map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKPS1P55jYiXxGGik2WOP5n-xW28nBfb5UFj7Ek7dEcJGB95dGs_-3qWMXT-l6Wpe5Bm6i4_DnK80Hx-xmqXrhozs-D6aHqyL_GwtFExidGZCcAszsje-0WK2kL85WiwdBWL-/s400/map.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJYzJ72uqFvdy49jiMCMObv3U7yZSdc2NIzvFpZiBp7U1FCiv6U5LMsqSkLeaVryaX8vHSzbxZNtDq-yjlUqeHndRRpidr1S5L4gQN4J8Vut7H0j3b0NKJc5QfKKm-zOEUldf/s1600/DSCN1076-640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJYzJ72uqFvdy49jiMCMObv3U7yZSdc2NIzvFpZiBp7U1FCiv6U5LMsqSkLeaVryaX8vHSzbxZNtDq-yjlUqeHndRRpidr1S5L4gQN4J8Vut7H0j3b0NKJc5QfKKm-zOEUldf/s400/DSCN1076-640.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNFnuR23CEAqv8owoRzIXBIItBMDudmS4Ayf1VE5TY3PZxbvYq5cUl4zsTO2Hjvi3PhiI5l69zmJ85-bx_8TU803VfI1JUH-JPIoQTBKJgsLBXKoLBhIQ9eBOVUK9xzkibHsF/s1600/DSCN1084-640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNFnuR23CEAqv8owoRzIXBIItBMDudmS4Ayf1VE5TY3PZxbvYq5cUl4zsTO2Hjvi3PhiI5l69zmJ85-bx_8TU803VfI1JUH-JPIoQTBKJgsLBXKoLBhIQ9eBOVUK9xzkibHsF/s400/DSCN1084-640.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4onFOLTrSU6nDDVnM3YSNx3ZswemO4ftiyVS6T-lriTIQl2Om8KGk3P7Ry1aXxUq0caisw8m0cx617qIXZV6eP6l5aO3n0uDZS9QXeL1NC7HdCwZn5OMB4-LXqn4f8LgZhF2E/s1600/DSCN1082-640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4onFOLTrSU6nDDVnM3YSNx3ZswemO4ftiyVS6T-lriTIQl2Om8KGk3P7Ry1aXxUq0caisw8m0cx617qIXZV6eP6l5aO3n0uDZS9QXeL1NC7HdCwZn5OMB4-LXqn4f8LgZhF2E/s400/DSCN1082-640.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Notice that as if in keeping with the old world charm of the petrol station, the staff is using a traditional "sapu lidi" broom (made from the spines of coconut leaves) to sweep the floor. Also, the standalone diesel pump in the background seems to be deliberately left in a state of disrepair.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLWa6YWx0iWMrWpEnUDt7pmdghFiwTr6ilhlFNurc7xRfSfNYjpj8g1w1MsbP5mL12NcMX4iwyP_lcsTQNcOCbJtyHVbzYada6N8Drdoa1E3VnObv1zg0n7SZdFMk_x0byKfs8/s1600/DSCN1083-640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLWa6YWx0iWMrWpEnUDt7pmdghFiwTr6ilhlFNurc7xRfSfNYjpj8g1w1MsbP5mL12NcMX4iwyP_lcsTQNcOCbJtyHVbzYada6N8Drdoa1E3VnObv1zg0n7SZdFMk_x0byKfs8/s400/DSCN1083-640.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But nothing can compare with this old staff who appears to have aged gracefully together with this petrol station through all these years.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339178864363140977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13303109.post-23730927149023451432011-01-11T00:22:00.000+08:002011-01-11T00:22:38.298+08:00Old Singapore Quiz (23) - Old Petrol Station<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPDVz8rH1Fp2QI59jr2yJaWe6BMK-zvC8x_7j3WPQN_PaZ0XTnA2EiIvM-yE2eB327y_tNKN_u7i6qlcOm3UcNjZ24ibrm5FHImn4R4C0YW3hH8xWEmQlkTB3cqbIMHe61ti2D/s1600/Old_petrol_station.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPDVz8rH1Fp2QI59jr2yJaWe6BMK-zvC8x_7j3WPQN_PaZ0XTnA2EiIvM-yE2eB327y_tNKN_u7i6qlcOm3UcNjZ24ibrm5FHImn4R4C0YW3hH8xWEmQlkTB3cqbIMHe61ti2D/s400/Old_petrol_station.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://goodmorningyesterday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><u>Chun See</u></a> commented that my quizes are "a bit too tough" for him these days. So for his sake, I am giving an easy one this time. Should be a piece of cake. No clues needed.<br />
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The petrol station in the photo looks like a typical one in rural Malaysia, doesn't it? Well, it is not. Nowadays, I believe even some petrol stations in rural Malaysia look newer than that.<br />
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Would you believe that this "remnant from a bygone era" is in Singapore? It has got to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest petrol station in Singapore. No supermarket or convenience store in this outlet, only a car wash.<br />
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It probably dates back to the 1950s. Don't expect it to charge 1950s prices for petrol though. For cheap petrol, you still have to go further up north where the petrol stations are newer.<br />
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The petrol station badly needs a paint job and I have done just that. That is painting over the essential bits so that the quiz won't be too easy.<br />
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<u>Quiz Questions</u>:<br />
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1. What brand of petrol does this petrol station sell?<br />
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2. Where is this petrol station located? Give the road name.Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339178864363140977noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13303109.post-46769694587134859682011-01-03T01:42:00.002+08:002011-01-03T09:09:52.473+08:00Old Singapore Quiz (22) - Old Building - Answer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_D5tB4nVQO9HcjMgWmvHpa-R86pUjxKKSVn5YuTCrJuKwSExj94ZpTh3I9K3UuSpV3K-BBBZMs5glpSGjTZ4_-zcUEnlNd7l1AzxW2ki9eL_qvmRqcj1FR8cpFJYJl-QT1ux/s1600/Old_Building_Quiz_22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_D5tB4nVQO9HcjMgWmvHpa-R86pUjxKKSVn5YuTCrJuKwSExj94ZpTh3I9K3UuSpV3K-BBBZMs5glpSGjTZ4_-zcUEnlNd7l1AzxW2ki9eL_qvmRqcj1FR8cpFJYJl-QT1ux/s400/Old_Building_Quiz_22.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUBPXZ9bs6CPeAZaMQVvVj5_K_sMsdMMA3VNRjGtw44wS60XpXD9ptreaKTrYn8tf0R3togKRg53WLQsj4a9Nouz-M6xsrBR7alQklxzLS1CxQN0vW7v_jcWentE-VkY_a_m_5/s1600/old_building_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUBPXZ9bs6CPeAZaMQVvVj5_K_sMsdMMA3VNRjGtw44wS60XpXD9ptreaKTrYn8tf0R3togKRg53WLQsj4a9Nouz-M6xsrBR7alQklxzLS1CxQN0vW7v_jcWentE-VkY_a_m_5/s400/old_building_3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Nobody gave the correct answer for this quiz although <a href="http://www.ivyidaong4.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><u>YG</u></a> did make an intelligent guess, as always, by saying that the building must be near my place of work. I don't think the quiz was too difficult but rather, there seems to be very few visitors to this place - Labrador Villa Road in Labrador Park and hence not many people know what it has to offer. Why do I say that? Well, I visited Labrador Park on the morning of 29 Dec 10, a Saturday and there was not a single soul in sight!<br />
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Almost all the facilities in the park were closed. They include the old building which, according to a location map in the vicinity, was originally designated a boutique hotel. I do not know whether the hotel business actually did materialise or not.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPt4XdmvMRPImyF5GHPEzncCfpCuyqVxIUTGwfhAa-7WYM6QxYwqVPw63gURoutxHbYHpX1YeskmWq5YUuBGKHGbK0j6BsChbQ1eL-Nlr60cA5EPMSNsh2jgm2gqRoyuUBRX3/s1600/legend_for_map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPt4XdmvMRPImyF5GHPEzncCfpCuyqVxIUTGwfhAa-7WYM6QxYwqVPw63gURoutxHbYHpX1YeskmWq5YUuBGKHGbK0j6BsChbQ1eL-Nlr60cA5EPMSNsh2jgm2gqRoyuUBRX3/s400/legend_for_map.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Other facilities that were closed include:<br />
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</div>The secret tunnels.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB6pYKOOZbZ0fh-of4KJwxr_kEHWntk4W2hEKtvMKTQH7YfiBsfVJow4sebfbBwCH7ASnyO9mnPtuZfqdm42LQGeZV07J2XKNmPE2rdu-1rYkxoANaFMwIVVjupnfLzRvSOCRm/s1600/secret_tunnels_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB6pYKOOZbZ0fh-of4KJwxr_kEHWntk4W2hEKtvMKTQH7YfiBsfVJow4sebfbBwCH7ASnyO9mnPtuZfqdm42LQGeZV07J2XKNmPE2rdu-1rYkxoANaFMwIVVjupnfLzRvSOCRm/s400/secret_tunnels_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The tunnels were "rediscovered" only in 2001 and officially opened by Minister for National Development Mr Mah Bow Tan not too long ago in March 2005.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyphenhyphenv_PaqBiT-NZCIj-LN8W2s9FpkjO9Yt6ma2Ik5XK3kJCLu6cBy6UMWG3oVe4ukaom6bJoMCBENOnsN7o_bvJ8u0snnj_inPYbP36lUStjJok1Q0ZpNDyqJGNQ6E58AjrjYgv/s1600/secret_tunnels_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyphenhyphenv_PaqBiT-NZCIj-LN8W2s9FpkjO9Yt6ma2Ik5XK3kJCLu6cBy6UMWG3oVe4ukaom6bJoMCBENOnsN7o_bvJ8u0snnj_inPYbP36lUStjJok1Q0ZpNDyqJGNQ6E58AjrjYgv/s400/secret_tunnels_3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyphenhyphenv_PaqBiT-NZCIj-LN8W2s9FpkjO9Yt6ma2Ik5XK3kJCLu6cBy6UMWG3oVe4ukaom6bJoMCBENOnsN7o_bvJ8u0snnj_inPYbP36lUStjJok1Q0ZpNDyqJGNQ6E58AjrjYgv/s1600/secret_tunnels_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>Now they are "<a href="http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/index.php?option=com_visitorsguide&task=naturereserves&id=48&Itemid=75" target="_blank"><u>closed for maintenance</u></a>".<br />
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The Villa Raintree Resort and Spa, which used to house the Pasir Panjang Boys' Hostel from 1980s till the early 1990s and then Breakthrough Missions till the early 2000s.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyq6rdpxmC6aroMV3x9hzIWGNl02Q_CuE3B43tIUyujRa3uVsU-0La9pOY0GusvGkjBTTfyKyUGIw-qPEzv7R34AeyvC31yOgwwyjhlTe9I5urpICePqAWOui4H6803HEWaFj-/s1600/creepers_on_signboard_DSCN0119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyq6rdpxmC6aroMV3x9hzIWGNl02Q_CuE3B43tIUyujRa3uVsU-0La9pOY0GusvGkjBTTfyKyUGIw-qPEzv7R34AeyvC31yOgwwyjhlTe9I5urpICePqAWOui4H6803HEWaFj-/s400/creepers_on_signboard_DSCN0119.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
The creepers on its signboard look creepy.<br />
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The Olive Ristorante.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdroM8R1oXa_LADOX-hsW3-63pIlWBvWWZYPrvfNIqfWR5eh9XG4rTm6xci9gq4nV54AHdvOGmHifd-ggEPDG_wrgupIhezH9FjSbyk6HYZUOyqA_-dpqBbc0ROLFHf9Foc7d/s1600/toilets_closed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdroM8R1oXa_LADOX-hsW3-63pIlWBvWWZYPrvfNIqfWR5eh9XG4rTm6xci9gq4nV54AHdvOGmHifd-ggEPDG_wrgupIhezH9FjSbyk6HYZUOyqA_-dpqBbc0ROLFHf9Foc7d/s400/toilets_closed.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Even the toilets were closed. And definitely not for cleaning.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDImpiKd161fuCR6BS8IHeJIO10TAkxTUwKmB3oP1bmQWw8oXsbFb7ppHJN-W4Z5Xd0bg7uON36Ws373W4-lPgyhr2yezcpAwnOf_q1-AS4Mho_zmHZwUu4uMd6UQhzmf7NjWB/s1600/soldier_with_bino.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDImpiKd161fuCR6BS8IHeJIO10TAkxTUwKmB3oP1bmQWw8oXsbFb7ppHJN-W4Z5Xd0bg7uON36Ws373W4-lPgyhr2yezcpAwnOf_q1-AS4Mho_zmHZwUu4uMd6UQhzmf7NjWB/s400/soldier_with_bino.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
This statue in Labrador Park seems to be on the constant lookout for the precious and elusive visitor.<br />
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Considering the dearth of visitors, why do you think Labrador Park is now undergoing "maintenance"? Surely cannot be due to wear-and-tear because of heavy human traffic, right? And how come the supposedly "maintenance" does not have an expected completion date? Like <a href="http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2010/12/mandai-orchid-garden-to-move-to-kranji.html" target="_blank"><u>Mandai Orchid Garden</u></a> which "has been losing money from Day 1", according to its owner Mr Heah Hock Heng, I believe Labrador Park is suffering the same fate. Only difference is that Labrador Park is losing Government's, or more rightfully, taxpayers' money. Mr Heah continues to operate the Mandai Orchid Garden at a loss because of his passion for orchids. However, the same cannot be said for Labrador Park visitors. I don't think visitors are passionate enough about history and heritage to be willing to fork out $8.60 just to explore the secret tunnels at the park. Thus, the tunnels are likely to remain secret... or be "closed for maintenance" indefinitely.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1NSkEkavrFihl5RetA9u_scMamcUrYG5qwidGnmvbTtmyk2-ssWKS4KwT7kTgoZymm-00p7N0oeELCugFZl_xPEy9Kzpvlu7ODez7lCtFn7AH6JcLhO3yjoZi0wuNkH_PoiE2/s1600/secret_tunnels_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1NSkEkavrFihl5RetA9u_scMamcUrYG5qwidGnmvbTtmyk2-ssWKS4KwT7kTgoZymm-00p7N0oeELCugFZl_xPEy9Kzpvlu7ODez7lCtFn7AH6JcLhO3yjoZi0wuNkH_PoiE2/s400/secret_tunnels_4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
What do you think?Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339178864363140977noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13303109.post-33728069783750781422010-12-27T02:00:00.000+08:002010-12-27T02:00:54.966+08:00Old Singapore Quiz (22) - Old Building<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_D5tB4nVQO9HcjMgWmvHpa-R86pUjxKKSVn5YuTCrJuKwSExj94ZpTh3I9K3UuSpV3K-BBBZMs5glpSGjTZ4_-zcUEnlNd7l1AzxW2ki9eL_qvmRqcj1FR8cpFJYJl-QT1ux/s1600/Old_Building_Quiz_22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_D5tB4nVQO9HcjMgWmvHpa-R86pUjxKKSVn5YuTCrJuKwSExj94ZpTh3I9K3UuSpV3K-BBBZMs5glpSGjTZ4_-zcUEnlNd7l1AzxW2ki9eL_qvmRqcj1FR8cpFJYJl-QT1ux/s400/Old_Building_Quiz_22.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Just like Icemoon who gave an <a href="http://2ndshot.blogspot.com/2010/12/amazing-red-dot-quiz-8-where-is-this.html" target="_blank"><u>Old Building Quiz</u></a> before going on holiday, I will do the same. That is, give an Old Building Quiz, not go on holiday. So the clue for this quiz is a photo which I took in August 2009 of an old dilapidated building - one that would make an ideal backdrop for a sequel to a movie like <a href="http://hauntedchangi.com/" target="_blank"><u>Haunted Changi</u></a>. I don't know how this building looks like today as I have not visited it since then.<br />
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<u>Quiz Question</u>:<br />
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Where is the location of this building?Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339178864363140977noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13303109.post-8745264083125632582010-12-20T01:51:00.000+08:002010-12-20T01:51:24.519+08:00Old Singapore Quiz (21) - Another Pair Of Old Cannons Again - Answer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXCv9z3nODmW0pPJ75ThGIhqszfiadXL9dJHl4Pl79nNK7VTjY_NvBSFSRiBeOIrgbyjrIUhF-W1DuABX6yOte54X3oPauYXqDI30uXpxli63Nxc6UlrsMD3Iqju3dArhX2Sc7/s1600/Old_Cannons_Changi_Naval_Base.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXCv9z3nODmW0pPJ75ThGIhqszfiadXL9dJHl4Pl79nNK7VTjY_NvBSFSRiBeOIrgbyjrIUhF-W1DuABX6yOte54X3oPauYXqDI30uXpxli63Nxc6UlrsMD3Iqju3dArhX2Sc7/s400/Old_Cannons_Changi_Naval_Base.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The two old cannons are located inside Changi Naval Base. Since they are sited near the sea, you should be able to see it if you pass by on a vessel. However, I was not in the sea but on land. To be precise, I was on the grounds of the Navy Museum next door which is not a restricted area.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiIm6TqJY9zkCP9gDp9W2sl7K1C4PQ9fluPOAX1YeamTNmgykQWIXteun2GQrKMVFOHU6-QZEY4NJz1EIKOI7wuWYkQF4hp8BBxGVMbc_Dsgk7W8ki-tzMFoWonOyJ6pkFkY0Y/s1600/map_cannons.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiIm6TqJY9zkCP9gDp9W2sl7K1C4PQ9fluPOAX1YeamTNmgykQWIXteun2GQrKMVFOHU6-QZEY4NJz1EIKOI7wuWYkQF4hp8BBxGVMbc_Dsgk7W8ki-tzMFoWonOyJ6pkFkY0Y/s400/map_cannons.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM8GOnjJWm5fV2fnq6vFnwCjW7xnGulpreErMvu51A5ZR3Cqz7kJpIwWg73uneE4rlGuHmCJ9ZZqYw54hqJ2kqcN8RPonIn14_eDdJVvcrD-cLnv4nrh1hZdOJUoD9DAOq8r8-/s1600/google_cannon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM8GOnjJWm5fV2fnq6vFnwCjW7xnGulpreErMvu51A5ZR3Cqz7kJpIwWg73uneE4rlGuHmCJ9ZZqYw54hqJ2kqcN8RPonIn14_eDdJVvcrD-cLnv4nrh1hZdOJUoD9DAOq8r8-/s400/google_cannon.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Nobody got the answer to the location correct although <a href="http://www.ivyidaong4.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><u>YG</u></a> did come up with a good guess, i.e. Cliff House at Bukit Chermin Road.<br />
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<a href="http://www.fortsiloso.com/" target="_blank"><u>Peter Stubbs</u></a> was probably right when he said that the cannons looked very much like 68-Pounder Smoothbore cannons. Compare the cannons with the one in the photo below which is reproduced from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/68-pounder_gun" target="_blank"><u>Wikipedia link on the 68-pounder gun</u></a>:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaDXWBCZKF-Sjzumg-RfHy-Un397mwytPqRoJDwEHzQloutTeDWAkRSjCqfEI3SEPA74bjW-bolKlkL4-kfI4E6UMycpmD7ZTtUYq-H_yUWwLmkZQ8G0rpx51N_jQjCL8PyCoz/s1600/68pdr_smoothbore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaDXWBCZKF-Sjzumg-RfHy-Un397mwytPqRoJDwEHzQloutTeDWAkRSjCqfEI3SEPA74bjW-bolKlkL4-kfI4E6UMycpmD7ZTtUYq-H_yUWwLmkZQ8G0rpx51N_jQjCL8PyCoz/s400/68pdr_smoothbore.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The following passage of the 68-pounder gun is extracted from the Wikipedia link:<br />
<blockquote><i>The 68-pounder cannon was an artillery piece designed and used by the British Armed Forces in the mid-19th century. The cannon was a smoothbore muzzle-loading weapon that weighed 95 long cwt (4,800 kg) and fired projectiles of 68 lb (31 kg). Colonel William Dundas designed the gun in 1846 and it was cast the following year. It entered service with the Royal Artillery and the Royal Navy and saw active service with both arms during the Crimean War. Over 2,000 were made and it gained a reputation as the finest smoothbore cannon ever made.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>The gun was produced at a time when new rifled and breech loading guns were beginning to make their mark on artillery. At first the 68-pounder's reliability and power meant that it was retained even on new warships such as HMS Warrior, but eventually new rifled muzzle loaders made all smoothbore muzzle-loading guns obsolete. However, the large surplus stocks of 68-pounders were given new life when converted to take rifled projectiles; the cannon remained in service and was not declared obsolete until 1921.</i></blockquote>Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339178864363140977noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13303109.post-90463895860176647032010-12-07T01:19:00.001+08:002010-12-07T01:24:50.143+08:00Old Singapore Quiz (21) - Another Pair Of Old Cannons Again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV0uCW5S3IUAQtiHZM9IEPJgXFBPmnnWm67dhxZJIJHs87YAjHTKx7BhPy5L0zZjhLyY8Lf4p5K5Ggua8GK-vgITJCtUQkue9H4EB3bSou4dvMFPngPMCgo-RGkyZrcB3uhbUQ/s1600/Quiz_21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV0uCW5S3IUAQtiHZM9IEPJgXFBPmnnWm67dhxZJIJHs87YAjHTKx7BhPy5L0zZjhLyY8Lf4p5K5Ggua8GK-vgITJCtUQkue9H4EB3bSou4dvMFPngPMCgo-RGkyZrcB3uhbUQ/s400/Quiz_21.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
As promised, this post is about another pair of old cannons again. However, this time, I didn't manage to get near enough to examine the cannons up close. The above photo was as close as the 3x optical zoom lens of my point-and-shoot camera could take me. So that is a clue, I hope. Nevertheless, you could see the cannon balls in front of the cannons. There are also 2 stick-like objects in front of the one of the cannons.<br />
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I have also removed the background of the photo, lest some people could identify the building behind instead of the old cannons. However, I have not erased the foreground as there are no <a href="http://victorkoo.blogspot.com/2010/10/old-singapore-quiz-19.html?showComment=1288669549461#c6846980507971683111" target="_blank"><u>ketapang leaves</u></a> on it. What I can tell you is that the old cannons are near the sea. In fact, most cannons are located near the sea, as I have noticed. With Singapore's small size, there is certainly a physical limit as to how far inland you can site the cannons.<br />
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I must admit that I don't know the history of these cannons. So there is only one question is for this quiz for which I know the answer, and that is:<br />
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Q1. Where are the cannons located?<br />
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Another two questions which perhaps only <a href="http://www.fortsiloso.com/" target="_blank"><u>Peter Stubbs</u></a> could answer are as follows:<br />
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Q2. Are these cannons replicas or originals?<br />
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Q3. What is the history of these cannons?<br />
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As usual, the answer to Q1 will be revealed in a week's time. Happy guessing!Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339178864363140977noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13303109.post-64146882848498210592010-11-29T02:26:00.000+08:002010-11-29T02:26:29.145+08:00Old Singapore Quiz (20) - Yet Another Old Cannon - Answers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqBrYohmgCQu-RW5N2lTDHzHJk7qu7mTb5KZdFqpqpju4FH-F6S4xC10q-VqgzpEn8CSWt71ItMnnnTiFgV6dDbl5aIjJqlI3KS03axuMklHEBG1D6z1H8rBWBGaIbrqC8tEU4/s1600/Johore_Battery_9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqBrYohmgCQu-RW5N2lTDHzHJk7qu7mTb5KZdFqpqpju4FH-F6S4xC10q-VqgzpEn8CSWt71ItMnnnTiFgV6dDbl5aIjJqlI3KS03axuMklHEBG1D6z1H8rBWBGaIbrqC8tEU4/s400/Johore_Battery_9.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="http://www.fortsiloso.com/" target="_blank"><u>Peter Stubbs</u></a> got all the answers correct although it is quite obvious that both <a _blank="" href="http://www.ivyidaong4.blogspot.com/%20target="><u>YG</u></a> and <a _blank="" href="http://www.2ndshot.blogspot.com/%20target="><u>Icemoon</u></a> knew the answers too.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_J2KFuUoBm9xYH9XuZEcHmAXij4ic9PEaODRChGb517BLrBHD5lTAx1HMUJcUWszQ3HxE9CoqyDQcMre0BFcJwj3QkxL99GQBbcr1DpJ2YeNctFEVaS6nRmrJm7a3lNAeorNz/s1600/Johore_Battery_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_J2KFuUoBm9xYH9XuZEcHmAXij4ic9PEaODRChGb517BLrBHD5lTAx1HMUJcUWszQ3HxE9CoqyDQcMre0BFcJwj3QkxL99GQBbcr1DpJ2YeNctFEVaS6nRmrJm7a3lNAeorNz/s400/Johore_Battery_7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
From Peter Stubb's detailed and informative <a href="https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=13303109&postID=2674616098837558800&isPopup=true" target="_blank"><u>comments</u></a>, you could tell that he is an expert on the subject of guns, batteries and cannons used in World War II.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOBxsNiEc9n9ImkYBhxI5L33dDybU31jzuk8jBrX4qNbI9DA_NwJUMle7zal6fLOhoaZJnGWJ09Cp9a8cUcNebMyMnhMVIqA8RxfbD6CWpcOMUin7Cmux6uWmjXaBqozO4JEEP/s1600/Johore_Battery_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOBxsNiEc9n9ImkYBhxI5L33dDybU31jzuk8jBrX4qNbI9DA_NwJUMle7zal6fLOhoaZJnGWJ09Cp9a8cUcNebMyMnhMVIqA8RxfbD6CWpcOMUin7Cmux6uWmjXaBqozO4JEEP/s400/Johore_Battery_5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">British gunners cleaning the gun barrel (IWM)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZACaQshUPQP41TdqncXNwLVAlqMd_76cUM3G9Ux3XHcrA4s3zUK_n2PyG6pcVA-jKg3OAbO9vPbh_iDACw5gYXIau6EQAyMrl4941Oi_xObw1-T74ZqpA8atvVzN03fShoq6D/s1600/Johore_Battery_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZACaQshUPQP41TdqncXNwLVAlqMd_76cUM3G9Ux3XHcrA4s3zUK_n2PyG6pcVA-jKg3OAbO9vPbh_iDACw5gYXIau6EQAyMrl4941Oi_xObw1-T74ZqpA8atvVzN03fShoq6D/s400/Johore_Battery_6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Publicity photo from WWII British War Office, showing off impressive size of Monster Guns (IWM)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQd6BixQkWzQ9VICe4rU4QNE7olEOVpRxL9ytVCuGPtOT1DLWXbBclQwOydmrdpC6VN7AeuzJonO8e1VFLR1of-19DbOw1E3cH9FgO1tUnhVcDLqCgEX9mVXaShYPuAJ6aOUa1/s1600/Johore_Battery_8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQd6BixQkWzQ9VICe4rU4QNE7olEOVpRxL9ytVCuGPtOT1DLWXbBclQwOydmrdpC6VN7AeuzJonO8e1VFLR1of-19DbOw1E3cH9FgO1tUnhVcDLqCgEX9mVXaShYPuAJ6aOUa1/s400/Johore_Battery_8.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The replica at Cosford Road, minus the "publicity models"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Here are the answers to the quiz:<br />
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<div style="background-color: white; color: blue;"><i>Q1. The cannon in the above photo is a replica. Where is it sited? (Give the road name.)</i></div>A1. Cosford Road<br />
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<div style="color: blue;"><i>Q2. How many such guns were there orginally near this location and what were they collectively called?</i></div>A2. Three guns and they were called the Johore Battery.<br />
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<div style="color: blue;"><i>Q3. How many such guns were there in Singapore at that time?</i></div>A3. Five.<br />
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<div style="color: blue;"><i>Q4. What was the diameter of the shell (in inches) that the gun fired?</i></div>A4. 15 inches.<br />
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The passage below is reproduced from the National Heritage Board's marker at the Cosford Road site. <br />
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Johore Battery<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNPzED3t-tJ53ZeDadRYDwwjFF-yZ40JjoZfpmJzy36kMyIZshnCNrSzXw42JGMhUDgpyNwtZFnFpsJGkZAciKK3H8cbTxqL0YBZRocyGZz8UOjyIiEKfPgVf7hVzzTEhjKHZ0/s1600/Johore_Battery_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNPzED3t-tJ53ZeDadRYDwwjFF-yZ40JjoZfpmJzy36kMyIZshnCNrSzXw42JGMhUDgpyNwtZFnFpsJGkZAciKK3H8cbTxqL0YBZRocyGZz8UOjyIiEKfPgVf7hVzzTEhjKHZ0/s400/Johore_Battery_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A close-up view of one of the "monster guns", 14 November 1941</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-OPTrAV46Ffzk2HzrK4lGmbxyU1P5wU6NE2qydFfKEHFYZoq28gbz9ej1GzQz0uDe_AOHjJUFfJd_Hzu1-geJprLqKtM0npFAU2kAhfwdERA-dTaG0uYakkLDhvQQ8ZGMmpkU/s1600/Quiz20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-OPTrAV46Ffzk2HzrK4lGmbxyU1P5wU6NE2qydFfKEHFYZoq28gbz9ej1GzQz0uDe_AOHjJUFfJd_Hzu1-geJprLqKtM0npFAU2kAhfwdERA-dTaG0uYakkLDhvQQ8ZGMmpkU/s400/Quiz20.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A close-up view of the replica 69 years later - 15 November 2010</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The <a href="http://heritagetrails.sg/content/606/Johore_Battery.html" target="_blank"><u>Johore Battery</u></a> comprised three guns. They were part of a group of twenty nine large coastal guns installed in Singapore in the 1930s.<br />
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The Johore Battery's three weapons were among Singapore's largest coastal guns. They were known as 15-inch guns, because 15 inches (38 cm) was the diameter of the shell they fired. Their gun barrels were 16.5 metres long and the shells stood 1.5 metres high. The guns were capable of hurling these shells at battleships over twenty miles away.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQ5LmXPR_Eag3j9oGyjDpJpb53S_PouSNxhOiUgQ0RmVoPBnfC785vijZe9cEd4p1YGNWuhheRMAhF_urMiA95vkPiG0fnJci9h2vt2c50iunv8aF3aRNaKOg_mfLGm3rTU50/s1600/Johore_Battery_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQ5LmXPR_Eag3j9oGyjDpJpb53S_PouSNxhOiUgQ0RmVoPBnfC785vijZe9cEd4p1YGNWuhheRMAhF_urMiA95vkPiG0fnJci9h2vt2c50iunv8aF3aRNaKOg_mfLGm3rTU50/s400/Johore_Battery_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[From left to right]: General Sir Archibald Wavell accompanying the C.F.D. Brigadier Curtis and the General Officer Commanding Singapore Fortress, Major-General Keith Simmons, touring Singapore's defences, c. 1941 </td></tr>
</tbody></table>They were originally called "monster guns" when tested in England in 1934, before being sent to Singapore. When World War II started, there were only seven of these defending the coasts of the British Empire. Two were near Dover in England, and five in Singapore. Besides the Johore Battery, Singapore also had two 15-inch guns at Buona Vista Battery. They were located at the junction of Ulu Pandan and Clementi Roads, in the West of the island.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJLht2wCcGaTPJ3keeLFMLHu_WMmoK8trnb9EjItBQBtOzCWIW5YiP5jZH9cGGRjvDmz2EuXr_L75ywx8m-x92N9SEgwUUMQH3sb7xznkfkOOV9WA7xX4nZNhegG48pCaTD56E/s1600/Johore_Battery_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJLht2wCcGaTPJ3keeLFMLHu_WMmoK8trnb9EjItBQBtOzCWIW5YiP5jZH9cGGRjvDmz2EuXr_L75ywx8m-x92N9SEgwUUMQH3sb7xznkfkOOV9WA7xX4nZNhegG48pCaTD56E/s400/Johore_Battery_3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gunners "pulling through" the barrel of a "monster gun" after firing, c. 1941</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Each of Johore's Battery's guns had its own ammunition bunker. These were about 500 metres apart, arranged in a line that stretched from the present site onto what are now the runways of Changi Airport. Though these guns were originally intended to stop an attack from the sea, two of Johore Battery's guns could turn around and fire to the rear, towards Johor Bahru. The third, the one located at this site, could only fire out to sea.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaMhBz0-Jlo6ZapSlfOFBaADpfROFpvC_UraboOo_kR3baYMPaHV_rG3EN4EYl1zAV23OCsuPW0oHZw2chSspYleEb-8QVWdojsd0Rnk1WQGRAWN9Ju57Yj2MoomMCHxfeSjB7/s1600/Johore_Battery_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaMhBz0-Jlo6ZapSlfOFBaADpfROFpvC_UraboOo_kR3baYMPaHV_rG3EN4EYl1zAV23OCsuPW0oHZw2chSspYleEb-8QVWdojsd0Rnk1WQGRAWN9Ju57Yj2MoomMCHxfeSjB7/s400/Johore_Battery_4.jpg" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the "monster guns" ready to "roar", 15 November 1941</td></tr>
</tbody></table>From 5th to 12th February 1942, the two guns of the Johore Battery that could turn around fired landward in Singapore's defence. They shelled Japanese infantry positions from Johor Bahru, just across the Causeway, eastwards to the area North of Tanjong Punggol. They also joined in the battles for Bukit Timah Road and Pasir Panjang. The guns of Johore Battery fired 194 rounds before their demolition by the British on the night of 12th February. This demolition, and the postwar upgrading of Changi aerodrome, means all the remains are the underground tunnels on this site, which once housed ammunition and power plants.Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339178864363140977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13303109.post-26746160988375588002010-11-22T01:20:00.000+08:002010-11-22T01:20:11.769+08:00Old Singapore Quiz (20) - Yet Another Old Cannon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSFo5tazTeVch1-s5Ms1r-7GkaMnjvoLnyWtui4LFKBZuJkDDQhZhML9nl58tgKB6vxy6b9gxk4YKOlFMJqQVsAD74b4JHuGk711WUMAYPyihA7J9khZWzCnoxkFdnpKZiE820/s1600/Quiz20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSFo5tazTeVch1-s5Ms1r-7GkaMnjvoLnyWtui4LFKBZuJkDDQhZhML9nl58tgKB6vxy6b9gxk4YKOlFMJqQVsAD74b4JHuGk711WUMAYPyihA7J9khZWzCnoxkFdnpKZiE820/s400/Quiz20.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
For the past month, I stumbled upon quite a few old cannons without actually aiming to look for them. <s>Luckily, they were not aiming at me either.</s> So it looks like the next few blog posts will still be about old cannons. Sorry, if this is not your <s>cannon</s>ball game.<br />
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1. The cannon in the above photo is a replica. Where is it sited? (Give the road name.)<br />
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2. How many such guns were there orginally near this location and what were they collectively called?<br />
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3. How many such guns were there in Singapore at that time?<br />
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4. What was the diameter of the shell (in inches) that the gun fired?<br />
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Answers will be revealed in a week's time.Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339178864363140977noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13303109.post-2830775998526536182010-11-01T02:13:00.000+08:002010-11-01T02:13:39.788+08:00Old Singapore Quiz (19) - Another Old Cannon - Answers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnKKPaoxcE5z56II0i1CNXpAyzV-3qw2aajax_cTlKT8d9W6fSU1SRlJ_k9uYWPjkhSM9ZKDbc8EyEPh6zUvTXtlHpJ63IYxpxpSxxS33u6x1seBfF3f7Gg0dykm1QKPlWrQJd/s1600/old_cannon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnKKPaoxcE5z56II0i1CNXpAyzV-3qw2aajax_cTlKT8d9W6fSU1SRlJ_k9uYWPjkhSM9ZKDbc8EyEPh6zUvTXtlHpJ63IYxpxpSxxS33u6x1seBfF3f7Gg0dykm1QKPlWrQJd/s400/old_cannon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
No correct answers were received for the <a href="http://victorkoo.blogspot.com/2010/10/old-singapore-quiz-19.html" target="_blank"><u>last quiz</u></a> although <a href="http://ivyidaong4.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><u>YG</u></a> did come close with his "near the sea" guess about the location. I truly marvel at his keen sense of observation - he noticed the ketapang leaves on the ground of the quiz photo and guessed it was near the sea. Looks like for future such quizes, I will have to "digitally clean up" the ground as well and not only "paint over" the name plaque.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1otg_GKyCP6BTf9efDD_5pPKjjoNZY1RfWlC_4BDY0lJKNF0K8MDPjMXAx-Md6U1ulOH7bLbt1aW7dSvIbmq2gSpB0-shFcBi6zgWk9ZoxBhPlLmhy39mH8EtDFbfn1mft_2N/s1600/old_cannon_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1otg_GKyCP6BTf9efDD_5pPKjjoNZY1RfWlC_4BDY0lJKNF0K8MDPjMXAx-Md6U1ulOH7bLbt1aW7dSvIbmq2gSpB0-shFcBi6zgWk9ZoxBhPlLmhy39mH8EtDFbfn1mft_2N/s400/old_cannon_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIw8OBXIevnjCimmarUhaNwEKT2_vMauvBdxwfCyIicmK__rYG1sBRR9jvGyDJ9GOcTyH58x5eyxhjUSO9ohe-ucbi-Dq2YK3GQHGYtsFoLqLdHp0ZaYnrHqBL2Hd2gF_2GPbI/s1600/old_cannon_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIw8OBXIevnjCimmarUhaNwEKT2_vMauvBdxwfCyIicmK__rYG1sBRR9jvGyDJ9GOcTyH58x5eyxhjUSO9ohe-ucbi-Dq2YK3GQHGYtsFoLqLdHp0ZaYnrHqBL2Hd2gF_2GPbI/s400/old_cannon_3.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXZtEF_9qczfH3e8QTO7Be_ig8K99VYK2NDOOzNCQNJzC2wEZSvK78nzI1aTpt-q-RnKHx0fIEzd3K2z8s3VqNZqymXnq_xOSuKIstEKtHClLLpkXSIwrV-hhFgpVFG2-rigQ/s1600/old_cannon_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXZtEF_9qczfH3e8QTO7Be_ig8K99VYK2NDOOzNCQNJzC2wEZSvK78nzI1aTpt-q-RnKHx0fIEzd3K2z8s3VqNZqymXnq_xOSuKIstEKtHClLLpkXSIwrV-hhFgpVFG2-rigQ/s400/old_cannon_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I said YG's guess "come close" because the location used to be near the sea in the 1950-60s, possibly even till the 1970s, as this 1963 map shows:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYXCG-w_bHd2EIhxVNR9BcmrRZys6f4o5a6qODcxFR9_8Vtu42pNUoeG7vuqFThjR7LozChyphenhyphenfPXOMiCy3Hnsd_fhSBsVr3i8E0hgNy_xqxyQtA6FKQMXpX8stWSIGqi4HHnHLf/s1600/1963_map_Pasir_Panjang.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYXCG-w_bHd2EIhxVNR9BcmrRZys6f4o5a6qODcxFR9_8Vtu42pNUoeG7vuqFThjR7LozChyphenhyphenfPXOMiCy3Hnsd_fhSBsVr3i8E0hgNy_xqxyQtA6FKQMXpX8stWSIGqi4HHnHLf/s400/1963_map_Pasir_Panjang.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Now, the map of the area looks like this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3t9lXnvkScjqwI5TRRz5Qki55wkRW-juaZXajQu4zGWH9bxCBTKs1I5n0-jZ3308-WG0K8u1wJM_ceINyYFu5vX2lca0RgTe8XFoRIJpak76kpi-rrw_aNV6cTgYRfCd5rD-I/s1600/2008_map_Pasir_Panjang.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3t9lXnvkScjqwI5TRRz5Qki55wkRW-juaZXajQu4zGWH9bxCBTKs1I5n0-jZ3308-WG0K8u1wJM_ceINyYFu5vX2lca0RgTe8XFoRIJpak76kpi-rrw_aNV6cTgYRfCd5rD-I/s400/2008_map_Pasir_Panjang.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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About 400 metres of land had been reclaimed and on it stand the Pasir Panjang Wharves.<br />
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<u>Answers to the Quiz</u><br />
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<div style="color: blue;"><i>Q1. Where does this cannon lie?</i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMr3CKzDkYbyBDGbY_R_7Abdc_YolO8UeA7oT1C5_t2ab81fGFVHV5Pi7zM2wBcsVEdHF_7OBSjy2k5lCxCZfvD-2KgKu5P6f5nLRV2FibrkovoL10Nn94FkGmO6lbxDKcg-Tf/s1600/Pasir_Panjang_Park.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMr3CKzDkYbyBDGbY_R_7Abdc_YolO8UeA7oT1C5_t2ab81fGFVHV5Pi7zM2wBcsVEdHF_7OBSjy2k5lCxCZfvD-2KgKu5P6f5nLRV2FibrkovoL10Nn94FkGmO6lbxDKcg-Tf/s400/Pasir_Panjang_Park.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>A1. Pasir Panjang Park - This got to be the one of the smallest, if not the smallest park in Singapore. Its area is probably only slightly larger than an HDB executive flat which is about 140 square metre or 1,500 square feet. This is because a large part of the park has been converted to an open-air carpark. The park is located next to the Pasir Panjang Food Centre. Incidentally, the cannon is located directly in front of the <a href="http://victorkoo.blogspot.com/2010/05/where-is-5-12-ms-pasir-panjang-road.html" target="_blank"><u>old pre-war house</u></a> which I blogged about previously.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2vDpm1CR8_wmnszGSt2ufVkT4rgcSqr0RML4BX6sF1mwcbMmj5cMDMx5mnP2OmwofE62jaOYCOtoJXyn_0_sOVL_GqhxgH0ixreGbFT2QXDsLIBiYQAPbfrOLHYx81ykO1LUn/s1600/prewar+bungalow+pasir+panjang_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2vDpm1CR8_wmnszGSt2ufVkT4rgcSqr0RML4BX6sF1mwcbMmj5cMDMx5mnP2OmwofE62jaOYCOtoJXyn_0_sOVL_GqhxgH0ixreGbFT2QXDsLIBiYQAPbfrOLHYx81ykO1LUn/s400/prewar+bungalow+pasir+panjang_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="color: blue;"><i>Q2. Who presented this cannon?</i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjbaHP1ZIUOI36lxPbgATLVw8zcexS987MKs5TAzJtcuyJ_Z_1o-GNZgABoknWoyOAuIH6WJosLdfF0QJ4EknTs8lQEytwI6GIZ9CIoyhtjuvk0LoIx_hvHMJZUGEdVW-CtiFN/s1600/hjc_kulasingha_obe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjbaHP1ZIUOI36lxPbgATLVw8zcexS987MKs5TAzJtcuyJ_Z_1o-GNZgABoknWoyOAuIH6WJosLdfF0QJ4EknTs8lQEytwI6GIZ9CIoyhtjuvk0LoIx_hvHMJZUGEdVW-CtiFN/s400/hjc_kulasingha_obe.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>A2. The photo of the plaque above says it all. He is HJC Kulasingha, OBE (1900-1982). HJC is not his title but part of his name, i.e. his full name is Hollupatherage James Calbera Kulasingha. OBE is not part of his name but probably stands for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O.B.E." target="_blank"><u>Officer of the Order of the British Empire</u></a>. He contested in Bukit Timah as a Progressive Party candidate in <a href="http://www.singapore-elections.com/leco-1951-ge/bukit-timah.html" target="_blank"><u>1951 Legislative Council General Election</u></a> against Valiya Purayil Abdullah of the Labour Party. He won, garnering 1,311 (57.1%) of the votes against Abdullah's 983 votes (42.9%). He also contested in Southern Islands in the 1955 General Election under the same party as well as in Pasir Panjang in the 1959 General Election as an independent candidate but lost both elections. (Refer to this <a href="http://www.singapore-elections.com/candidates-jk.html" target="_blank"><u>webpage</u></a> for further details. If you explore the website, you will find that people like clerks, hairdressers and newspapermen contested the General Elections in those days. Not quite different from recent times when you have people like the Slipper Man contesting the General Election, am I right? For your information, Kulasingha was a merchant.)<br />
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He was also Chairman of the Pasir Panjang Rural District Committee. In this position, road safety in his district was one of his concerns, as can be seen from this Straits Times article dated 20 Oct 1950, courtesy of the SPH and NLB:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoAOL0XSi8uKgNwHEV1yCzMUN14ixpeYL7-sKos5aNG-kS4I_orUqPCQt0W0stBwGhk9ALx426iyFKAPi0n4537PbvlF1MpkvujiiT4NTwR9UPkt1zdR0tmK5EUS-FzIGVUt5o/s1600/ST_20_Oct_1950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoAOL0XSi8uKgNwHEV1yCzMUN14ixpeYL7-sKos5aNG-kS4I_orUqPCQt0W0stBwGhk9ALx426iyFKAPi0n4537PbvlF1MpkvujiiT4NTwR9UPkt1zdR0tmK5EUS-FzIGVUt5o/s320/ST_20_Oct_1950.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br />
He was also once the <a href="http://yesterday.sg/blog/they_came_lived_talked_and_talked/" target="_blank"><u>Director of the Jurong Bird Park</u></a>.<br />
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<div style="color: blue;"><i>Q3. When was it presented? (Just the year will do.)</i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>1 Feb 1957, or should it be 2 Jan 1957? It says "1.2.1957" on the plaque. Erm... that's why I said "just the year will do". The year is definitely 1957 - I was only less than one year old and probably still breastfeeding.Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339178864363140977noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13303109.post-2310543530443917622010-10-22T02:04:00.002+08:002010-10-22T02:07:55.997+08:00Old Singapore Quiz (19) - Another Old Cannon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhsAxek_cFxLssTZ80Q2wAZ1EcABe8PARFWKyr4_NE2dLg7SEdqqdCZewhoOwzm3FbwvTMKdhazCr7CIoQmZxubnt6X__uiFDf8B6iK0R7nK1xxxpK8KMQmVIrt8_2hjH19TxG/s1600/cannon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhsAxek_cFxLssTZ80Q2wAZ1EcABe8PARFWKyr4_NE2dLg7SEdqqdCZewhoOwzm3FbwvTMKdhazCr7CIoQmZxubnt6X__uiFDf8B6iK0R7nK1xxxpK8KMQmVIrt8_2hjH19TxG/s400/cannon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I stumbled upon another old cannon yesterday. (The other old cannon is <a href="http://victorkoo.blogspot.com/2010/08/old-singapore-quiz-18-old-object_19.html" target="_blank"><u>here</u></a>. Well, sort of.)<br />
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Incidentally, did you know that 車大炮 ("cheh dai pao" in Cantonese or "che da pao" in Mandarin) means <a href="http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/20106684.html?fr=ala0" target="_blank"><u>to lie</u></a>?<br />
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So here are my questions for this quiz:<br />
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1. Where does this cannon lie (pun intended)?<br />
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2. Who presented this cannon?<br />
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3. When was it presented? (Just the year will do.)<br />
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Of course, to prevent eagled-eyed readers like <a href="http://2ndshot.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><u>Icemoon</u></a> from having an unfair advantage, I have painted over the plaque in front of the stand. Not with real paint but digitally with Photoshop.<br />
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Answers will be revealed in a week's time. And they won't be lies, I can assure you.Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339178864363140977noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13303109.post-1494862994541139312010-10-11T01:27:00.001+08:002010-10-11T01:33:05.566+08:00Then And Now (2)I had been very busy lately as I was attending a 2-month part-time course at the Singapore Polytechnic. As this course was sponsored by my office, it was important that I pass it <s>otherwise I don't know where to hide my face</s>. Hence, please accept my sincere apologies for having disappeared for some time.<br />
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To hold the fort for a while, here is another "Then And Now" post. The following photo, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore, shows the junction of Rochor Road and North Bridge Road in 1986:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXOd-SeiFnYZrWynVeRmBPEVSKxQmw64yr6MQKbp4-aymCuK0mkW0X771bhyphenhyphenUhZQMdOPc-z_T-aEsizX0LbPKmOre2iqR0oEdXEG_6bRTFK5gmDjgovSQ5FDg_hVc_T_PsOhQj/s1600/7th_storey_hotel_1986_NAS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXOd-SeiFnYZrWynVeRmBPEVSKxQmw64yr6MQKbp4-aymCuK0mkW0X771bhyphenhyphenUhZQMdOPc-z_T-aEsizX0LbPKmOre2iqR0oEdXEG_6bRTFK5gmDjgovSQ5FDg_hVc_T_PsOhQj/s400/7th_storey_hotel_1986_NAS.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
It shows the 7th Storey hotel which I blogged about <a href="http://victorkoo.blogspot.com/2008/07/another-one-bites-dust.html" target="_blank"><u>here</u></a> and <a href="http://victorkoo.blogspot.com/2010/01/old-singapore-quiz-16-answer-garden.html" target="_blank"><u>here</u></a>. This old hotel was demolished in 2009 to make way for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_MRT_Line" target="_blank"><u>Downtown MRT Line</u></a>. This location was also where the DHL balloon was sited. The <s>bubble was burst</s> balloon was taken down sometime last year too. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9Lmn4qurcjmKdNqLZbfbJBkConjpT33KyUq6IwJ5-UHriqGChsvZKRrC_yzzE7BxHXLB696QUNUxsr0cjXVlcbH8eZoeStFdJ-MUXw-7gNncj70D7VGyEWhlkfC5D5yQoBjw/s1600/DHL_balloon_3_Jun_07_SPA54201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9Lmn4qurcjmKdNqLZbfbJBkConjpT33KyUq6IwJ5-UHriqGChsvZKRrC_yzzE7BxHXLB696QUNUxsr0cjXVlcbH8eZoeStFdJ-MUXw-7gNncj70D7VGyEWhlkfC5D5yQoBjw/s400/DHL_balloon_3_Jun_07_SPA54201.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
The photo below shows how the same junction looked like a few months ago. You can see the ongoing construction work being carried out on the right side of the photo. (I have placed the old photo of the junction directly below the newer one for comparison purpose.)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidlwlXlGvsT4Hg-47ISRq-OwAVxhNuLwEdqf-k0DOoH1eAPftOGbHcLQn7wWahE68tmCElDJHss7yLJFd8jsG_rcNg0tbdQveVrJN4WhH3XhD4NkXVu46Qf0UimOIQmoZ0OmsW/s1600/Rochor+Rd+&+Nth+Bridge+Rd+junction-24+Mar+09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidlwlXlGvsT4Hg-47ISRq-OwAVxhNuLwEdqf-k0DOoH1eAPftOGbHcLQn7wWahE68tmCElDJHss7yLJFd8jsG_rcNg0tbdQveVrJN4WhH3XhD4NkXVu46Qf0UimOIQmoZ0OmsW/s400/Rochor+Rd+&+Nth+Bridge+Rd+junction-24+Mar+09.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDN9x-Erzo8co-O-5Wamwf8stIu2ywX3grHrMQPgACR5Of0rjQi3owKEk5pgbYuvo4G0WHvohKdYJy3L42tTJemFqhSRiwd7wEXIqgv36dLvcWjt8HAiq0__bjK9RXQ0ykBOql/s1600/7th_storey_hotel_1986_NAS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDN9x-Erzo8co-O-5Wamwf8stIu2ywX3grHrMQPgACR5Of0rjQi3owKEk5pgbYuvo4G0WHvohKdYJy3L42tTJemFqhSRiwd7wEXIqgv36dLvcWjt8HAiq0__bjK9RXQ0ykBOql/s400/7th_storey_hotel_1986_NAS.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339178864363140977noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13303109.post-54685693922452380312010-09-19T23:55:00.001+08:002010-09-20T00:38:19.993+08:00Who Were The Soap Stars?Who were the soap stars in the <a href="http://victorkoo.blogspot.com/2010/09/when-skincare-was-piece-of-cake.html" target="_blank"><u>last post</u></a>? Both <a href="http://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><u>Andy</u></a> and <a href="http://frannxis.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><u>Frannxis</u></a> thought that the Chinese star was Li Li Hua (李麗華) while <a href="http://goodmorningyesterday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><u>Chun See</u></a> was not sure.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO2o8E20zc_IYC64vSR2SH7PigGdGs5Yk2nJVdWc80edr8OG9-Php9-zik0buTWPr1GJlx5-DpqdYoyAKqcqx2KnyDyTkrEDlrPZH3kdQxzw5lPMIiz4Mk5a1gIDPdBFyRKtAy/s1600/chinese+lux+girl+1940s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO2o8E20zc_IYC64vSR2SH7PigGdGs5Yk2nJVdWc80edr8OG9-Php9-zik0buTWPr1GJlx5-DpqdYoyAKqcqx2KnyDyTkrEDlrPZH3kdQxzw5lPMIiz4Mk5a1gIDPdBFyRKtAy/s320/chinese+lux+girl+1940s.jpg" width="245" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgentYQieeZ_gxjoDNW3W3YIi0UZ92uCObPALodBBedoRQL5C8cSQZNmlnOb-rIIRDN2OsmSy1Gn_tfeloxZqQx1cr3cYFXLQl4yjIQ59aQai7dNKMpDE-8RDl6D_0I6ZVuop9/s1600/Li+Li+Hua.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgentYQieeZ_gxjoDNW3W3YIi0UZ92uCObPALodBBedoRQL5C8cSQZNmlnOb-rIIRDN2OsmSy1Gn_tfeloxZqQx1cr3cYFXLQl4yjIQ59aQai7dNKMpDE-8RDl6D_0I6ZVuop9/s320/Li+Li+Hua.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
Above photo (right) was reproduced from <a href="http://lilihua.net/" target="_blank"><u>this website</u></a>.<br />
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I think that both Andy and Frannxis are right, although the woman in the left photo seems to have smaller eyes than the one on the right. Hmm... maybe they grew bigger as she matured? <s>The eyes, I mean</s>.<br />
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Nobody made any guesses for the Hollywood actress though. I believe that for the cinema-goers in Singapore at that time, Chinese films were more popular than English films and hence we are more familiar with Chinese actresses. I know it is not a fair comparison as Li Li Hua was born in 1924 while the Hollywood actress was born some 32 years earlier in 1892. But still, not many people in Singapore then were educated enough in the English language to appreciate Hollywood films.<br />
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I think the Hollywood actress is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Chatterton" target="_blank"><u>Ruth Chatterton</u></a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULqWeLJ4I5Nn__9gcc_o7COQyJMQ5IgWug0uexrlgbutYJJhsW8hqb23P47zrDVerRFffE9VG5ip5jtHmE2hte2Z-xyCRK8oL7n6cEPhNQ6hfaNZHAtM1LSNguluYT-Egs9Pm/s1600/Ruth+Chatterton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULqWeLJ4I5Nn__9gcc_o7COQyJMQ5IgWug0uexrlgbutYJJhsW8hqb23P47zrDVerRFffE9VG5ip5jtHmE2hte2Z-xyCRK8oL7n6cEPhNQ6hfaNZHAtM1LSNguluYT-Egs9Pm/s320/Ruth+Chatterton.jpg" width="252" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMDBQtvNt1ISF_yTKF0A1EopGkyBgtpR9Tv1E5YANsaxHmbah8cAaAgb9aYw4InxiZYrHXDTlNdyC_gLOJsdR0bVBs6pVyZMeJ47EF9nczl1SSEA28cGWpBOOZYHuvCN3W6YS/s1600/Lux_soap_girl_SKM_25_May_1932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMDBQtvNt1ISF_yTKF0A1EopGkyBgtpR9Tv1E5YANsaxHmbah8cAaAgb9aYw4InxiZYrHXDTlNdyC_gLOJsdR0bVBs6pVyZMeJ47EF9nczl1SSEA28cGWpBOOZYHuvCN3W6YS/s320/Lux_soap_girl_SKM_25_May_1932.jpg" width="201" /></a></div><br />
Above photo (right) was reproduced from <a href="http://www.tyrone-power.com/actresses_beforestardom.html" target="_blank"><u>this website</u></a>.Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339178864363140977noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13303109.post-66857767605420737962010-09-10T01:49:00.001+08:002010-09-10T01:56:08.157+08:00When Skincare Was A Piece Of Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmL0jIDgzjeivTaOPbLI_6ZO_7FQEQJjiLkS8FCqi1cP5dUWOQtyMbdC4tvNfuu8Qm6gQHkwLFfb9aDuGHCm1EQ9hIVpJ6_a6eitTAuxkZ1s-Aqg21mxeEoeLfxJQqCVJaf25I/s1600/lux_DSCN1266.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmL0jIDgzjeivTaOPbLI_6ZO_7FQEQJjiLkS8FCqi1cP5dUWOQtyMbdC4tvNfuu8Qm6gQHkwLFfb9aDuGHCm1EQ9hIVpJ6_a6eitTAuxkZ1s-Aqg21mxeEoeLfxJQqCVJaf25I/s400/lux_DSCN1266.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgif-wTMf_RlAcsshykii37at_t_S5m32bFtm5lDizzjd1DBhwKFSW81IDf8SCzmzeJISxk8BTLHDIs0U6cFNFHkuIJnAy_6l70Zhp7Fypbu5y7P8LAazgk820Wj-VdBhLpoWgs/s1600/lux_DSCN1267.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgif-wTMf_RlAcsshykii37at_t_S5m32bFtm5lDizzjd1DBhwKFSW81IDf8SCzmzeJISxk8BTLHDIs0U6cFNFHkuIJnAy_6l70Zhp7Fypbu5y7P8LAazgk820Wj-VdBhLpoWgs/s400/lux_DSCN1267.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Skin care in the old days was a piece of cake, or rather, a cake of soap. More specifically, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lux_%28soap%29" target="_blank"><u>Lux soap</u></a>. Things were simple then. No need for such things as cleansers, toners, moisturisers, anti-wrinkle and whitening creams, etc.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4cnx7OKjxtKYEV2jRTvSkdslhojCEYJkIv0au1eJ_z69d-nln2w-WQjUlOXZukz0gI48S9Tc09y51woBcQeR_fQ_WkPZE5FdZkDYMAiY6BNXww1ijeyx5zPe3FskDqRNM95Fi/s1600/Ginger_Rogers_Argentinean_Magazine_AD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4cnx7OKjxtKYEV2jRTvSkdslhojCEYJkIv0au1eJ_z69d-nln2w-WQjUlOXZukz0gI48S9Tc09y51woBcQeR_fQ_WkPZE5FdZkDYMAiY6BNXww1ijeyx5zPe3FskDqRNM95Fi/s400/Ginger_Rogers_Argentinean_Magazine_AD.jpg" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo taken from Wikipedia</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Lux soap was endorsed by popular Hollywood and Bollywood actresses of the era. Below is a Lux soap advertisement in a local Chinese newspaper dated 25 May 1932:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0L9eluVwbqdf1a7SdyzVnEHo9EXmc7azEKh6vxffJSDpp_meRA3evEbBRmruQ3EeHDMpM81P4w2nnQSNa9ofqfgJsuJWCjFABh_7SFWTg1aVlXF9c1LVLFftHSNhCnLYpzGZp/s1600/Lux_soap_girl_SKM_25_May_1932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0L9eluVwbqdf1a7SdyzVnEHo9EXmc7azEKh6vxffJSDpp_meRA3evEbBRmruQ3EeHDMpM81P4w2nnQSNa9ofqfgJsuJWCjFABh_7SFWTg1aVlXF9c1LVLFftHSNhCnLYpzGZp/s400/Lux_soap_girl_SKM_25_May_1932.jpg" width="253" /></a></div><br />
Do you know who is the actress in the above photo? Here's a clue: the Chinese characters in the advertisement say 路斯傑特登 or Lu Si Jie Te Deng. (The answer will be reviewed in a week's time.)<br />
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Not only did Hollywood and Bollywood actresses grace advertisements for Lux, even Chinese actresses did the same:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJygs4021PvWzprGxaHGTliBBsHGZ5J4u-HKSfjetaNLcPSR9bpi0TUNPLZ7HtQsXUPpc4SnXNRgWErUbZQDdSCmb9tf96VNA7bTKu-dcJEnTWYQKzUSIEG5rImWxXn8zkqau4/s1600/chinese+lux+girl+1940s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJygs4021PvWzprGxaHGTliBBsHGZ5J4u-HKSfjetaNLcPSR9bpi0TUNPLZ7HtQsXUPpc4SnXNRgWErUbZQDdSCmb9tf96VNA7bTKu-dcJEnTWYQKzUSIEG5rImWxXn8zkqau4/s320/chinese+lux+girl+1940s.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="color: blue;"><i>The above illustration is taken from the book "Vintage Singapore - Souvenirs From The Recent Past". It is a paper poster advertisement from the 1940s, commonly hung on the walls of coffeeshops then. (I don't know who is the actress in the above photo. Do you?)</i></div><br />
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</tbody></table><br />
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Just like snake oil which could cure multiple ailments, most people in those days washed their hair with just soap and not shampoo. The whole family would share the same piece of soap. So if you found hair stuck onto the soap, you would know that the one who used it before you had washed his/her hair.<br />
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The humble piece of soap had so many uses that you could even use it to wash your underwear!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwD2JDLWpIvHB-Ydg2qgC2NqqHFRIn0HegE_DrFrheW_Ftn5NHG8kpa27acDboOP5Fh-_u1Fii-wqqP3jAVovkh5Kk4y5CrLacHB4uMPptXEV7JmQeCV52p2GGXI4s2YVvuImi/s1600/Lux_ad_1916.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwD2JDLWpIvHB-Ydg2qgC2NqqHFRIn0HegE_DrFrheW_Ftn5NHG8kpa27acDboOP5Fh-_u1Fii-wqqP3jAVovkh5Kk4y5CrLacHB4uMPptXEV7JmQeCV52p2GGXI4s2YVvuImi/s400/Lux_ad_1916.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: blue;">Photo taken from Wikipedia</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>And it is cheap - only 10 cents. However, for washing of clothes, most households used another type of soap which was even cheaper in order to save money. One such popular brand then was Labour soap. But still, I believe that people in those days didn't have so much dirty laundry to wash <s>especially in public</s>.<br />
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I heard that some poor families even used Labour soap for their baths to save money! It would certainly be cleaner than if they had used just water.<br />
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You can see a neon sign advertising Labour soap in the photo below.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5FryuDLodG47y7h-CTmDQ2czCgp3QO2SejBfiRDZk_B18lRN4AOCx5ISpF_JMv9xOcIB4Qp8hUEQUzHzRrGxedBU1Nfkyw55Pm76EQpTg2zowJvgWbllUqrIhXGBbjlpliL_l/s1600/neon_sign_for_labour_soap_1962.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5FryuDLodG47y7h-CTmDQ2czCgp3QO2SejBfiRDZk_B18lRN4AOCx5ISpF_JMv9xOcIB4Qp8hUEQUzHzRrGxedBU1Nfkyw55Pm76EQpTg2zowJvgWbllUqrIhXGBbjlpliL_l/s400/neon_sign_for_labour_soap_1962.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="color: blue;"><i>Photo courtesy of NAS showing New Bridge Road, Singapore. Circa 1962. (You could see Majestic Theatre in the background.)</i></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>The neon sign was animated which was no mean feat considering that moving images did not arrive in Singapore until the next year via black-and-white TV. And our lives changed forever after that.<br />
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The jerky 3-step animation showed the man's arm swinging downwards to hit the <s>soap</s> object with the mallet. As a kid when I first saw the neon sign, I could not help but wondered if the Labour soap was made that way, i.e. by hitting it with a mallet. Of course, now I know that the sign was misleading, like most advertisements.<br />
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For those of you who don't know how a bar of Labour soap looked like, let me try to describe it to you. It was about a foot long, i.e. about 30 cm, if you are more used to metric measurements. Its cross section was a 2-inch or 5-cm square. The opaque soap was yellow in colour and was wrapped in waxy paper of a colour which I don't quite recall but I think was blue. The long bar of soap would be cut up into smaller, more manageable pieces like these:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVXPUDKcv8qGbd8aEZow_Lj8KX6R1lSyEoLHWryIrUyhifb0BmaOz1XvAX4csBVAnUf6h6iU7Q6bZMpjCN8RGyKXpUgdd6dPyXOTT3XEXhq7dXBibpSmwX_lK27Dub9_PzVJZ/s1600/labour+soap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVXPUDKcv8qGbd8aEZow_Lj8KX6R1lSyEoLHWryIrUyhifb0BmaOz1XvAX4csBVAnUf6h6iU7Q6bZMpjCN8RGyKXpUgdd6dPyXOTT3XEXhq7dXBibpSmwX_lK27Dub9_PzVJZ/s400/labour+soap.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
However, you won't get so many pieces from just a single bar but maybe three or four.<br />
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To end this post, here is a song titled "A Little Bit of Soap", a hit song by the Jarmels which reached Number 12 on the US charts in 1961:<br />
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<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/R6JOgslsHDc?fs=1&hl=en_GB"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/R6JOgslsHDc?fs=1&hl=en_GB" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339178864363140977noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13303109.post-20435992675242184152010-08-30T01:47:00.000+08:002010-08-30T01:47:46.505+08:00Then And Now (1)I am starting a new series called "Then And Now". Wherever possible, I will try to attempt "second shots", although I know mine will never be as precise as those captured by <a href="http://2ndshot.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><u>Icemoon</u></a>.<br />
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To start off this series, what could be more meaningful than to show you what my <a href="http://victorkoo.blogspot.com/2005/11/vanishing-scenes-of-singapore-part-6.html" target="_blank"><u>secondary school</u></a> used to look like and how it looks like today:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ0IO7qE8rd-wFu1gAw0aiwvH-L586vM-PlLvQo0-HADPhvoyxkbbRWfKVn9REaZkgitWUsh5xCS6UdWmU5XOCORqQKIfs3UypjEvf030epJ1uxpIKzLGYslFQDBsbIy-CYwSG/s1600/Victoria+School+-+Before+%26+After.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ0IO7qE8rd-wFu1gAw0aiwvH-L586vM-PlLvQo0-HADPhvoyxkbbRWfKVn9REaZkgitWUsh5xCS6UdWmU5XOCORqQKIfs3UypjEvf030epJ1uxpIKzLGYslFQDBsbIy-CYwSG/s400/Victoria+School+-+Before+%26+After.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><br />
Today, the old Victoria School building is occupied by People's Association HQ. The newer science block behind the main block was demolished to make way for a new tall block that you see now. Somehow, I find that the new building does not blend well with the old facade of the building. But still, I am very grateful that the old building, which dates back to the 1930s, has been conserved.<br />
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By the way, did you know that the old building was designed by the same architect who designed the old Kallang Airport building which by some strange coincidence, was the old PA HQ? Do you know who is he? (Note: This is not a quiz because I don't know the answer myself.)<br />
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To round off this post, I would like to show you a panaromic view of the Jalan Besar area as seen from the same spot. You could see Jalan Besar Stadium on the right. (Click on the photo to get a clearer view.)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEVBYVLqR_z_FuTr3awdSQmq8Ls9F4nWj1-IDRCChP6nlFQGtZ7EEd6aqZcD6DmwHxCCbUtBZtadADb74-X3uJ0wSPQwCPX07vh1iipMQi613NxEOiCvnT8sjJWX2cnkYB8Ki5/s1600/panaroma_victoria_school-960.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="81" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEVBYVLqR_z_FuTr3awdSQmq8Ls9F4nWj1-IDRCChP6nlFQGtZ7EEd6aqZcD6DmwHxCCbUtBZtadADb74-X3uJ0wSPQwCPX07vh1iipMQi613NxEOiCvnT8sjJWX2cnkYB8Ki5/s400/panaroma_victoria_school-960.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Oh my, how lucky the residents of this HDB block are - they could watch every football game held at the stadium from their homes!Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339178864363140977noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13303109.post-86200671056035848522010-08-19T23:46:00.030+08:002010-08-20T01:02:15.917+08:00Old Singapore Quiz (18) - Old Object - Answers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfpK-eVJKhKBw2Mk0n-D8azBzjPOZodVyTeiTe-Yw-dzUYzsc-mEXu2jo2zmoYGeKCh7ljeZp4XP-6JhftAO1I8UetOxbMN4YjQ_QzrNEjyDArkGpaRUekiffq1fm9NOWzQG4-/s1600/Old+Singapore+Quiz+18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfpK-eVJKhKBw2Mk0n-D8azBzjPOZodVyTeiTe-Yw-dzUYzsc-mEXu2jo2zmoYGeKCh7ljeZp4XP-6JhftAO1I8UetOxbMN4YjQ_QzrNEjyDArkGpaRUekiffq1fm9NOWzQG4-/s400/Old+Singapore+Quiz+18.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Okay, here are the answers for "Old Singapore Quiz (18) - Old Object". Thanks to Tom for his <a href="http://victorkoo.blogspot.com/2010/08/old-singapore-quiz-18-old-object.html?showComment=1282210547821#c5620946055709045239" target="_blank"><u>timely reminder</u></a>. <s>Wah, stressed man!</s><br />
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<a href="http://2ndshot.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><u>Icemoon</u></a> obviously knew the answers as he was at this location recently to take photos for <a href="http://2ndshot.blogspot.com/2010/07/2nd-shot-old-man-and-old-mayfair-hotel.html" target="_blank"><u>this post</u></a>. But he was such a gentleman that he did not give the game away.<br />
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<a href="http://ivyidaong4.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><u>YG</u></a> not only didn't know the answer but misread the quiz as he asked "Why close the quiz?" the very next day when all I said was that Icemoon was interested in war relics.<br />
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<a _blank="" href="http://goodmorningyesterday.blogspot.com/%20target="><u>Chun See</u></a> was the first to guess the object correctly, followed by Tom, Anonymous (No. 2 on 15 Aug 10) and finally Peter Stubbs. But no one gave the correct answer for Question no. 2, i.e. "Where is this object located? (Provide the name of the building or the road name)".<br />
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Yes, the object is a weapon. More specifically, it is a mortar.<br />
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This plaque near the object says, "This mortar, probably a World War II relic used by the British, was found during excavation for the Annex Wing of this building. (Conservation and installation funded by Singa Development Pte Ltd)".<br />
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And the building in question is none other than the Peranakan Museum which is located in Armenian Street. The mortar is situated on the left side of the above photo. It is the side of the building which is facing the public open-air carpark.<br />
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Tao Nan School occupied this building from 1910 to 1981 when it moved to Marine Crescent. (Both my sons studied in the new Tao Nan School in Marine Crescent).Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339178864363140977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13303109.post-68273932196939650882010-08-15T23:53:00.004+08:002010-08-16T01:20:09.787+08:00Closure Of Museum Of Shanghai Toys (MoST)I was surprised to read this article in the Sunday Times today:<br />
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The Museum of Shanghai Toys (MoST) had closed down with effect from Jun 10. Marvin Chan, the owner and director of the museum attributed the reason for its closure to "the low number of visitors and high operating cost". He planned to move the entire toy collection to Shanghai where he co-owned a toy-making factory. <br />
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It is indeed a sad thing that a museum had to close because of lack of support from the state or from the public. Now isn't it ironical that a museum which is set up to document history have to go down history itself? <br />
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I remember meeting Marvin at a Friends of <a href="http://yesterday.sg/">Yesterday.sg</a> meet at <a href="http://www.goodmorningyesterday.blogspot.com/">Chun See</a>'s place some 2 years ago. As he was busy using his notebook, it is a pity that I didn't manage to speak to him then. I did go into the museum once but only to the section on the ground floor where admission was free. I regret not visiting the upper floors to explore Marvin's collection. Now I don't have the chance to do so anymore.<br />
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:-(Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339178864363140977noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13303109.post-59433713262230776932010-08-12T01:11:00.000+08:002010-08-12T01:11:44.866+08:00Old Singapore Quiz (18) - Old ObjectSorry for not having written for some time as I have been quite busy lately. Meanwhile, here's an old Singapore quiz which I hope can buy me some time.<br />
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Q1. What is this old object? Is it:<br />
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a. A telescope? (State the bodies it is used for looking at, i.e. heavenly or neighbourly.)<br />
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b. A weapon? (Name the specific type, e.g. gun, cannon, mortar, rocket, etc. "One that hurts or kills" DOES NOT count as a correct answer.)<br />
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c. An adult sex toy? (Specify whether for men or women and describe how it is used, with measured decency. Hey, there are children readers of my blog, okay?)<br />
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d. A vehicle part? (What is the name of the part?)<br />
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e. A torture device? (What kind of torture does it inflict? Note: Racking your brain over this quiz DOES NOT count as a correct answer.) <br />
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f. A measuring device? (What does it measure?)<br />
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g. None of the above. (If you choose this answer, you must name the specific object and its use.)<br />
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Q2. Where is this object located? (Provide the name of the building or the road name.)<br />
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Answers will be revealed in a week's time. Have fun guessing!Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339178864363140977noreply@blogger.com14