Friday, November 20, 2009

Iconic view from the old general post office building...


On a lazy afternoon in early september, 2009.  I was with a few classmates who were guided to the rooftop of the now fullerton hotel... who in its colonial and post independant days; was the GPO building, alias the General Post Office Building.

Those were the old days when computers and handphone are not the available choice of communications. It is by postal mails and telexes which relates one to another from different lands as well as within the country.  So, the GPO is kind of a nerve centre of communciations when people strolled in and out to check their mails... by collecting or sending out physical envelopes and documents and parcels...


Then, as technology grows, and town planning evolves... Places can be swopped for its functions. GPO's function is now located at SingPost Centre in outskirt Eunos district which still handle physical mails. People did not have to galvanised solely there to communicate as the use of those wireless mobile phone and pc do away alots of the pen and paper letter writing stuff... although there are strong interest groups that still writes and request for stamps pasted envelopes for hobby sake.


The GPO place had been refurbished as a 6 star hotel called the Fullerton hotel.  It would be a disgrace to tear down this majestic marblelite building builded by indian convicts in the early 1930's. So, a local investor, Mr Ng Teng Fong bought and use this building as a hotel.

The iconic sea view buildings are around this rooftop view which they called it the lighthouse.  On the left, we started with the Raffles City cluster, the tallest hotel building in singapore, completed in 1986, then also known as Raffles Sogo..;  Next, you have the Suntec convention cluster owned by lee kah shing of hongkong, completed in the mid 1990's...  Fronting it is the Esplanade House, completed in early 2000,... wonder why the government consent it to be nicknamed the durian... just because the media precited it as such...;  The last and much heralded Sand Intergrated Resort with 3 main tower bridging by a sky garden will be ready by 2010.
So, will another 10 years pass by and if chance permit, I hope to take the same angle shots from this place again and see what GPO see since 1930 till 2020...:)   

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Singapore river view



These view of the city scape by the singapore river were what many staffs working in the high rise building along her bank enjoyed on a daily basis. For those who chanced to be up there for a spree, such view are exhilarating...
So, let us share it here for record sake.



Friday, August 14, 2009

Al Fatimah mosque at beach road

This is Fatimah mosque located along beach road, having a reputation that its pinacle was tilted due to soil errosion at its foundation. It was also dedicated to an arab pious woman of her day. Take note of the 4 and more smaller shaped dome that lined the wall... a style one find in arabic palaces.


Sunday, August 9, 2009

Tekka, the little india town in singapore

An surviving trade in tekka is the frame shop as indian family installed pictures of their dieties in their home... beside brass statutes. It is always a colorful sights to behold the indian cultures... another examples are their indian temples which are adorned with colorful figurines of their beliefs.





Amazing leaves that took up the sizes of a tree... branches are not required here as these leaves fanned themselves around the tree.






A buddhist temple located in tekka, another sign that intergration of races are rooting in various corners in this city.





This is the residence of a successful chinese businessman who had made his fortune in the indian community at tekka. He was able to gain their trust and make a living among them.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

The origin in Chinese Indian relationship




This is the house of a chinese successful textile merchant who built his fortune in little india (tekka).

Not many chinese were like him who can penetrate and be accepted by the indian community then... so it was sign of how racial harmony have taken roots throught the action of such early pioneer.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Ceylon road conserved church building


The morning sun help to sharply define the lines and angles of which this conserved church building was framed for. It is along Ceylon road and serves the area habitants in early days.
Notice the angled corner at the steeple watch tower. Details to such architectural twist is what gives such building a character of its own.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Our mediavel tower


A mosque found under the hilly region of telok blangah... doesn't it look like a mediavel tower in the french county?

Friday, July 31, 2009

What we can see at our beaches.

These swaying coconut trees seem to grow on a hillock... but there were not. Just over the horizon where the couple walketh... were the beach that embraces the gentle waves from the south china sea. This is none other than East Coast Park... in which i took these low angle shot upward from the tent that I pitched there for the weekend. It is another leisure image if we care to capture it.













The 2 pictures below are beach scenes along the North-eastern coast of Singapore Island. We tend to pass them off as we do not see it from a first time visitor's perspective... like me, who was there the first time in July 2009. It was already half past six in the evening and the strong setting sun still brighten up the place. I like the lone man fishing by the shore with strong backlighting of the tree by the water edge.


Sunday, July 19, 2009

The last days of National Stadium-circa. 2009

Take a stroll into the stadium to rekindle the memories of what this place hold for you. It will be there no more when it is torn down and another structure bore her name along....