Mooncake Festival

My family celebrated the Mooncake Festival yesterday at my son's house. We carried a lantern each to walk around the housing estate. After that we ate mooncakes together.

I remember the traditional mooncakes were packed into a cardboard box of 4 mooncakes. The popular ones were usually from the hotels especially the well known Empress Hotel. Over the years, the mooncakes started to change colours such as green (pandan), purple (yam) orange, white and so on. But the contents inside the mooncakes remained the same with one or two egg yolks or just bean paste. Now the mooncake boxes have new designs like a lady's fashions. I was amazed to see the different mooncake containers displayed on the table (see pictures below).

The Straits Times dated 22 Sept 2010 had an article about the mooncake festival in China. The mooncake fancy boxes not only contained mooncakes but also gold bars, designer watches, fine wine and gold statuette packed next to the mooncakes. In Singapore we now have fancy mooncake boxes too. But with our present government I am assured that what valuable gifts inside China mooncake fancy boxes will not be followed here.


Fancy mooncake box designed to look like a lady's handbag

Hexagon trays

Drawers box

The empty mooncake trays and drawers can be used to keep cosmetic and jewelleries


Closer to traditional mooncake boxes

Birth To Death

All Singapore citizens here are ducomented from birth to death. We know that but never give it a thought. Many of my personal documents can be considered archives. They are shown below. I was born at the Kandang Kerbau Maternity Hospital and my birth was registered there with my name. Some parents had not decided on the baby's name upon registration. So the baby's name was left blank in the duplicate copy of Registration of Birth.

Duplicate copy of Registration of Birth

My Birth Certificate

The Registrar of Birth & Death stopped issuing the duplicate copy of Registration of Birth after Singapore's Independence in 1965. Before WWII and soon after the war, a baby born in Singapore was issued a Vaccination Notice. Failure to comply faced a penalty of $10/-. It means a lot of money then. An infant who had been successfully vaccinated was given a certificate. All 3 documents are shown below.

Vaccination Notice


Infant Welfare Appointment Card

Vaccination Certificate

Primary school report card

Primary school leaving certificate

Secondary school report card

Secondary school leaving certificate
In school I was given a report card. There were 3 terms per year. All the school examination results were recorded in it. After finishing primary education, I was given a school leaving certificate. Similarly for secondary school I had a report card and after secondary 4, a school leaving certificate. During my time only those who passed the Cambridge Examinations would see their names published in the Straits Times with either Grade 1, 2 or 3 printed besides their names.

1954 Cambridge Examination results

Royal Society of Health Diploma

Standard I certificate

To upgrade myself I took many courses as shown in the above certificates. The documents not shown here are my Identity Card, Driving Licence, Marriage Certificate, International Passport, membership cards etc. I am sure others have more than what I possess. And finally the certificate which I shall not be able to see is similar to the one shown below.

Conclusion: we are documented from the time we are born to say that we have arrived. Then, there is the document to say that we have been through the various vaccination and inoculation to give us antibodies and immune system.

There are also documents to show the level of our faculty to fit us the the jobs.
The final document that ends our lives story here is not visible to the living.

Cattle Sheds

In my growing up years I came across three cattle sheds. All cattle shed then was just a shed without pen and the animals were on the loose. The ground had cow dung everywhere and was smelly. Walking pass the cattle shed need some skill to avoid stepping onto the animals’ wastes. On a rainy day the ground was wet and soggy.

              

A cattle shed

I came across the first cattle shed at Changi between Chai Chee Village and my grandpa’s rubber estate where we live during the Japanese invasion of Singapore. My parents continued to live there after the war. Each time I visited them I had to negotiate my way through the cattle shed as the pathway was full of cow dung. Very often I stepped onto the dung. Walking near the cattle could be quite frightening for a small kid as the animals were roaming freely and dislike anyone walking close to them.

                           This cow dislikes the lady looking at her

My second encounter with a cattle shed was during school days at Lorong J Telok Kurau where my school was located. Fortunately the cattle shed was sited further in the lorong and I need not passed by it on the way to school.

My last encounter was a cattle shed at Potong Pasir when I was working as a Health Inspector. I visited the cattle shed on official business, that was to serve summons to the vendors for selling adulterated fresh cow milk. The cattle shed was dirty and smelly. There was no place to sit.
I tried to get out of the place as soon as possible but it took some time to find the milk vendor to hand him the summons.

Adulteration of fresh milk

Some of the milk vendors were cattle owners themselves. After getting the fresh milk they went to a public standpipe to add water to the milk and pour them into bottles for sale. We knew their modusoperandi and laid an ambush down the road very early in the morning.

All milk vendors rode bicycles. Their bottled milk were kept in pockets of a canvas saddle bag hung on the bicycle cross bar. As each vendor approached us, we showed up, stopped him and identify ourselves. I bought a bottle of fresh milk from him and informed him that a sample of the milk would be send to the lab to check for adulteration.  I divided the milk content in the bottle in 3 equal parts into 3 smaller bottles. The cap of each bottle was sealed with sealing wax and a department chop over it. I took down his personal particulars in case I needed to summons him. One part of the milk was given to the vendor. One part was sent to the  lab to check for adulteration. I kept one part in the office. When the lab result showed the milk was adulterated, the vendor could contest by sending his part of the milk to a private lab for checking. The offenders usually pleaded guilty.

Tiger Balm Garden

Haw Par Villa (虎豹別墅 Hǔ Bào Biéshù) is Singapore's theme park at Pasir Panjang Road. It has more than a thousand statues showing scenes of Chinese mythology and Confucius teachings.

Haw Par Villa's original name was Tiger Balm Gardens, built in 1937 by 2 Chinese brothers Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par. 

In 1988 the park was handed over to Singapore Tourist Promotion Board. It was renamed Haw Par Villa Dragon World and a fee was charged for each entry. The park's present name is Haw Par Villa and admission is free.

Shirley Ee Jia Xin

Hello everyone, my name is Shirley and I'm with the Singapore Tourism Board. Here's a preview of the Haw Par Villa tour for Reliving HPV, conducted by Jeya from Journeys! Because you are Belinda Tan's kakis, extending my invitation for you to come for a special preview at 9.30 am, 16th March? 

(above invitation is quoted from Facebook)

I signed up for the 16th March tour but I went to Haw Par Villa on  9 March 2014 which was a week earlier. I waited and waited for more than half an hour and nobody showed up. Then I realised my mistake. Anyway, my visit was not wasted. I took photos and reminisce the past as I past each gallery.

Fast rewind: In 1951 I took a friend from Malacca to Haw Par Villa, a place full of Chinese myth. I was so proud to show him our places of interest. Furthermore, he was able relate with the mythical Chinese story depicted by the various statues lining up on the side of the footway. Each group of statues had a story to unfold. For Madam White Snake, it is about filial peity. It's 'unity' for  Xuan Zang and his three disciples – Monkey God, Pigsy and Sand Monk.

As we were walking up the slope towards the arch, suddenly I heard voices from our group "take picture here" pointing to the arch. The group picture at the arch is now very precious to me as it holds fond memory of 6 decades.

                                         Haw Par Villa Gateway 1951

We took more pictures along the way. I remember the statues with the mythical story of "Journey To The West". The spider demons transformed  themselves into beautiful women, was tempting the monk Xuan Zang . At that time the female statues were naked.  Now they are all dressed up. Another scene showed the mermaids sunbathing in the pond. Fishes with eyes wide open were feasting on their naked body. The mermaids are now above ground sunbathing in peace without the fish staring at them.

                                  Fish with large eyes looking at the mermaids

My last fond memory of the villa was the statues of naked women together having a bath. They are still there but no longer naked.

                              Nude women with different poses

Above 3 photos were taken in 1951. Photos below were taken during my visit 
on 9 Mar 2014.

Compare the difference between the 3 black and white photos with the 3 coloured ones.
Look at the English words written on the arch. In 1951 the words were 'Tiger Balm  Garden'. Now it is Haw Par Villa. As for the Chinese characters, there were five characters before but now it has only four characters Hu Bao Bieshu. The mermaids in the pool had moved and are now above ground without the fish staring at them. The women bathing together were naked then. Now there are covered.

                                     Mermaids sunbathing

                                   Yellow Culture made them dressed up


Normally I am not free on a Sunday and therefore unlikely to go there next week. I shall miss the opportunity to meet Belinda and her kakis. See you some other time Belinda!

Christmas at Raffles Square

Above is Robinsons Departmental Store advertisement. Santa Claus is coming to town (Robinsons Store). He will meet and greet children of all ages. It is the seasons for toys. At Orchard there is light up at night for the festive seasons. Many adults especially the senior citizens in organised groups went to town to feast their eyes on the light up and street decorations.

Fast backwards about 45 years ago, there was no light up at Orchard Road. The largest departmental stores Robinsons and John Little were at Raffles Place and the small ones like Metro was at High Street. The attraction for children then was at Raffles Place. Children went there to see Santa Claus riding a reindeer sledge loaded with gifts. (see photos below). Those who visited the two departmental stores were mostly 'ang moh' and the upper class Singaporeans. The toys were made in Europe or US. and were expensive. Furthermore, there were not many Christians then. Today, Christians as well as non Christians celebrate Christmas.

In 1968 I took my two eldest children to Raffles Place to see Santa Claus riding a reindeer sledge. My kids like to touch and run around the exhibits. They also went into the sledge and sat besides Santa Claus. I took the opportunity to snap a few photos. They are good for the Singapore Memory Project.

                                         Background building is John Little

Christmas is just around the corner and every year my family celebrates the festive seasons. It is also a family gathering for us. We have a Santa Claus giving out lots of present to the kids and adults at every Christmas. We shall sing Christmas carols to be followed by a sumptuous dinner. Below are some of the photos video clips taken last Christmas.

singing Christmas carols

 

                                                                       presents for all

our maids having fun 

cheers! 

Singapore Airshow Aat Paya Lebar Airport

The above article about Singapore Airshow to showcase aviation’s best reminds me of Singapore’s first Airshow at Paya Lebar Airport which was a humble beginning. I browsed through Singapore Airshow websites as well as Paya Lebar Airport websites  for more informations on Singapore’s first Airshow at Paya Lebar Airport but there was nothing.

I remembered visiting an Airshow at Paya Lebar Airport with my colleagues in the early 1960s. We worked on grave yard shift and went to the airshow after lunch on a week day. It was a bright and sunny day. There was no crowd although admission was free. Air travel was costly then. Therefore people had no interest in the airshow. Furthermore, it was a working day.

The planes exhibited were mostly commercial planes from airlines of different countries. Fokker Friendship a turboprop airliner built by Dutch aircraft manufacturer was one of the main attraction. I was told that Singapore Airline had purchased some for its fleet. British made plane Commet was at the show. Australia Qantas Airways was there too.

We took some black and white pictures as Kodak coloured films was expensive. Processing the film and printing coloured photos in Australia only added to the cost.

 Pose beside a British fighter plane