The Republican Post asks Singaporeans for their fondest memories of the neighbourhoods they used to frequent. See if you also identify with these places.
BEAUTY WORLD“I‘ve been coming here weekly after hiking for about 20 years. I stopped for a few years as I was studying overseas but I am now back. When I was in secondary school, I would come here often to rent my favourite comics connection, eat food then go home. There was this famous store back then, at the basement. It had all kinds of books and comics. Now, I usually come for the food – mutton soup, soy sauce chicken, satay bee hoon, mee hoon kuey, all of them taste great.” Charlie Chan, 37, Electrical Engineer
144 UPPER BUKIT TIMAH ROAD BEAUTY WORLD BOOK CENTRE #03-08“I cannot leave this place. Many of my friends have closed their book- stores. You can hardly find this kind of bookstore now. Back then, there was no shopping centre here. In 1968 when we started, just across the Beauty World MRT station now. It was all zinc houses. After, that we moved here in 1983. Books are my passion but I wanted to give up. My customers told me not to. At least the rent is cheap. The space used to be bigger. It is smaller but there are lots of memories here. All my life, I am here. The small children back then are now grandparents. They bring their grandchildren here to read and buy books. It is nice to see.”
Chan Kuan Poh, 67, Bookseller
OLD AIRPORT ROAD“I remember coming here a lot when I was younger. It was a lot different back then. I usually come here with my family to eat breakfast. Even though it was early in the morning, most shops were already open. The best part of my trips here, or shall I say the reason why I loved coming here back then was for the chocolates. Van Houten Chocolates. It was hard to find back then. The chocolates were packed in cans back then and not the usual plastic packaging you find in NTUC now. Now that I’m a mother, I used to bring my children here often so that they can create good memories too. Times change, the place changes as well. Some shops that used to be here are now gone and replaced by new shops but it will still be a special place for me.”
May Lim, 47, Customer Service Agent
ROCHOR CENTRE/ SUNGEI ROAD“Sungei Road in the past was quite smelly and dirty. And the shops are not like HDB shops these days. It was made out of wood and zinc – what they called kampong shops. There were so many things to see, I used to come with my brother – there was an ice factory, lots of second hand items, electrical items, antiques. They had everything. Cobblers too, they formed one line along the road. Looking at how wires were hand wired and tin boxes were handmade were some of my favourite memories. The funny thing about Sungei Road is that people used to bargain even though it is already very cheap. The thieves market is already gone. Now the HDB flats will go too. All these can only be memories now.”
Chandra Sagar, 60, Technician
GOLDEN LANDMARK“I come here to shop for clothes most of the time. I started coming here more of- ten when I found out about the shops here. Arabic garments and apparels were not that famous in Singapore until recently. Before then, I usually come here to shop because I was interested in Arabic apparels. With more visits, I find new discoveries. There’s this shop that sells really cool books. It has a unique exte- rior, design and content. It might not look like so, but some shops here really do cater well to youths.”
Muhammad Hafiyyan Bin Abd Rasid, 18, Student ITE College West
