Category Archives: Nostalgic

A Dragon Quest – Searching for Singapore’s Lost Dragon Playgrounds

When former Housing Development Board (HDB) interior designer Khor Ean Ghee was tasked to design a series of playgrounds for Singapore’s upcoming new towns and housing estates in the seventies, he took inspirations from animals and objects that could provide … Continue reading

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Lakeview Estate, its Former Market and the “Shopping Centre”

It was a name that was inspired from the splendid panoramic view of the MacRitchie Reservoir. It was also previously well-known for its popular hawker centre and market that were situated opposite Thomson Community Centre in the eighties and nineties. … Continue reading

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Enter a World of Advertisement in Old Singapore (Part 1)

Before the internet era, marketing of products was usually done through advertisements in physical forms, such as billboards, banners or posters put up at prominent locations with high human traffic. Large fonts, colourful themes, eye-catching logos and innovative slogans were … Continue reading

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A Flashback to Singapore 1982 Through Old Geography Textbooks (Part 2)

The secondary 2 edition of the good old geography textbooks we have used some 30 years ago touches on various topics, such as the environment, interaction, growth and change, hierarchy, unity and diversity. Like the other editions, there are many … Continue reading

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A Flashback to Singapore 1982 Through Old Geography Textbooks (Part 1)

Like the good old Social Studies textbooks (see A Pictorial Gallery of Singapore in 1980), the old Secondary School Geography textbooks, first published by the Curriculum Development Institute of Singapore (CDIS) in 1982, also contain a large variety of old … Continue reading

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Old School National Day’s Memorabilia

It is Singapore’s National Day again. I remember during my primary and secondary school times, we used to receive memorabilia during the National Days. Each student would receive a small item that marked the annual joyous celebration. The memorabilia ranged … Continue reading

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Singapore Music – The Rise and Decline of Local Bands

It all started in the fifties when Radio Malaya’s popular singing competition Talentime attracted a huge fan base in Malaysia and Singapore. This inspired many wannabe-singers and led to the formation of local bands in producing homegrown music. It was … Continue reading

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20 Most Memorable SBC (Channel 8) Dramas of the 1980s

Television used to be an influential item that was once a big part of our life. It probably still is today, except that its influence is being challenged by internet, smartphones and other entertainment devices. Like many others, the Singapore … Continue reading

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Have a Cup of Kopi…. with Butter

It was a warm and humid afternoon. There were few customers in this old kopitiam tucked away at the ground floor of one of the old HDB flats at North Bridge Road. The sleepy neighbourhood had seen several changes in … Continue reading

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“Rediscovering” My Childhood Toys

I was doing some spring cleaning for Chinese New Year two weeks ago, and “rediscovered” a box of toys which I have played during childhood. The box has been hidden in a corner of the storeroom for many years, and … Continue reading

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