Farewell MyQueenstown

Farewell MyQueenstown #7 - Farewell KTM Tracks

On 30 Jun 2011 | 6 Comments

Much has been written about KTM Tracks lately. A simple search on Google and Yahoo will bring you to numerous websites such as this and this. After all, this cantankerous relic was Singapore's brave new world in the early 20th century.  I have always been a believer of my secondary school's motto, "Rooted in Tradition, Equipped for the Future."

永别了!女皇镇!#7 一摊油条传三代

On 30 Apr 2011 | 1 Comments

一摊油条传三代 在玛格列熟食中心,“生活公市”说得上是个客至如云的摊子。这个小摊子,不售卖任何煮炒;摊子主人则一年三百六十五天,天天在摊内起个炉炸上一条条的油条。 “生活公市”摊主李马才先生(58岁)是这家油条摊的第三代。 祖父自中国南来便炸油条为业,后来其父亦继承了祖父的业务。“生活公市”自1969年起,正式迁入玛格列熟食中心营业。李先生从小便跟随父亲学手艺,在油锅边打转。 李先生的油条,以香脆爽口闻名。在80年代初,李先生每一日几乎可炸近200条油条。李家一家五人总要齐齐上阵来应付顾客的需要。 如今,虽然李先生的摊子已搬迁到亚历山大村熟食中心,但他对玛格列熟食中心仍然十分怀念。再见了,玛格列熟食中心!

Farewell MyQueenstown #6 - The Taste of Wanton Noodle Lingers...

On 24 Mar 2011 | 18 Comments

Mr. Phoon Hon Sun, 64, and his family started selling barbeque pork from a pushcart at the terminal for Hock Lee bus service no.9 some 53 years ago. The bus terminal was located next to Blocks 6B and 7 along Margaret Close, a cluster of flats which were demolished during the 1990s. A familiar sight no more Every afternoon, residents who lived in the seven

Home Sweet Home @ MyQueenstown

Home Sweet Home #15 - A New Day Has Come =)

On 24 Apr 2011 | 11 Comments

Last week, MyQueenstown team interviewed Mdm Chan about her life in Blk 15 Holland Drive. Under SERS, she was assigned a new apartment in the newly developed blocks just a stone throw sway. Today, we visit Hisham Suni, 38, who moved over from Blk 17 to his new apartment in Blk 18C Holland Drive. Hisham Suni and his son =) Hisham is delighted by his new ap

Home Sweet Home #14 - Farewell Holland Drive

On 17 Apr 2011 | 3 Comments

Blk 15, Holland Drive looked vacant and cold when MyQueenstown team visited this morning. The shop houses under the apartment block were all covered with card boards and all that was left were traces of glass panels, which could possibly be a beauty parlor in its place before. The lift was still working. Mdm Chan - a long time resident at Holland Drive A c

Home Sweet Home #13 - Commonwealth 10! Here I Come!

On 10 Apr 2011 | 3 Comments

The front door was wide open when MyQueenstown team visited Mr Lee, 78, at his apartment in Blk 74 Commonwealth Drive. Feeling curious, we knocked onto the door and was greeted by a sleepy looking Mr Lee. Mr Lee who lives alone at Block 74 Retired more than a decade ago, Mr Lee is living alone as he prefers being independent to tagging along with his chi

News@MyQueenstown

Response to Straits Times Forum: "Active Citizenry Needs Space to Find Its Feet"

On 26 Aug 2011 | 25 Comments

A week ago, Mr. Eric Tan, Director of the National Archives of Singapore, explained that the archives have generously acceded to our requests for photographs to be published in our website, upcoming book and newsletter. This was not the full story. Last year, we wrote in to the National Archives of Singapore, requesting them to sponsor photographs of the ol

MyQueenstown Celebrates: Consecration Ceremony at Sri Muneeswaran Temple!

On 10 Jul 2011 | 1 Comments

Tanglin Halt residents are wokened up by the vociferous wailing of nadaswaram and thavil ensemble at Sri Muneeswaran Temple this morning. More than 15,000 residents and devotees have gathered at the Southeast Asia's largest Hindu temple worshiping the Muneeswaran god to witness the consecration ceremony. A consecration ceremony is a festive occasion done on

女皇镇1周新闻快讯 - 第二十五期

On 08 Jul 2011 | 6 Comments

女皇弄组屋 同一垃圾糟 两年3纵火  女皇弄组屋走廊垃圾糟,三度起火,居民人心惶惶,警列恶作剧纵火处理。 位于女皇镇一带的女皇弄第21座组屋8楼的电梯口,今早7时15分左右发生大火。 一名住在事发地点附近的居民,惊见滚滚黑烟从该处冒出 最高74万5000元 最低40多万 女皇镇 四房转售价 相差近37万  在热门组屋区女皇镇里,有四房式组屋最近以74万5000元的最高价转售,但也有37万8000元。 组屋溢价回升之际,热门地点如女皇镇的组屋转售价也持续攀升。今年4月,一间位于女皇镇史达拉摩道(Strathmore Ave)的四房式高楼单位,以74万5000元售出。 最后一次乘搭火车北上  火车开动了!该各就各位了吧。经过女皇镇、武吉知马、武吉班让时看到铁路旁站着许

My Father and I

Former Tanglin Halt Industrial Estate

On 14 May 2011 | 2 Comments

The industrialisation programme took off in Queenstown when the Tanglin Halt Industrial Estate was established to generate employment in the neighbourhood. Initially, the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) planned a small industrial estate at Tanglin Halt to provide employment for the new residents. Measuring some 20 acres of land consisting of 38 factories

Queenstown Baptist Church

On 03 May 2011 | 1 Comments

The Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) set aside seven sites for religious use and advertised for religious organisations to ballot in the 1950s. Of the ten enquiries received, four withdrew, leaving six Christian organisations. These went on to build the first churches of Queenstown; Queenstown Baptist Church, Queenstown Lutheran Church, Faith Methodist Ch

Archipelago Brewery Company (Anchorpoint)

On 22 Apr 2011 | 3 Comments

Established in 1931 by German businessmen, Archipelago Brewery Company was the first commercial brewery in Singapore. It was located next to the Malayan Railway, which provided convenient transportation for exporting the beer in Tanjong Pagar. Archipelago Brewery Company One of the more popular beer produced at Archipelago Brewery Company was Anchor Beer.

Makan Shiok!

Snacks Attack #13 - Ah Luck Bean Curd

On 23 Dec 2010 | 2 Comments

Mr Chua, 25, runs Ah Luck Beancurd in Tanglin Halt market for more than 2 years. He is renting the stall from the original owner who has based his stall in the same area for more than 40 years. Ah Luck Bean Curd offers drinks and deserts such as soya bean drink, grass jelly and the residents' favorite soya bean curd (60 cents). A Delicious Bowl of Bean Curd

Snacks Attack #12 - Satay Mad in Tanglin Halt!

On 16 Dec 2010 | 7 Comments

 Ann, 46 runs the family food stall for over 10 years in Tanglin Halt hawker centre. Serving halal food for over a decade in the same place, Ann has integrated her dishes to suit the taste buds of Queenstown residents, especially the Malay community. The simple food stall offers snacks such as satay, otah and seafood dishes. As a family styled bus

Snacks Attack #11 - Almond & Peanut Paste!

On 09 Dec 2010 | 0 Comments

DessertStory, located in Anchorpoint basement one, has been serving residents tasty snacks and deserts for the past four years. Wendy, the supervisor of the cafe, introduced the various homemade desserts that they offer. A bowl of Almond Paste Hot desserts are mainly the favourite choice among Queenstown residents. Firstly, they have almond paste which is m

Random Thoughts @ MyQueenstown

Random Thoughts @ MyQueenstown #9 - 7 Funerals in 2 weeks

On 22 May 2011 | 0 Comments

7 funerals in 2 weeks. There is a flurry of "activity" these two weeks for correspondents from My Queenstown. We did not leave our traces in photographs as a mark of respect for the deceased. We did leave our sincere prayers and heartfelt condolences for those present. Quietly and fleetingly, we made our way to some of the funerals and understood that all o

Random Thoughts @ MyQueenstown #8 - Block 39A No More (The Removal of Block 39A Part I)

On 05 Apr 2011 | 8 Comments

On a Friday afternoon three weeks ago, several Bangladeshi workers, presumably from the Town Council, took their tool boxes to the lift lobby of Block 39A. In less than half an hour, they carried a metallic frame on their shoulders and placed it on a lorry parked in front of the apartment block. Farewell Block 39A The letterboxes The stretch of corrid

Random Thoughts @ MyQueenstown #7 - A New Coat of Paint

On 22 Mar 2011 | 1 Comments

The Point Blocks, along with 5 other blocks at Mei Ling Street were given a new coat of paint over the past week. The familiar combination of blue, yellow and orange was a thing of the past as these foreign workers toiled day and night, rain or shine to make Mei Ling Street "attractive again." White seems to be the "in" thing in Queenstown lately. Ten-store

Other Recent Articles

女皇镇1周新闻快讯 - 第三期

Posted in Chinese , News in the Dump | Monday, November 29, 2010|By my queenstown
为了鼓励更多女皇镇的青少年阅读华文新闻,《我爱女皇镇》将推出全新单元 《女皇镇1周新闻快讯》,把这个星期观于女皇镇的主要新闻简略的描述。
几乎销售一空的女皇镇杜生(Dawson)预购组屋昨早举行动土仪式,申购者估计可在5年后拿到新居钥匙,迁入这个被喻为“公园里的组屋”的项目。组屋估计在2015年竣工,所建造的1718个单位几乎售光,只剩下6个三房式单位还未售出。它们只开放给非华族申购,并会在接下来的组屋选购活动推出市场。国家发展部长马宝山在动土仪式上致词时说,这批杜生组屋引进了公共住屋的新概念,如多代同堂的居住方式以及各种环保设计等。
  两个杜生预购项目分别是杜生庄(SkyVille)和杜生阁(SkyTerrace),由于地点优越,设计别具一格,因此被视为丹戎巴葛达士岭摩天组屋后的另一地标性项目。这批组屋坐落在玛格烈通道和杜生路交界处,去年底推出市场时获得热烈反应,平均每个单位有6人申购。
  杜生阁的“多代同堂”组屋也是本地首创,让申购者与父母申请毗邻的大小两间组屋,同住一个屋檐下。65对四或五房式配小型公寓的组合已全部售出。为体现“公园里的组屋”设计理念,建屋局也准备加强整个杜生区的景观设计,让屋外环境一片葱郁,展现大自然魅力。亚历山大水道连线公园将增建休闲设施及栽种树木,尽显绿意。介于东陵路至杜生路的玛格烈通道也将关闭,发展成适合自然生物栖息的生态走廊。道路两旁的老树也会保留下来。在为杜生区改头换面的同时,当局也不忘保留该区的历史特色。亚历山大水道连线公园已树立故事板,讲述女皇镇作为本地首个卫星镇的历史。
时报讯了解悠久的泉城文明、感受着现代的教学,近日,新加坡女皇镇政府中学的30余名师生在燕山中学领略到了别样的中国课堂。据了解,这是女皇镇政府中学与燕山学校结为友好学校以来第三次到燕山学校访问。为了让新加坡的师生更加了解济南文化,学校将史地教室布置一新:反映济南历史变迁的珍贵图片,泉城新景的风光照片,中国水墨花纹的桌布,学生亲手制作的竹简、鼎、陶器、农具、陶俑、房屋、古书、战车等历史作品、济南名泉名人诗词手抄报,呈现出浓浓的历史韵味,让客人们踏着历史的足迹,深深感悟中国文化的古典与灿烂。而新加坡的老师也为燕山师生奉献了双语数学和体育课,用精彩丰富的多媒体课件,生动、投入的英语讲解,及时的鼓励表扬,淋漓尽致地演绎出别样的课堂。
雨季 -一幅关于女皇镇的画

Pretty Pretty Dawson, Sparkling Sparkling Queenstown

Posted in News in the Dump , recent | Sunday, November 28, 2010|By my queenstown
A step into the future walkways and canals in Queenstown can be an exciting experience. The impressive iconic projects SkyTerrace@Dawson and SkyVilleDawson are upcoming new public housing projects which are introduced to transform the sleepy neighbour of Dawson. These elaborate projects intertwined nature, heritage and futuristic architecture together and it is certain that Queenstown is going to be the pride and hip factor in town today, just like what had happened in the 1970s and 1980s.

The Name Game #9: The Atas Houses in Sheep's Names

Posted in Name Game , Places , recent | Saturday, November 27, 2010|By my queenstown
Merino Crescent, Barbary Walk, Shepherd's Drive... are road names in the private estate towards Stirling Road. One look at the rooster of governors, royalties or community leaders would indicate that these roads were not named after prominent people from the colonial age, unlike the other roads within Queenstown. These roads are neither named after international organisations (Commonwealth) nor meaningful Chinese characters (obvious right!). This puzzles us. So what do these names have to do with Queenstown?

Random Thoughts @ MyQueenstown #2 - the Blue Bridge

Posted in Random , recent | Friday, November 26, 2010|By my queenstown
The weather tonight was cool and breezy. I took a stroll around Mei Ling estate and captured some decent photographs of the nighttime scenery. Most of the shops were closed and the void decks were eerily quiet and void of residents. There were occasional crows from the birds as they flew back to their nests in unison. 
A Quiet Night in Mei Ling
The pedestrian path along Mei Chin Road was rather dim and dark. I wondered how many elderly folks and women felt safe walking along this street if the floodlights at the stadium were not switched on. The recent spats of youth violence were pretty daunting. And this combination of fear and frustration had apparently made me a bit more "vigilant" while walking along the streets looking for "suspicious" characters. Was it a commendable behaviour from a civic minded resident? Or was that a sign of distrust on the security forces who were supposed to alleviate the residents from these sorts of worries?

Snacks Attack #9 - Chee Cheong Fun

Posted in Makan Shiok , recent , Snacks Attack | Thursday, November 25, 2010|By my queenstown
Mr Lin, 50, has been selling traditional Chinese snacks like Chee Cheong Fun, Chwee Kway and dumplings for over 2 decades. Mr Lin took over 漢林點心 (the store) from his father and their family business has been serving delicious snacks to Tanglin Halt residents for over 40 years.
A plate of Chee Cheong Fun
Mr Lin commented that the snacks he sold were used to be homemade, however it is not feasible nowadays due to the limited space in his stall. Nevertheless, his Chee Cheong Fun and other snacks are always served deliciously piping hot.

Disfigured and Distorted - What is Queenstown Worth Fighting For?

Posted in News in the Dump , recent | Wednesday, November 24, 2010|By my queenstown
A few days ago, an event banner featuring a portrait of our community leader was disfigured. Vandals drew on the banner and expressed their frustration or cheekiness on the leader. A few months ago, a group of youths broke into the defunct Queenstown Cinema and Bowling Alley, vandalising the walls using spray cans with obscene and needless remarks. On one hand, there would be a group of law abiding youths who preferred to either stay ignorant or contribute actively to the community. On the other hand, there were youths who either make their anger known through violence or unacceptable behaviour. Besides parents, education professionals and the media, there is one more avenue that can reach out to the younger generation (and even the older folks) and make them understand what is right or wrong, give them advice about life and give them a sense of purpose. That's our home - our community in general.

MyQueenstown HOT 100

Posted in Entertainment , recent | Tuesday, November 23, 2010|By my queenstown
November and December are the two hottest months when many artistes will release their albums and hit music because listeners are more likely to buy these albums during the festive seasons. Year 2010 is no different. In fact, the recovery in the world economy has already driven record sales in some countries. Today, let Queenstown residents recommend some of the hit singles and albums!
Lintan, a student in Queenstown from Burma
Lintan, 26, is a student from Burma and studies in a private education institution, Kaplan. He enjoys songs from Rihanna and bought her latest album, Loud, which contains hit singles, UK No.1 Single, Only Girl, and Billboard No.1, What's My Name. Loud is Rihanna's fifth album and receives raves reviews for her experiments in R&B.

女皇镇1周新闻快讯 - 第二期

Posted in Chinese , News in the Dump | Monday, November 22, 2010|By my queenstown
为了鼓励更多女皇镇的青少年阅读华文新闻,《我爱女皇镇》将推出全新单元 《女皇镇1周新闻快讯》,把这个星期观于女皇镇的主要新闻简略的描述。
袭胸捏臀非礼5女 '东陵福之狼'缓刑监视21月 
19岁青年竟然是东陵福之狼,他专在组屋凉亭物色猎物,看到俏女郎就.小色狼于今年7月17日至8月17日间,在东陵福的走道和电梯里,偷袭5名年介于19至28岁的女郎,其中8月13日晚上8点25分--20岁中国女郎在东陵福一座组屋楼下乘电梯要上楼,就在电梯门要关上时,青年对女郎袭胸捏臀.“东陵福之狼”一个月内非礼5名女郎后,终告落网! 19岁的佐菲奎,案发后5000元签保,确保他行为良好。 
海口市琼剧团 慈善演出五场精彩琼剧女皇镇有巴士接送 
海南会馆文化艺术代表团到海南省考察,并在海口市举行一场文化艺术交流晚会. 参与演出的百多名团员,有老有少,绝大多数祖籍不是在海南,一些甚至不懂得华文的印尼华侨,或是来自英文教育源流的年长者,他们的华文和华语都是后来才学会的。但团员里也不乏经过专业音乐、歌唱和舞蹈训练的表演者。海南会馆会长潘家海说,尽管我们这个民间业余文艺团体的表演水平不算高,我们非常荣幸也非常感激得到海口市侨联的大力支持联办晚会。他说:“晚会也是为配合海南岛全面发展成为旅游岛以及新中建交20年纪念而举行,希望这次的演出和过后的考察旅游,能促进两地民众友好联系,加强文化与旅游往来。”为了方便上年纪观众深夜散场回家,公会决定每晚提供七条免费巴士路线,从剧场开往大巴窑、宏茂桥、勿洛、女皇镇、红山、盛港和榜鹅的巴士转换站,有意乘坐巴士者,可拨电话:63384968向公会登记.

XXX Restricted Access @ MyQueenstown #8 - Farewell Ayer Rajah Camp (Part II)

Posted in Places , recent , Restricted Access | Sunday, November 21, 2010|By my queenstown
Training to be soldiers, fight our land!
Once in our lives, two years of our time.
Have you wondered, why must we served?
Because we love our land and we want it to be free, to be free.
Two years of "blood and sweat" and two years of devotion to an obscure term called "defending the nation" can be a enormous opportunity cost for many young men in Singapore. Life is the army can be torturous for individuals who struggle  to make personal sacrifices to conform to the many regimental requirements. But life can also be enriching for those who made blossom friends and learn new skills at the camp. National Service came at the prime of every male Singaporeans' lives. One young man's personal endeavours and achievements can be summed up in his life in National Service. Today, let's make a final journey to Ayer Rajah Camp, which was closed in October 2010 for the development of One North.