Good Morning...Yesteryear.

[lifeafter41]

The one at Thomson was imperial.
Odeon (2 outlets) deserve mebtion.
Plaza with bowling centre.
Smaller players like Dalit and Liwagu and Premier (orchard towers) which specializes in B movies.
Jade and Prince who were predecessor to the cineplex.

There is also Pacific Theatre and the Grand theatre at the now defunct New World.
Still remember, watching movies at Pacific theatre, for only S$0.50.
I remembered watching the 36th Chamber of Shaolin over there.

 

[yinyang]

10 misconceptions on places names in Singapore

http://remembersingapore.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/new-and-old-names-in-singapore/Compassvale

Ancilla and Mang Kah KarPosted on May 28, 2013 by Remember Singapore

Recently, there was a rather amusing news regarding the chim (profound) names of the new housing estates at Sengkang and Punggol.Some joke that the job of a taxi driver will get tougher next time with the latest Build-To-Order (BTO) flats given fanciful names like Matilda Portico（柱廊）, Ancilla（女随从）, Nautilus（鹦鹉螺）, Periwinkle（长春花）, Edgedale Green, Waterway Sunbeam, Spectra（光谱） and The Coris （红喉盔鱼).

Most public housing estates in Singapore are easily recognisable by their block numbers or street names, such as Ang Mo Kio Street 43 or Bedok South Avenue 3, but the “branding” of HDB housing estates is not something new. Kim Keat Court was the first such “branding” in 1995, although its name may sound ordinary by today’s standard.

The Colloquial Names
Beside the official names, there used to have an alternate type of naming of streets, places or landmarks that proved to be popular among locals. Call them variant, common or colloquial names, these vividly descriptive names were simple, easy to remember and largely reflect the history of certain places. Ask any older generation of Singaporeans, and they are likely to be able to pinpoint you the exact locations of “mang kah kar“, “orh kio tau” or “pek sua pu“.

The early Chinese immigrants, mostly from South China, could not really comprehend the English names of the streets named by the British, such as Phillip Street and Waterloo Street, so they took matters into their own hands and named the roads in their familiar Hokkien, Teochew and Cantonese dialects. Many were named after the notable landmarks in the vicinities where the streets ran through, such as temples, markets, trading houses or even a rich or famous man’s residence.

Others were named after bridges, cemeteries, hills or just simply numbers. Today, many locals still fondly call the seven parallel roads near City Hall “first (main) road” to “seventh road”. Waterloo Street, known as “si beh lor” (四马路, fourth road) is arguably the most famous of all, due to the popularity of the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple.

City Hall vicinity
The vicinity around present-day City Hall, bounded by Crawford Street, Jalan Besar, Fort Canning and the Singapore River, was generally known as “sio po” (小坡, little downtown) in the past, where a large number of its streets had colourful colloquial names.

In the sixties, the Ellenborough Market (1845-1968) and Clyde Terrace Market (1872-1983) were the two largest public markets in Singapore, situated at opposite sides of the Singapore River. Standing at the junction of Beach Road and Rochor Road, the Clyde Terrace Market was nicknamed “ti ba sat” (铁巴刹, iron market) due to its iron framework. Rochor Road, therefore, became better known as “market lane” in Hokkien, even after the market was demolished in the eighties.




“dok lee kio” (独立桥, independence bridge) actually refers to the Merdeka Bridge, opened in 1956 together with Nicoll Highway, linking the city to Kallang, Geylang and Mountbatten over the Kallang Basin. Over the years, the variant name became the reference for Nicoll Highway instead.



The vicinity around Istana Kampong Glam was a historic district once belonged to the Malay royalty of Singapore. Sultan Gate, the road leading the former palace, was well-known for its iron-smiths; some of them still plying their trades today. Hence, Sultan Gate was given a range of variant names such as “pah ti koi” (打铁街, iron-smith street), “ong hoo kau” (王府口, mouth [front] of palace) and “tua che kar” (大井脚, foot of big well), referring to an old well at the middle of the road.

Famous for its flea market and charcoal-cooked laksa, Sungei Road is better known as “gek sng kio” (结霜桥, frosted bridge). The name was derived from the establishment of the Singapore Ice Works, the major ice supplier in Singapore, at the junction of Sungei Road and Pitt Street in the 1930s. The factory, however, was shut down in the early eighties with its site taken over by HDB.

 

[yinyang]

In the 19th century, Tan Seng Poh 陈成保 (1830-1879), a wealthy Teochew opium farm owner as well as a municipal commissioner and Justice of Peace, built a large mansion at Loke Yew Street near Fort Canning. The house was so prominent that the local Chinese named the adjacent Armenian Street as “seng poh sin chu au” (成保新厝后, at the back of Seng Poh’s new house).

Trading houses and godowns (warehouses at the dockside) used to line up on both sides of the busy Singapore River filled with many old traditional wooden boats called sampans (舢板), tongkangs (舯舡) and twakows (大[舟古]). These provided inspirations to the variant names of the roads beside the waterway. High Street was known as “tua kow koi” (大[舟古]街, twakow street) while Clarke Quay and Boat Quay are called “cha zhun tau” (柴船头, front of wooden boat) and “zhap buay keng” (十八间, eighteen [trading] houses) respectively.




Raffles Place vicinity
The streets in the modern Central Business District (CBD), filled with skyscrapers, office towers and banks, are a far cry from their appearances in the old days. During the 19th and early 20th century, the southern part of the Singapore River, known as “tua po” (大坡, large downtown) was a place mixed with legitimate businesses and illegal activities. Old dingy shophouses lined up along the cramped streets, housing the street hawkers, coolies, Samsui women, secret society members and prostitutes.One notoriously famous road within the vicinity was China Street. Better known as “giao keng kau” (赌间口, mouth [front] of gambling den), it was then filled with gambling dens and secret societies. One particular Hokkien secret society Ghee Hin Gongsi (义兴公司) was so powerful and influential that the local Chinese also called China Street “ghee hin koi” (义兴街, Ghee Hin street).

Other colloquial names that were named after secret societies were the Upper Nankin Street, Upper Cross Street and Carpenter Street. The former two were coined “seong pek koi” (松柏街, Seong Pek street) and “hoi san koi” (海山街, Hoi San street), named after Siong Pek Kwan (松柏馆), or Siong Pek Gongsi, and Hoi San (海山), two large Hakka secret societies that functioned as the oversea branches of Tiandihui (Heaven and Earth Society) in Qing China. Carpenter Street was known as “ghee hock hang” (义福巷, Ghee Hock lane), where Hokkien triad Ghee Hock Gongsi (义福公司) ruled their territories.

The gambling and unlawful activities were eventually eliminated in the late 1930s by the British government.“tau hu koi” (豆腐街, tofu street), made famous by the local Chinese drama of the same namesake in 1996, was the colloquial name for Chin Chew and Upper Chin Chew Streets, where there were many beancurd makers and sellers in the late 19th century. The beancurd trade, however, disappeared by the early 20th century. The streets then became known as “orh sa koi” (黑衣街, black shirt street), referring to the red headgear and dark shirts donned by the Samsui women who led a tough life living in the tiny cramped cubicles of the old shophouses.

Affected by the constructi0n of Hong Lim Complex, Upper Chin Chew Street was expunged in the late seventies.Telok Ayer Market, the trademark orthogonal-shaped market at the junction of Raffles Quay and Cross Street, had a long significant history dating back to 1822. Despite its conservation as a national monument in 1973, it had to be dismantled in the mid-eighties due to the construction of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) tunnels at Raffles Place. In 1989, the market’s signature iron-frames were reassembled in a $6.8 million renovation, and was renamed as “Lau Pa Sat” (老巴刹, old market), a name that had been used by the locals for decades.



In the 1860s, land reclamation and the construction of a seawall were carried out at the mouth of the Singapore River. A road named Collyer Quay was completed in 1864, and offices, godowns and trading houses started to emerge at the new street. At Johnston’s Pier, red beacon lights were installed, which later led to the local Chinese’s naming of Collyer Quay as “ang teng beh tau” (红灯码头, red light pier). The famous Change Alley and Arcade also became known as “tor kho hang” (土库巷, godown lane).



Some streets at “tua po” were derived from the Chinese temples situated. One of them is Magazine Road’s Tan Si Chong Su Temple (陈氏宗祠), built in 1876 as an ancestral hall for the Tan clan in Singapore and a temple for Chen Yuan Guang (陈元光), a famous Tang Dynasty general worshipped at Taiwan and Southeast Asia. Over time, the deity’s honorary title “tan seng wang” (陈圣王) became the colloquial name for Magazine Road.Another example is Phillip Street, commonly known as “lao ya keng” (老爷宫, deity palace). It refers to Yueh Hai Ching Temple (粤海清庙), Singapore’s oldest Taoist temple built in 1826.

 

[yinyang]

Chinatown/Tanjong Pagar vicinity
“gu chia zhui” (牛车水, buffalo cart water) is possibly Singapore’s most well-known colloquial name, so famous that the Chinese name of Singapore’s Chinatown had taken reference to it instead of the usual “Tang Street” (唐人街).
The colloquial name, however, refers to the bullock carts that delivered the fresh water between Ann Siang Hill and Telok Ayer Bay for consumption and cleaning of the streets. “gu chia zhui” is not limited to Kreta Ayer Road only; it refers to the vicinity that generally covers between Mosque Street and Neil Road.





Eu Tong Sen Street, the main road to Chinatown, was nicknamed “nam tin cheng” (南天前, front of Southern Sky), referring to the Great Southern Hotel that once stood at the junction of Eu Tong Sen and Upper Cross Streets. Completed in 1936, it was the tallest skyscraper in Chinatown and was the first Chinese hotel to have a lift. Today, the hotel no longer existed; its conserved building has been converted into a departmental store called Yue Hwa.

Lai Chun Yuen Theatre (1887-1942) was a famous Cantonese opera theatre located at Smith Street before the Second World War. It was so popular that the locals named Smith street as “hee hng koi” (戏院街, theatre street). Its widespread fame also ensured the theatre was taken as the main reference for the nearby Temple Street and Trengganu Street, which were simply called “hee hng au” (戏院后, back of theatre) and “hee hng hang koi” (戏院横街, street adjacent to theatre) respectively.

It once housed many sago flour factories and, later, brothels before the early 20th century, but Sago Lane was more famous for its death houses that lined up the street until their ban in 1961. Its variant name “sei yang koi” (死人巷, lane of the death) vividly described the dreadful scene back then, where many old and sick folks were left to live out the remaining of their days.

By the mid-seventies, part of Sago Lane was expunged for the construction of the Kreta Ayer Complex and HDB flats. Some of the former funeral paraphernalia shops at Sago Lane were moved to the adjacent Banda Street.




Cheng Cheok Street, also known as “gu kar wan” (牛角湾, bull horn bay), was formerly an important crossroad at Tangjong Pagar. Its colloquial name referred to the goods-carrying bullock carts that plied their routes between the Singapore River and the wharves. The road was later expunged in an urban redevelopment project, replaced by Tanjong Pagar Plaza and its flats in the mid-seventies.

 

[Poomer]

Why got Bukit Merah and Redhill. Isn't the meaning the same?

 

[yinyang]

Tiong Bahru vicinity
There were many familiar colloquial names around the old estates between Bukit Merah and Tiong Bahru. The terms “ho zhui sua“, “orh kio tau“and “si bai po” easily ring a bell with many Singaporeans. One of the first Indians to arrive at Singapore in the early 19th century, the sepoys, hired by the British East India Company, were initially accommodated in the barracks near Outram Road. The military site later became known as “si bai po” (四排坡, sepoy plain), a phonetic interpretation of the name Sepoy Lines. After the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) was established at Sepoy Lines in 1882, it became associated with the colloquial name instead.





Some elderly Singaporean Chinese today still harbour subconscious fear of “si bai po“, due to the word “si” which also means dead in the Hokkien and Teochew dialects, even though the colloquial name has nothing to do with death.

One end of Havelock Road, near Beo Crescent, used to be known as “orh kio tau” (乌桥头, head [start] of black bridge). It belonged to one group of past colloquial names that referenced after bridges. Other than Havelock and Sungei Roads, there were “orh kio” (乌桥, black bridge), “pek kio” (白桥, white bridge) and “gao tiao kio” (九条桥, nine bridges), referring to Balestier, Moulmein and Upper Thomson Roads respectively.

Queenstown vicinity
When HDB high-rise flats were built at the early housing districts such as Queenstown, Tanglin Halt, Strathmore, Dawson and Commonwealth, many were confused by their official English names. An easy way to remember the different locations was to nickname the estates according to the height of their flats.



Hence, Tanglin Halt was coined “zhap lau” (十楼, ten storeys). The former iconic Forfar House at Strathmore Avenue was popularly known as “zhap si lau” (十四楼, fourteen storeys), while “zhap lark lau” (十六楼, sixteen storeys) generally referred to the area around Commonwealth Close, Commonwealth Lane and Commonwealth Crescent.



Other “shorter” versions included “gor lau” (五楼, five storeys), “qek lau” (七楼, seven storeys) and “gao lau” (九楼, nine storeys), referring to the SIT (Singapore Improvement Trust) flats at Tiong Bahru, Redhill Close and St Michael’s respectively.As more HDB flats were built in other parts of Singapore, the conventional naming became impracticable, and probably discontinued due to confusion.

 

[yinyang]

Kallang/Serangoon vicinity
For many years, the iconic blue cylindrical tower and its incinerator chimneys at Kallang was well-known as “huey sia” (火城, fire city), a colloquial name derived from the nearby residents’ phobia that the facilities would explode. Fortunately, the fear of a fire disaster was never realised, as Kallang Gasworks produced an amazing 137 years of continuous supply of gas until its closure in 1998.





“mang kah kar“, the colloquial name of Lavender Street, has been the subject of debate for years. Was it the Hokkien translation of 芒胶脚 (foot [end] of jackfruit) or 蚊咬脚 (mosquitoes bite leg)?
Apparently, there were many jackfruit plantations near the junction of Lavender Street and Serangoon Road in the old days. Jackfruit was called nangka in Malay, but the local Chinese somehow mistranslated it into mangka. Hence, the street was coined “mang kah kar“, meaning the end of a jackfruit plantation. It had nothing to do with mosquitoes although the pesky insects were abundant in the plantations. An interesting trivia of Lavender Street was that its official name “lavender” was originally, and ironically, referring to the foul smells of night soil and fertilisers used for the plantations.

“kim jio kar” (金蕉脚, foot end] of banana) was another colourful colloquial name in the vicinity, but it was unknown whether there were large banana plantations at Petain Road in the past. It is, however, more famous as a red-light district today.

Largely known as “Little India” today, the Serangoon Road had a rather romantic name: “nam seng heu hng pi” (南生花园边, side of Nam Seng garden), which referred to the Whampoa’s Gardens, a Chinese garden beside the grand mansion built by Hoo Ah Kay (1816–1880), one of the wealthiest men in Singapore during his time.

Jalan Besar, on the other hand, was known as “kam gong ka por tai ter long” (甘榜加卜宰猪厂, Kampong Kapor pig slaughterhouse), due to the numerous pig abattoirs, situated between Desker and Rowell Roads, in the old days.

Upper Serangoon vicinity
When the colonial-flavoured estate of Serangoon Gardens was built in the fifties, the eye-catching red roofs of the early batches of houses led to its colloquial naming of “ang sar lee” (红砂厘, red zinc). The name is still commonly mentioned by the older residents today, outlasting its lesser known cousins of “zhap ji cheng” (十二千, twelve thousands) and “zhap si cheng” (十四千, fourteen thousands), both referring to the prices of the houses in the vicinity during the sixties and seventies.





Another local way of naming the places was using the milestone method, in which one milestone was approximately equivalent to 550m. This was demonstrated at the long Upper Serangoon Road, where there were “sar kok jio” ([后港]三條石, hougang 3rd milestone), “si kok jio” ([后港]四條石, hougang 4th milestone), “gor kok jio” ([后港]五條石, hougang 5th milestone), “lark kok jio” ([后港]六條石, hougang 6th milestone) and “qek kok jio” ([榜鹅]七條石, punggol 7th milestone).

The milestone method also applied to other parts of Singapore, simply using the main roads that were already in existence since the 19th century as references. Some of the examples were:Beauty World – Bukit Timah (Upper Bukit Timah Road) 7th milestone

Bukit Panjang – Bukit Timah (Upper Bukit Timah Road) 10th milestone
Cheng Hwa Village – Bukit Timah (Upper Bukit Timah Road) 11th milestone
Chong Pang (Old) Village – Sembawang (Road) 13½th milestone
Hun Yeang Village – Tampines (Road) 9th milestone
Jalan Ulu Sembawang Village – Sembawang (Road) 2nd milestone
Jurong Village – Jurong (Upper Jurong Road) 7th milestone

 

[Charlie99]

Avoided REX Cinema when I was young, unless there is no choice, my cinema of choice in the city was Lido, Capitol & later Orchard. Mostly Capitol, for the only place I can give excuse that I am going to the library & MPH. So, I have to plan which books I have to borrow from the library & then MPH. Does anyone remember USIS library at the embassy?? I still have the membership card. Anyone of you had watched movies back to back in the afternoon? first show at 1.30pm & then the 3.15pm one & stagger out of the cinema at 5 ++ feeling the cockroaches who had just had light shone on them ha ha ha.

Hoover Cinema was the first movie I took my school day girl friend there...

I remember the US Embassy and USIS Library at Hill Street, not far from the Armenian Church.
I also recall the US Marine as the security guard.
Wow, you still have the membership card.
Wow, you still have the membership card.

 

[Charlie99]

Post #33
The photo of the first batch of SAFOS
from left: Boey Tak Hap (became BG and Chief of Army, apparently turned down the offer to be CDS, and therefore, Ng Jui Peng from first batch OCS was appointed CDS), then the second officer ???, third one is LHL, fourth ???, fifth is Sin Boon Wah.

http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/mi...th_Division_Infantry/Brigades_Battalions.html
During Jan 92 - Sep 92, it took over units such as 415 SAR,426 SAR, 431 SAR and 432 SAR. On 29 Dec 1993, 56 SAB logo was officially inaugurated by BG Sin Boon Wah. Apr 96 saw the 1st oceania Ex-Wallaby been conducted at Shaolwater Bay in Australia. The stand down of 415 SAR on Apr 92 and 426 SAR on Sep 2000 saw the forming of 2 new units : 465 SAR on Mar 94 and 433 SAR on May 97.

http://sg.pagenation.com/?p=2027
The first five to receive the prestigious SAF Overseas Scholarship (SAFOS) were 2nd Lieutenants Boey Tak Hap, Lai Seck Khui, Lui Taun Kie, Sin Boon Wah and Lee Hsien Loong (the Prime Minister’s son). These scholarships to British universities on exceptionally generous terms to induce the best of Singapore’s youth to join the armed forces as regular officers.
SAFOS scholars have mentors both in the SAF and they have a non-uniformed, civilian mentor too. The role of the mentor is for scholars to convey their thoughts and concerns, the mentor is supposed to be encourage and give them advice and pointers. And normally the public service tries its best to make the match as close as possible. More interesting dual relationship in the form of remuneration. Pay is paid out by SAF, but has an SAF component and another component from the Public Service Division.

http://sgebooks.nl.sg/image.aspx?id=61c5c793-c894-4027-b57e-7c3cea4e5d4f

 

[Narong Wongwan]

I remember the US Embassy and USIS Library at Hill Street, not far from the Armenian Church.
I also recall the US Marine as the security guard.
Wow, you still have the membership card.
Wow, you still have the membership card.

Anyone knows which USIS came first?
The hill street one or the tong center in raffles place.

 

[Charlie99]

Anyone knows which USIS came first?
The hill street one or the tong center in raffles place.

May be I am not old enough to remember the USIS library at Tong Centre, Raffles Place (the old Robinson's which was consumed by a fire),
if the USIS library was there, unless it was not part of the US Embassy.

 

[pinkpanther7]

You must be a Teochew and studied at Montfort School just like Lim Boon Heng did.

Brings back fond memories. Used to take bus service 84 as I lived near Kangkar (Lorong Santun).

 

[chilakak]

Main Odeon on North Bridge Rd was THE place to meet (and date). And makan famous beef nodles nearby (before it progressed on).

Capitol too, with Bata place -with converging bus routes. Rex, with curry puffs across the road and sarabat stalls on the side. Same with Cathay, longkang stalls:p

I watched quite a lot of movies at Rex. The best thing was to have the chendol across the road after the movie. If I recall correctly, the chendol and curry puff were in the same coffeeshop. In much later years, that coffeeshop became known for a halal Chinese zi char stall. Anyone remember the Jubilee cinema? I think it was where Bugis Junction is now. I watched my first Chinese kung fu show there, one of those always entertaining Shaw Bros productions.

 

[lifeafter41]

I watched quite a lot of movies at Rex. The best thing was to have the chendol across the road after the movie. If I recall correctly, the chendol and curry puff were in the same coffeeshop. In much later years, that coffeeshop became known for a halal Chinese zi char stall. Anyone remember the Jubilee cinema? I think it was where Bugis Junction is now. I watched my first Chinese kung fu show there, one of those always entertaining Shaw Bros productions.

I believe the chendol stall is just behind Rex theatre, where there is a back lane that sells stuff, curry puff too.
Yes, those days, were Shaw Bros production.
I still recall watching the movie Earthquake, in Sensurround.
Pretty cool at that time.

 

[ilovesingapore]

I believe the chendol stall is just behind Rex theatre, where there is a back lane that sells stuff, curry puff too.
Yes, those days, were Shaw Bros production.
I still recall watching the movie Earthquake, in Sensurround.
Pretty cool at that time.

oh yes, the best chendol in town
the small cafe behind the building
and of course those satay and mee goreng > superb!!!
now dead duck

 

[Narong Wongwan]

Rex cinema's building still standing.
It went thru many transformation from live show venue, Indian disco, cabaret, HFJ etc.
The Malay chicken rice and curry puffs were the food I remembered.

 

[ilovesingapore]

Rex cinema's building still standing.
It went thru many transformation from live show venue, Indian disco, cabaret, HFJ etc.
The Malay chicken rice and curry puffs were the food I remembered.

yes the ayam goreng chicken rice and the satay
you good

 

[halsey02]

Anyone knows which USIS came first?
The hill street one or the tong center in raffles place.

The hill street one...do you know what does U.S.I.S. stands for?? United States Information Service...the one at the embassy came first. Used to borrow their multimedia stuff for viewing, back then, our National Library, the only thing that was modern was the microfiche...ha ha ha:p

 

[ilovesingapore]

The hill street one...do you know what does U.S.I.S. stands for?? United States Information Service...the one at the embassy came first. Used to borrow their multimedia stuff for viewing, back then, our National Library, the only thing that was modern was the microfiche...ha ha ha:p

i used to patronise the USIS. like the atmosphere there. very scholarlistic and very americanised. but later, i changed my political stand and i avoided the place - too risky to go in. thank you for the memories...

 

[halsey02]

"The gambling and unlawful activities were eventually eliminated in the late 1930s by the British government.“tau hu koi” (豆腐街, tofu street), made famous by the local Chinese drama of the same namesake in 1996, was the colloquial name for Chin Chew and Upper Chin Chew Streets, where there were many beancurd makers and sellers in the late 19th century. The beancurd trade, however, disappeared by the early 20th century. The streets then became known as “orh sa koi” (黑衣街, black shirt street), referring to the red headgear and dark shirts donned by the Samsui women who led a tough life living in the tiny cramped cubicles of the old shophouses."

I thought the road that run opposite Chin Chew Street was, 'fook nam gai"?? parallel to "Hoi San gai" ( Upper Cross Street) on the left, "Gone Hup Yuen gai" on the right ( Upper Pickering Street)? Hoi san gai was called "dou fu gai"...& for many years I was puzzled why the name...asked an old timer, he told me, men went there to "more dou fu"...translated as "shave the to fu"... ha ha ha , in other words..find prostitutes. There was a 'theatre' at Hokkien street, the kind where it was a rich man club & they have opera singers etc...& that street they have "more dou fu" also..