A Singapore Taxi Driver's Diary said:

Looking for something to say, I asked, “You are not working today?”

She gave me an “are you making fun of me?” kind of look and said, “You find me a job and I will work.”

I felt stupid. I was quiet for a moment, trying to imagine what other good-natured taxi uncles would do in this case. I then told her that if she was looking for a job she could look in the newspapers, talk to friends, or ask her MPs for help.

We were reaching her stop, which was in a carpark next to an HDB block. She took out her wallet, held it in her hand, and said slowly, “Yeah. But I have this arthritis for many years. I have never been in a working condition.”

That was what caused her heavy steps, I realized.

I tried to cheer her up. “That’s okay. You don’t have to work then. At least you have your husband to support you.”

“My husband passed away,” she said under her breath. Her hands stopped opening her wallet.

I stuttered, “I…I’m sorry.”

She looked at me, her eyes two ice cubes melting under the sun. “You know a month and half ago, in the news, a husband and a son jumped off a building...”

As if struck by lightning, I felt a current bolt from my scalp to my feet. “My god. That’s your…” I froze in shock.

Recommended by at82: "Touching stories by Dr Cai"

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anonymouse 6 said:

In an apparent effort to wipe out the accounts of gold farmers, asiasoft decides to block anyone with large recent transactions..

apparently their criteria of large was so low, it resulted in thousands of blocked players

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "topical, players have no rights in singapore, whether legal or not. we are completely at the descretion of tyrants and fools"

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Laokokok said:

Whenever I read about the history of our Botanic Gardens, it was always mentioned that Sir Stamford Raffles established the first Botanic Gardens in Singapore in 1822 along the slopes of Fort Canning Hill. If this is the case, why are why celebrating 150 years now in 2009 and not 187 years?

So let us go thru the years and see why;

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "Insightful and detailed research and explanation on Botanic Gardens' heritage. Very interesting read for all Singaporeans to learn about our heritage."

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Smithsonian.com said:

Peaceful and prosperous, Southeast Asia's famously uptight nation has let its hair down.

Recommended by mooiness: "An interesting story by a reporter experiencing culture shock on his first visit to Singapore in 37 years, remarking on how Singapore progressed from its "Sin City" past pre-independence, to the "survival first" mentality in its early days, to a straight-laced society that has now finally recognised the importance of the arts and culture to the vibrancy of a city."

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Danette said:

To feed both the frenzied redevelopment fever and strong public sentiment for the conservation of old buildings, the “winning formula” employed by the developers of 23 Amber Road emerged as a confused, mangled mish-mash – take one half of an old colonial bungalow, and finish the other half with an ungainly glass-and-steel skyscraper condominium.

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "Historical buildings such as this are endangered in Singapore."

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yawning bread said:

After her successful foray into the little-noticed soundscapes of our city, in Singapore GaGa, documentary-maker Tan Pin Pin's latest work is Invisible City, which takes a look at the documenting process itself -- at the private citizen level.

"I decided to seek out people who, like me, choose Singapore as the topic of their work. I don't mean where Singapore is the setting for their work, but where Singapore is the main subject," she said.

"I was curious," she added, "about whether I was the only person who found this country so interesting."

Recommended by at82: "Yet another great documentary by Tan Pin Pin!"

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The Funkeeblog said:

If I had just ONE CHANCE in this lifetime to say something to the entire Mac community, what would it be? Must click on his slide show link in the entry too!

Recommended by Cobalt Paladin: "A heartfelt story of a Singaporean entrepreneur and Mac developer. Must click on the "

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Citizen Historian said:

"The writers of the newsletter, ostensibly motivated by a streak of anti-establishmentarianism and imbued with the spirit of flippancy, continuously poke fun at university and government policies as well as issues on campus. ...A dig at the PAP's cultural policies depicted a word 'Censored' stamped diagonally across a column with no text, headlined 'Yellow Culture Column' ( Yakkity-Yak 1961, Vol. 1 No. 3, p.2). Another more flippant article screams the headline 'Girl Found Raped' and goes on to report about a fresh-woman participating in an orientation game and successfully meeting the objective of finding another student named James Raped. The library holds about ten years' worth of similar stuff, starting in 1959."

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "Why interesting - A history thesis digs up the student hijinks of some of our present leaders"

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nanyangtemple said:

According to temple records, it was already in existence, albeit smaller in scale, in 1820. An attap temple was already present at the same location before Raffles landed in Singapore. Taishanting (now Ngee Ann City), the earlest Teochew cemetery was probably established at around the same time.

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "Architectures preserved in pictures in an online documentation. Has an archive of old black and white pictures too. This will be treasured in years to come when everything is torn down and all you see walking in the streets are yuppies and gamblers. "

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Veron said:

The international museum day starts today! For 10 days (’til May 27), there will be more than 80 activities and events spread over 24 museums in Singapore!

Recommended by Veron: "You know how Singaporeans are always complaining that there's nothing to do in Singapore? For the next 10 days you would be able to visit interesting places (mostly free) and unearth a whole bunch of tidbits about our country!"

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s/pores said:

the early chapters of the Singapore Story have rested on the narrative of its principled fight against the communists within the ranks of the PAP itself. This motif has become less and less sustainable, and the recognition of this development can be seen as a response to the skepticism it has generated.

Recommended by Tym: "An article on exploring alternative histories of Singapore heavily quotes bloggers. Part of a new e-journal on Singapore studies, where "intimidating academic-speak is out". "

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Yawning Bread said:

Singaporeans tend to think of our country as a relatively young republic, but our city is not that young. In just 12 years' time, we will be celebrating the bicentenary of Thomas Stamford Raffles' landing in 1819, an event that we generally consider the founding of modern Singapore.

In the course of these 2 centuries, rulers and political systems have come and gone, even communities have passed our way. However, they often leave evidence of their time on the ground, which despite our incessant building and rebuilding -- unavoidable in our densely populated city -- are sometimes left untouched.

These are not landmarks, but markings on the land. The five that I have chosen for this photo essay have been mostly forgotten, but each tells a little story about a period in our past.

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "Intriguing little photo essay about historic sites in Singapore. "

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Josef Lee said:

I've recently started a web comic titled 'The Life Of Mann'. This project is best described as a collaboration in creative storytelling. I started this as an experiment to explore how a single idea, when passed through different hands can be pushed much further than possible with a single creator.

The online graphic novel tells the story of the main character - Mann. The interesting part, however, is that every 5 pages of the story will be continued by a different artist/writer. There are no restrictions to the style of drawing, direction of story, or way of presentation. Only condition is that the story MUST CONTINUE.

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "The Life Of Mann is a collaborative project initiated by The Museum of Modern Fiction, led by Josef Lee, a designer / illustrator from Singapore. Through this project, he hopes to collaborate with creatives from around the world and in the process, see how a single idea can evolve when passed through various hands.

So interesting!!!"

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Yesterday.sg said:

You may have heard that Google Maps now covers Singapore. A local company called Singeo has made use of the service to pinpoint some heritage sites, on a customised map.

Recommended by ssf: "A Singapore-specific use of Google Maps"

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Mr Miyagi said:

It will be a pity when the station is finally torn down to make way for whatever it is the city’s planners have in store for the area. But in the meantime, as long as talks as regards the water supply, the causeway and the railway continue to stall, there’ll still be time to saunter into the grand old building and appreciate the place, from the old decor to the more recent signboards - including a placard sometimes placed at the Kaunter Tiket that announces ‘Komputer Rosak’.

Recommended by rationalneurotic: "Although the train station sits on KTM land, it IS a part of Singapore's history - it used to be the most advanced way to go into Malaysia pre-North South Highway. That's a little piece of forgotten history."

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Good Morning Yesterday said:

My father was army, but in the water transport as a navigator on the landing crafts. I lived on the small island of Pulau Brani and went to the army primary school from 1958-1961 and then lived there again from 1963-1966, when I went to Alexandra Grammar School at Gillman Barracks and St Johns Comprehensive in Dover Road.

Recommended by ssf: "Life on Pulau Brani back in the 1960s."

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Readymade said:

Everything's rotting away or falling into disrepair due to neglect. This is painful to think about when you recall its history as a premier cinema here, with lavish (for its time) interiors. I was particularly impressed by the large representation of the zodiac on the auditorium ceiling, less so by the stylised wall-mounted sculptures of horses and riders on either side of the screen – all relics from an era when going to the movies was an experience.

Recommended by strangeknight: "Because something should be done before we lose yet another part of our history"

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kormmandos said:

When I was young, my mum was a full-time domestic engineer. (Ok, that really means housewife)

But the one thing that I remember most vividly then was her sitting at a corner of the kitchen of our old 3-room flat in Clementi, (the kitchen was huge then, you could do a lot of things there.) clipping away wires that were jutting out of electronic chips which she would later solder with a electric soldering iron.

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "It talks about a our parents' method of bringing us up, and in retrospect, the attitude and love displayed through their commitment to their children."

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The Australian War Memorial said:

There are many incidents and stories associated with the fall of Singapore which now have become firmly entrenched in our national history, such as the controversial escape by General Bennett back to Australia, and the sinking of the Vyner Brooke and the Banka Island massacre. There are also many popular myths which continue to this day, such as that regarding the fortress guns famously pointed in the wrong direction (when, in fact, nearly all these weapons did engage the Japanese, although there was a shortage of high explosive ammunition).

Recommended by ssf: "Dr Chris Coulthard-Clark from the Australian War Memorial's Military History Section discusses the historical debates over the fall of Singapore, and its impact on Australian history."

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themediaslut said:

The Ford Motor Factory was the venue where the British surrendered Singapore to the Japanese on 16 Febuary 1942.

The moment themediaslut stepped into the enterance, it was a constant reminder of the ravages of war and the struggles of many Singaporeans during the Japanese Occupation.

Recommended by avalon: " The old Ford factory will be an interesting place to visit now that it is open to public, check out coverage of the opening event. Lots of pictures taken from the opening event itself."

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