An afternoon in Tiong Baru

Each time I am in Singapore, I am drawn to Tiong Bahru - not for the hawker food that everyone assume is my goal. I am drawn to the public housing in the area. Or more precisely, I am drawn to the period that these buildings were built and what that era represented - a new beginning and the hope that came with it. Perhaps that is why the corners of the buildings have such heraldic detailing.

The Council flats of Tiong Bahru - I like the staircase with its slightly nautical theme.

For the same reason, I like watching movies from that era when men wore hats and women wore gloves; and they spoke proper English. Over the Chinese New Year break our Astro (cable TV) broke down and I resorted to watching my Alfred Hitchcock collection - from 'Rebecca' to 'The Rear Window'.  

Some of the architecture and interiors in these movies are worth a second look - at times the second look made me realise I was looking at a stage set.  Nonetheless,  I have fallen in love with Joan Fontaine - who is still around apparently. Perhaps I ll drop her a line.

The ground floor of this block are shops; the white walls are accented with face brickwork and Hokkien spoken enthusiastically by the local kopi-drinkers

A wander through the back lanes in between the housing blocks is my way of returning to the past; the smell of laundry drying in the mid morning sun. Even the smell of lunch cooking seem to come from the past.