1958 - An Old Newspaper Cutting

Here is a old newspaper cut out of my parents wedding announcement in 1958. My father Lee Cheng Hoon had married my mother, Chia Kim Hiong, daughter of Chia Teck Chye, son of Chia Ann Siang.

My dad lovingly dating my mom

Waiting to be officially engaged

Happily married towards a new journey

Appreciating Our Heritage, Bukit Brown and the Brownies

Without the connections of Facebook, my brother Alvin and cousin Anthony, I don't think I would ever meet the Brownies of Bukit Brown that found my Great Great Grandda... Chia Ann Siang and Chia Keng Sia, (4th son, my great grandpa), Chia Keng Beng (1st son) and the mysterious lady...  Thank you Raymond Goh and my Brownie friends! I was also very fortunate to meet Victor Lim, Tile Anthropologist, who was the catalyst to meet the Brownies in person at a Bar-BQ party. What fun group they are and indeed serious about their passion.

Brownies with Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam and spouse, Jane Yumiko Ittogi

 What an honor... They are so passionate about their love of keeping our Singapore Heritage alive and our ancestors that it is soooo amazing. In their persistence and perseverance thorough research, drawings, tours about the pioneers of Singapore, campaigns they put out to get the public awareness, films about the hills of Heritage, writing letters to plead for a hearing... is so inspiring and incredibly special.

With Singapore's high rise buildings and more to be established, we need a breather of quiet that we can reflect and think of who and what made us the way we are today. Our ancestors have toiled hard in the past and we must not forget what they have done. Dead and forgotten? No way! As long as we have something to remember, our ancestors are not dead and gone. This heritage land Bukit Brown is a historical landmark of discovery. We do not want to be remembered as simply a shopping and eating paradise but there is more substance than what is perceived. Our ancestors who has toiled hard and contributed their livelihood to this country and economy. We should be very proud of that - Bukit Brown, the land of heritage and ageless beauty is Singapore.

Goofing Around in the Park

Peaceful Tranquility... Bliss

Resting Peacefully

In Solitude... to remember... to rest... to contemplate...

Ann Siang Road

Strolling along Ann Siang Road in the afternoon, weekday, has a tranquil and quiet appeal to me. The little charming shops are chic and elegant. Little coffee shops and eateries nest itself in beautiful, quaint "paranakan" architecture, entice you to come in and enjoy a cuppa or a delicious bowl of noodles in the lazy afternoon. The streets are painted with pinks and greens, reds and yellows, blues and greens, cheerfully make a colorful statement. It is lovely to walk and window shop to experience different ambiance in each specialty shops.

Little Cool Cafes and Shops

Little Park at the Edge

Cozy Little Cafe to Sit and Chit Chat

Map of Chinatown Area

At Dawn, Little Shops Lighted

Our Heritage

I think it is so wonderful that Singaporeans have the heritage of Chia Ann Siang to fall back on. We all can have something to be proud of. With all this modern and Avant-garde garden being established, we can look back with a romantic thought of our heritage - The Ann Siang Hill. Regardless of whatever race or bloodline we are, this man and others of his caliber has given us something special that will stay in our hearts forever – a stamp of Insignia, our Heritage.

This street could be in South of France or something.
Surprisingly there is a natural elegance to the architecture.

Seeing beauty in the old is an art form itself. It is about looking deeper
than the surface of things. With a little polishing, a new coat of paint...
something incredible may appear and be a topic of conversation.

The colors in the shop houses of Ann Siang Hill are so quaint and charming.
It makes for a show stopper... a place to relax, a place to eat/drink,
a place to talk and share the latest happenings.

I wonder what Great2Grandpa, Chia Ann Siang was thinking when he bought this street before?
Was it the natural charm of the building? The location? The ambiance?

Windows are intriguing. It is interesting how each window tells a different story for the owner.
I could stare at windows all day wishing that the windows would speak to me.

Evenings...  shadows make interesting forms that accentuates beauty

 

There is a saying that our eyes are the windows to our souls. Sometimes, it is better to
be still and just observed. For we can learn so much by just looking and reflecting.

Old and dilapidated, everyone has gone... attracted to new, modern dwellings
they seek the hard concrete repetitions of the new age world.
Losing oneself in the rat race of life, forgetting the past - our foundation.

What does this window mean? When its painted pink and green?
Musing... a feminine touch, a candy cane?
A sweet patisserie to die for with tea with la faire.

This mansion definitely has a British influence. The Colonial Georgian architecture charm.
I love the unexpected curve that embeds the formal windows, with the Corinthian
columns that adds a majestic feel to the structure. What a grand entrance it has...
with chandeliers greeting you with oomph... 

Amazingly, this is a quiet back street that leads to the garden park. I call this a
light of hope, hoping that we all will embrace who we are proudly, and understand that
our forefathers have toil with sweat and have done whatever it takes to get
Singapore to where it is today, with honestly, humility, perseverance, persistence and love.
We, the people of SIngapore.

Peranakan Shop Houses

The Peranakan shop house architecture can be found in the Chinatown in Singapore. It just amazes me how old and beautiful these houses are and I am glad the Singapore heritage can be preserved and reused in different ways.

I thought how interesting this photo can be, when taken inside the taxi cab. Cab drivers are always complaining how unfair the government is and too many unnecessary rules. There must be some kind of justice in that country. The inflation rate is sky rocketing and things are very expensive and inferior or average quality. How sad this country has turn out to be. The balance has definitely tipped.

View Inside Cabby

Shop House Architecture

But aside from all the complains, unhappiness and bickering, I am fond of these old buildings. Looking at these detailed carvings, with the wooden shutters, they don't make these buildings any more. Everything you see in Singapore is modern with sky scrapper buildings which is not shown here.

A Different View

The colors of the Paranakan style are pink, green, brown, teal, with usage of flowers like the hibiscus, peonies, roses, lotus and such. You can forget about simplicity in design. I would classify these almost Victorian or equivalent to the Baroque era in the 1600-1700s. Where rich colors, ornate details in carvings and design are all juxtaposed to look voluptuous.

Pretty Tiles Colors

Architecture Details

I like the yellow and green paints

Old Paranakan Shops Closed Down

Bold Colors and Graphics Goes Well Too