Electronic Bracelet Keeps Track of What Your Hands Are Doing

That is a shame. The new place will probably have street names of things that once existed. This practice is becoming more common here. There were a few beautiful oaks in an area nearby. But they were all torn down to make way for the new neighborhood. Which now has a street named Shady Oak. :(

I can't say i've known singapore in its olden days but living here right now, for the last 12 out of my 16 years of my life, I cannot WAIT to get out of here and live overseas. Singapore may be clean, modern and safe now, but it has lost practically any semblance of culture, style and media of the like. It is devoid and stale to the point where I find myself in disbelief of the extent of this being true.
I also don't understand why one would vacation here for more than 3 days, ever, Let alone take a tour bus/guide. 'Chinatown' is now a very small street, selling uninteresting wares for prices that are practically luxurious compared to their sotuh-east asian neighbours like Thailand.

Though, the zoo and night safari are awesome.

And we can't forget the truly ridiculous control the current party has on the entire country, ranging from ALL public housing, ALL the media, ALL the telecommunications, public transport and other sectors. Free speech is nil and realistically impossible, the "speakers corner" has forever been deserted and the only people who seem to be safe to speak out are taxi drivers during a traffic jam.
The worst part about it is that by "current party" I mean, literally, "family business".
Everyone, like me as I write this, is a bit worried that the government is watching them. Even in classroom discussions, at some point, despite us knowing the government wont go THAT far, we second-guess ourselves if the government is somehow listening in.

Sorry, end of rant, I just felt like people outside of Singapore needed to know this.

nb: I definitly do not think what I write above is FACT but just my opinion and those collated from others who are also my age, have lived here for more than 10 years and are expatriate.

Wow, it's pretty cool to have your home country featured in a Neatorama article!

I have known about the last rural village for some time now, but have yet to actually visit it. Since they're tearing it down soon, I better hasten my plans to ride my bike there.

Singapore was an amazing place. The old shophouses and nostalgic charm you speak of is but a faraway dream, even as I will be 24 this year. Economic progress is prioritized above all else (including freedom, in my opinion) and the people don't have much say in just about anything; if the ruling party thinks it's good for Singapore, then that shall be it. Further arguments, however logical or reasonable, is brushed off with meandering answers to other questions. There are other issues, but let's not turn this into a full-blown rant. Suffice to say that among the younger generation, comments like the above are not uncommon; we all have the desire to get out of the country for various reasons. Like I said, Singapore WAS an amazing place, just not anymore.

I just happened to have went to the city for photography, and I should add that the picture above definitely took a lot of additional camera filters, retouching, or both. The skies here are usually just a vast stretch of white, with lots of diffused light which makes my post-processing a huge pain.

Hello there -- being Singaporean and having lived in Singapore all my life -- with my own grandparents living in one of those villages described there, I can only describe this way of life as largely forgotten. I don't think it will be missed, too. I feel that the entire social climate is predisposed to getting rid of the old and on with the new, because Singapore, since it was founded, was about eroding away culture and being globalised, modern and progressive. I absolutely agree with Kellog here, that nostalgia is tossed aside for pragmatism, and pragmatism may be the better answer, but it is very sad that being 17 I have never had a chance to see such places in my own country.

Many other places in Singapore, like small enclaves or lone shophouses, have been slated for redevelopment. Even old shophouses have been repainted for some "modern" kitsch appearance, especially in obscure parts of old Singapore like Geylang and Jalan Sultan. Other villages ("kampongs" in Malay) are actually located in the outlying islands which are similarly forgotten.

It's indeed rather ironic that Singapore seems to only rush to piece together a sort of rich "culture" when pragmatic needs, such as income from tourism, dictates it necessary. It's similar to the country's rationnale for the growth of the arts -- that it is important only because it is an indicator for how modern and civilised our nation is, and that Singapore wants to score on the list, even when it is already the most globalised nation in the world (as of 2007 or 2008, I think).

Oh, sorry -- one last point: it's intriguing how videos and exposés like these never make their way to mainstream news.

Man, I totally have to agree with what has been posted/ranted in the above comments. The government is of course, first and foremost acting out of pragmatic or practical issues. Hence the destruction of much of our heritage. It is only when the government (need I remind everyone it has been the same party since forever) realizes that the country is lacking something that other developed countries have (S'pore Flyer, anyone? Grand Prix?) that they rush to have the same thing. It is indeed a pity that they really only do realise the value of something only 20 years down the road, and they try to put up some museum dedicated to it that eventually closes down due to the lack of interest from the youth(because everyone has forgotten about it, unfortunately).

But yes I must concede that I HEART the ZOO! Haha.

One day, the whole world will look the same, and it will BORE YOU TO DEATH!

One of the most interesting books I've ever read was the Singapore Story by Lee Kwan Yew (the first Prime Minister of Singapore and the guy who made the country what it is today).

What I still remember today was his description of how Singapore was behind in Malaysia when both countries gained their independence. Singapore didn't have the natural resources like its larger cousin (not even freshwater - it had to be piped in from Malaysia). But in just a few decades, the tiny country pulled very far ahead.

Mahathir Mohammed, the Prime Minister of Malaysia who was the counterpart of Lee, said this about the reason his country's didn't do so well: The Malays "are lazy and like to find the easy way." (his words, not mine: Source).

Back to Adam's post: I used to visit Singapore quite often - and yes, it is an ultra-modern country. It's far more modern than most American cities, actually. It is also becoming (if it's not already) bland and filled with shopping malls after shopping malls.

I do agree with ughsingapore: the Night Zoo is awesome!

Oh, forgot to add: Talking about "old" Singapore - I have an old timey photo taken of my wife, my mother and I in old Chinese garb. It's one of those fun-touristy thing to do at Clarke Quay. The photographer was deaf/mute and we communicated with hand gestures.

His studio is now long gone - paved away to make ways for whatever unmemorable restaurant/store.

It's hard for me to conceive of a country that punishes vandals by caning as a "model of progressiveness and modernism." (To be fair, I don't know if this law is still in effect.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_P._Fay

Well MadMolecule, all Singapore had to do was cane *one* vandal and the city is pretty much vandalism free. ;)

Woah, after staying in Singapore for 15 years (my whole life), I had not even knew that such a place had existed! Interesting...

It is over 50 years since I first visited Singapore, I was in the Navy at that time, and I shall never forget the charm it had - a simple bus ride from Sembawang Dockyard on the Tay Koh Yat bus into Singapore.
Stop off at Nee Soon for a beer, wander through the back streets to find craftsmen made articles to take back to Australia. A short taxi ride from Sembawang village down to the Johore Straits to the Melbourne Bar excellent food, the most tranquil place on the planet!
Now you have a clinically clean 'Jap' city, with every conceivable amenity, with the majority of the people living in huge concrete jungles.
You are the envy of the rest of the world but you have lost your charm and you don't have a soul.
But you cannot take away my memories of what I called HOME when we were on Far East duties for 6 months at a time. I still love Singapore people they are still as gracious as they ever were.

I have to agree with the comment about Singapore 50 years ago. It was a truly amazing place then, and when I was there with the merchant navy, I also felt that it was like my home.To come ashore in Sembewang, and make our way to the city in a pick-up taxi, was a wonderful experience. The people were, and are amongst the friendliest in the world.I still like the place, having returned a few times recently, but the memories of the old Singapore are unforgettable

Does anyone know about a traditional Chinese photo studio in clarke quay before the Clarke quay was renovation?