Mar 2005

As you can imagine, yesterday was incredibly packed, and I feel very cultured now! I think I can go back to weeks of clubbing and not feel bad now!

From my morning in Kampong Glam, I left my SE Asian Studies class to go exploring on my own. I figured I'd just start at Bugis and open my map and pick somwhere to go. I had been meaning to follow the two National Heritage Board 'trails' around the Civic District so I figured I'd start there...However my lunch was to take longer than expected. I went to Bugis Junction as planned (the Food Junction downstairs near the MRT) and found the NICEST noodles in all of Singapore at the "Handmade Noodles" stall (near Tepanyaki).

They are fresh (the best part is watching them be sliced straight from the noodle mix) and nowhere near as fattening and oily as 90% of the other hawker noodles. The dish I ordered was Dao Xiao Mian...sooo good!Whilst I was eating it a Japanese guy came and sat down next to me, and we got talking (the first time this has happened in Singapore), and it turns out he is an unpublished anti-establishment author who left North Korea during WW2, and has been travelling pretty much ever since. He had largely communist ideas for the world, and much of his rambling revolved around not being published and the subsequent problems with the publishing industry (because they didn't publish his works!).

It was all going well until he started talking about some 'Chinese conspiracy' among all hawker centre operators! It seems they are all making us sick by placing some semi-poisonous additive in their food (and its not MSG!) At this time I had to stop just agreeing with his comments and began a mild argument. He responded by calling me stupid, and so I left.And so ended my first random encounter!

From Bugis I decided to walk to City Hall and the Asian Civilisations Museum at Armenian St(via the National Heritage Board centre to pick up a Singaporean history book). I've already been to the other ACM, however this one has a different focus, so I thought I'd give it a try. It also tied in with part of my morning's activities in Kampong Glam, so it was partly relevant. The museum deals mostly with Peranakan (or Baba and Nonya) culture. The Peranakans are the descendents of the earliest Chinese migrants, known as the Straits-Chinese. They migrated far before the Hokkien and Hakka Chinese did, and have subsequently taken on far more of the Malay, Bugis and Indonesian cultures to create their own hybrid identity. The most common Peranakan element in Sydney is laksa.

The museum is still quite small, but it has plans for expansion, and already has loads on the history of the Peranakan culture, festivals, and food. I hope someday during my time in Singapore to visit Joo Chiat Rd and the surronds and experience more 'local' Peranakan culture. Also at the museum was an digital photo exhibition ("A Billion People Served") from mainland China. Many of the art shown will never be shown in the PRC, owing to censorship laws, and it was a really interesting way to get an alternative view on certain issues - like AIDS, the Tiananmen massacre, and the social dislocation that comes from rapid uncontrolled urban development.

Right behind the ACM is Fort Canning Park. It's a bit of a maze, and I was hoping to find a nice spot to sit in the shade and read the paper, however I never really succeeded. I did, however, discover a bit more of Singapore's WW2 history, and the archeological dig that has been taking place there.

By this time it was about 3pm, and I was in need of some aircon comfort, so I headed to Raffles City to look around. I didn't really have anything in mind, I just remembered seeing a sign for an "Australia Fair", so I thought I'd check it out. A number of Australian companies and designers (incl. Bonds and Ken Done) had set up stalls and were doing really well introducing people into Australian products. Whilst there I met Mel, an expat from Sydney who'd lived in Singapore for 8 years and loved it. She spent the first 7 years in the city, and had only recently moved out to the heartlands (well if you call Thomson heartland! - its expat territory right behind Orchard Rd!) She single-handedly made me want to move to Singapore to live, and if I had to make a decision then, I think I would have gone for it.

Looking back now, however I think I need to see more of the world before I make a decision as to where I want to spend my life. I'm only able to compare Sydney with Singapore, and I'm still in the early stages of my time here.

Once back outside in the comfortable warmth of late afternoon Singapore I decided to complete my walk around the Civic District Trail. I visited Raffles' Landing Site, the ACM, Victoria Theatre, Dalhousie Obelisk, Lim Bo Seng Memorial, Esplanade Park and the Pedang, the Indian National Army Monument, and Cenotaph, and from there onto Tan Kim Seng Fountain, the Civilian War Memorial, the Supreme Court and City Hall, having already completed most of Trail 1 earlier during the day.

Finally, I met up with Kristin to see Rivertales at the Singapore History Museum at Clarke Quay. Although we both know the history of Singapore quite well, it was an interesting take, choosing to focus on the Singapore River, and relating everything back to that. As a result, it had information on piracy, trading and the big cleanup of the 1980s, which were all really interesting.

On our way back to NUS, we decided to go and see the Gamelan performance at the Uni Cultural Centre. We weren't disappointed! It was really interesting, if a little long (at 3 hours!) NUS' gamelan orchestra (Singa Nglaras) performed The Wayang Kulit with a Dalang (shadow puppeteer). Plus we got to eat delicious satays ... mmmm.

Quite a civilised way to end a massive day!

In continuing with yesterday's post about Culture in Singapore, I thought I'd go all-out and see as much as I could in one day. To this end, I visited Kampong Glam, Bugis, City Hall, Fort Canning Park, the Esplanade and surrounds, Singapore River and Clarke Quay.

Because of the detail required for a proper discussion about where I visited today, I will post in two parts. Today's post will discuss this morning's field trip (for my Southeast Asian Studies course to meet the locals) and tomorrow's will talk about the rest of the day.

Firstly, some history.

What is Kampong Glam, and why does Singapore have designated ethnic enclaves?
In 1819, Sir Stamford Raffles, on the advice of his town-planner, began to set aside land for the distinct minority groupings within Singapore. The Chinese Kampong was set aside in the area around the Kling Chapel, in what is now Chinatown; for the South Indian Muslims the area to the North-East (along the Singapore River) was allotted as the Chuliah Kampong; and the Europeans received ‘European Square’ around Rochor Square (bordered by Fort Canning Park and Arab St). This left the Bugis & Arab minorities. They received land bordering the Sultan Mosque (itself was given to Sultan Hussein) to the East and West respectively, as a residential area for the Sultan’s enclave. This is the area known as ‘Arab Street’ or ‘Kampong Glam’ today. Little India is the only area that developed of its own accord. It's a natural settlement.

Where does the name come from?
The name Kampong Glam originates from the Malay word kampong meaning village, and glam, which was a type of tree grown in the area, and known for its medicinal uses. Try as we might, we could not find an example of the glam tree remaining in the Kampong Glam area. Maybe we just need to look closer, but it seems indicative of the decline of the region as a social and cultural community centre that its namesake is hard to find.

What is it now?
On 7 July 1989, the area of Kampong Glam was gazetted for conservation by the Urban Redevelopment Authority. The area conserved covers approximately 9 hectares, and includes 620 buildings. Whilst such a decision ensured the survival of the area’s design and environment, it did not preserve the people. As the cost of living increased in the 1990’s, shopfronts became rented, rather than owned, property. This has led to the creation of another tourist site, rather than the continuation of a community.

This does not mean Kampong Glam is not authentic or interesting. It has become representative of a larger change in Singapore – a move towards the future, whilst still maintaining some of its heritage. Visiting the area reminded me a lot of Singapore’s experience with the restoration of Chinatown – the government began tearing down the old shop-houses until they realised people were visiting the area specifically to see this ‘other side’ of Singapore.

Although Kampong Glam contains the Malay Heritage Centre, and is described in many tourist guides as the “Malay” area of Singapore, this is not completely correct. For many years, the area has been the “Muslim quarter” – regardless of whether those Muslims are Malay, Javanese, or from Arab states. Nowadays, however, these differences are not regarded as important. Many of the current generation of Muslims were born in Singapore, and consider themselves “Singaporean Muslims”, as opposed to Malay, or Javanese. The reduced usage of dialects has increased this assimilation.

As with many aspects of Kampong Glam, the streets and buildings themselves have changed in function and design. The most obvious examples of this are the Malay Heritage Centre (which was the King’s palace: Istana Kampong Glam), and Bussorah Street. Bussorah Street is the main street leading from the Sultan Mosque, and was once full of food stalls catering to those going to and from the mosque; and travel agents for those making the pilgrimage to Mecca. Now it is a modern, pedestrianised street, with Western Internet cafés and souvenir stalls making up the bulk of the shopfronts. Such a drastic change is again indicative of the broader change within the area.

Despite the lack of first-generation migrants in Kampong Glam, those we met were still children or grandchildren of migrants. The migrant heritage is still strong, and many of those we spoke to had mixed parentage, with both parents meeting and marrying in Singapore. However, the three people we spoke to lived in the East Side of Singapore; none lived in Kampong Glam.

(The above comes from my report on the field trip, hence its academic-ness!)

Over the past few weeks, I've been known as the "cultural guy" - i.e. the one who does all the cultural sightseeing etc... which is partly true I guess. I decided early on this semester that I would try and see as much of the island as possible, as I don't think I'll be back here again soon.

To this end, I went to see events as part of the Singapore Fringe and Australian Film Festivals, as well as begun a course in Chinese Calligraphy (dubbed "girly writing" by Johanne! :P)

On Monday night (March 7th) I went to the Esplanade to see a presentation about Singapore's history. Entitled "War Memories", it was an interview with a veteran journalist (Han Tan Juan) who has lived in Singapore and China over the past 50 years. He discussed his memories of the CCP-GMD (Communist vs Nationalist) civil war in China (from his viewpoint as a child on Hainan Island), and then through the Japanese occupation of Singapore (during lots of anti-Chinese action, including the branding of suspected anti-Japanese citizens), the declaration of Independence, and then the race riots in the 1960s between the Malay and Chinese communities in Singapore.

It was really fascinating to listen to his views on the events that have shaped Singapore into the country it is now, with all its flaws and imperfections. Racial tensions still exist (very little inter-racial marriage takes place), as does censorship (Internal Security Act (ISA), anyone?). Whislt he wasn't one to shy away from recognising the problems, he was not willing to test the envelope by actually discussing them. In his words "The ISA is stopping me from talking about the ISA."

This is the first year the Singapore Fringe Festival has run, and I think it's a great idea. Any modern city that wants to encourage creativity needs outlets for the arts, and the more avenues there are for expression, the better. Attendance to this particular event, however, was quite low (even though it was free), and I was the only non-Singaporean there. I thought it was a fantastic use of the Esplanade though, and was the first time I've actually been inside. It's a maze!

On Thursday, I attended my first Chinese Calligraphy lesson, and it was fantastic. I went with Bianca, and we both found it really interactive. Although its hard, the class is small, and really interesting. I had expected to spend some hours learning just how to hold the brush etc..., however instead within 15 minutes we were writing! It's such a break from studying, and really relaxing. Now I just need to work on my posture! (For those who are interested, its held at the Asian Civilisations Museum, Armenian St, and runs for 10 weeks. Cost $100)

The week ended on a high note, with the Aussies congregating at the Australian Film Festival tonight to see "Love's Brother". The film was about an Italian migrant families experience in 1950s Victoria, and the relationships the two Italian-born sons have. It was an interesting experience, and made me realise the large numbers of expats here in Singapore. Of the 200 or so people there, only 15 would have been locals. Just hearing Aussie accents made Shirl and I homesick, and the film made it worse (I never knew birds singing would make me think of Sydney!). For Aruni, who lives in Melbourne (where it was set), it was worse!

The venue, Great World City, seems to be the Singaporean expat brat hangout, judging by the number of teenage Caucasian kids walking around. It's proximity to huge condo's (private apartment blocks) must help.

Ciao!

I thought I'd take time today (having returned from a big night out) to clue you guys in regarding the nightlife in Singapore.

This may come as a bit of a surprise to many of you, however I don't go "clubbing" in Sydney - I had only been once to Home nightclub before I left in December, and that was an underage event whilst I was in high school!! How times have changed.

Whilst Singapore nightlife is relatively expensive (S$15-20 cover charges, S$10+ beers, S$12+ cocktails/mixers) it's an important part of the exchange student lifestyle, and one that we have embraced.

Many of the most memorable times this semester have come during or after a big night out (predominantly a Wednesday night/Thursday morning as its 'ladies night' then - females enter/drink for free at most clubs! - how unfair is that!?!!).

This semester I've been to ChinaBlack (Hiphop/Dance club), Tiki Bar ('free-flow' bar on Boat Quay), Zouk (the club in Singapore - dance/hiphop/retro on Wed), Insomnia (bar with live band), and last night Wu Bar (proper hip hop). I'm sure I'll go to many more before semester ends. Most clubs are hip-hop based, and the 'dance' clubs play commercial dance

Important terms in Singapore:
1-for-1: buy one, get one free. You ask for 1 drink, and you get 2.
Free-flow: all you can drink for a certain time period (ladies usually longer than guys)
Ladies night: Wednesdays at most places, ranges from free everything (ChinaBlack) to just discounted entrance (Zouk).

Note that all concepts of "responsible drinking" don't really exist, and the main aim for many is to get drunk, but not in an Aussie way - we don't drink to get drunk here, we just get drunk. It's a subconscious goal. Also, the cost of alcohol means you go to free-flow places and drink more than you would if it was $4-5 a drink everywhere. Strange logic huh!?

Oh, and if you are ever on Mohammed Sultan Rd (the single biggest clubbing district), enter Wu Bar at your own risk! It's proper hip-hop, and quite small and quiet, however we had an interesting time there nonetheless! Jane got to dance with 30+yr old black guys, Tim threw up on himself, Aruni threw up outside, and we all looked stupid pole-dancing!

Like I said, enter at your own risk!

Ciao!