Civic Life and Tiong Bahru on Tour in the UK.....

And now.... if you have missed the premier at the Renoir - here is your opportunity to see the film elsewhere in the UK - both in and outside of London.....



Check out this website for details of screenings! Pass on the word!

Civic Life in London .....

Almost one week ago, on 31 January 2011, 'Civic Life' was shown in London at the Curzon Renoir Cinema - where the latest addition to the body of work by Chris and Joe - Tiong Bahru - received its London Premier!

Needless to say, during the Q&A, many, in the almost full house - were impressed by the body of work, and also how Tiong Bahru brought together many of the duo's earlier themes and concerns in a well considered and lyrical manner.... (more reviews in separate posting coming up soon!)



Here are some pictures of the event - kindly sponsored by the Singapore International Foundation, who brought over not just the taste of home - but also, lots of items that gave the UK audience an idea of the architectural and social heritage of Singapore (thanks to White Canvas Gallery for the posters of the sketches that was done last year!!! Big shout to you all there!) ...





and also of the multi-ethnic-lingual-cultural environment that we should be proud of and should cherish and nurture!



Amongst the guests were many ex-expats who spent time in Singapore, film buffs, and also those who were interested in community engagement through art.... and during the reception, many groups of Singaporeans based in London were seen discussing what was the meaning of 'home' in a globalised world...







Your correspondant here with Chris and Joe... who we have to thank for working with us in Tiong Bahru to realise the film...





And here is Ms Tan Shzr Ee, who provided the Mandarin voice-over for part of the film, with the poster of the film!



We were also very pleased that the event was graced by our High Commissioner H.E. Michael Teo... more pictures to follow!

In the meantime, wishing one and all - a GREAT START to the New Year!

Dog Found....

Hello!

Just a shout out here on a lost and found.. do pass the word on!

Female white and brown fox terrier, young, found at Yong Siak Street, 2 Feb at 1030am.
She has a sprained or dislocated hind leg.



We are unable to keep her and would like to return her to her rightful home.
Owner please contact D. Tan at 96824806

Lets make our Tiong Bahru Bloom!

Hello everyone! Have you bought your New Year flowers yet? Perhaps you might want to have nice flowers and plants all year round, or perhaps make your own front and back garden even nicer! (And there are lots of nice front gardens already in Tiong Bahru). Here is a proposal from a group of residents that was sent to the blog - and so, we share it with the rest of you - do join in if you can!



_____________

Just wanted to share that we are trying to setup a team to participate in Community Bloom project for Tiong Bahru and we are hoping for assistance to seek for project members through your blog.

Currently, we are at the initial stage of the project where we are reviewing suitable land plot. Garnering more project members is our next focus and this is where we are approaching various channels that already reach out to residents.

The team leader for this project is Gordon who can be reached at gtwork@singnet.com.sg. A similar posting has been put up at facebook on Tiong Bahru estate as below.


Facebook posting:

Are your green fingers itching to stretch itself? How about joining us to work on a community garden right here in Tiong Bahru?

If you are interested, please drop a note to Gordon, proj leader, at gtwork@singnet.com.sg or myself through fb.

Join us now!!!!

Tiong Bahru in Europe....and the British Isles

Hello everyone... while you are all undoubtedly getting busy for the up-coming holidays, just an update on the film that is now beginning to work its way around Europe...

First, It appears in the Rotterdam International Film Festival:





Then this coming Monday, in London, it has a showing in Central London at the Renoir Cinema (known for art films!) where there is a special Q&A session with the film directors, and kindly hosted by the Singapore International Foundation.




So, that's all for now - and we will keep you updated!

Christmas!

Now that Christmas is over (or actually, if you are a member of the Eastern Orthodox Church, it just started last Friday), time to put up pictures of the party that took place at the Seng Poh RC....

Wishing one and all a great New Year ahead!

___________________________________


Come to the party pa-rum-pa-pum-pum
At Seng Poh RC pa-rum-pa-pum-pum
They rocked the night for all pa-rum-pa-pum-pum
With carols to sing and sing pa-rum-pa-pum-pum
rum-pa-pum-pum rum-pa-pum-pum

And the folks love it pa-rum-pa-pum-pum
Rum-pa-pum-pum

We had carolling pa-rum-pa-pum-pum
The jester gave us joy pa-rum-pa-pum-pum
They gave us gifts and laughs pa-rum-pa-pum-pum
And lucky draws we won pa-rum-pa-pum-pum
rum-pa-pum-pum rum-pa-pum-pum

And Santa came pa-rum-pa-pum-pum
Everyone had fun

(photos by Lawrence, lyrics by Barnie)

Woof woof! Calling all Dog Lovers!

Calling All Dog Lovers!!

Are you interested to learn about responsible dog ownership?

Hear from a vet about how to care for your puppy or an older dog? Pick up tips on grooming and feeding?

Meet other dog lovers in the neighbourhood?

Ask AVA about the latest regulations for dog owners?

If you think you will be keen to participate in a Dog Lovers Talk at the neighbourhood, that covers the above topics, please send an email to:

deanne.tan@gmail.com

with a gauge of interest - it would then be possible to plan for the event!

Do pass the word to your other neighbours!

Heritage Hunter....comes to Singapore!

Not sure when this will show, but do look out for the episode with Singapore and Hong Kong in it!



Hong Kong and Singapore are 2 of the most dynamic cities in South East Asia - both ex British colonies, both predominately Chinese. Their skyscrapers are monuments to their economic success built on the backs of an immigrant population. In these cities are treasures which hark back to a different social and economic milieu


Wing Lee Street in Hong Kong sits on a valuable piece of real estate, caught in a time warp of neglect. Its tenement shop houses have been home to immigrant families for decades. Beneath the grime are treasures to be uncovered, stories to be told.


Tiong Bahru Estate is the oldest public housing estate in Singapore. Built before the war, the architecture of the low rise flats are a heady blend of the clean lines and elegant curves of the era of art decor. In its heyday it was dubbed the Hollywood of Singapore and a favoured place for romantic trysts.The Heritage Hunter calls on the Monkey God to help her find her treasures.

Channel News Asia International produced by Sitting In Pictures

Website: http://www.sittinginpictures.com
Starring: Linda Black
Written By: Catherine Lim/ Vincent Fong
Directed by: Vincent Fong/ Catherine Lim
Plot outline:

Heritage Hunter is a 6 x 30 mins. adventure series which explores historical, cultural and environmental sites in Asia and efforts to protect, preserve and develop them. In each programme the Heritage Hunter(Linda Black) will have to find 3 “treasures.” The treasures can be tangible - a relic, a rare plant - or intangible - a legend, a task. The clues are cryptic. The “treasures” are pieces of a puzzle which are significant to the narrative of the heritage story of the people who live there.

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/HeritageHunter

Tiong Bahru The Film - the Preview!

For all of those who took part in the making of the film... read about the sneak preview that was held on Monday night....


Cast, crew, friends and family joined filmmaker Joe Lawlor for a sneak preview of TIONG BAHRU on Monday, one day before its official world premiere at the National Museum of Singapore. Over 300 people from the local community came along to see themselves and their friends on the big screen and the film did not disappoint. The stunning vistas taken from the roof of the carpark of the Tiong Bahru were matched only by the beautiful portraits Joe, Christine and Director of Photography Daniel Low had made of the community, whose appearances were met with sighs, giggles and excited whispers. Host Chua En Lai added a bit of extra sparkle to the evening while the first screening ended with a loud round of applause. Joe then answered questions about the film, alongside TIONG BAHRU producer Dan Prichard, and the film was then screened again, so that the cast could once again enjoy their Hollywood moment ... READ MORE

For those of you who could not make it, the film is having its world premier at the National Museum tonight, and will be showing at the National Museum 'Cinema' for the next few weeks... For details of the screening, go HERE.

Bring your family, your friends, your neighbours!

Tiong Bahru The Film - The Exhibition!

Hi everyone, as you may know, the film will soon be launched....

In the meantime, to see the story behind the making of the film, do check out the following exhibition at the Market, where it all happened!

2nd Oct 2010 to 10 Oct 2010.
Tiong Bahru Market Foyer,
Seng Poh Road.

' Taking place at the Tiong Bahru market from Saturday 2nd October to Sunday 10th October, this exhibition documents the three days in June 2010 when Tiong Bahru market and hawker centre was transformed into a movie set, with the help of UK-based filmmakers Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor, and 150 volunteers from the community.'

16th Day of the 8th Lunar Month - the celebrations commences!

Everything is set up at Eng Hoon Street today, as the celebration for the Birthday of the Great Heavenly Sage commences - and it is also the 90th Anniversary of this particular temple.

Something to look out for this time would be the display of a wide range of historic sedan chairs for the temple that have been gifted by devotees over the decades.



The main prayer event for today begins at 4.30pm, if you are in the hood, come by too. Check out the Chinese street opera (Teochew) from this evening!



All are invited - note that the bamboo with the lanterns is a 'signal' to heavenly beings to come join in the festivities.

Tiong Bahru Tours

Geraldene Lowe is offering the following tours for Tiong Bahru, based around the Festival for the Great Heavenly Sage:

23 SEPT Thurs - TIONG BAHRU WALK 2.30 - 5.30pm ending with Monkey God Birthday Procession - great photo opportunites!

24 SEPT FRI - TIONG BAHRU WALK 9.30AM - 12.30 Both Tours meet Holiday Inn Atrium Lobby - visiting Temples, famous Market Best Cake Shop in town - stay on to have lunch and see Opera Performance specially to entertain Monkey God!

Call Geraldene for details - afternoons 67375250 or leave a message and she will call you back.

You can also email her on : geraldenestours@hotmail.com

Do go if you live here, but have not yet been on a tour to understand our neighbourhood!

Enjoy!

Mid Autumn and Birthday of the Great Heavenly Sage

Dear Friends and Neighbours,

once again, the Mid Autumn Festival rolls around, where we make time to mark the harvest, enjoy the beauty of the fullest Moon of the year, and make merry with goodies and beautiful lanterns.



While we no longer have most of the lanterns above - which up to the mid 1980s, were commonly on sale in Singapore, we can think of creating new ones of our own! Apparently such cellophane lanterns are unique to Malaysia and Singapore - and are not seen in mainland China itself.

Related to the season is the main Birthday of the Great Heavenly Sage - more popularly known as 'Monkey God'/'Monkey King' or 'Sun Wukong'.

His main temple in Singapore is right here in Tiong Bahru - the Qi Tian Gong Temple at Eng Hoon Street. This year, the temple celebrates its 90th Anniversary, as the street banner and decorations proudly proclaim.



As with each year, a full programme of entertainments for the Deity has been arranged for the 5 days of celebrations - from 24th Sept (16th day of the 8th Lunar Month) to 27th Sept (20th day of the 8th Lunar Month).

Details of the celebrations can be found on the website of the temple:

www.qitiangong.com.

If you are interested in a colorful folk festival, this is the time to come to visit Tiong Bahru with your camera to capture the festivities! Lion and Dragon Dances, Chinese Opera and Getai!

This is also when a tour by Singapore's noted tourguide - Geraldene Lowe - as featured in the National Day special of the Straits Times this year - will be conducted to share with all who are interested, the history of Tiong Bahru.

p.s. as with each year's festival, it is going to be a lively and somewhat noisy event. If this is not your thing as a new resident, the temple seeks your accomodation and understanding on this matter.

Snatch Theft and other alerts!

Dear Neighbours,

just recently, we have had a report of an attempted snatch theft along Kim Pong Road. An elderly man who was walking with his grandchild was attacked from the back by a thief who ran past and wanted to snatch his necklace.

This happened at about 11.30pm on 1 September.

According to what we were told, the details of the suspect as follows:

Male, in the 20s.
About 1.7m tall, slim build.
Beige t-shirt.
Indian

Fortunately, it seems that the resident and his grandchild were not hurt.

In late August, there were also 2 reports of thefts from the Market - 2 stalls had raw chickens stolen from them between 3.30 to 4.30am.

Unfortunately, there are no details of the suspects in the case of the market thefts.

These events are quite unexpected given that our area has been generally very safe, infact, safer than most other areas.

Do be more careful when walking at night, and if you have elderly relatives, remind them to not wear valuable jewelry on them when not necessary.

Please let us all continue to be vigilant about public safety, and if you see or hear anything strange, call the police, or give shout for help to alert more neighbours! We are all safer when we come together to keep a look out for the safety of our neighbours and friends.

Tiong Bahru Mid Autumn Party and Recycling Exchange

Dear Friends and Neighbours,

This Year's Mid Autumn Festival Party will be held once again at the Seng Poh Garden, (next to Block 48 Moh Guan Terrace).

Date: 11 September (Saturday)
Time: 7pm to 10pm

Tickets at $5 per person

Tickets on sale at the Seng Poh RC every Monday and Tuesday night from 8-9pm.

There will be food, games, lucky draws, and a talk on how to avoid Problem Gambling and avoiding Loan Shark activities.

Once again, there will also be a recycle exchange run by NEA - bring your recyclable items to be exchanged for food items!

The more you bring, the more you have to exchange.

We accept the following items:

Cans, Bottles, News Papers, Old Clothes.

Do make sure that the Cans and Bottles are clean though.

See you there!

Short film, nice prize! just 90 Seconds!

WIN A CANON EOS 7D in just 90 seconds!



Show us WHERE YOU HEART IS and you could win a CANON EOS 7D and a trip to the UK's leading short film festival.

Click here for details.

We are asking you to show us the places in Singapore that matter to you, and already we have had some lovely work submitted.

See: http://civiclife.sg/competition-gallery-new.php

Check out details of the CANON EOS 7D, which has full HD video recording capability, here: http://www.canon-europe.com/cpn_eos7d/ and find out more about Encounters, the UK's leading short film festival, here: http://www.encounters-festival.org.uk/

Closing date is Friday, September 17th, so get filming!

WHERE THE HEART IS is a collaboration between the British Council, the National Museum of Singapore, Encounters Short Film Festival and the Singapore International Foundation.

The festival of the Hungry Ghosts

Today is the 8th day of the 7th lunar month of the Chinese calendar.

Some of you would have seen these altars around the neighbourhood...



They are set out by either individual families, or by trade and neighbourhood associations who band together to offer food and drink for the wandering 'Good Brothers' - the respectful name for those who come back to this world for a month to enjoy themselves with the entertainments available on earth.

These associations often also stage a celebratory dinner for all its members. Tiong Bahru had one last week and it is one of Singapore's oldest recorded 7th Month Celebration Associations - SIN HOCK HENG SEAH:



The red bags on the table are full of useful goods to be distributed once a year to all who subscribe to the association. These would include - Rice, Oil, Sugar, Soya Sauce etc. the necessities of life!

Entertainments that include song and dance on stage - otherwise known as Getai 歌台. If you want to find out where there is Getai each night - and it happens all round Singapore - just by the daily Chinese newspaper - Lianhe Zaobao! And often, a grand dinner and auction!



Sometimes, the offerings take place on a grander scale, such as at the Buddha Tooth Temple in South Bridge Road. Tonight, long tables of offerings were laid out. Don't think that the faith does not move with the times! One of the offerings is of french fries and chilli sauce - can you spot it in the picture?





Finally, to check out the whole programme of events to explain why and how this month is commemorated and celebrated by Chinese who believe in their traditional faith, check out the event at Kreta Ayer Square, by Chinatown Complex Market and just behind the Buddha Tooth Temple. A very informative exhibition has been put up - Hungry Ghost Festival Cultural Exhibition - Free admission.



The Chinatown Business Association with the Singapore Tourism Board and the Taoist Federation, is also organising a series of talks and events for all who are interested. There is also the calendar on the blog - Chinese Temple Event Calendar.



Don't miss out what Tiong Bahru Market has to offer too - there are lots of seasonal goods on offer!

psst. For those of you who do not know, it is not polite to step on offerings or the ashes of offerings. Just walk around them.

The biggest festival day will be the 15th of the 7th month - 24th August 2010.

The YOG Flame is visiting Tiong Bahru!!!!

Latest news!

The YOG Flame will come through our hometown around 11.30 to 11.45 tomorrow - Friday, and they will run thru Lim Liak Street!

Come cheer on the runners, and take a nice picture of the flame in our heritage estate.

They will be accompanied by the local Lion and Dragon Dancers!

Nice to know that we are seen as representative of Singapore by the YOG folks too...



Wonder if Merly and Lyo will turn up?

With each generation, there is something more to be grateful for

Happy National Day neighbours and friends!

While the flats here in Corinne May's song are not of Tiong Bahru's vintage, Kampong Arang dates from the 60s when we underwent the heroic effort to rehouse our fellow citizens from tenements, slums and squatter shacks.

The simple architecture may not be considered much to shout about when compared to today's positively gleaming HDBs, but it is nice to see that these pioneer flats being celebrated, if nothing else, as a place where we started, as a place that evokes a feeling of home.

It is also good to be reminded of the role of the common-corridor - the five foot way of our Tiong Bahru flats - that was inherited from Raffles' planning rules, and transformed/brought into high-rise housing from the 60s to the 80s - that is is a place where community formation - as a result of friendships being formed - has a better chance of taking place. And its many small community/ies that come together to make a Nation.



Hopefully one day, we will have an equally nice ND song set in Tiong Bahru!

Majulah Singapura!

Happy National Day! I love Tiong Bahru, I love Singapore!

Here's a wish for a Happy National Day to all of us here who live in, or are fans of Tiong Bahru....




Our first ever community banner with the signatures of the residents who came for the tea party. Do add yours in!


(pictures courtesy of Zaihan, of WCS) The Banner will be up on display for the duration of August.

Last weekend, we had our first ever party to mark the 'launch' of our special Community National Day Banner.

Instead of having a typical design that is generic, Seng Poh RC thought to ask if the White Canvas Gallery would consider contributing the outcome of the sketchwalk through the estate, to create a special National Day banner that would have a real local flavour.

WCS and the artists of the walk readily agreed, and it was put together into what you see above. The design of the banner was done by WCS, and we hope you will agree that it is really quite eye-catching!

On the day of the launch party on 1 August, even though it was overcast and drizzled, many residents turned up to see what the banner was all about, and we have to say that all of them were pleasantly surprised to see our home town captured first in an artistic form, and secondly, transformed into a banner!

Young and Old were excited to sign their name on the banner - often looking for that particular sketch that showed their block or their street.






(Pictures courtesy of Barnie Leow)

Even those who did not plan to come to the event, but passed by, were happy to see the banner, and added their name to it, and then joined in to have a cup of tea and a chat with their neighbours.



(Pictures courtesy of Barnie Leow) The little girl at the bottom left of the picture was looking for her sketch.

So, what else is there to say but that, we do love our neighbourhood, and we do appreciate how Art can make us recognize the beauty of our hometown! Seng Poh RC is thankful for the helpful folks at WCS, the 4 artists - Don, Tia, Miel and Paul, and all the other enthusiasts who turned up for the sketch walk and made the banner possible.

Happy National Day everyone - as we so love our hometown, we can then also love our country....



p.s. Seng Poh RC welcomes opportunities for collaborative events between all who are interested in the neighbourhood, especially where the event is an opportunity for residents and friends of the estate to meet. If you have any proposals, do drop us an email here - we will forward it to the RC.