First half of Saturday...

Saturday started very early for me... as usual. Haha!

Today, I had to wake up much earlier though as I arranged an activity for me and HB Boy.

How early was it? It was so early that Tipz was just about to go to bed while I was already starting my day by doing my laundry and watching episodes of Arrow. Haha! My sister from another mother, Tey, was also up so we got to chat and talk on the phone a bit. Turns out she was up early because she was going to take Mama Ching to Laguna

By 7:30, with no message yet from HB Boy, I knew I had to call him already. After tapping on the call button and hearing 5 rings, I hung up. Still no reply. Ten minutes later, I called again and no HB Boy on the other line. Third try. Fourth try. Fifth try. This was already 8AM. Finally, I received a WhatsApp message. Lol!

Hmm, I have been vocal that I really hate late and I will admit that I was starting to get annoyed that we were late again with our agreed meetup time. But then, I've also been getting good at quickly kicking away the annoyed feeling that the other person is late. Haha! Plus, I guess I cut HB Boy more slack since we're dating. Lol!

Moving on, the activity I signed us up for a heritage walk along Telok Ayer St. organised by the Preservation of Sites and Monuments Board (I think). The heritage walk we joined, Home Away from Home, covers two of the most important Chinese temples in Singapore. Along the way, we also passed by two other heritage buildings.

The temples are Thian Hock Keng and Yueh Hai Ching Temple, while the heritage buildings covered are Ying Fo Fui Kun and Fuk Tak Chi. All these heritage sites are located along Telok Ayer St. and are worth a visit.

The tour lasted for close to two hours and was led by a PMB Volunteer Guide. I've visited all four heritage sites before but as museum volunteers would say, "Each tour is a different tour." There is always something new to learn.

That, I have to say, is true. I learned a few new things today from the guide. HB Boy, on the other hand, also enjoyed the tour. I thought it was a good way for him to learn more about the country and its heritage.

After our heritage walk, we walked over to China Square Food Centre for lunch at The Rotisserie. Then, we walked to Chinatown for traditional desserts at Mei Heong Yuen Dessert, which was thankfully not packed.

By the time we finished dessert, we were just both ready to zzz... Lol! So we headed back for some afternoon nap before heading out again tonight for a movie and a last hurrah with Tipz. Huhuhu!

Today is a good Saturday. It started very early. And it is going to end very late. Haha!

Chap Goh Mei + V Day celebration...

So, while most people probably celebrated Hearts Day with the usual romantic dinner or mushy surprise, I prepared a different kind of "celebration" for me and PG Boy. Hehe!

Coincidentally, 14 Feb this year is also the Chap Goh Mei. Hokkien for "15th night," Chap Goh Mei signals the last day of the Chinese New Year celebrations.

I thought why not celebrate two events with one activity. Without him knowing it, I registered the two of us for a heritage walk around Chinatown to celebrate Chap Goh Mei.

On one hand, it'll be a unique date, at least that's how I see it. On the other hand, it is also one way of closing the CNY celebrations, which PG Boy observes.

Traditionally, Chap Goh Mei is celebrated by carrying lanterns on the street.

I was really quite excited by this. PG Boy initially didn't want to carry a lantern. I somehow managed to convince (or coerce?) him to carry one and that there's no need to be paiseh about it.

For about an hour or so, together with close to 20 other people, our group walked around different parts of Chinatown carrying our lanterns.

Every so often, the guide would stop in front of a building or temple or some random spot in the street to explain the historical significance of the area.

I guess my favourite portion was walking along Telok Ayer St. and Phillip St. to visit three temples - Thian Hock Keng Temple, Fuk Tak Chi Temple and Yueh Hai Ching Temple.

The last temple was quite busy since a lot of people were praying and making offerings.

It was interesting to know that Telok Ayer is considered to be one of the many "Streets of Harmony" in the island with the presence of Thian Hock Keng Temple, Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church, Nagore Dargah Indian Muslim Heritage Centre and the Al-Abrar Mosque along the same row. Streets whereby significant places of worship from each of the major religions in the city are found are called "streets of harmony."

Singapore being a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-faith community, it is no surprise to find a number of streets of harmony in different parts of the island.

After the heritage walk, PG Boy and I just proceeded to Chinatown Point for coffee and dessert before heading back.

It was quite a nice activity for a Friday night.

Observing All Saints Day/All Souls Day via a Bukit Brown Heritage Walk...

I went for my second heritage walk at Bukit Brown last Sunday. It was the weekend for All Saints Day and All Souls Day and I thought, "What could be a better way to observe both days than by doing a walk at the cemetery?" Hehe! Luckily, Kok Kuan told me about the heritage walk.

Just to refresh, Bukit Brown is the old Chinese cemetery located between Lornie Road and Mount Plesant Road. It was the final resting place of many Hokkiens and Teochews between the 1920s up until its closure in 1973. Close to 100,000 tombs are found in the cemetery. Today, Bukit Brown Cemetery is in danger of being cleared for site redevelopment. A huge section will be affected by plans for a highway that will cut across the cemetery. Given the rich cultural and historical significance of the cemetery, a group of Singaporeans organised themselves in an effort to "Save Bukit Brown."

Going back to the weekend heritage walk, I initially thought it was going to be similar to the first one I went for along with Kok Kuan and his friend Norman. After the brief intro given by one of the Bukit Brown volunteers, I was excited that the tour will cover other hills of the cemetery and newly discovered tombs. Mr. Raymond Goh led the tour. He is probably the most dedicated, most committed guy to doing research about Bukit Brown.

During the first tour that I joined, most of the tombs we visited were of notable Peranakans since the tour was conducted for the Peranakan Society (I think).

This time, the tombs we visited were of different individuals who contributed to Singapore history. Perhaps the most interesting for me this time was visiting the graves of Wee Keng Yeow and his wife. The tomb is still well-maintained. What was interesting for me was learning that Mr. Wee Keng Yeow was the local founder of the Tian It Remittance Agency.

As a person who's very much familiar with "remittances," I thought it was quite interesting to learn about the earliest remittance centres in the island. Tian It was one of the most popular and was in operation at the turn of the century.

At that time, coolies and workers went to remittance centres to send letters and money back to their families in China. Tian It Pue Kuan was one of the most popular with 33 branches in China and 7 branches in Southeast Asia including Singapore and if I heard correctly, the Philippines!!!

The second interesting thing about the whole tour was that so much can be learned from just looking at the markers and the design of the tombs. It can tell you the family history, the town of origin, which dialect group he/she belonged to, the number of children/grandchildren the person had, the number of wives, to name a few. The carvings and other features of the tomb such as sculptures of deities, guardians, Sikh guards, angels add more to the story.

Lastly, I also learned during this tour was that Bukit Brown was actually one of the battle sites during World War II. In fact, one of the more popular tours is the battlefield tour conducted by archaeologist Jon Cooper. Mr. Cooper did a thorough study on the fighting that happened in the area between the Japanese and the local residents defending Singapore.

Because of Bukit Brown's significance in Singapore history, it is no surprise why many groups are committed to raise awareness on Bukit Brown so that hopefully, it will be left on its own in peace.

Bukit Brown Cemetery Heritage Walk...

Who knew it's possible to learn more about a country's heritage and history by visiting several tombstones at a very old cemetery?

Sounds creepy, huh? Maybe when you do it at night. But when you do it on a hot Sunday morning, together with twenty-plus other people eager to learn about their country's heritage and a very knowledgeable heritage walk guide, the whole activity actually becomes one unique learning experience.

Even though I had a late Saturday night, I found myself waking up at 730 in the morning on a Sunday to meet up with Singaporean nature-tripper friend Melvin and his friend Norman at Bishan Junction 8.

Our destination for that morning was one not too many would probably be very keen on going to. Yes, it still still involved the greenery. Yes, there was a lot of walking/hiking involved. But around you are hundreds, even thousands, of tombstones and gravemarkers. Hehe.

After a quick breakkie at MickeyD's Bishan, we got into Melvin's car and hit the road for our destination - Bukit Brown cemetery.

The plan: to join a guided tour of the cemetery led by members of the Asia Paranormal Investigators (API).

A brief background on the cemetery. It was a public Chinese cemetery that had been established some time in the 1920s. The cemetery is located between Lornie Road and Mount Pleasant Road and was named after the land's first owner, George Henry Brown. Brown sold the land to three Ong families (?) who then passed on the land to the municipal authorities for a public cemetery. It was abandoned since its closure in 1973. Close to 100,000 tombs are found in the cemetery.

The largest grave in the cemetery belongs to one of the Ongs - Ong Sam Leong.

What makes Bukit Brown extra special?

Many of Singapore pioneers and forefathers from the late 19th century to the early 20th century were laid to rest here. Chew Boon Lay. (as in the Boon Lay MRT station) Cheang Hong Lim. (as in Hong Lim Park). Son and daughter-in-law of Chia Ann Siang (as in Ann Siang Hills). The mother of Eu Tong Sen (as in Eu Tong Sen in Chinatown). The aunt of Lee Kwan Yew who was the first woman doctor of Singapore.

We managed to visit several of the graves of these prominent Singaporeans. In each grave, the tour guide Raymond gave a very good story/historical information about the deceased. It was really impressive. He gave info on how the person contributed to the Singapore society, how the person is related to contemporary prominent Singapore people.

What also made the tour interesting was that there were a number of descendants were present. So we got stories straight from the horse's mouth.

The other interesting features were the intricate carvings of dragons, phoenixes, Chinese mythological creatures, Peranakan tiles, that decorate the tombstones.

Several markers also had inscriptions on them, which according to our API guide, was meant to serve as life lessons to be remembered by the descendants of the deceased.

"In every tombstone, there is a life lesson to learn," said our API guide.

Today, the Bukit Brown Cemetery is in danger of being cleared. With the site slated for redevelopment, the dead might make way for the living. Pretty soon, it will all be gone. (I just learned that Bishan HDB estate and Ngee Ann City Shopping Centre were once cemetery grounds as well)

Though I am not Singaporean, it's saddening to learn these. The country is not just losing another cemetery. It is losing a historical landmark, a significant part of the rich cultural and historical heritage.

There's a part of me though that also feels lucky for being able to set foot on these grounds before it disappears and becomes one more relic of a bygone era.