Murals

February 2, 2017
On Memory Lane: Plaza Singapura

The old Plaza Singapura holds so much memories for the old kids. I had always wanted to pay this Yip YC mural a visit because the visuals he shared on the web for this project were extremely nostalgic! A set of parents and a little girl with candy floss - the exact same image I could relate too as I shopped with my parents at Plaza Singapura when I was six. [Read]

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January 29, 2017
Year of the Rooster with Ernest Goh

I was captivated by the latest wall art put up by local artist Ernest Goh's portraits from the Chicks series that's been bombarding my Instagram feed. I thought, "How appropriate? I have to get the family down for a shoot to mark the Year of the Rooster!" We made it down on Day Two of the Chinese Lunar New Year. [Read]

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August 9, 2016
The Tiong Bahru Murals

Waking up to Singapore's 51st birthday, we took a heritage mural walk in the Tiong Bahru estate. It had been on my list for a long time but I never found the motivation to do it until today. A special day calls for a unique experience with the family and I really had some heavy craving for the Tiong Bahru Market Ju Kueh [Jian Bo Shui Kweh #02-05]. Perfect morning to kill two birds with one stone. Oh my! The multi-story carpark at the market was full! You might have guessed it right. There were no lots available in its vicinity and we had to park way back along Tiong Poh Road. That meant, our mural hunt shall take precedence over breakfast! [Read]

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February 22, 2016
The Everton Murals

We live just eight minutes away from Everton Road and frequent the area for Nylon Coffee Roasters and Ji Xiang Ang Ku Kueh. We've driven past the Amah and Barber murals by Yip Yew Chong each time but failed to stop for a look-see. This morning, with a little bit more time on our hands, I decided to do a short Everton walkabout albeit the drizzle. Yip YC is a fellow Singaporean, the artist behind these nostalgic murals depicting Singapore in her early years. I must say, I am proud of his determined pursuit to realise his dreams. He was inspired by Ernest Zacharevic's murals in Kampong Glam and set forth to put this street art project across for Singaporeans to reminisce. Although Zacherevic paints at a different level [with real props, making it 3-dimensional], Yip belongs to us. He brought us down memory lane with a local flavour in his paintings. A flavour only we can identify - talking about Lao Fu Zi and Gem Biscuits... [read]

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September 16, 2015
Raffles Hotel x Carlo Marconi

Bringing the children to visit Raffles Hotel had always been on my list of to-dos. Today, I brought the children for a brief visit (after purchasing my favourite Champagne Truffle mooncakes). A little walkabout on the third level of its shopping arcade to acquaint them with the works of Carlo Marchiori. They are murals commissioned in 1995 to grace the outer walls of The Ballroom and Jubilee Hall. There is something regal and illustrious about them but with the daily business on-goings at work, we never quite stopped to appreciate them... [read]

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August 31, 2015
Colouring Banda Street

It was a girlfriend who notified me of these murals in Banda Street. She volunteers at Kreta Ayer Seniors Activity Centre and had first-hand news of these street art when it was freshly officiated in April 2015. I wasn't quite motivated to do this series because we didn't have the right outfits for the children to go on this mural hunt. With the newly launched SG50 Coolie and Samsui Woman costumes by Children's Costume Specialist (purchased, not rented), we spent an hour around Chinatown yesterday and located some really amazing artwork to call our own! This is a project spearheaded by Pricewaterhouse Coopers to celebrate the lives and places of our pioneer residents through heritage murals... [read]

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August 22, 2015
Where Are The Goats?

2015 is the year of the Goat according to the Chinese zodiac. There are debates about the correct term for the Chinese character 羊 (yáng). Should it be the year of a Goat, Sheep or Ram? The word 羊 is a generic term and can refer to a sheep (绵羊), goat (山羊), ram/buck (公羊 male sheep or goat), 羚羊 (antelope), etc. There is a lack of clear definition on the zodiac "Goat" in Chinese history. However, most Chinese people and experts on folklore believe that the Chinese zodiac animal is the Goat. Firstly, the Chinese zodiac is an invention of the Han Nationality, and goats were widely raised by the Han people (unlike sheep). Secondly, a Goat image often appears on Chinese zodiac stamps, New Year paper cuttings, and New Year paintings (not a sheep). Thirdly, the Goat was one of the 12 bronze statues of the Chinese zodiac at the Old Summer Palace. So there. Goat is likely it... [read]

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April 7, 2015
Street Art of George Town, Penang

Coincidentally, the Eastern & Oriental Hotel sits on the same side of the map where street art helms. How fitting! I am a heritage junkie mommy. To live and soak in the flavour of historical sites puts me in seventh heaven. I googled for activities that the children can participate in and they pointed me to indoor and outdoor playgrounds, animal farms and interactive museums. Unfortunately, they were either too ordinary (as if we do not indoor playgrounds in Singapore) or inappropriately aged for my children. A baby and a toddler wouldn't be able to handle obstacle courses at Escape even though I'd very much like us to go for it... [read]