Coloured Blocks: Exploring The Vibrant Side of Singapore
- Neon Drew
- Nov 13, 2016
- 3 min read
I was web-combing the other day and I came across this article on the Honeycombers on IG-worthy spots and the first one was the coloured house in Little India and I was immediately drawn to the vibrant splash of colours - something I thought for a moment Andy Warhol would be fervently a champion of. All I had in mind was, 'omg, totally need to go there too'. Oh modern consumerism.
Here's the thing: Singapore to me is like a giant oven, and the sun just does all it can to cook us well-done. But that day being the end of the hungry ghost month, every single boutique ran by the Chinese decided to burn incense and offerings. That's like baking from the inside out. And to put the cherry on the melted cake, the procession happened like clockwork, somewhere around noon to 1pm, decidedly the hottest time of the day.
Seeking refuge in Drury Lane, the aircon isn't all that strong, but at least the coffee was. And since hitting 20, I learned that almost all problems has a solution and many of of em' comes in the form of caffeine.
Largely uneventful and sweaty, we decided that seeking refuge in ceilings and walls were for pussies, we decided to head for the coloured house. Of course, when the heat outside slapped us, we ruminated every life decision made ever and wondered how many of them are mistakes like these.
The cloying heat is just such a pain in the ass I kid you not, I'd imagine this is what hell is like.
Since we were in the area, I reckoned why not get a Cha Thai, and got back down to one of my favourite places in town - Telok Ayer.
More of Telok Ayer here.
Colour Block Serie'
Some of Singapore's most vibrant precinct, we ventured into the vibrant Little India, Kerbau Road and Rochor. And we're not just talking about the warmth and camaraderie. Filled with colourful architecture, these buildings stand as living time capsule, bringing us to a time where life was simpler and innuendos more innocent.
Steeped in culture and tradition, Little India is home to a trove of photogenic spots.
Tekka Centre, an iconic landmark in itself is the largest indoor wet market in our
local shores. Very much like a thousand-year-old treasure chest, its outside facade
may not be immediately inviting, but chance upon the second level and be
enthralled.
This may be news to you, but this colourful building that stands in the middle of
Little India hasn't been colourful all these while and neither is it a building by and for
Indians, despite it's location. Built by businessmen Tan Teng Niah as a gift for his wife,
the villa's architecture holds influences from both east- southern chinese and west- Europe.
One of the last of its kind, the villa's psychedelic panels of colours were only added during
restoration. While I've yet to find out why, I'll assume it's to match the vibrance
of the Indian culture.
In the name of keeping up the facade of a forward moving nation,
much of our skyscrapers wear a coat of white, black and grey.
Some say monochrome, the others monotonous. Built during a
more innocent era where block numbers didn't have a consonant suffix,
the coloured blocks along Rochor is a living time capsule.
On the ground floor, nostalgia-inducing machines like height-and-weight
checker and stick-your-palm-in-hole fortune telling machine still stand,
all a reminder of how times were like in the yesteryear. With much regret,
this landmark that has stayed constant in the face of Singapore's changing narrative
is due to give way for an expressway. Once again, memories lost to the its
mortal enemy of modernity and progress.
Lol, so I wanted to blog about this adventure in the way of tracing my footsteps of that day, but I reckoned it's so much easier to read if it were bursts of info about the place. Hence, I ditched that plan halfway along with the font. But it was a fulfilling day despite the heat, and I've these two buddies who are down to go along with my silly antics to thank for.
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