Blast from the Past [Old vs New]

What does old building teach us?

Why do I feel the need to share this to the community?

I believed that among the entire product of modernism, architecture stand at the center of its development. We are who we are because of the lessons we learned from our past. The measure of our current success is the difference between our achievements from the past to the present. And the only way to see how far can we go further is by looking back to the things that reminds us how great we are.

So, shall we begin exploring?

---

[ Raffles Place MRT Station ]

Our journey begins by getting into the MRT going to the location. Yes! because the first stop of my journey is the Raffles Place station, which is one of the very first train line here in Singapore. Originally, the building was the John Little Building which was considered as the prime commercial store during the 1850’s. When it was rebuilt as a train station the Spanish style facade was retained as a way to reminisce the historical significance of the area. For the past 180 years, Raffles Place stand strong and remained untouched even though the area is commercialized and has a high retail value.

---

[ Lau Pa Sat ]

Since the first stop made me hungry, let me bring you to one of my favorite food haven ~ Lau Pa Sat. Originally, it was known as the Telok Ayer Market hence the name Lau Pa Sat which means “old market”. This really interesting building is one of the best examples of classic buildings that stood the test of modernism. It was fully surrounded and was literally over cast by the shadows of high-rise financial buildings of this city center. In spite of the adversity of this building, I personally think that this architectural marvel speaks for itself and it's the reason why it was conserved for everyone to appreciate.

---

[ Kampong Glam ]

The next stop is considered to be one of the most vibrant place in Singapore ~ Kampong Glam. This spot has so many things to offer like shops, pubs, and awesome eateries which are traditional and will give you a sense of nostalgia' hence the name Kampong which means “village”. At night this place becomes a go-to-place for chill seekers, there a lot of good choices when it comes to great food and cocktails. Contrary to most pubs area, Kampong Glam becomes an artist’s haven during the morning, at this time this area become a production scene for photography enthusiasts & videographers. The area also features graffiti painted on the walls of the shophouses which makes the area so fascinating that it makes me astounded just by walking along the street.

---

[ Kuan Yin Thong Hood Cho Temple ]

Singapore is considered to be at the heart of Asia, so when immigrants came over to this country they also brought with them their culture and religion. One of which is Buddhism and among all of temples - Kuan Yin Thong Hood Cho Temple is the famous for local devotees. It is believed to be a good luck when you pray to its deity. It is also considered to be one of the oldest temple ever built here in Singapore which was on 1884. Due to its popularity among the locals, it was rebuilt twice to accommodate the influx of devotees and also open during the Chinese New Year for the whole night.

---

[ Gardens by the Bay – 2014 Hungry Ghost Festival ]

During the process of creating this post, it made me recall my memory about my first Hungry Ghost festival here in Singapore, so consider this a bonus for this post. It was the year of 2014, during this time my eagerness to learn photography is so pumped-up that it made me go out and explore. At this time also, the exhibit for the festival was opened for public at the Gardens by the Bay open ground. There are lots of interesting display scattered all over the area but the thing that caught my attention is the Floating Pagoda lantern. It was huge and life-like that it took me a while to realize what it was. Until i realize that it is made of translucent material which gives it an impression of a "lantern". It is also lightweight which helps it float so easily. Even though it was anchored, I can see that it was moving along with the tiny movement on the water. The instability of the lantern gave me the challenge when it comes to shooting it, especially when I decided to use “long exposure” technique, the first few shots I took was blurry. I kept shooting until I got the correct settings and was able to achieve the best photo of it. Just like what Aristotle said, "Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet", so never give up and keep chasing for your goal.

[ All photos presented in this post were shot and edited by me (@funtraveller) ]

---

Thank you for visiting.

Please do share your thoughts, comment, and upvote if you like the post.

---

"Have a great day everyone!"