Queenstown
Hmm, just caught the Channel 8’s special about the old Queenstown center. To me, thats the place I grew up in. Although I stayed in Commonwealth when I was young, my primary and secondary school was there. I walked home usually after school and usually past thru there.
The strange thing was that I also read a book about Queenstown at Borders over the weekend.
Queenstown indeed brought up a lot of memories for me.
1. Library - I got my computerized library card here. My very first appearance in the newspaper when the Straits Time interviewed my friends and me about the new computer catalogue.
2. Polyclinic - Its open air so you have to go registration, then walk to the consultation area, then walk to the pharmacy to get your medication.
3. Cinemas - My friend worked in the cinema there. He sneaked me in to the cinema most afternoon for those matinées. I remember for a period, I watched ALL the chinese movies that they had been showing, for free.
4. NTUC - Even before Carrefour, so many things to see.
5. Tah Chung Emporium - One of those department stores that any person living in Queenstown would remember.
6. The hawker center - I love the roast chicken rice there. The only one where they will add a slice of tomato for you. Anyone knows where they moved to? I remembered going to the hawker center at night after swimming with my siblings for desserts.
7. Those little shops that sells specialized stuff. I remember a sports equipment shop at the corner of those two stories buildings.
8. The playground outside NTUC - Before they took away the sand and put plastic over it, I remember playing around in it and finding some bones. Hmm, someone buried their pet there.
9. Community Center - My friends and me would play badminton there weekly, even though we had left our primary school and went our separate ways to different secondary schools. We made it a point to come back and play.
10. The Remand Prison - No one talks about it, but its there. I actually went in before because one of my friends’ dad worked inside as a guard. It was an experience.
oh so many memories…
“1. Library - I got my computerized library card here. My very first appearance in the newspaper when the Straits Time interviewed my friends and me about the new computer catalogue.”——–> waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back then, i got my CARDBOARD library card @ Queenstown too!! four cardboard library cards… hehehehehe… btw, one of the longtime librarians at Queenstown library who issued me the cardboard cards and later on, checked out the many many library books are currently working at Esplanade library instead…
Sorry… that’s me up there…
Yes, I remember that librarian. I went to the Esplanade branch and saw her there too. She actually remembers me.. all from 20+ years ago.. amazing..
Part 2 to come soon.
My primary school was near there…Tanglin Primary [demolised liao
]…used to frequent Tah Chung Emporium (though never bought anything there before)…missed “fishing” for guppies/dragonfiles in the drainage…had ever ventured into the canel’s “black hole” a few time….remembered got a “airfix” shop in one of the block….ah, the library - where i got my first library cards.
there is also the dumpling stall on the second floor that is now handed over to the son. Ngor hiong downstairs and wash it down with sugar cane juice.
Don’t forget the bowling alley too!
Ya Ya!!!! the bowling alley where you can watch people bowl while eating your KFC meal!!
oh…. the registrar of vehicles was also in queenstown then, remember doing my driving tests a few times (hehe, they were strict, wasn’t my fault)
my sec sch was there too……I like the rojak and popian at the coffeeshop near the Remand Prison…and the Queenstown library too……memories. Sigh.
i used to visit that library weekly, together with the bukit merah branch. hehehe