Memoirs of My World, My Life and My Home ~<3
I was searching for a part time job for December and that’s when I chance upon the National Heritage Board’s star blogging competition on Yesterday.sg site. As Singapore is a cosmopolitan country, there’s no lack of heritage related sites but to what extent can I relate myself to those sites? My answer is little since my knowledge and perception of them are mainly shaped by books and personal visits. I learn and marvel at the sites but I cannot relate to them just as well as Clementi Street 13, a small and unknown region to many (even to Singaporeans) but it has a special place in my heart.
Clementi Street 13 is but only a small part of Clementi that’s to the West of Singapore. It’s “ulu”; I have to give taxi drivers directions so that they can drive me home and sometimes it’s easier to just mention Ngee Ann Poly or Sunset Way so that the taxi drivers have a rough idea where Clementi Street 13 is. There are only HDB1 flats and a park here, so why Clementi Street 13 of all places?
HDB is so common that Singapore has no lack of them but my estate’s location and the environment are what make it so special. Strategically, the estates here are well situated to nature that its almost like a natural habitat standing on its own; cut off from the buzzing city life.
I’ve lived here all my life and have seen some of the ups and downs of this area. I remember my childhood times when I could see a train pass the distant forest and I would stare curiously at the train with my little eyes. The community here is a closely knit community, where even children hang out with one another during the weekends, where friends, siblings and neighbors would cycle around the blocks on bicycles. We’ve explored the region so well that we’ve familiarize ourselves with the slopes and the various hiding spots. Games like police and thief, block catching and football are the usual and the whole estate would be our playground.
Just for the fun of it, I went to take a few snap shots of the train tracks.
Though the trains have stopped operating, the forest has especially been the most mysterious element to me. I always wonder what lies beyond on the other side of the fence but I was never brave enough to explore and to find out.
They’re dangerous because you never know when one will fall from the sky and land on you while you’re running around in the fields. >.>”
There’s no lack of local flora or fauna because they can be found almost everywhere! The most noticeable ones are the palm trees, followed by a solo Rambutan tree XD.
PS: Some residents pluck Rambutans when they’re ripe!
The forest is full of live, especially insects that I fear greatly. I’ve a love-hate relation towards insects, I’m so scared of them but some are so beautiful that it’s so hard to ignore them. My estate is often “invaded” by palm size moths, dangerous wasps and ugly looking beetles because we’re situated so near to the forest. Now, I’ve learn to fear them in reverence. XD
Some snap shots of the local floral found here.
Note that none is harmed in the photo-taking process. (:
Now what about the downs of this region? Remember the news on dogs being poisoned to a slow and cruel death? Yes, it occurred here. The community is accommodating towards animals and we can live side by side with animals and we find it nerve wrecking that someone would actually poison the dogs. There was once when monkeys from the forest patrolled the lift area and some even hung onto the window grills of my neighbors just to ask for food. Nothing happened to them though and the kind residents here take turns to feed the hunger stricken stray animals like the various stray cats and dogs (whether it’s okie to do so or not is another issue though). XD
PS: I still see Rajah running around happily around the estates now and then. Go doggy! (:
I think heritages are not fixed as new heritages can be discovered over time. Hence, I introduce Clementi Street 13, an area so close and rich in nature but heartlander enough for me to be able to identify with. I admit that it’s nothing famous or earth breaking a region where it has braved “x period” (eg: World War II & etc) but who knows, it might just qualify to become a heritage site in years to come, let’s keep our fingers cross.
Related Posts By Moi
- Little India – Rich in Indian Culture
- Field Trip to Chek Jawa Wetlands
- Animal Ranch
- Changi Airport Terminal 3 – It’s Spacious & Empty
- Indulge in the Uniquely Singapore experience
- Housing Development Board [↩]
The last time I saw this much greenery was on my plate.
Those are interesting, particularly the train tracks. How long ago were they removed?
Wow! That the most green I’ve ever seen recently! Around here you just see dried up plants and such…all year long! I hate the desert…:getlost:
You better not have photoshop’d those images because they’re really pretty :DWhere I live, everything’s practically dead
But if you live near to all that, your room would be invaded by nasty bugs during the night unless you close your window and turn on the air conditioning. :(
LOL @ Shin.
My area largely has no more forest. Greenery is everywhere, but not to the extent of a forest. I am surprised you dared to touch the fungi. Some are known to be poisonous, then again they would not be as stupid in the first place to have allowed them to breed if it were so.
@Shin
Wow, you eat lots of veggies. ^.^
@Caitlin
It’s only this year that part of the railways were removed; there are still remnants of the tracks left here and there though. I tried recalling the exact date but I think I remember seeing the trains last running in the early 1990s (omg, I’m old =_=) and the tracks were left unmaintained since then. The train tracks are actually part of the Malayan Railway Line and it transported materials for companies from Malaya/Malaysia to Singapore during those times.
I found an interesting site on the Malayan Railways, check it out if you’re interested.
@53RG10
Wow! You’re residing in the desert region?
There are many dried up vegetation (sticks, leaves, branches, dead plants) but they’re nothing as compared to the dryness of the desert.
@blissmo
I don’t have photoshop the program at all; the photos were all taken by my S$100+ camera.
@The Sojourner
Yes that’s true. Getting visits from beetles, ladybirds, bees, months, wasps and even crickets will be the norm if you’re living here. But on the positive side, it’s always so cooling (natural air-con) whenever it rains or after rain.
Did I forget to mention, I occasionally get to see eagle and colorful birds soaring in the skies near the forest. ^_________^
@Panther
Oh that’s Angasana and they’re not poisonous. There are poisonous flora (like poisonous mushrooms) but no one plugs them to eat. Everyone here learn to leave “nature” as it is unless they’re some plant destroying meanie.
PS: I’m gonna work on the blog’s theme Panther, my apologies for the inconveniences.
Train tracks! There’s still one over at CCK and they are still operating.No wonder it’s so familiar, The Daily Scoop is there, ice cream!
Cold Storage moved to Clementi Arcade and became neighbors with The Daily Scoop. It’s too bad they don’t sell chicken steak or roasted food in the Cold Storage there…only groceries.
Wow thats a pretty nice but rural? area your coming from.Its interesting to read that you had something like an ideal childhood with all the lil things that you usually only see in movies or read in books about.
I have to admit that im scared by Moths too.When one enters my room i go crazy like hell and try to get rid of em.Even tough im scared of them i cant kill them so i try to guide them outside again.Thats quite a task beleive me^^
Looks like a nice place. Pity that my college doesn’t have any interesting places to take pictures of… unless you want to see the homeless of the animal kingdom… squirrels.Propz to Fly Me to The Moon playing :)
“I always wonder what lies beyond on the other side of the fence but I was never brave enough to explore and to find out.”
That line had me thinking of Nail Gaimen’s Stardust. You know, how the guys from our world would always be looking over into the other world with interest, but never going over. Through I would be careful with the monkeys. They would cause some trouble when they don’t get the food they want, won’t they?
@Hynavian, ya! they don’t sell the good cooked stuff :( and i was so happy that a cold storage opened up within walking distance of my house. you visit daily scope often? these days they’re so popular, i don’t like going there anymore. I prefer when they first started, when no body goes there =x.
The greeneries remind me of the little province I used to live in, with coconut trees almost everywhere! XDBut yeah, like Sojourner, I think it’s pretty scary being invaded by all those bugs every now and then. It’s great if you’re like a bug enthusiast or something o.O
Wah! haha, my old neighbourhood used to be like that too! And whenever the mrt passes a path of forest, I always feel like going in to see what’s inside! Maybe one day we can go together =D
the old train tracks at jurong port road was removed this year too. i think its connected to the one in your pic.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y143/gordon008/blog/railroad.jpg
@Blowfish
I totally understand your experience because I tried to guide spiders and beetles away from my window before. Moths? I just let them stay because they’re relatively more bearable as compared to the others like bees.
@FFVIIKnight
+10 pts to FFVIIKnight for great musich sense *ahem just like me*
@Stifler
I heard from neighbors that the monkeys would harass and attack some of the residents if they cannot get food but they’re hearsay so far…unsure how true it is.
@pp
Ah yes, the shop is small and would be packed with people sometimes, especially the section between the counter and the tables. I usually visit Daily Scoop once a while (once a month or two) though. You? Imagine chancing upon each other there!
@usagijen
I’m not a bug enthusiast (I become paranoid when I see a bee/wasp) but I’ve mastered the art of co-existing with insects. As long as they don’t attack or perform a 10m flying dash attack with me as the target, I’ll let them have the peace they need when in my house.
@amelia
We’ll become ninja explorers when that happens.
@gordon
Ah it’s unmaintained (with trees toppling over the tracks) and abandoned. It’s reminding me of the happier times where the trains pass. Now it would be awesome if we see an abandoned untended train hidden somewhere. *Hynavian dreams*
PS: Comment marked as spam probably due to the posted link. Akismet marks comments as spams as long as there are html links. I hope that you didn’t panic when your comment was marked as spam.
no problems. as long as u look inside the Akismet bin for legitimate comments. ^^;