Got back from work on Saturday and felt like taking a walk, it is rather tough deciding where to go and take pictures, but lately katong and joo chiat have been on my mind as i realize that here in Singapore we are running out of old school shophouses doing old school style businesses , kampung glam has been has changed and there are only a few spots left doing things they have done for more then 10 or 20yrs. Tanjung Pagar is not what it used to be and China Town has been butchered, it is now a tacky gimmicky place. Little India still has some old world charm about it though like Katong and Joo Chiat that is fast fading.
I love shophouses, to me they are the most beautiful buildings we have . In a row they all look the same but they each have a unique identity, be it colour, size or artistic touches like ornate signs announcing the year of its birth. On Saturday though i decided to try and take different aspects of these buildings and the people and things that fill the space in and round them. With my first four pictures i took the liberty of playing around with photoshop just for the heck of it. you will note that the second and third shots are at an angle, this is because i didnt want the folks to know i was photographing them and so held my camera waist high and pretended i was looking at something else.
The above pair caught my eye cause the little girl was so brightly dressed compared to her surroundings and i thought it contrasted nicely with the area, lots of old and lots of new as well. To me it really does say JOO CHIAT.
The boys in the gang- As i walked towards the above coffee shop i saw these guys and I'd like to think that they have been hang out here since they were teenagers. The guy that its colour struck me the most, he was laughing but at the same time it was as if his mind was far far away or maybe thinking of years gone by.
I like these areas between the buildings.
Above-A loyal subjects window?
Behind the scenes(the red building is next to the red bakery...)
These two shots show new uses for old buildings, internet cafe's
I noticed along Joo Chiat Rd a number of bicycle shops.
This guy and his shop look like they have been here since the day after Raffles left. I asked him if i could photograph his shop but he refused, tis a shame.
A side view of a typical building along Joo Chiat Rd.
a little series on doors.
These pictures are not meant to be arty, they are just something to help me remember them when they are gone.( i have more pictures i took 166photographs and i may post them..)
With Singapore being the way it is and things changing so fast, I suspect if i were to follow the same route i took on Saturday in six months time there will be more changes....its fading fast folks, catch it while you can.
sidebar- you, yes you, you see the typos don't you..well keep them to yourself.
After a nice holiday in Phuket in dec, i felt the need for another trip in jan. lol not really. Most years the boys and i go camping early in the year but this year we decided to do something different and headed out to mana-mana beach club on bintan island. I had a really nice time, in total there were 10 of us and we havent had such numbers for ages. This little logo u see in some of the pics was designed by Sherwin with a little mod from me. enjoy. notice the lack of people shots :)
As you may know, my cousins from aus came downd and spent a great christmas with us ! Of course due to work i couldnt spend much time with them but i really enjoyed what little time we did have! Family! 
The above are some pictures i rejected for posting when i did the original post, but after looking at them again i figured what the heck.Photos taken in Katong and The Botanical Gardens.
So this time last week we were in phuket and boy was it a good trip, as always the people the food and the environment was great and our little band of thai wannabes had a ball of a time
We all want to be thai and live in phuket.
My Daughter.....
With Godma
A series on boats
Street
Baby doesnt get a helmet
The Family
View from the front door of our hotel room
As with all good trips ours ended well, i had a great time with my "thai" kaki, the Pereiras, Pereira-Telfords, Ollies and the Simons. What a a merry band of people. Thanks for all the great meals and chats, for the gifts like sending us on our little snorkelling adventure! and the many hours of looking after little miss phuket Caitlin! More pics to come ....maybe
Got back from work on Saturday and felt like taking a walk, it is rather tough deciding where to go and take pictures, but lately katong and joo chiat have been on my mind as i realize that here in Singapore we are running out of old school shophouses doing old school style businesses , kampung glam has been has changed and there are only a few spots left doing things they have done for more then 10 or 20yrs. Tanjung Pagar is not what it used to be and China Town has been butchered, it is now a tacky gimmicky place. Little India still has some old world charm about it though like Katong and Joo Chiat that is fast fading.
The above pair caught my eye cause the little girl was so brightly dressed compared to her surroundings and i thought it contrasted nicely with the area, lots of old and lots of new as well. To me it really does say JOO CHIAT.
The boys in the gang- As i walked towards the above coffee shop i saw these guys and I'd like to think that they have been hang out here since they were teenagers. The guy that its colour struck me the most, he was laughing but at the same time it was as if his mind was far far away or maybe thinking of years gone by.
I like these areas between the buildings.
Above-A loyal subjects window?
Behind the scenes(the red building is next to the red bakery...)
These two shots show new uses for old buildings, internet cafe's
I noticed along Joo Chiat Rd a number of bicycle shops.
This guy and his shop look like they have been here since the day after Raffles left. I asked him if i could photograph his shop but he refused, tis a shame.
A side view of a typical building along Joo Chiat Rd.
a little series on doors.
