Rhythm of Light - solo exhibition by Steven Low at Black Earth Art Museum 

28 Sep - 20 Oct 2008, 12 noon - 9 pm. Black Eart Art Museum, 352 Joo Chiat Road.

Rhythm of Light -
This architecture series was created with the nature's gift of lights in mind.
My fascination with futuristic structure prompted these aerospace-like buildings.
The play with darkness and lights stimulates one's visual imagination; temptation to touch and play -
changing the light source and the structure's facet is undeniable.

 

"King of Katong" - The Chew Joo Chiat Story

Philip Chew is the great grandson of Chew Joo Chiat whom our district is named after has ardently archived interesting morsels of information into a blog http://mychewjoochiat.blogspot.com/. Join Mr Philip as he shares his personal journey of discovery about his great grandfather Chew Joo Chiat's life and times in Singapore. Roads to Chew Joo Chiat Part 1, Roads to Chew Joo Chiat Part 2

 

Joo Chiat Inspirations

Morning was rising and I decided to take a drive around leafy Joo Chiat neighbourhood. Just for the heck of it. You know, one of those bleary-eyed mornings when on a spur of the moment you reach out for something, anything, to do.

Glad I did too because it suddenly dawned on me that the neighbourhood appeared to have undergone and continues to be undergoing some pleasant changes - architecturally, over the past twelve months at least - without me realising it. The changes had slipped unnoticed into my subconscious.

The kind of unseeing that you experience when signs everywhere beckon your attention but not succeeding.

Starting at the busy flat junction of Joo Chiat Place and Still Road, where the spicy sweet black pepper crabs of Eng Seng Eating House draw queues from seafood devotees every day of the week starting in the early evenings, as you turn left into Chiku Road, you come upon a recently updated row of single-storey terrace houses that have become homes to house-proud tenants. Where once these terraces were dilapidated and grey from years of untended grease, they now wear a newness and bohemian charm that are wholly unexpected - new roofs, stone walls, potted plants, plant hangings, interesting patio lights and art objects.

And at the junction of Chiku Road and Joo Chiat Place, the three-storey block of art deco apartment building, which once looked neglected in trailing dirt from monsoon rains and given to foreign workers from India and Bangladesh and whores from China and the Philippines, is suddenly seeing a revival as new owners buy up its apartments one by one and begin to spruce them up in ways quirky and creative. One proud owner has even proudly displayed a fashionable black chandelier in his balcony. I wonder what he has inside to top this.

Suddenly, the heritage second-storey apartment that is tucked into the corner of the block doesn't seem odd any more because it was where Zubin Said composed Singapore's national anthem Majullah Singapura. For a long while it stuck out like a haven in this Faustian setting of sleaze, sex, filth, noise and spit with its clean bamboo blinds and dragon jars of baby green palms. Never mind that it was bought over by a Singapore Malay judge (of Singapore's Subordinate Courts) who wanted to ensure this neglected piece of Singapore's history did not fall into grubby uncaring hands.

Then just across the road from this block has emerged a row of six beautiful nearly restored pre-war shop houses, newly painted in a mosaic of pastel Peranakan shades and redone plaster friezes. The asking price? Three million dollars a piece. Perhaps not too high a price to pay for those who love the neighbourhood's heritage and setting.

We've begun to see a lot more of these quaint properties being conserved. Singapore's Urban Redevelopment Board just last year gazetted over two hundred more buildings in the neighbourhood for conservation. This has turned Joo Chiat and Katong into perhaps Singapore's single largest Peranakan and Eurasian heritage neighbourhood with close to a thousand buildings under conservation.

New families and businesses are moving in. Weekend mornings, afternoons and evenings catch couples and families strolling Joo Chiat's streets and nooks and corners obviously looking out for places to lease or buy. New businesses like Egg3 at 260 Joo Chiat Road and Artoholic at 422 Joo Chiat Road are up and running, bring the neighbourhood one notch up the creative hub.

The neighbourhood is getting gentrified as a result, more and more. This despite the three small pockets of evening sleaze that took root only between 2003 and 2004 along the northern stretch of Joo Chiat Road between Dunman Road and Changi Road that have unfairly given the neighbourhood a bad rep.

Take the recently renovated all-white art deco residence at 122 Joo Chiat Place, at the corner of Joo Chiat Place and Mangis Road and just a few doors away from the former kampung home of Cultural Medallion Award winner sculptor Ng Eng Teng which is recognisable from its old wooden frames and huge floating mother and child bronze sculpture in the front yard. It was painstakingly long work but the result has been worth the wait. The restoration has kept practically intact all of the building's major facade, while the gutted interior, made larger, has been kept as close to the original as possible in terms of its structural accents.

Or the row of shop houses where well-known Singapore thespians have made their homes for many years. Singapore's creative types have always chosen the East to roost - attracted to its bohemian charms, aromas and colours. And Joo Chiat/Katong get more than their fair share of the pie, even in the evenings when the handful of pubs and coffee shops light up to a raucous show of flesh and lust.

Then this Gallery Eighty and Studio K which are the studios of sculptor Kumari of the dried chilli fame - the creator of that lovely large obliquely round chilli pod that looks like a red Granny Smith apple in the Fort Canning Road backyard of Singapore's restored National Museum. The studio is now located in a newly furbished row of shop houses run by MUIS' wholly owned realtor Warees Investments which has successfully leased its refurbished shop houses to decent trades .

Not to mention Miao Zai Xuan at 44 Joo Chiat Place, just a few shops further down from the famous Fei Fei wanton noodle fame at the corner of Joo Chiat Place and Everitt Road where, it seems, all of Singapore converge for a bite of its soft chewy egg noodles and home-made chilli paste from early morning to past midnight. This Chinese Brush Painting art gallery is run by artist Lin Luzai from China who has made Singapore his home.

 

 

 

Don't be Chicken!

Past Sunday, June 22nd, The Sunday Times did a taste test on fried chicken from fast food and snack outlets to see if they were all finger lickin' good.

What The Sunday Times article failed to do was to include the best kept fried chicken secret in Singapore. And it's available right at our door step, and even delivered to you, if you're too lazy to take a walk. As far as I'm concerned, it's definitely not a comprehensive list, especially when Arnold's Fried Chicken was not on it!

One of the best things I found out after buying my apartment in Joo Chiat Road last year was to find out that Arnold's Fried Chicken was able make home deliveries to our area.

For fried chicken affiandos like me, the very mention of Arnold's Fried Chicken at City Plaza will illicit mouth watering visions of fresh, crispy and tender fowls with hot fried buns and freshly made coleslaw.

What's really special about Arnold's is the crispiness and flavour-bursting juiciness of the meat and skin. The chicken doesnt taste like it's been in the freezer for two weeks and the spices used makes the flavour not as salty as KFC's or Carl's Jr's chicken pieces. You also dont get the "gelak" after effects nor a sudden craving for water due to too much MSG. In fact, a friend who works in the food flavourings industry commented that the Arnold's Chicken seem to have very little MSG!

Arnold's Chicken menu is pretty comprehensive, if you consider the set up of their main outlet at City Plaza. From the trademark whole spring chicken meal (comes with fries, coleslaw and bun) to the 2, 3 and 5 persons' set meals, the chicken is always cooked upon order, so you receive your meals piping hot (yes, it's a table service restaurant).

Besides chicken, the outlet also serves up fish and chips, calarmari, onion rings, a potato platter amongst other delightful fried products. You also get desserts in the form of banana splits and ice kachang on the menu to round off the meal.

Expect to pay roughly $10 per person for a meal, with drinks, but be prepared for queues especially during dinner time (though orders and queues are pretty efficient).

If you're not one to queue, then go during off peak hours for a quick snack, or call to make a home delivery (selected places, but Joo Chiat's included -- hooray!) at 6-ARNOLDS (6-2766537). Delivery charges and minimum amounts apply. You can also check out their website at www.arnoldsfriedchicken.com for the menu and more info on catering and home deliveries.

Go ahead...dont be chicken!

 

 

Songs of our town

There are many songs that are associated with our town- Joo Chiat. Two famous ones are Di Tanjong Katong and Geylang Si Paku Geylang.

There has been a number of discussions of the origins of Katong and Joo Chiat districts, and perhaps of their chronological histories. Further, technical terms "Place Identity" has also been used to give focus to the sentiments attached to a district.

Joo Chiat is the name used for many streets in our district while there is only one road with the name Katong. However, Katong is a name used for many buildings and also businesses in our area. By precedence, certainly Katong was a name used earlier than Joo Chiat to describe a district, however, that seemed to have lost momentum in the early 1900s. The feelings of what is the "Katong area" seems to extend to a wide area, some would say even wider than the Joo Chiat constituency. Moreover, Geylang, in particular Geylang Serai, being adjacent to Joo Chiat area, also bears strong association.

The songs translated here are folksongs, which may not even be of the districts Geylang or Katong of Singapore. Further, logic in lyrics may be at times sacraficed for rhyming... However, its without a doubt that these songs are still popular tunes taught in the schools and sang during national festivals and so, perhaps it is good idea to get an idea of its meanings.

 

Di Tanjong Katong (Malay Language)

Chorus:
Di Tanjong Katong, airnya biru
Di situ tempatnya dara jelita
Duduk sekampung, lagikan rindu
Kononlah pula nun jauh di mata

Pulau Pandan jauh ke tengah
Gunung Daik bercabang tiga
Hancur badan di kandung tanah
Budi yang baik di kenang jua

( Repeat Chorus )

Kalau ada jarum patah
Jangan simpan di dalam peti
Kalau ada silap sepatah
Jangan disimpan di dalam hati

( Repeat Chorus )

(Malay folksong of unknown origin, lyrics source)

Di Tanjong Katong (English translation)

Di Tanjong Katong, the water is blue
That is where you'll find pretty ladies
Missing ( you ),eventhough in one community
What more, if you're far from sight

Pandan Island far into the middle (of the sea)
Mountain Daik broken into three..
The body decays with the merging of the Earth
Good deeds will nevertheless still be remembered.

( Repeat Chorus )

If there is any broken needle,
Do not keep inside the chest
If there is any mistakes,
Do not keep inside the heart

A popular Malay love song presented in traditional "pantun style"

 

GEYLANG SI PAKU GEYLANG (Malay Language)

Geylang si paku Geylang
Geylang si rama rama
pulang marilah pulang
marilah pulang bersama sama
mari pulan marilah pulang
marilah pulang bersama sama

(Malay folksong of unknown origin, lyrics source)

GEYLANG SI PAKU GEYLANG (English Translation)

Geylang like nail
Geylang the butterfly
Go home, lets go home..
Lets go home together
Go home, lets go home..
Lets go home together

This song emphasizes the virtues of respect and tolerance in community living.

 

The Girl From Katong

She was the girl from Katong
Magical Marine Parade
I wanna sing you this song
Disappearing in a fade

She caught me looking at her
From the corner of her eye

Run over me, over you
She said run over you over me..

And in a blinding flash
We ended in a crash
I got her to her feet and then she smiled at me

Composition and lyrics by Serenaide

 

Kisah Geylang Serai (Malay Language)

di waktu petang di Geylang Serai/ terang benderang sungguhlah ramai
tua dan muda miskin atau kaya/ semuanya ada terdapat di sana

begitu banyak orang jualan/ sehingga sesak sampai ke jalan
bermacam barang terdapat di situ/ kasut dan baju 'macam model baru

kalau penat carilah bai serbat/ di dekat Panggung Taj di situ tempat
kalau nak buah di situ memang murah/ kalau nak kuih tak susah pilih

berbagai bangsa yang lalu lalang/ sungguhlah puas mata memandang
itulah kisah Geylang waktu petang/ sungguh cukup ramai di Geylang Serai

Music and lyrics by Ahmad Jaffar. Youtube music video

 

Kisah Geylang Serai (English translation)

Geylang Serai in the evenings
Is brightly lit and always crowded
The young and old, the rich and poor
They can all be found mingling there

There's so many people selling their goods
The place becomes congested and pours to the streets
Everything can be found there
Shoes and clothes of the latest trend

If exhausted look for the sarabat man
In front of the Taj Theatre, not too far
If you want fruits, they are cheap
If you want cakes, just make your choice

Various races pass that area
Making eyes wander in satisfaction
T hat's the story of Geylang in the evening
Geylang Serai is always crowded

 

 

Travellers Tales - Joo Chiat Backpackers Hostels

Tourists especially backpackers and travellers are beginning to flock into our district to enjoy the special blend of Katong hospitality that we as locals already appreciate.

Just who are these backpackers? Backpackers are independent tourists that do not normally travel with a tour group. They may not have a fixed travel itinerary but rather prefer to decide as they go along how long to stay in a locality or what to see and do. The core of backpackers are between 18-25 years of age and may spend up to 1 year travelling on a "round-the-world" air ticket. Most are university graduates, culturally sensitive and keen to interact with locals to experience something heartfelt and authentic. Due to the long duration on the road, backpackers may travel on a budget but are willing to splurge on specials like exotic foods and must-do activities.

Backpackers are a different breed of tourists and backpackers hostels need to be a different breed of accommodation provider.

[Read more about Joo Chiat Tourists Accommodation- Hotels, Hostels, Guesthouses]

 

Mouth-watering fare at hard to beat prices -
Café Oliv

Just the other day Lin and I decided to take a bite on East Coast Road. We instinctively headed towards our favourite char kway teow stall at the corner coffee shop at Jago Lane when my wife gave me a nudge to the ribs. “Let’s try somewhere else,” she said. Diet control again.

We strolled the five-foot way towards Holy Family Church and saw some toddlers with their minders playing in three bamboo swing chairs outside a little, just-opened café. It seemed little filled, but then it was just before 6pm, hardly the time for family dinner.

Looking at the menu outside, and then spying inside, which had clean minimalist lines, we decided to give Oliv a try. The prices looked very reasonable and the selection of dishes seemed interesting enough.

I must have had the best beer battered fish fillet in Singapore. The batter was just right, not oily and crisp on the outside. But the fish was the killer. It broke into chunks easily and cleanly but it was moist and full of flavor. We also had salad which I asked to be done simply and it did not fail to please. Linda had a pork rib that was so well cooked that the meat just peeled from the bone. It was tender and succulent and the tangy sauce was “just heavenly.”

  

We started asking about the chef.

With 12 years of culinary experience under his belt, Kevin Heng was raring for a chance to call a place his own. Within just a matter of months, Kevin made his dream come true with Café Oliv, the latest star on the food streets of Katong!

Previously working for Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa and the Emerald Hill Group, cooking has been Kevin’s passion since young. When he finally found this shop house, he just could not let this golden opportunity pass, and decided against all odds to follow his heart and pursue his lifelong devotion to cooking by starting Café Oliv. Kevin also roped in his long-time buddy and classmate at SHATEC, Patrick Ang, and their ready camaraderie shines through in their food, as they prepare every dish with utmost dedication day after day.

Just as olive symbolises peace, Café Oliv provides an amicable and cosy ambience for its customers.

The significance of olive can be further felt in his dishes, as Kevin uses mainly olive oil for marinating. Much thought has been put into the décor of the café, to allow customers to feel right at home. One can sit back and relax in the hanging rattan chairs just outside the café for chitchat or a cup of coffee, or simply enjoy a meal inside with an intricate use of decals featuring nature and homely designs on its walls. Its bright and warm atmosphere makes for a nice family meal or just a treat for oneself after a hard day’s work. It is indeed an oasis of rest for the busy city dweller.

Cafe Oliv - 220 East Coast Road. (Opposite the Esso petrol station at Still Road/East Coast Road junction). Reservations: 63443114

[Learn more about Other featured Joo Chiat eateries]

 

 

A Cat’s Tale

By Dr Tan Chek Wee

I am the doctor half of a palliative home care team that provides support to a person who wishes to die at home. The other equally important half of the team is a staff nurse.

On 14th of June, T and I visited a patient in Joo Chiat. We had a late lunch at the Chong Pang Nasi Lemak stall. I chose the vegetable ingredients of the nasi lemak as I am vegetarian.

As we were settling down to eat, I saw this lovely ticked tabby cat with an uncommon long straight tail. Most cats in Singapore have tails that are uniquely knotted.

She must be a regular visitor to this coffee shop as I saw friendly pats from customers and stallholders.

A few minutes later, two well-dressed ladies walked by. One of them called out to the cat which responded and was rewarded with some nibbles.

I pointed out the left ear of the cat to my colleague, T. The ear was tipped, i.e. it was surgically snipped during her sterilisation surgery. This symbol of a neutered cat is used in many parts of the USA and it is increasingly recognised by people in Singapore too.

The presence of a tipped ear cat in Joo Chiat means there are residents here who are aware that the care of community cats must go beyond just feeding them. The rapid reproduction capability of cats can result in numbers too big for some residents to tolerate, with some residents trapping cats in their gardens. The cats thus trapped are put to sleep at the AVA. Trap-Neuter-Release-and-Manage is an evidence-based effective and humane method of curbing the proliferation of cats.

The relationship of human and cats stretches back to almost 10,000 years.

They are part and parcel of our community but they need our help to reduce the conflicts between human and cats, i.e. by using humane population control methods.

In case you are wondering if a "fat good looking" cat will be too lazy to catch rodents, Roger Tabor, British naturalist and biologist and a world-renowned expert on felines, in a survey, found the house cat to be a "significant predator". As a vegetarian, I wish cats are vegetarians too!

But I really wish my fellow human beings will be kinder towards our feline neighbours and to stop killing cats at the rate of 13,000 every year for 25 years!

Sterilisation Saves Lives!

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Trap-Neuter-Return-Manage (TNRM) is a programme to manage the community cat population.

Residents who live in the community can volunteer their time (and who are also called caregivers) to help trap the cats for sterilisation (neutering).

The neutered cats are then returned into the environment from where they came. The cats are then managed, which involves responsible feeding, care of the cats and handling of complaints from other residents who may have issues with the cats.

Trapping and killing have been practiced for more than 25 years in Singapore and it has been shown not to work. Removing cats from the area creates what is known as the vacuum effect - this means that new, unsterilised cats just move in to take over the area that has been created when the existing cats are taken away.

Sterilisation however controls the population because the sterilised cats become more territorial and drive newcomers away. They also stop cauterwauling (making mating noises), stop spraying and most importantly, stop breeding.

Residents who care for the cats also help to speak with other neighbours who may have issues with the cats and to solve their problems. This is a community based approach that involves neighbours working with their neighbours to work on issues facing the estate as a whole.

If you'd like to start a TNRM programme in your community, please contact for more information. For subsidised sterilisation slots for community cats, please write to or call 7000-CATSNIP. For any issues you may be facing with cats, please email

 

 

Joo Chiat Re-imagined!

We chanced across this project in a blog belonging to a young architectural NUS student who lives in the East Coast and whose heart is clearly with the Joo Chiat community. We asked his permission to reproduce this insightful project in our website and hope you will enjoy it too. There is much going for Joo Chiat. Yes, there is still sleaze – but it is now confined to a small section of Joo Chiat Road. Sleaze used to be found in the whole stretch of Joo Chiat Road until MP Chan Soo Sen, grassroots leaders, the authorities and residents worked towards cleaning up the neighbourhood. As MP Chan Soo Sen has said last year, Joo Chiat will be vibrant and sleaze-free by 2008. That’s the target, and imaginative effort and conviction by East Coasters and well wishers like Jeffrey can only help lead us to that. Jeff's main theme is that more community space and activities will need to be created to bring families back to the neighbourhood. If you are not already aware, the Joo Chiat CCC since the start of 2007 has been organising events at Joo Chiat Square for families every Saturday from 5.30pm to at least 7pm. Joo Chiat Square is at the junction of Joo Chiat Place and Joo Chiat Road. Residents and well-wishers are welcome to enjoy these community events and activities.

That Joo Chiat Place by Jeffrey Ang of National University of Singapore Architecture Department

As part of my architectural thesis work, I have decided to investigate into Joo Chiat as a possible area of design intervention, taking into consideration of garnering feedback from the existing community as far as humanly possible in conjuncture with the demands of my academic life.

The issues below are some of the inferred Critiques/Observations of Joo Chiat from readings, mapping n site visits:

 

Although Joo Chiat does have a very distinct feel n character (from the generally relaxed and laidback feel of people & place to the well established namesake of a food haven in Sg), residents has been steadily unhappy that it has been gradually and constantly threatened by factors such as rampant vice and the rowdy male clientele that is associated with it. It is also observed that some female residents have been choosing to walk the back lanes as they do not want to be subjected to the accusing and demeaning looks walking portions of the main street, especially at night.

The nature of the people who come for food within Joo Chiat are seemingly transient and the inherent market forces within have thus created a lack of gathering/activity space. Food has always been a strong 'pull' factor of Joo Chiat, be it the residents themselves who regularly frequent particular shops, Easterners who often come in due to proximity, to the rest of Singaporeans who generally drop by for an occasional meal. But as time n society changes, food is now also a stronger 'push' factor as insiders n outsiders alike who eat are also transient! Parking fees are back of the mind as most outsiders drive in to grab a meal n leave. Residents either eat quickly or takeaway as there is also no reason to linger around too

[Read more about That Joo Chiat Place]

 

 

Peranakan Christmas 2006!

It was a Peranakan Christmas to remember, not just for its historic heavy rains, but for its community celebrations in Katong and Joo Chiat, which were widely reported by Singapore's media.

Joo Chiat MP Chan Soo Sen and Cornerstone's Mrs Daphne Yang launching Peranakan Christmas at Katong/ Joo Chiat.

For the very first time, a kampung light-up was kindled all the way from Odeon Katong on East Coast Road through to Joo Chiat Square at the corner of Joo Chiat Road and Joo Chiat Place.

Despite threatening skies, the heavens miraculously held out as families and revellers came out in force to join the stage performers, carollers, and bazaars at Odeon Katong and Katong Mall from 22 to 24 December 2006. Seven enchanting floats came all the way from Orchard Road to add to the merriment.

  

Opps... we accidentally deleted two thirds of the pictures we took of the event... if anyone has pictures to offer, please send them through to us on

Organised by Cornerstone Community services Centre and supported by Joo Chiat Citizens' Consultative Committee, the Save Joo Chiat Work Group and Lee Foundation. The light-up also had the support of The Peranakan Association and many neighbourhood churches and civic organisations. The three-day year-end event attracted at least 10,000 residents and well-wishers.

And on 23 December, Joo Chiat MP Chan Soo Sen launched Joo Chiat Square that will be a gathering point for the community for weekend activities every Saturday in the next several years. The launch was followed up with free food and drinks for residents and well-wishers at the old Maternity Clinic car park further south on Joo Chiat Road.

Residents can look forward to another merry year-end activity in 2007. More news on this later.

 

 

 

FOOD

Wanton Mee

It is the only wanton mee stall in Singapore where you need to go to the stall-owner, empty bowl in hand, to ask for soup.

Fei Fei in Joo Chiat is debatably the country's best wanton noodle stall. It is iconic to the neighbourhood, having been around for more than forty years. [Read more about Joo Chiat Stories]

 

 

Supper at Joo Chiat

by Terrence Teh

I’m proud to tell people I live in Joo Chiat, particularly because food is never far away, any time of the day. In fact, I fear that I scoff unconsciously at friends whenever the topic of supper comes up, especially if they reside in the Western or North-Eastern extremities of the country. Hah! I’ve got great food at my doorstep. (Gosh, I did it again) Truth be told, if the Katong area is the cradle of great food in Singapore, then Joo Chiat must surely be in-charge of the supper division. While the rest of Singapore is sleeping, Joo Chiat is alive with bright lights and bustling traffic, revealing a treasure-trough of food gems long salivated at in local supper folklore. [Read more Joo Chiat Food Stories]

 

HERITAGE

Living Peranakan Culture

If you ever need to know anything about the Peranakans in Singapore, you go no further than Peter Wee. Born Peter Wee Ban Kheng, the 54-year old Baba is Singapore's leading authority on Peranakan culture. [Read more about Living Peranakan Culture]

 

Poem by Evelyn Chow

Joo Chiat in its splendour of today
Is no different from its 50’s heyday
Thanks to modern conservation
The buildings are still in pristine condition
The Red House especially
Brings back memories of freshly baked cakes & pastry
The coffee shop at junction of Joo Chiat & East Coast
Was famous for char kuay teow, char siew rice & kaya toast
Not to mention the ice balls during intervals in Roxy
Slurping and dripping as we tarry
In between kachang puteh and laksa curry
Those were the days when movies were 50 and 70 cents
Which do not cause our allowance to dent
We are proud to say that memories of bygone years
Are still alive today which we hold dear

 

Joo Chiat Nostalgia

by Colin Chee

As I tap away on my laptop, Joo Chiat's sea breeze wafts through the open door and windows. It brings with it the faint salty scent of the South China Sea.

This time of the year, the breeze is almost constant - cooling the tarmac, lifting the curtains and gently shaking the trees. There's no need for air-conditioning. No need for that for six months at least till past January. [Read more about Joo Chiat Geography & Weather]

I recall the sea smell was stronger once, long ago, before the sea got pushed out at least three kilometers. [Read more Joo Chiat Stories]

 

CREATIVE ARTS

Cristene Chang - Printmaker, Mixed Media Artist

Among Joo Chiat's artists are some of Singapore's better known creative mavens.

Cristene Chang Hoei is a contemporary printmaker and mixed media artist who explores abstraction and nature motifs in her works. Her early art instruction included Chinese ink and finger painting under the late pioneer finger painter Wu Tsai Yen. [Read more about Cristene]

Poh Ju Yong, Terry - Sculptor, Mixed Media Artist

Poh Ju Yong is a painter and sculptor who employs various materials including stone, wood and metals (bronze, aluminium). Often adopting a minimalist aesthetic, his works are inspired by the natural environment as well as city urban imagery. He has also created installations, assemblages and mixed media works that integrate relief work & printmaking techniques on their surfaces. [Read more about Terry]

 

Heritage in Watercolour!

Jonathan is a young artist, songwriter and singer actively involved in the local music scene. He graduated from La Salle -RMIT with a Master of Fine Art (painting) degree in 2004 and has been working with young people groups. Jon is also a freelance artist and illustrator.

Between 2000 and 2002, after his National Service, Jon joined an international Christian rock band, "No Longer Music" which was based in new Zealand. They toured Latin America, Eastern Europe as well as Australia and New Zealand. In Auckland, Jon worked with marginalized city youths in-between tours.

Doodling ever since he was old enough to hold a pencil, Jon now enjoys experimenting in watercolours. His Kampong Arang sketches done in 2000 were put in a calendar by St Hilda's Church as well as the South-East CDC. Currently, he is doing a series of street scenes some of which are used on this website and some sold to private collectors.

Come visit our Gallery to acquire Jon’s original watercolours! [Read more Joo Chiat Gallery]

BUSINESS

The Magic Cookery School

Tucked away in a little corner along Haig Road is a small cookery school.

It is home-based cooking set in a lovely garden. It is as if you were in Bali. Or Hawaii. Or in some deserted green oasis, far from the madding crowd. [Read more about The Magic Cookery School]

Be Aspired. Aspire -Cafe, Dance, Wellness

Thinking of having a splendid dining experience, engaging in a romantic ballroom or hot Latin dance with your partner, and enjoying a professional facial treatment, all in one place for your convenience? Think of Aspire Cafe, Dance, Wellness.

Aspire specialises in offering a total lifestyle concept of integrating a cafe, a dance school/studio and a skincare salon, all under one roof. [Read more about Aspire Cafe, Dance, Wellness]

 

 

Malay Bridal Services

Unknown to many, there has been a quiet shopping revolution of sorts in Joo Chiat's nooks and corners. At least eight Malay bridal shops have quietly opened in the area since not so long ago. [Read more about Malay Bridal Services]

 

About Us

Ours is a story of a community coming together with a vision: to rebuild a neighbourhood where residents can raise their families in a safe, secure and sleaze-free environment.

Joo Chiat has a vibrant Peranakan and Eurasian heritage, and in many intimate ways, it is also a multi-cultural and multi-religious hub. Known for its great street foods, it has also begun to see a more eclectic mix of East-West restaurants and 24-hour kopitiams. [Read more About Us]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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