Then and Now

I was on the train the other day to Tanjong Pagar when I just glanced out the window on the way to Clementi. 

There was a temple with a huge Buddha statue and behind that was the holding school that I used to attend when my primary school was under construction. Or should I say it used to be behind the temple. 

When I passed by that day, behind the temple stood two tall buildings of what looked like a HDB. I tried to see if the holding school was still there or was torn down but the train kept moving and I couldn’t see it.

As I passed it, I suddenly thought to myself how much time has passed and how much Singapore changed. Just 11 years ago when I studied there, I could still see the train passing by from the open field in that school when I had PE.

Looking back at Singapore as a whole, I realised Singapore changed so much. 

Where gardens by the bay stands today used to be a park where my parents brought me to cycle on the weekends when I was 7. There wasn’t an ION mall when I was 10 and big splash at East Coast still boasted its slide whenever I passed it. (Though I remember it being closed whenever I went past it.)Heck, Queensway’s cinema was still there whenever I passed by it and I remember when I was very young, it had a billboard painted and left outside though there wasn’t any movie playing inside.

But as Singapore evolves into a globalized city, it would mean that we need to “upgrade” our city as well and the places that are forgotten would be taken down one by one. 

However, little do we know that these places that are forgotten still holds memory to some of us and only when the media reports that it is going to be taken down or demolished do we realise ‘oh…’. We always assume something would be there, however when we try to revisit it 5 years down the road we realise a huge brand new building has replaced the one that held you memories

It isn’t just buildings. Our transportation has also evolved a lot in just a mere 13 years. When I was in Primary 1, there was only 2 lines Red and Green. But now, we have Red, Green, Purple, Yellow and Dark Blue. (I go by colors because I can’t seem to remember their read names…as you can tell I’m not good with directions)

Though we moan and groan about the speed of the train or how the buses isn't coming when you are rushing for a meeting, take a step back and compare it to the past. 

Our buses has also became so efficient! With the ez link card and buses coming every 15 minutes or so, it has changed so much to keep up with the fast-paced life we lead. (we don't even have to push the button nor figure out how much we need to pay to go to a certain place cuz the machine counts it for us now) 

Do you remember this? Do you remember what it used to do?
Took this one day when I was on the bus. Gotta take it before it disappears!

 

Photo Credit: Google Images

I don’t know if it is just me but I felt that in the past, time seemed to go slower. Now, it feels like time goes to fast that you’d think “shit. Did 24 hours just passed?”

I’m not sure if it is because I’m now all grown up and my life revolves around deadlines, deadlines and more deadlines. But it seemed like the sun stayed out long enough for me to enjoy myself.

But one thing is for sure. Change is needed as people are evolving now and the society around us is always improving. I am definitely one that supports having these changes around but its just a bit hard to believe how fast things are changing.

It kinds of scares me at times but I still look forward to see how much our country will change in the next 10 years. Not only our country but the world as well.

Maybe in my next post, I should talk about the habits and things that changed over the 10 years or so.

Till then, how about re-visiting that place you grew up at or a place you used to hang out after school (whether primary or secondary) and see if it is still there.

Cheers.