Snippets of readers's comments to The Straits Times Forum Page and various
articles
( you can read the articles in full on the asiaone homepage if it is not more than
a week old)
- - - - - - - - - -
-
DURING nearly seven years in Singapore, I lived and worked out of several
houses and apartments overlooking Portsdown Road, and I can tell you - as
I was
home most of the time - there was never a rush hour or anything else that
one
could imagine justifying the 'improvement' of accessibility to or from the
AYE
or Queensway.
That neighbourhood should have been classified long ago as
a World
Historical Site and left as is. No one I know who's ever set foot or even
driven through Portsdown was anything but smitten by it. Even a development
freak could not help but be calmed by the soothing atmosphere.
PAUL FENN
Toronto, Canada
published Feb 13 2003, The Straits Times
- - - - - - - -
- - -
For those
unfamiliar with the Colbar, it is more than merely four walls and a roof
housing a kitchen, tables and chairs.
It is like a good friend. The front door is the community message
board,
administered by no authority other than that of the proprietor. Patrons
are
free to move tables and chairs about, and frequently spread out on the green
apron of the front lawn to enjoy the cool night air.
The Colbar, like Portsdown, is cozy and without pretence. Places
like it
will not be found in anaemic, cookie-cutter food courts.
At a time when the Government is searching for the massing of elements
deemed critical to a diverse and vibrant community in Singapore, one would
think this would be an area worth supporting and saving.
STEPHEN B. SHAFFER
New York, USA
published Feb 13 2003, The Straits Times
- - - - - - - -
- - -
And,
as I sat on one of its metal folding chairs, my mind went back to days
so long ago.
Days when, as army blokes, we played hockey on the field in
front.
I remembered how we used to troop across for that post-match
drink.
So what if there weren't any empty seats? We simply balanced
our bottoms on
the rims of the dragon pots.
Somehow, the frothy stuff always tasted better at that humble
local. It was
then a 'local' to the soldiers from the nearby supply base.
Later, it became 'the local' to the expats who lived in those
sprawling
colonial-style houses which dotted the landscape.
It was where families met for Sunday lunches of curry and chips.
It was
where couples had their evening drinks while tracing the flight of a firefly.
Back then, I used to marvel at the simplicity of the whole
set-up. It was,
in a word, uncomplicated.
That day, on my return visit, I remained amazed.
The place was unchanged.
It still had that wooden front and the square doorway.
...More modern pubs have giant TV screens and state-of-the-art sound systems.
Pubs with comfortable seats and pubs whose waitresses look
like they just
fell out of the pages of a fashion magazine.
All are fine places. But sadly, they're quite easily forgotten.
And simply
because they lacked a certain something which Colbar had.
I'm talking about character. Charm. Style. Personality.
The ol' gal had it all - which makes its passing all the more
distressing.
Brian Miller, in his article My final fling with a grand dame,
published in The New Paper, Feb 10, 2003
If you are one of the people quoted and do not want to see your comments
reproduced here, please e-mail me wyjunkie@yahoo.com and I
will take it down.
