Singapore 101 - The Marina Story
Thursday, December 04, 2008
NOTE: I have a Life post that was written just yesterday. do take a look if you havent.
==
Introduction and Prologue
2300 over words and 6 pages in Microsoft Word. this is how long my second post of the Singapore 101 series is. in case you forgot, it is a series where I discuss issues about Singapore that matter to me.
it is one of the main reasons I dont like posting often. it takes me a very long time to finish a post, thanks to the perfectionist in me. this one cost me 5 hours or so of common test revision time (zzz) in fact. but I am very proud of this work, since I really wrote my feelings into this one.
so I beg of you, please please please enjoy it.
this post began as part of the Life post, but eventually got too long that I separated it out. but thanks to blogger's lack of proper autosaving and my own clumsiness, the original one was lost, resulting in heck a lot of anger. This post is recreated from whatever things I can remember from yesterday, plus more things as I remember them.
I planned to postpone this at first, considering common tests is so near. but I thought I am going to forget what had happened if I dont do it soon, and my procrastinating self may well make it not happen. so I thought its better to finish it once and for all.
with that aside, the above four pictures are some of the developments going on at Marina Bay. on the top-left is the all-too-familiar Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort, while the one on the top-right is the Marina Bay Financial District, which contains 3 office towers and 2 residential towers.
bottom left is The Sail @ Marina Bay, a residential development, and Singapore Flyer on the bottom right. there are also things like the Marina Barrage, Gardens at Marina Bay, the helix bridge and some other stuff that I did not include but which you can find easily.
these pictures will set the tone for this post since I am unable to post up what I have taken.
I took some photos with the Nokia 3120 Classic, which means photo quality is going to be average.
it is my temporary phone till Nokia N85 is more affordable. my K800i joystick is very insensitive and extremely insufferable by now that I stopped using it.
but the 3120c box did not give me any USB cable, and bluetooth is awfully slow. so I cannot really post the photos at least till I get the cable. sorry!
I will just continue in words and post the photos later, because I feel I have to write all of this down before I forget them.
==
Chapter 1: Paradox of Activity and Serenity - Development of Future Downtown At Marina Bay (DTMB)
I went to see Marina Barrage on November 21st (which also means I missed the HardwareZone HWC BBQ which I paid $20 for because I misread the date. damn!) by myself. its a sunny Friday.
exiting marina bay station exit B (exit A was closed half a year back for IR development), I am greeted by the hazy sunlight and the sounds of heavy vehicles passing by.
I made my right turn at the end of the short walkway (turn left for 402 to Marina South Pier, turn right for shuttle bus to Marina Barrage fyi if you wanted to visit) and followed the dusty trail to a makeshift drop off area for the wheelchair-bound. the 5 minutes trail is totally unsheltered and I am subjected to the sweltering rays of the afternoon sun beating down on me.
like the trail that led me here, this makeshift stand does not have a shelter, it was just a small section of the walkway sloped to road level, with a board with PUB's water droplet mascot that announces the departure and arrival times of the shuttle bus. just missed the previous one. I had to wait another 20 over minutes.
I took this time to take in my surroundings.
a flurry of work goes on in the construction sites. tall cranes lift heavy items from one side of the work site to the other. hardworking foreign workers looked on, ready to receive them.
for some of the sites, the concrete backbones of the buildings are already visible, ready to receive its glass claddings and become the majestic structures much like those in our current downtown today.
engines of the trucks and trailers roar under the pressure of the steel structures, sand, cement and whatnot it is carrying, cruising on the roads made uneven from the numerous heavy vehicles carrying these very loads like themselves.
I spotted a large fenced off area, with those bulldozers-with-robotic-arms and plenty of sand inside. trucks flow in and out of the area continuously. so that is why the trucks in the area appear in such high frequencies: the sand storage is so near the area. I guess these "bulldozers" load the sand onto the trucks, which will in turn bring them to one of the many construction sites in the area.
foreign workers in pairs and groups strolled on the sidewalks in their overalls, packets of kopi-o and cigarettes in hand, giving them the energy to make it through yet another day of hard work.
once in a while, one of them will pass me in their bicycles. these bicycles are far from being the top-of-the-end mountain bikes, but it sure does its job as an effective means of transport in this highly inaccessible jungle of construction.
while the entire place looked busy, the truth will slowly dawn on you that it isnt.
the foreign workers and heavy vehicles in the region have their reasons to be there: they are working. if you look past that, there are nearly no actual pedestrians on the streets, with the exception of the few people heading to Marina Barrage or the pier. And then, passenger cars are few and far between.
there is no reason to visit the place now does it? the facilities are still under construction. even trying to get to the shuttle bus pickup point is such a bitch (they could have moved it to the end of the short pathway from marina bay MRT station).
probably no one will go there to look at the works going on, but I guess not everyone is interested in noticing these small details. guess I am weird that way.
Even the birds near exit B of Marina Bay station, the last few patches of greenery in the area, are chirping peacefully. aside from the construction, the area is very much at peace.
what a paradox.
==
Chapter 2: The Past and Future Intersects - Ride to the Marina Barrage
the shuttle bus arrives after 20 over minutes. by this time, I am joined more than a handful of locals and foreigners, probably wishing to head to the Barrage just like me.
the minibus arrives and everyone duly hops on.
the Barrage, located at the western end of the reclaimed marina land, sits at the mouth of the river and the sea. the eastern end is occupied by the Marina South Pier, something created to replace the Clifford Pier that was ironically closed for Marina Barrage to be possible.
the trip brought us to the winding roads that lead to the previous Marina City Park. there are probably only two landmarks in that area in the past. the row of shops that includes kite shops, an arcade, bowling alley and pool tables, not to forget the steamboats. all of these face the wide open field that many families and friends had set foot on to fly the newly-bought kites.
well, that row of shops has since closed. in fact, even the road that leads to it, Marina Mall, was closed. the hoardings read Gardens By Marina Bay, a project by National Parks Board. judging by the amount of land hoarded up, which includes the land parcels around and including the old Marina Bay attractions, it is going to be one hell of a huge park.
I remember having my 2/3 class outing there only last year. a piece of memory gone just like that. I will really miss this area. one of the last relatively non-urban areas of Singapore.
the Marina Barrage was in sight by the time I recovered slightly from my reminiscing.
==
Chapter 3: Beginning of the Revolution - The Marina Barrage
yes, this is the latest infrastructural baby of Singapore. the marina barrage, newly opened only on the 1st of November this year, is a significant milestone in Singapore's quest for self-sufficiency in water.
envisaged by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew in the 1980s after the massive clean ups of the Singapore and Kallang Rivers, the Marina Barrage is a plan 20 years in the making.
the barrage serves 3 purposes. it regulates the water level in the channel, preventing floods in low-lying areas like chinatown. it does this by draining water out when it exceeds 101 metres (gosh thats deep) by opening its floodgates.
on high tide however, 9 (or 7?) mechanical pumps will pump the water out of the channel via an alternative route, allowing floodgates to be shut and ensuring tide will never be a factor in controlling the water level.
speaking of 9, the whole design on the main complex of the barrage is shaped like 9. in chinese, 9 sounds like longevity, which is probably meant to be auspicious, much like our fountain of wealth in suntec city.
with the sea and river channel separated, the water inside the barrage is no longer subjected to tides, making it calm and ideal for water activities.
in five years time, after natural rinsing, the water in the channel will also become our water supply. the entire channel will become the Marina Reservoir. so please stop puking into Singapore River, even if you are drunk.
I first visited the top floor, where the big open field and the solar panels are. the open field with synthetic grass (lol) is ideal for activities. indeed there was some family event that day, with children with ballons and their parents roaming around that level.
being my usual curious-about-technical-details self, I ventured to the pump room area to take a look. too bad they wont let me in. I can only explore the touristy areas, even then there isnt a lot of touristy areas. there is this open fountain thing for children to play in, which I am not too interested.
then I went to the gallery, where I learnt more about Singapore's water history, the catchments and everything, which I roughly told you above. there is a cafe that I did not buy things from, knowing it is going to be more than overpriced.
I also walked on the marina bridge, which is on top of the barrage. the difference in the colour of the water in the future reservoir and sea is obvious. extremely. lol.
I also saw the boat lifter thing designed to move small ships in and out of the reservoir. cool enough, but apparently there is no way large ships can enter the channel ever again.
this is a huge change from the early days of Singapore, where Singapore, being an important trade route, means Singapore River is flooded with ships carrying goods, to be received by the toiling forefathers.
==
Additional Chapter: History Rewritten - Marina South Pier
I did not manage to reach Marina Barrage in one attempt. in fact it took me three. the first time, mel and I tried walking down from Marina Square towards Singapore Flyer. boy, was I naive to think we can reach from there.
second time round, we took the train to Marina Bay, learning from past experience. but we arrived too late. just late enough to miss the last (8pm on weekends) shuttle bus to the barrage. so we decided to visit the Marina South Pier via 402 instead.
but mel was quite uncomfortable. the foreign workers there are deprived. there is literally no females in this construction jungle. she had to endure many stares and ogles by the passing chinese nationals and bangaladeshis while we waited for the 402 for over 20 mins (again?) at the bus stop.
her unhappiness was reflected during our entire time there. at this juncture, I would like to apologise for having you join me on my wild goose chases.
it is also why this chapter is considered an additional chapter since it wasnt done on the same day. in fact, it was at during this trip that I noticed the unique atmosphere of the area, which I took greater note of during my trip to Marina Barrage on the 21st. so I dont know whether I should be thankful for this.
anyway, the Marina South Pier is relatively uneventful. it wasnt very big, in fact it felt smaller than Clifford Pier even. there was a restaurant and souvenior shop, some travel agents' stores, and not to forget the individual ferry operators.
there was a romantically lighted rooftop, but it still doesnt make up for the fact that this Pier looks pretty poorly planned for a replacement to such an important pier. first it was very inaccessible. also, there are no elements of Clifford that have been retained in Marina South Pier.
overall it is quite a disappointment and there is really not much to talk about that place. I did see Soh Li Yan with her husband and son getting on their car, but that really isnt any biggie.
took 402 in the opposite direction back to Marina Bay MRT station.
==
Epilogue
as I embark on my return trip back to Marina Bay MRT station onboard the shuttle bus (on the 21st), I kind of regretted not visiting the Marina Mall area more. as usual, we dont realise some thing's value till we lost it.
especially the Marina Mall district, most parts of the building had been torn down to make way for Gardens By The Bay when I visited on 21st. why couldnt it be preserved?
well, I guess this just cant happen in land-scarce Singapore would it? if we really preserved everything, we would have no space left for development.
Singapore had all along chosen development in favour of conservation. there is really nothing wrong with that, but the Marina Bay episode is perhaps one of my first few real shaves with such a dilemma, along with the likes of the old Boon Lay Bus Interchange.
Marina Bay is now facing the same fate like many of her siblings on our tiny island did: Modernisation. with all the best wishes garnered from the soon-to-be-lost memories many people and I have of the old Marina Bay, I hope this modernisation will turn out to be a good thing.
==
Introduction and Prologue
2300 over words and 6 pages in Microsoft Word. this is how long my second post of the Singapore 101 series is. in case you forgot, it is a series where I discuss issues about Singapore that matter to me.
it is one of the main reasons I dont like posting often. it takes me a very long time to finish a post, thanks to the perfectionist in me. this one cost me 5 hours or so of common test revision time (zzz) in fact. but I am very proud of this work, since I really wrote my feelings into this one.
so I beg of you, please please please enjoy it.
this post began as part of the Life post, but eventually got too long that I separated it out. but thanks to blogger's lack of proper autosaving and my own clumsiness, the original one was lost, resulting in heck a lot of anger. This post is recreated from whatever things I can remember from yesterday, plus more things as I remember them.
I planned to postpone this at first, considering common tests is so near. but I thought I am going to forget what had happened if I dont do it soon, and my procrastinating self may well make it not happen. so I thought its better to finish it once and for all.
with that aside, the above four pictures are some of the developments going on at Marina Bay. on the top-left is the all-too-familiar Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort, while the one on the top-right is the Marina Bay Financial District, which contains 3 office towers and 2 residential towers.
bottom left is The Sail @ Marina Bay, a residential development, and Singapore Flyer on the bottom right. there are also things like the Marina Barrage, Gardens at Marina Bay, the helix bridge and some other stuff that I did not include but which you can find easily.
these pictures will set the tone for this post since I am unable to post up what I have taken.
I took some photos with the Nokia 3120 Classic, which means photo quality is going to be average.
it is my temporary phone till Nokia N85 is more affordable. my K800i joystick is very insensitive and extremely insufferable by now that I stopped using it.
but the 3120c box did not give me any USB cable, and bluetooth is awfully slow. so I cannot really post the photos at least till I get the cable. sorry!
I will just continue in words and post the photos later, because I feel I have to write all of this down before I forget them.
==
Chapter 1: Paradox of Activity and Serenity - Development of Future Downtown At Marina Bay (DTMB)
I went to see Marina Barrage on November 21st (which also means I missed the HardwareZone HWC BBQ which I paid $20 for because I misread the date. damn!) by myself. its a sunny Friday.
exiting marina bay station exit B (exit A was closed half a year back for IR development), I am greeted by the hazy sunlight and the sounds of heavy vehicles passing by.
I made my right turn at the end of the short walkway (turn left for 402 to Marina South Pier, turn right for shuttle bus to Marina Barrage fyi if you wanted to visit) and followed the dusty trail to a makeshift drop off area for the wheelchair-bound. the 5 minutes trail is totally unsheltered and I am subjected to the sweltering rays of the afternoon sun beating down on me.
like the trail that led me here, this makeshift stand does not have a shelter, it was just a small section of the walkway sloped to road level, with a board with PUB's water droplet mascot that announces the departure and arrival times of the shuttle bus. just missed the previous one. I had to wait another 20 over minutes.
I took this time to take in my surroundings.
a flurry of work goes on in the construction sites. tall cranes lift heavy items from one side of the work site to the other. hardworking foreign workers looked on, ready to receive them.
for some of the sites, the concrete backbones of the buildings are already visible, ready to receive its glass claddings and become the majestic structures much like those in our current downtown today.
engines of the trucks and trailers roar under the pressure of the steel structures, sand, cement and whatnot it is carrying, cruising on the roads made uneven from the numerous heavy vehicles carrying these very loads like themselves.
I spotted a large fenced off area, with those bulldozers-with-robotic-arms and plenty of sand inside. trucks flow in and out of the area continuously. so that is why the trucks in the area appear in such high frequencies: the sand storage is so near the area. I guess these "bulldozers" load the sand onto the trucks, which will in turn bring them to one of the many construction sites in the area.
foreign workers in pairs and groups strolled on the sidewalks in their overalls, packets of kopi-o and cigarettes in hand, giving them the energy to make it through yet another day of hard work.
once in a while, one of them will pass me in their bicycles. these bicycles are far from being the top-of-the-end mountain bikes, but it sure does its job as an effective means of transport in this highly inaccessible jungle of construction.
while the entire place looked busy, the truth will slowly dawn on you that it isnt.
the foreign workers and heavy vehicles in the region have their reasons to be there: they are working. if you look past that, there are nearly no actual pedestrians on the streets, with the exception of the few people heading to Marina Barrage or the pier. And then, passenger cars are few and far between.
there is no reason to visit the place now does it? the facilities are still under construction. even trying to get to the shuttle bus pickup point is such a bitch (they could have moved it to the end of the short pathway from marina bay MRT station).
probably no one will go there to look at the works going on, but I guess not everyone is interested in noticing these small details. guess I am weird that way.
Even the birds near exit B of Marina Bay station, the last few patches of greenery in the area, are chirping peacefully. aside from the construction, the area is very much at peace.
what a paradox.
==
Chapter 2: The Past and Future Intersects - Ride to the Marina Barrage
the shuttle bus arrives after 20 over minutes. by this time, I am joined more than a handful of locals and foreigners, probably wishing to head to the Barrage just like me.
the minibus arrives and everyone duly hops on.
the Barrage, located at the western end of the reclaimed marina land, sits at the mouth of the river and the sea. the eastern end is occupied by the Marina South Pier, something created to replace the Clifford Pier that was ironically closed for Marina Barrage to be possible.
the trip brought us to the winding roads that lead to the previous Marina City Park. there are probably only two landmarks in that area in the past. the row of shops that includes kite shops, an arcade, bowling alley and pool tables, not to forget the steamboats. all of these face the wide open field that many families and friends had set foot on to fly the newly-bought kites.
well, that row of shops has since closed. in fact, even the road that leads to it, Marina Mall, was closed. the hoardings read Gardens By Marina Bay, a project by National Parks Board. judging by the amount of land hoarded up, which includes the land parcels around and including the old Marina Bay attractions, it is going to be one hell of a huge park.
I remember having my 2/3 class outing there only last year. a piece of memory gone just like that. I will really miss this area. one of the last relatively non-urban areas of Singapore.
the Marina Barrage was in sight by the time I recovered slightly from my reminiscing.
==
Chapter 3: Beginning of the Revolution - The Marina Barrage
yes, this is the latest infrastructural baby of Singapore. the marina barrage, newly opened only on the 1st of November this year, is a significant milestone in Singapore's quest for self-sufficiency in water.
envisaged by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew in the 1980s after the massive clean ups of the Singapore and Kallang Rivers, the Marina Barrage is a plan 20 years in the making.
the barrage serves 3 purposes. it regulates the water level in the channel, preventing floods in low-lying areas like chinatown. it does this by draining water out when it exceeds 101 metres (gosh thats deep) by opening its floodgates.
on high tide however, 9 (or 7?) mechanical pumps will pump the water out of the channel via an alternative route, allowing floodgates to be shut and ensuring tide will never be a factor in controlling the water level.
speaking of 9, the whole design on the main complex of the barrage is shaped like 9. in chinese, 9 sounds like longevity, which is probably meant to be auspicious, much like our fountain of wealth in suntec city.
with the sea and river channel separated, the water inside the barrage is no longer subjected to tides, making it calm and ideal for water activities.
in five years time, after natural rinsing, the water in the channel will also become our water supply. the entire channel will become the Marina Reservoir. so please stop puking into Singapore River, even if you are drunk.
I first visited the top floor, where the big open field and the solar panels are. the open field with synthetic grass (lol) is ideal for activities. indeed there was some family event that day, with children with ballons and their parents roaming around that level.
being my usual curious-about-technical-details self, I ventured to the pump room area to take a look. too bad they wont let me in. I can only explore the touristy areas, even then there isnt a lot of touristy areas. there is this open fountain thing for children to play in, which I am not too interested.
then I went to the gallery, where I learnt more about Singapore's water history, the catchments and everything, which I roughly told you above. there is a cafe that I did not buy things from, knowing it is going to be more than overpriced.
I also walked on the marina bridge, which is on top of the barrage. the difference in the colour of the water in the future reservoir and sea is obvious. extremely. lol.
I also saw the boat lifter thing designed to move small ships in and out of the reservoir. cool enough, but apparently there is no way large ships can enter the channel ever again.
this is a huge change from the early days of Singapore, where Singapore, being an important trade route, means Singapore River is flooded with ships carrying goods, to be received by the toiling forefathers.
==
Additional Chapter: History Rewritten - Marina South Pier
I did not manage to reach Marina Barrage in one attempt. in fact it took me three. the first time, mel and I tried walking down from Marina Square towards Singapore Flyer. boy, was I naive to think we can reach from there.
second time round, we took the train to Marina Bay, learning from past experience. but we arrived too late. just late enough to miss the last (8pm on weekends) shuttle bus to the barrage. so we decided to visit the Marina South Pier via 402 instead.
but mel was quite uncomfortable. the foreign workers there are deprived. there is literally no females in this construction jungle. she had to endure many stares and ogles by the passing chinese nationals and bangaladeshis while we waited for the 402 for over 20 mins (again?) at the bus stop.
her unhappiness was reflected during our entire time there. at this juncture, I would like to apologise for having you join me on my wild goose chases.
it is also why this chapter is considered an additional chapter since it wasnt done on the same day. in fact, it was at during this trip that I noticed the unique atmosphere of the area, which I took greater note of during my trip to Marina Barrage on the 21st. so I dont know whether I should be thankful for this.
anyway, the Marina South Pier is relatively uneventful. it wasnt very big, in fact it felt smaller than Clifford Pier even. there was a restaurant and souvenior shop, some travel agents' stores, and not to forget the individual ferry operators.
there was a romantically lighted rooftop, but it still doesnt make up for the fact that this Pier looks pretty poorly planned for a replacement to such an important pier. first it was very inaccessible. also, there are no elements of Clifford that have been retained in Marina South Pier.
overall it is quite a disappointment and there is really not much to talk about that place. I did see Soh Li Yan with her husband and son getting on their car, but that really isnt any biggie.
took 402 in the opposite direction back to Marina Bay MRT station.
==
Epilogue
as I embark on my return trip back to Marina Bay MRT station onboard the shuttle bus (on the 21st), I kind of regretted not visiting the Marina Mall area more. as usual, we dont realise some thing's value till we lost it.
especially the Marina Mall district, most parts of the building had been torn down to make way for Gardens By The Bay when I visited on 21st. why couldnt it be preserved?
well, I guess this just cant happen in land-scarce Singapore would it? if we really preserved everything, we would have no space left for development.
Singapore had all along chosen development in favour of conservation. there is really nothing wrong with that, but the Marina Bay episode is perhaps one of my first few real shaves with such a dilemma, along with the likes of the old Boon Lay Bus Interchange.
Marina Bay is now facing the same fate like many of her siblings on our tiny island did: Modernisation. with all the best wishes garnered from the soon-to-be-lost memories many people and I have of the old Marina Bay, I hope this modernisation will turn out to be a good thing.
