Have been to Shih-Lin to visit Shao Ping’s family. The view from their apartment is amazing. The mountains that surround Taipei are much more impressive than the rather undulating escarpment that borders the Illawarra. In fact Taipei and Taiwan are characterised by rugged peaks.

I know the town well and getting around is a breeze with the excellent MRT and public bus system. The town is always busy. It is a mix of the old and the new. Like many cities across the world there are always idiosyncrasies that fascinate the visitor.

I am always intrigued by the ad-hoc addition of apartments on the top floors of existing buildings as well as other seemingly chaotic architectural modifications. More images below.

I visited the National Palace Museum in Shih Lin, Taipei, just the other day. I have been to the museum several times over the previous 15 years however this visit was different. The museum was packed with countless tour groups and the museum was also adorned with numerous signs imploring visitors to be quiet. The signs had not been evident during previous visits.

The tour groups kept arriving in waves, one after another. The museum shop was also awash with members of the tour groups.

In addition to the plethora of new signs instructing visitors to be quiet there were also museum volunteers walking around the museum with polite signs asking visitors to be quiet.

The museum is such an impressive institution however it was nigh on impossible to listen to the recorded commentary on the listening devices with all the loud talking and yelling being made by members of the organised tour groups. When members of the tour groups were politely asked to be quiet by the volunteers they would sometimes be rude to the volunteers.

The members of the tour groups occupied all the seats designed for resting by the elderly. They also crowded the displays, pushed others along and generally ignored all the signage regarding the maintenance  of silence and dignity.

The impact of similar tour groups in other venues across Taipei, including the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, is just as noticeable.

It is a pity. These places used to be characterised with dignity yet no longer.

Not too long ago Taiwan opened its doors to tour groups from the PRC.

You could write a reflection regarding a photograph, share some kampong stories, sketch a scene from your past, or even write some poetry. It is up to you how you share your memories of Singapore.

I have collated a number of online sites to assist you with your project.

Yesterday.sg

This web site is rich in memories of Singapore. Over the years many contributors have shared stories, photographs and relics from Singapore’s past. Explore the Categories of Hot Topics located in the sidebar on the right to help you in your search of useful resources. You may also like to explore the galleries of Yesterday.sg.

Picture Archives Singapore ~ PICAS ~ Windows to our Past History

This database hosted by the National Archives of Singapore contains a rich selection of images and photographs for you to explore. As the web site indicates there are two modes of search available. ‘Simple Query’ for a general search, and ‘Specific Query’ for a more precise search.

The National Archives of Singapore

As they indicate on their site, “The National Archives of Singapore (NAS) houses the collective memory of our nation. This memory allows current and future generations of Singaporeans to understand our different cultures, explore our common heritage and appreciate who we are and how we became a nation.” You can explore Archives Online and the eCards.

National Heritage Board

The NHB has a number of online exhibitions and links to other sites that you may like to explore for ideas and supporting material for today’s project.

Discover Singapore Heritage Trails

This site contains valuable information regarding historical sites from across Singapore. Review the information for the NHB Marked Trails, the Public Trails and Historic Sites for text based data that can be used to support your project. The site includes useful descriptions of each point on the particular trail.

SGCool: Singapore Collections Online

You can use the search engine of SGCool to search the collections of six of Singapore’s museums.

myStory.sg

You might like to explore MyStory.sg for inspiration, images and ideas for your project. Explore the stories, photographs and the video gallery.

www.sg ~ Singapore at a glance ~ Our History

This site provides an overview of Singapore’s history. It is text based in the main yet the articles also include some photographs.

HDB Info Web ~ HDB Towns, Your Home

The HDB site has information relating to the history of the HDB and facts about the HDB Towns.

Explored the Taipei MRT network today. Fast, efficient and safe. Nothing like it in Australia. A new MRT line is opening in Taipei tomorrow so I thought I would conduct a recce today before catching the new train tomorrow. The new component of the Taipei Metro Xinzhuang Line will run from Daqiaotou to Fu Jen University.

I alighted at Luzhou MRT and explored the area a bit. A little off the beaten track. I took a few photographs and dodged the rain as best as I could. Today was the first really cold day since we arrived in Taiwan. Some of my photographs are added below.

 Walking into 7-Eleven stores in Japan and also Taiwan is an adventure in design. One can spend hours in a large 7-Eleven store in Japan and be intrigued by the design, elegance and functionality of the goods on display.