Ramayana Glimpsed

If you happen to stumble in here wondering what's up with the blog, it's currently on hiatus. To hold you over, I give you two photos taken at the "Ramayana Revisited" show that recently wrapped up at the Peranakan Museum in Singapore. What's a Peranakan? Click here for a very brief explanation. Really, it's brief. 

The first picture shows masks of Hanuman and two of his monkey soldiers. Hanuman is a Hindu deity who was given the face of a monkey by either Lord Shiva or Vishnu, depending on your interpretation of the epic poem "Ramayana" in which Hanuman battles the demon king Ravana. Need more information? You could get the book. Of course, there's always Wikipedia.  

The second photo depicts Hanuman battling Indrajit, son of Ravana, king of the Lankas. Seriously, get the book. Amazon has the shortened version, which is surely shorter than the Wikipedia entry.  

Taking vintage to another level

There is nothing particularly unusual about old shophouses being renovated like these two just down the street from us on Kim Yam Road. You see it all over Singapore as the city strives to preserve its remaining architectural heritage that has been largely lost to rampant development. What's different here is the scaffolding. Yes, those are sticks. 

It unnerves me to think about standing two or three floors up on a structure that looks like it could be taken out by a large dog with a frisky tail. I'm sure it's stronger than it looks, but it seems to take the concept of vintage a bit far. It's not like better tools aren't available. All over the city, contractors are using modern equipment to build high-rise condos and office towers. 

This picture was taken just a little further up Kim Yam Road just outside our condo. You can find similar scenes of new bumping up against old all across the city as developers try to keep up with what seems like limitless demand in Singapore's sizzling economy. More to the point at hand, the builders of these condos appear to be using the best tools and materials money can buy. It makes me wonder if the luddites using the wooden scaffolding deserve kudos for authenticity or a visit from the Singapore Building & Construction Authority.

Post Script
Speaking of new crowding old, I was walking home today after a visit to the Chinese Visa Centre and took this photo. It's perhaps the most photographed view of the city. It's located at Boat Quay on the Singapore River.