Going, Going......Gone!

 

On the once quiet road at St. Thomas Walk, trucks now line the road!

 

One of the earliest to go enbloc....the former Devonshire Lodge...new buildings in its place.

 

Eng Tai Mansion....soon to be demolished!

 

New buildings are coming up after Guilin Garden was enblocked.

Enbloc. Some owners love the word, while others detest the idea of their homes going enblocked. I used to stay at St. Thomas Walk for three years as I wanted to stay near Rialto, a restaurant I once operated. How I enjoyed walking down the gentle slopes to Killiney Road. On the way I could pick up lovely red seeds on the ground. I could also hear the birds sing. At our apartment, there is even a durian tree. Who could guess that a durian tree could be growing so well in the heart of the city! When I learnt how succulent the durians were, after a Philippino maid gave me some, I decided to wake up at 3 o'clock one morning to wait for the durians to drop. I waited till 7a.m. and it was in vain. I was about to go back when I spotted a $10 note on the ground.! It was like as if God was telling me to make my life easier by using the $10 to buy 3 durians instead of waiting for them to drop!

Ironically, I was walking Xiaobai and Kamlette one late afternoon, when a durian dropped right in front of us, missing us by one foot! Of course, I picked it up and the durians tasted better than the ones from Segamat! It is very unusual for durians to drop in the day. I take it as a special blessing from the Creator.

I left Eng Tai Mansion after I sold the restaurant and moved to Toa Payoh. I could no longer continue to rent the apartment because the noise from nearby construction work was becoming unbearable. One by one, the buildings were enblocked.

I was sad to see the tranquil environment of St. Thomas Walk becoming jam packed with trucks and lorries ferrying building materials. Soon many new buildings will sprout along the once quiet road.

While new buildings are lovely to behold, yet they often lack the essence of character which is dominant in most old buildings. This is why I never got tired of walking when I was in London. I could walk for miles and miles, admiring the buildings with interesting architecture. I guess, in life we can't have everything! Going.....going......gone!

Gan Chau

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