Arab Street
Let me start by saying one thing about Singapore; it is a country of desiccated, rule-abiding robots. There is no color in the walls except grey and red tiled roofs. Streets are dark blue, organized streetlights and people with same perfectly pressed dress with perfectly cut hair board buses and trains mixed with same, monotonically lingering perfume all over. Actually, everyone has to abide by rule. One day, a Swedish girl though enough is enough and tried to paint her hear out in a graffiti near a MRT (monorail) station wall. She was sentenced to death. and had the Swiss government not intervened, and bailed her out, she’d be dead by now.
Thus, every wall in singapore is, much like its inmates, grey. every wall. but the walls of Arab Street. 🙂
Girls posing beside colorful wall, Arab Street, Singapore
Well this is the only place with some color in Singapore. and some colorful people too.
Jeffrey making me coffee
This shot was taken inside a wonderful coffeeshop at Arab Street. The shop owner Mr Jeffrey Koh is a wonderful person and has a great hobby of collecting curio stuff.
the coffee
the shop is full of his collection ranging from Original, signed old posters of Michael Jackson(!!!) to various old telephones, and cameras.
Yashica
Jeffrey explaining why he collects stuff
the shop
Original Michael Jackson Poster signed by MJ himself !!
Your Galaxy Needs You!!
He was showing me everything he collected one by one then suddenly I spotted this very old Kodak.
This is one of the first Kodak Pocket Cameras that brought revolution to photography. This particular camera is a Kodak Junior five “ecko” camera which dates back to 1913. This has a ball bearing shutter and a below lens which is foldable and designed to fit in a pocket. Jeffrey didn’t know much about this camera. When I told it’s worth, he was astonished and thanked me again and again.
the 1913 Kodak Junior Ecko
I took this picture with my old 450D with the Tammy 17-50 f/2.8 .. I’ve added the film scratches to add the extra nostalgic feel to this picture.
I reluctantly came out of the shop after spending about 1 hour in there. Friends were calling.. We then had a little snack in the arab street food court. There I tried the legen .. WaitForIt .. Dary canon EF 85 f/1.2 L lens.. here is a sample shot!
togetheness at arab street
Stay tuned for more updates of my Singapore Diary!