Bras Basah & I

'Why so emo when you are at Bras Basah?'

And I shall start with Bras Basah Complex, which I used to call 'BBC'. (Technically, its address is Bain Street.)

I have never been to BBC before 2004. It is a very arty-farty, scholar place that my mum will never bring me. So the first time I was there was when I started work at NTUC. It was one of my lunch spots, the coffeeshop that I watched transforming from a traditional uncle-drink-kopi-o coffeeshop to an air-con food court. But my favourite food in the area was the ba cho mee at the open air square opposite that has a 4-face Buddha at its entrance. Although the sun is always scorching hot, the crowd never ceases. I wonder when I changed to become so dreading of the noon sun now.

BBC was one of the pit-stop in the Archi Camp 2004 Race. (Side-track, I really loved Archi Camp, it is very unique in our way because the places we went were really special. Can you imagine if one day CSC Camp or Engin Camp starts to visit Sunshine Plaza or Art Friend in their Race?) The first and only time I went up to BBC's roof (yup, BBC's roof is accessible), we sang 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' for the station master to get our clue. Duh~ And that was the time I discovered the menace of the steep staircases in BBC.

Then for the following four years, I always appeared at BBC with a very heavy heart, during submission time or when I get arrowed to buy materials for the studio models. And after every visit it would be the dreaded cab ride to studio to start model-making. The scariest part is, every time I am in Art Friend, I would see some familiar faces doing the same things as I. Semesters after semester, I loved and hate Art Friend at the same time.

At the second level at BBC, there is Sagacity, the alternative material shop. I think I spent as much time here as in Art Friend. Due to a certain detail model module in Year 2, I discovered the treasures selling in Sagacity. They are like the precast concrete in a miniature way.

Up to fouth level, is Basheer the scary place. ALL the books look interesting. ALL the books seem worthy of my time to finish reading while standing by the shelves. And everytime I visit it, I'm so tempted to spend over $100 to get something home. Somebody please remind me there's a place called the 'library'.

Opposite BBC, there's Victoria Hotel. It used to have a chinese restaurant at the ground level, frequently used for chinese weddings. I missed their yam paste but the restaurant has gone already...

MacDonalds... Before I boycott it. I can spend the whole day studying there. I can chat through the night till the first train starts. I can spend the whole afternoon making the puffy 羊咩咩 plush there. It is such a nice place to snug in...

Moving around, there's where I first saw the Da Vinci cube at SAM, the crazy things at the SAM courtyard, short-cuts through Allson Hotel, sua-ku-ing at Hanabi, Odean Towers, the Adidas container beside Carlton Hotel, Cat Socrates at BBC, Van Houtan chocolate from Cheers, the fireworks...