There is a deep sense of poignancy looking at this picture.
When I snapped it more than ten years ago, I did not know that a seemingly random picture of a used plastic cup would one day hold such precious memories of the Sentosa Ferry Terminal, or the Burger King outlet on whose table this cup was sitting on.
I also did not know that I would one day lose interest in the perfectly aligned water droplets on the plastic cup and instead be intrigued by the blurred image of the Ferry Terminal distinctly seen in the background.
It's long gone now- the Ferry Terminal- and it is one structure which I do feel much regret for.
Because it was beautiful.
Visitors to the island today may not give a hoot about the structure.
And maybe It might not have meant anything to some, but to many of us, the Ferry Terminal was a beautifully whitewashed structure that gleamed in the sunshine and which awaited patiently for your arrival as you sailed over from the mainland.
The sight of that building signalled a day of fun, the start of an excursion with family and friends that had been carefully planned, and prepared, for.
And maybe It might not have meant anything to some, but to many of us, the Ferry Terminal was a beautifully whitewashed structure that gleamed in the sunshine and which awaited patiently for your arrival as you sailed over from the mainland.
The sight of that building signalled a day of fun, the start of an excursion with family and friends that had been carefully planned, and prepared, for.
Sailing towards it meant spending a day by the beaches of Sentosa- swimming in the sea, building sandcastles and having picnics of fried bee hoon, curry puffs, stall-bought kuehs, snacks, sweets and packet drinks.
And putting your foot down on its firm smooth tiles meant being a touristy local going to as many attractions as your parents, grandparents, elders or teachers deemed.
I don't quite remember what the attractions of the early 90s were on Sentosa. Our family preferred the parks of Pasir Ris and East Coast more than this "meant for tourists only la" place, which, at that time, was considered exorbitantly expensive, and oh, so far away. The NEL had not come into operation then.
My best memory of that era would start from 1996, around the time of the Asian Village. This attraction was located near the side where the bridge is today facing the mainland side. It wasn't Asian- Asian per se, per se, but it had a theme park, and that, I think, was what most of us went for. Twice I went- first, with my classmates as part of a school-organized excursion, second, with a close friend of mine. It was a fairly large park, trees and rides and all. Some friends went there solely for the Viking ride.
Me, I went for the bumper car rides. :)
Me, I went for the bumper car rides. :)
And I loved it so much that the loss of those bumper car rides made me genuinely upset when Asian Village was torn down.
After that came the popular but short-lived Fantasy Island. People went for the water rides, and it was great fun for a while, floats and all, but I guess maintenance was a b**ch and there were unfortunate accidents and so they shut it down and the whole thing got demolished after a while.
The Butterfly Park is still there though.
It's been there for years, and even if the attraction doesn't have as many visitors as I presume it would like, the presence of butterflies are a great indicator of what the island is, and what it used to be.
I guess that's what Sentosa is to some of us.
See, the island may have rejuvenated itself so much that we don't really care for the alterations and additions anymore than we once used to, and yes, whilst we are excited about new attractions and Kidzania and RWS and Universal Studios and the pirate-themed water park over at Palawan plus all the beachside bars at Siloso, at the root of it, it is the natives of Sentosa Island that still matter.
And whom I believe hold as much importance as any new residential or hotel property coming up there. :)
And whom I believe hold as much importance as any new residential or hotel property coming up there. :)
Because no where else can a peacock languidly cross the road and make everyone, human or vehicle, stop and wait.
No where else can a peahen and her chicks fly up to the lower branches of an angsana tree and roost there for the night.
And no where else can a squirrel scamper happily across the road, stare up at the beach tram driver barrelling into its path(!) and have the driver jam his brakes and patiently wait... until the squirrel figures out its way, and has gotten safely over to the other side of the road.
No where else can a peahen and her chicks fly up to the lower branches of an angsana tree and roost there for the night.
And no where else can a squirrel scamper happily across the road, stare up at the beach tram driver barrelling into its path(!) and have the driver jam his brakes and patiently wait... until the squirrel figures out its way, and has gotten safely over to the other side of the road.