The Reopening of Ah Ma Drink Stall
Hi All!
On September 23rd, 2018, there were two major events that took place in My Ubin Journey which included the reopening of Ah Ma Drink Stall as well as the return of my uncle who had never stepped back on the island since 1986! This post will cover on the former as Pulau Ubin celebrates its latest restoration success. You can read up on the latter here!
After nearly six hours of amazing (and exhausting) quality time spent with my mom, uncle and cousins, we ended the day off with a very special celebration - the reopening of Ah Ma Drink Stall!
Ah Ma Drink Stall had recently underwent a huge restoration that took place over a period of months (almost two years if you'd like to include the planning procedures, too!). The stall was once a small and in an almost rundown state, also constantly flooded during high tide or heavy storms given its location on a river bank surrounded by mangroves. Finally, on September 23rd, 2018, the iconic drink stall down Jalan Jelutong reopened to the public; bigger, better and with huge fanfare.
We were greeted with such warm hospitality from familiar faces and even got our photos taken - perhaps they were very much delighted to have former Ubin residents joining in.
Mohd Juhari was quick to really gather all of us for a photo taking as soon as we arrived. Photo courtesy of Ria Tan.
After catching up with Ivy and her family, my cousins and I browsed through several childrens' books. They were absolutely adorable and were themed to portray Singapore's nature and wildlife, with a handful of them based directly on Pulau Ubin itself! You can find out more about the books here!
When I later found out from Ria that all these books were free, I took no time to take a copy each! Ria even gave me an IKEA bag so that I could store all of the goods, hehe!
Jared from RUM approached us and introduced himself in Bahasa Indonesia (but passes as Malay!), which was probably impressive to my mom and uncle; for me as well (but that's because I'm always impressed when non-Malays speak Malay). He shared with my mom and uncle about RUM Initiative and what they are doing on Ubin.
We then proceeded to help ourselves out with some refreshing coconuts and halal mooncakes happily sponsored by Ria - she apparently bought them specially for us! Whilst my mom, Pak Ngah, Kak Diana and Abang Sahar were enjoying their treats, I was invited by Ethan from NUS Architecture to join them for a tour around the Heritage Wall.
The Heritage Wall which was a joint contribution effort by stakeholders under the Friends of Ubin Network (FUN). On it are panels comprising of three major component: the stall's history provided by the Singapore Heritage Society (SHS), the documentation of the stall's restoration by students of NUS Architecture and interesting mangrove facts and information by the Restore Ubin Mangroves (RUM) Initiative; all of which complemented well as new addition to Ah Ma Drink Stall.
I joined in to listen to the volunteers present more about their respective panels. It was absolutely amazing to hear them share their stories and reflections when they prepared the materials for the wall. It warmed my heart knowing about how much they placed Mdm Lye Huat Soh and her family in their minds and hearts at all time throughout the restoration process.
After nearly half an hour of resting and interacting with Ivy's family, my mom, uncle and cousins decided to call it a day and congratulated Ivy and her family for new stall. Despite how tired I already was at that time, I decided to part with my family there and remain to join in throughout the entirety of the celebrations.
A few minutes later, Phillip Lin, a passionate resident invited everyone to the front of the stall as they were about to begin with a traditional ceremony. According to Chinese beliefs, walking over burning charcoal at the entrance is said to bring about blessings and fortune for the business. I found that to be completely interesting and was very excited to witness Mdm Lye Huat Soh observing this ritual!
Everyone who attended and witnessed the crossing over roared into applause and cheers of happiness and even proceeded to light up sparklers which were handed out to them earlier on. It was also timely for them to celebrate the Mid-Autumn festival as well!
Shortly after at around 3.20 p.m., our Guest-of-Honour, Second Minister for National Development, Mr Desmond Lee arrived alongside staff from NParks. The launch kick started with an opening bilingual speech by the emcee for the event, Ms Jessie Tan, where gratitude was expressed for everyone who had contributed to the restoration of Ah Ma Drink Stall. Mr Desmond then proceeded for a simple yet beautiful light up of the stall by using the battery-runned flicker fairy lights and a champagne popping celebration as well.
Read up on Mr Desmond Lee's Facebook post here!
Take a look at more amazing and beautiful photos of the event here!
MJ Photography
Ria Tan
Read up on my previous post in "My Ubin Journey" series!
"My Uncle Has Returned Home After 32 Years!"
On September 23rd, 2018, there were two major events that took place in My Ubin Journey which included the reopening of Ah Ma Drink Stall as well as the return of my uncle who had never stepped back on the island since 1986! This post will cover on the former as Pulau Ubin celebrates its latest restoration success. You can read up on the latter here!
Photo courtesy of Mr Desmond Lee's Facebook Page
After nearly six hours of amazing (and exhausting) quality time spent with my mom, uncle and cousins, we ended the day off with a very special celebration - the reopening of Ah Ma Drink Stall!
Ah Ma Drink Stall had recently underwent a huge restoration that took place over a period of months (almost two years if you'd like to include the planning procedures, too!). The stall was once a small and in an almost rundown state, also constantly flooded during high tide or heavy storms given its location on a river bank surrounded by mangroves. Finally, on September 23rd, 2018, the iconic drink stall down Jalan Jelutong reopened to the public; bigger, better and with huge fanfare.
We were greeted with such warm hospitality from familiar faces and even got our photos taken - perhaps they were very much delighted to have former Ubin residents joining in.
After catching up with Ivy and her family, my cousins and I browsed through several childrens' books. They were absolutely adorable and were themed to portray Singapore's nature and wildlife, with a handful of them based directly on Pulau Ubin itself! You can find out more about the books here!
Thank you Tan Sijie and students from the Raffles Eco-Literacy Programme for these wonderful books and I hope that they would inspire many young Singaporeans to play an active role in our wildlife preservation! Photo courtesy of Ria Tan.
When I later found out from Ria that all these books were free, I took no time to take a copy each! Ria even gave me an IKEA bag so that I could store all of the goods, hehe!
Jared from RUM approached us and introduced himself in Bahasa Indonesia (but passes as Malay!), which was probably impressive to my mom and uncle; for me as well (but that's because I'm always impressed when non-Malays speak Malay). He shared with my mom and uncle about RUM Initiative and what they are doing on Ubin.
I've heard somewhere that the Malay language is among one of the most easiest to learn, and Jared surely nailed it! Photo courtesy of Ria Tan
We then proceeded to help ourselves out with some refreshing coconuts and halal mooncakes happily sponsored by Ria - she apparently bought them specially for us! Whilst my mom, Pak Ngah, Kak Diana and Abang Sahar were enjoying their treats, I was invited by Ethan from NUS Architecture to join them for a tour around the Heritage Wall.
Going loco over the coco-nuts. Photo courtesy of Ria Tan.
The Heritage Wall which was a joint contribution effort by stakeholders under the Friends of Ubin Network (FUN). On it are panels comprising of three major component: the stall's history provided by the Singapore Heritage Society (SHS), the documentation of the stall's restoration by students of NUS Architecture and interesting mangrove facts and information by the Restore Ubin Mangroves (RUM) Initiative; all of which complemented well as new addition to Ah Ma Drink Stall.
I joined in to listen to the volunteers present more about their respective panels. It was absolutely amazing to hear them share their stories and reflections when they prepared the materials for the wall. It warmed my heart knowing about how much they placed Mdm Lye Huat Soh and her family in their minds and hearts at all time throughout the restoration process.
SHS and NUS Architecture were conducting tours simultaneously side-by-side on the new Heritage Wall. Photo courtesy of Ria Tan.
After nearly half an hour of resting and interacting with Ivy's family, my mom, uncle and cousins decided to call it a day and congratulated Ivy and her family for new stall. Despite how tired I already was at that time, I decided to part with my family there and remain to join in throughout the entirety of the celebrations.
A few minutes later, Phillip Lin, a passionate resident invited everyone to the front of the stall as they were about to begin with a traditional ceremony. According to Chinese beliefs, walking over burning charcoal at the entrance is said to bring about blessings and fortune for the business. I found that to be completely interesting and was very excited to witness Mdm Lye Huat Soh observing this ritual!
Phillip helping Mdm Lye Huat Soh up the steps to carry out the tradition. Photo courtesy of MJ Photography.
Everyone who attended and witnessed the crossing over roared into applause and cheers of happiness and even proceeded to light up sparklers which were handed out to them earlier on. It was also timely for them to celebrate the Mid-Autumn festival as well!
Shortly after at around 3.20 p.m., our Guest-of-Honour, Second Minister for National Development, Mr Desmond Lee arrived alongside staff from NParks. The launch kick started with an opening bilingual speech by the emcee for the event, Ms Jessie Tan, where gratitude was expressed for everyone who had contributed to the restoration of Ah Ma Drink Stall. Mr Desmond then proceeded for a simple yet beautiful light up of the stall by using the battery-runned flicker fairy lights and a champagne popping celebration as well.
Pop goes the champagne!
Mr Desmond then proceeded in taking photos with Mdm Lye Huat Soh and all of her family members. It was heartwarming to see her whole lineage in one photo, even more so knowing that they all possess ties to Ubin.
Such a wonderful family! Photo courtesy of Mr Desmond Lee's Facebook Page.
Afterwards, Mr Desmond went to view the Heritage Wall together with the family and the SHS, NUS Architecture and RUM volunteers. It was later followed by a mass photo-taking with everyone who had played a part in the restoration.
After indulging in the food, many people took the opportunity to engage in conversation with Mr Desmond and take a few selfies with him too; and I was no exception too, hehe.
We touched on my family trip today and also on future plans of restoration efforts elsewhere on Pulau Ubin. My late grandparents' kampong house was on that list too! I was ecstatic to know that a few years down the road, God Willing, the dream of having 818K Kampong Surau rebuilt might just come true - of course only if we have the sources and stakeholders keen and willing to help us out.
Photo courtesy of Ria Tan
Photo courtesy of MJ Photography
The celebrations drew to a close at around 4.30 p.m. with everyone feeling extremely happy for Mdm Lye Huat Soh and her family for their newly restored business. I even managed to make a few new friends as well!
Thank you everyone for the amazing work you have done for Mdm Lye Huat Soh and family! Photo courtesy of MJ Photography.
Ah Ma Drink Stall's restoration is a prime example of what a true kampong spirit consists of - teamwork, neighbourliness and love. Through the many countless efforts put in by various volunteer organisations and residents, Mdm Lye Huat Soh's stall has been given a new life and this in turn, marks the beginning of what might possibly be the urgently needed revival of Ubin's kampong heritage.
Once again, the heartiest of congratulations to Mdm Lye Huat Soh and family and may their newly restored drink stall bring about success and happiness!
Do come down and support them by getting yourself a refreshing coconut or a drink or two! Their iconic drink stall is located along Jalan Jelutong (1.4061°N, 103.9619°E)
Photo courtesy of Ria Tan
Read up on Mr Desmond Lee's Facebook post here!
Take a look at more amazing and beautiful photos of the event here!
MJ Photography
Ria Tan
Read up on my previous post in "My Ubin Journey" series!
"My Uncle Has Returned Home After 32 Years!"
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