The Church On Hill Street
Sunday, January 11, 2009
The Church On Hill Street
Singapore is a small enough place to begin with for, well, anything. A friend of mine from the States was asking me about this little Southeast Asia country the other day, and how he has been meaning to come down here for a visit. His boss used to be a Singaporean, until he moved over to the States to become a citizen over there. According to this friend of mine, his boss never wants to come back to Singapore ever again, and I suppose he has his reasons for not wanting to do so. He was curious as to how Singapore is like, since one of his boss's reasons was that there is absolutely nowhere to go, ever, in Singapore. It's true, I told him, you can finish all the fun places in a week, and the rest of the year is basically a repetition of that one week. You can't really blame this country, though, because the land ends with the sea in every possible direction. It is difficult for anybody in the States to comprehend the possibility that it is possible for me to stand at my balcony, and see the Northern-most town and the Southern-most city. To them, this is probably as being as a private estate in the States, or something like that. With everything shrunk to a smaller scale, possible dating spots are also going to be greatly reduced. You can't drive in one direction for more than two hours, because you'd crash into the sea. At least in bigger countries, you could do so and find a new dating spot in no time. Dating in Singapore is a tricky and yet, boring activity. That is also why, for those who prefers variety, we have to find our own unique ways to move on, to survive.
The east front of the Church bears an elegant bowed apse with a pediment into which the date "1835" is carved to commemorate the year the church's foundation was laid.
Singapore is a small enough place to begin with for, well, anything. A friend of mine from the States was asking me about this little Southeast Asia country the other day, and how he has been meaning to come down here for a visit. His boss used to be a Singaporean, until he moved over to the States to become a citizen over there. According to this friend of mine, his boss never wants to come back to Singapore ever again, and I suppose he has his reasons for not wanting to do so. He was curious as to how Singapore is like, since one of his boss's reasons was that there is absolutely nowhere to go, ever, in Singapore. It's true, I told him, you can finish all the fun places in a week, and the rest of the year is basically a repetition of that one week. You can't really blame this country, though, because the land ends with the sea in every possible direction. It is difficult for anybody in the States to comprehend the possibility that it is possible for me to stand at my balcony, and see the Northern-most town and the Southern-most city. To them, this is probably as being as a private estate in the States, or something like that. With everything shrunk to a smaller scale, possible dating spots are also going to be greatly reduced. You can't drive in one direction for more than two hours, because you'd crash into the sea. At least in bigger countries, you could do so and find a new dating spot in no time. Dating in Singapore is a tricky and yet, boring activity. That is also why, for those who prefers variety, we have to find our own unique ways to move on, to survive.
April just touched down in Buffalo about a week ago, and a part of the orientation program is about "Dating in America". But it's mostly about how date rape is illegal in America, though I think it applies for most of every civilized country in the world, and such. I don't remember such an orientation in Singapore, but I think it'd be necessary. I mean, dating in Singapore has a very different dynamic, or a lack thereof. Even if you are single and you are not going out on dates, places to simply hangout is pretty limited as well. There's Orchard Road where most people do the hanging out, but that's really just one stretch of road with a lot of malls. One mall after the other, and you can get from one end to the other and back in two hours, maybe three. Or you could always spend a day going through the malls and trying out on all the local food, but even that grows old after some time. Every mall is the same, and all the food doesn't taste very different from one another, so you get the idea of why dating is so difficult. There just aren't a lot of things to do, if you are not willing to be a little bit more inventive. It does have everything that you need, but there are times when that isn't enough anymore. You just want something different, something out of the ordinary.
Personally, I think my home is the best place to go, simply because it is private and it is comfortable. But then you can't be cooped up at home all the time, you want to get out there and do something - anything. But the problem is that there isn't much for us to do most of the time, and a typical day out with your significant other in Singapore is typically the same thing, over and over again. A typical couple is probably going to meet in a mall or MRT station in town, then the aimless roaming begins. If there is something one of you wants to buy, then that is probably going to be the first destination. Along the way you could pick up some snacks, some drinks, and then you end up sitting around in the middle of the crowd, doing nothing. If you run out of things to do, watch a movie. That is the safest thing to do, because you don't have to think about what to do or say for the next two hours or so. Then it is probably going to be a fast food dinner, followed by a trip home. That is pretty much how it is for most people, and it just seems like we need to be constantly doing something to avoid the possible awkward silences. By eating, you don't really have to talk all that much, the same with drinking in a noisy club. You won't have to realize, perhaps you and I don't get along so well together.
I think we all have experienced this mundane routine so many times. If you are adventurous enough, you must have ventured out from the confines of town to other places. Like the Botanic Gardens, for example, or the Zoo. Those are great places to visit, even if they are usually for the tourists and the families. It sure beats Orchard Road, becomes that place never ever changes. I could stare at animals for hours on end personally, but human beings tend to become boring after some time. I suppose we are just that predictable as a species, which doesn't make us very good observational subjects. There is something else that is uniquely Singapore when it comes to dating though - people date in the airport. That's right, the Singapore airports are so good, people actually go there for dates. I have visited the airport a couple of times just because it has a lot of food. It probably has the only Popeye branch in Singapore, and it also has the best mashed potato ever. Anyway, Singaporeans hang out at the airport, because it isn't really your typical airport. I think it is a giant mall that happens to have airplanes landing every five minutes, that's all. The airport used to be a nicer place with the viewing gallery though. Now it has been shrunk, and taken over by bored parents with babies. If your partner is the type who'd like to be doing "things" while being out with you, the airport isn't where you really want to be going to.
So, dating in Singapore is tricky, because you have to be fresh despite having so little options. It is either this place, this place, or this place. Perhaps for variety's sake, you might want to have a combination of these places, or sit at a different bench in this park. The next time your girlfriend tells you that you guys have been there only two weeks ago, tell her that this time you are picking another bench with a slightly different view. "This time, we can see the Singapore Flyer!" You can't blame the guy, or whoever that plans the date every time. There are really so many conventional dating places in Singapore, and it does get stretched out a bit too much. It kind of feels like you trying to scrape the leftover peanut butter out of a jar when it is almost empty, and then spreading it over too much bread. That's dating in Singapore for you, and I am sure it doesn't sound like fun to you. To add to the variety, sometimes you may want to add your friends or her friends to the mix, but that one only lasts for so long. After all, you just want some personal time with your significant other, but the problem is that there are people everywhere. There are even people in stairwells in shopping malls, or people fishing at faraway jetties. Yes, I have checked out Punggol jetty, and even that place is filled with fishermen trying to catch shrimps, or coast guards who cannot care less about the coast. Occasionally, you get the rocking cars - if you know what I mean - but that's just desperate, if you ask me.
Here's an alternative that you guys may want to consider, the next time you are out dating. I was out recently with Neptina in town, and she wanted to test out her new lomography camera. So we wandered around places with old buildings, and we came upon this little church tucked away in a small corner. It is actually the one and only Armenian Church in Singapore, and also the oldest church here as well. Designed by an overseer of convicts called George Coleman in 1835, this church is considered his masterpiece. It's kind of strange how I have been to that area a dozen times over, and I've never actually noticed this church. It's a small church, hidden behind fences and a sign that reads "Private Property", in bold. Yet, the public is welcomed for the most part, though most of the public doesn't seem to notice this wonderful place. I suppose I do have a thing for symmetrical designs, and this church is exactly that. You see a couple of tourists trickling in and out of the church, but they are few and far in between. You hardly see anybody inside at all, despite a bus stop right in front of the church. There is something about our modern society that spoils these historical sites, to me. You have this beautiful church, and then a damn bus pulling up by the side of the road. It is not exactly the most pleasant sight.
We entered the front gates of the church and took a bunch of pictures of the cone that rose up from the top of the roof. We followed the tiny gravel path down, and the columns of the church rose up from the ground, and the entrance was sandwiched in between the middle two. Further down the gravel path, it fades into a garden where there is a lamp to each bench, and sculptures of Jesus Christ's last hours, carrying the cross. There is a memorial garden further on, though it really is just a fancy name for a graveyard. The notable Armenians rested in their graves, and the both of us stood in front of them and admired them. The crosses were beautifully decorated with sculpted angels and flowers, with their empty eyes staring up into the skies and their arms out-stretched. There was also the grave of a baby, two years of age, right next to the angels. The wind brought flowers from the trees sailing across the garden, and I picked one up to put it in her hair as we stood there in silence for a while. Despite the graves, it was oddly peaceful over there. We left the garden after taking a few pictures and went into the church, where our conversation was reduced to whispers and sign languages.
There was a man, knelt down in front of the last bench, with his fingers tightly pressed together and deep in a prayer. We watched him from behind until he hurried pass us, his shirt drenched in sweat for reasons unknown. We marked our names in a book next to the entrance, and we saw so many people from all over the world visiting the place over the past couple of days. Of course, none of them were Singaporeans though, and we were the only ones there in the past two weeks. There were people from Japan, Italy, France, America, and South Africa. Just no one from Singapore, which I found to be a little sad. I mean, here we have such a beautiful little place tucked away right in our own backyard, and yet nobody really knows about it. I am, by no means, the type of person you'd expect in a church. But it doesn't stop me from admiring how beautiful and peaceful the place was. I suppose, in part, it has got to do with the fact that the Armenian community is tiny, and that the maintenance of the church is fully paid for by the donations visitors give at the donation box. We lid a candle and placed it in a sandbox, and saw creepy pictures of people from decades ago, posing in front of the church. People from long ago all have this look to them, don't they? They never look quite the same from people from our time.
It's true what people say about faith and religion. If your faith and religion is strong enough, the church becomes irrelevant. You don't need a church to have your connection with God, if you are into that sort of thing of course. The church is really a good excuse for you to dress nicely once a week, and to meet people and socialize. Other than that, if you are just talking about faith, you can practice it pretty much anywhere. Muslims can do it anywhere, just as long as they get the direction right. To me, I admired the church purely from an architectural point of view, not to mention the serenity of that place. I like how it has survived everything around it, and still standing tall, you know? All the big buildings erected from the ground all around it, buses stopping right in front of the gate, when all of those probably used to be fishing villages or fields. When it comes to such things, you know, you don't know how long it is going to last. Maybe in a couple of decades when we need even more land, we might decide to tear it down and make way for new grotesque concrete monstrosities. In the mean time, however, I like that I have found this little special place, the church on Hill Street. I love the irony in that place, but most of all the white-washed building and the memorial garden. Nothing beats that in town, to me. Nothing.
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on Sunday, January 11, 2009 at 11:35 AM.
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11:26 PM
I've found a few places like this too... and I agree, that it's true you can always have that connection~ A church may not always be there for you.