Travel through Philately - Old Maps of Singapore

Google Map and GPS undoubtedly changed the way we viewed our world - through satellite captured images digitally rendered and overlaid to show different information at the beck and call of a click. Looking back at history, the digital world did not come into the household and consumer's hand before the 90s, and most household could not afford one until the turn of the millennium. To see how our predecessors read a map would be the reason I collected this particular FDC, one which showed the old maps of Singapore as drawn by cartographers of the past.

This FDC has an antique look about it, trying its best to simulate the feel of old parchment with those brownish patches randomly placed on the cover.

Travel through Philately - Marina Bay Skyline

Stepping on the soil of Singapore, the trio of vertical pillars of Marina Bay Sands would be a sight to seek out for. The photogenic hotel cum shopping mall cum casino was thus named because of the bay it sat on, a piece of land that did not exist prior to the 1970s. While the famous building seek the most attention, it did not dominate the skyline alone. This recent issue of FDC featured three other buildings which shared the same fame with Marina Bay Sands, and which all are in the vicinity of the bay.

The FDC issued in May showed 4 featured buildings of Marina Bay, each one of them dominating one of the stamps.

Travel through Philately - Chen Wen Hsi

Sometimes you do learn from philatelic collections. I do not know how to appreciate art the way the experts do, judging a work with abstract lines and unseen patterns, all hidden behind patchworks of color, to be a work of art. And if left along that line of thought, I may have missed one of the great artists of Singapore - Chen Wen Hsi (陈文希). An FDC I purchased introduced me to this master of the arts, commemorating the reception of a posthumous Meritorious Service Medal by the deceased master. 

A 1993 FDC commemorating the award of Meritorious Service Award to Chen Wen Hsi posthumously.

Travel through Philately - Singapore National Museum's Centenary

Whether or not you are a keen hunter of past colonial romance in Singapore, its National Museum is a must visit, much more so even than Marina Bay Sands despite the latter's fame as Singapore's latest icon. After all, how many buildings in Singapore could claim to survive both World War and is still in active service, along with its centenary in 1987, just goes to show how ancient it is compared to most of the buildings in the island republic.

This 1987 FDC highlights just how old the National Museum of Singapore is - with a deep brown.

Travel through Philately - Singapore's Historical Railway Stations

Since we are on the track of railway system history, let's get this piece out - SingPost's offer to commemorate the historical railway stations which tirelessly served the nation and her citizens for the past century.

FDC released on 28 February 2013 to commemorate the historical railway stations - Bukit Timah and Tanjong Pagar railway stations.

Travel through Philately - Singapore Mass Rapid Transit System

The sharing of London Underground inevitably led me to recall Singapore's own impressive system of mass rapid transit. Singapore's main reason to build such a system mirrored that of London's albeit the former has a much more urgent need for it. In land scarce Singapore, a projected rise in the number of population will follow with a rise in transportation needs, which buses could not provide adequately.

The FDC from the day when Singapore's MRT commence operation on 12th Mar 1988. Notice that the MRT map depicted in the 10 cents stamp differs a lot from the one that is familiar with us in 2013.

Travel through Philately - Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3

Continuing with the introduction of a First Day Cover introducing Singapore's Changi Airport from 1981, here is another FDC on the same topic. Unveiled 27 years after Terminal 1 began its operation, Terminal 3 is the youngest terminal to date and yet it houses the largest aircraft - the A380.

This FDC which featured Terminal 3 was launched together with the first day the terminal became operational. The first historic arrival was flight SQ001 arriving from San Francisco via Hong Kong.

Travel through Philately - Singapore Changi Airport

Most frequent flyers into and around the South-East Asia region will be quite familiar with Singapore's Changi Airport. Being a pride of the island republic, this jewel of an airport won numerous awards since its operation and is recently immortalized in the latest Singapore 20 cents coin as was shared in my article The New Singapore Coins.

Featured on this FDC are the control tower, an icon of most airports, and Terminal 1. The logos of the most involved departments are featured in the background of each stamps. They are, according to the arrangement of denominated value, the Parks and Recreation Department, Public Works Department, Telecommunications Authority of Singapore, Port of Singapore Authority, and Department of Civil Aviation.

Travel through Philately - Singapore Pond Life Definitive 2013

SingPost (Singapore Post) had launched the 2013 definitives with pond life as its title. Both stamps employed plants on their image, and with natural ponds so rare in Singapore, this may become the way for younger generation to get to know the habitat that is shrinking in size and popularity.