Meet Cheok Wei Yin

Ms Cheok Wei Yin, a 22-year-old from Selangor, Malaysia, is now in her third year of Architectural undergraduate studies at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Skudai. Wei Yin has an immense interest in learning about the heritage behind Singapore’s buildings and architecture, as well as the city’s environment and conservation efforts. Accompanying her on her visit was older sister Shirley, and together they observed the vastly different and intriguing ways Singaporeans live, study and play.

What was Wei Yin’s Singapore Experience like?

“Singaporeans are really forward-looking. They think not just for the present but look far ahead into the future – maybe even 50 years ahead. Singapore is a very good place to live. It is safe, convenient to walk about and the people here are very friendly. The country is also accessible to people with disabilities and the older generation.”

Highlights of Wei Yin’s visit

Despite yearly visits to relatives living in Singapore, Wei Yin had little exposure to the Singaporean way of life. On this trip, the sisters ventured far beyond the northern region where their relatives live, to the quaint East side of Singapore, where they discovered the picturesque roads of Joo Chiat and feasted on local cuisine such as chilli crabs at the East Coast Seafood Centre.

Ancient Heritage and Futuristic Architecture
The pair was impressed by the meticulous efforts to preserve the historic House of Tan Yeok Nee, which is home to the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. The House of Tan Yeok Nee was built in 1885 by Chaozhou-born businessman Tan Yeok Nee. Gazetted as a national monument in 1975, this house is the only remaining example of a traditional Southern Chinese mansion built by Singapore’s Chinese forefathers. Ms Jean Wee, Director of the Preservation of Monuments Board, also gave them precious insights into Singapore’s dedication to restoring and preserving historical icons.

Wei Yin also visited the National Library building, whose design has won awards and recognition for the use of innovative “green” features. The sisters also enjoyed a panoramic view of Singapore and even caught a glimpse of neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia from “the Pod”, a vantage point located at the top level of the building.

The sisters also visited the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Department of Architecture, where they learnt about the numerous study exchange programmes that the school offers its students. Wei Yin also participated in a lively dialogue with Associate Professor Tse Swee Ling and several architecture students and viewed exceptional works done by NUS students.

Clean and Green Singapore
Wei Yin and Shirley saw the Singapore Botanic Gardens in full bloom, as it celebrates its 150th birthday in 2009. Gardens Director Dr Chin See Chung and award-winning landscape designer Alan Tan led them on a guided tour to get up close to many varieties of plants around the Gardens. Wei Yin and Shirley were amazed at the care that each horticulturalist puts into every plant. The young women were also given insights into what Singapore is doing to realise its City in a Garden vision.

At Semakau Landfill, Wei Yin and Shirley learnt about Singapore’s waste disposal system at the country’s first off-shore landfill. They were taken on a tour of the island by Mr Loo Eng Por, Manager of Semakau Landfill, where they also learnt about the technologies used to dispose waste from the mainland to keep the country clean and green.

Singapore – safe and alive even at night
Personal safety is essential to these young ladies. Both were therefore thrilled to be able to stroll along Singapore’s streets at night, all by themselves. A visit to the internationally-acclaimed Night Safari and a night out in the city showed them that Singapore is a safe and secure city at any time, whether day or night.

For more of Wei Yin and Shirley’s experience in Singapore, see the pictures and video of their visit: