Peranakan Houses

I am now back in the United States. Before I leave blogging about Singapore altogether, I feel I need to round out my write-up about Singapore architecture, having mentioned the colonial black and whites and the more typical contemporary houses. Any entry about Singapore architecture would not be complete without mention of the unique Peranakan houses as well as the more preponderous HDB flats. This post presents the quaint Peranakan row houses, homes of the Straits Chinese in the 18th C to early 20th C.

Peranakans are acculturated Chinese of Southeast Asia (particularly Singapore and Malaysia) who have adopted the ways of the local Malays and later, the Colonial British, when they migrated to the region in the 18th C. They have created an eccletic and fascinating lifestyle, its influences still evident today in its cuisine, fashion, language, and architecture. I am a Peranakan on my father's side. My grandmother wore sarong kebayas and beaded slippers (I'll have to blog on the colorful fashion at another time). My grandfather was a big fan of Shakespeare. Sadly, they did not live in a delightful Peranakan house like one of these pictured above. The above shots of Peranakan row houses on Emerald Hill are by courtesy of Toast and Nutella.

What is a life worth living?

Recently, a family member said she wonders if my mother's life is worth living. My mother is in her mid-80's, strickened with several ailments. She has limited mobility and a failing eyesight. There also appears to be an onset of dementia. Is her life worth living?

Photography by A. Monaco


I looked at that family member. She is at the prime of her life, active, with a mind like a steel trap. She is extremely motivated, traveling the world chasing after the almighty dollar. Is her wealthy life, I ask, worth living?

I was at the hairdresser a couple of days ago. I sat next to a woman who came in huffing and puffing. She said she was so busy. The hairdresser asked her what she was so busy about? She said she's busy shopping. Is such a busy life worth living?

The doctors I met at the hospital were brilliant with their diagnosis but lacking in compassion. Are their brilliant lives worth living?

A young professional at a table next to mine at a cafe talked about his weekend of hard partying, of getting wasted and having gratuitious sex. Is his ambitious life worth living?

The woman behind me on the plane boasted about her many accomplishments and derided just about everybody she knew. Is her accomplished life worth living?

What determines a life worth living? Who determines a life worth living?