> i went to sungei road today and all i got was a toilet

heh.

tis been a while since i pounded the dusty tarmac-ed lanes of Thieves' Street, better known to locals here as Sungei Road (Flea Market); an old familiar haunt of mine; for both work and pleasure ...


* Insert Disclaimer = If you DON'T wanna read my longassed-story of Sungei Road And Me, ya can just cruise-on down to Basic Tips On How To Survive Sungei Road near the middle of this entry, fair enuff? *smile*




~ Begin "Sungei Road And Me" LongAssed Story ~



the "repulsiveness" of Sungei Rd had always been an issue for me, "a lifetime ago" - with seemingly seedy streets filled with "blackmarket-goods" and well, basically: "junk only lor!" (as told by "friends" whom i realized since, do not share the "passion of flea markets" with me *blergh*) and whenever i travelled pass, either by taxi or bus, the images that i glanced at; sealed that notion ... and i had shunned from it so ... and instead lived my seemingly more exciting "fleamarket-adventures" at the Clarke Quay Flea Markets ... so much so, i'd even set up stall quite a number of times! ... ignorance can be forgiven when once enlightened :p

i can't remember the exact day nor date, but it was for a feature film project which i had an exceptionally small amount of budget for, that had led me grudgingly to the dreaded thieves' market ... what had i to lose, right? sure as heck can't depend on clarke quay nor Ikea or any of the expensive cut throat regular places, innit? ... and off i went ... and i have not looked back since ...

the streets were lined with dirtied-treasures, retro-curtains that'll make William Chang (Art Director for Wong Ka Wai's films = my idol) proud, old-skool metal plates and cutlery, fake-o rolex watches (great for props dey = $10), "greenspot" drinking glasses, pimp-daddy snakeskin shoes, $2 LPs, metal army ammo boxes ... heck, even toys galore! sure, of coz not your metro/isetan/toys'r'us variety (tho sometimes there actually IS and of coz i'll zoom in; lickety-split lah! muahahahaha) ... and if it seems im exaggerating, tis not to me; for these are the things i like and most times; want *beams*

the "repulsiveness" i had felt before, became the allure of what sungei road could hold for me, the seemingly endless (okay maybe exaggerate a bit here) "possibilities" of surprises, if one is patient, for the "treasures" you might find will be well worth the humidity and bad personal B.O.

*sniff*

*WOAH*

*faints ~ hits tarmac ~ uncle on bicycle ride over you*

*ouch*


and i have been back there too often to count, for numerous other productions, so much so the folks there had even recognized me! ... which essentially, is not really a good thing in the end ... lemme explain:

in the beginning, prices are always sorta rocky and "unstable" and you'd just be any other goondu (stoopid) "tourist" walking the beat ... but gradually, having constantly bought from them, on a pseudo-regular basis, they actually start recommending certain "kept-stock" or "secret-stash" (and most of them are the "good stuff") to you and the prices start looking better! and tis always a treat to say a big "hello uncle!" or "how are you aunty?" and have said salutations back at ya ... and i'd even find myself behind their stalls, having a squat (you sure as hell got not much place to sit, innit?) and a ciggie, as if watching over their stalls for them! and the feeling was just like back in the "old days" when i had my own fleamarket stalls muahahaha - good fun :)

but after a while, your "presence" starts to spread ... folks you dun normally buy from, start plying you with stuff you dun need (not that im ungrateful, mind) and gradually, the prices start getting higher again ... and maybe tis becoz i dun "lie" as much as i think i should've, and soon word about me buying props for feature films and teevee projects start to spread ... "aiyah, sure got budget one wat! my fren say commercials and teevee shows gots lots of money one, right?" ... and all the sob stories suddenly ALL come out ... when in previous times, when i'd ask them for certain "props" and for them to look out for me (which is mondo cool, becoz the network there is exceptionally good), became a burden ... the joy of walking down the streets with anonymity soon became a walk of "shame" and of "sad faces"; if i didn't buy anything from them ...

and it's not as if a chinese man with a beard is hard to forget, ya know? *blergh*

and it has been a long while (6 months?) since i've stepped on the streets of Sungei Road ...



and how things have changed, and yet remained essentially the same ...

ventured down the familiar path once again today (after the noon shower) to see if there was any stuff i could pick up for my upcoming shoot this weekend ... and mayhap im being too judgmental or picky here - but the pickings had been very slim indeed ... and things seem too dismal and sombre for any of the good old feelings to even simmer across the surface ... and what i saw today was: "junk" ... to be fair, maybe tis becoz of the rain, hence not a lot of stuff was displayed, or maybe the good stuff had already been taken or "choped" (slang for "reserved") ... and all i walked away with; was a $1 green plastic toy toilet (which i could've bargained for 50cents, but i didn't bother) ... t'was sad lah ...

but hey! hoping the next coupla day's weather will be better and im sure as heck's gonna be popping-by again lor! i have not given up on Sungei Road totally, ya know? for it may yet still hold some surprises for me, innit? heh :)

and so i'd not be a grumpy-nag and share with y'all some tips on how to survive the sungei road experience :)


~ End "Sungei Road And Me" LongAssed Story ~



Basic Tips On How To Survive Sungei Road:

BODY ODOUR IS NOT FARNIE:
Guys & Ladies: dun dress too "warm", if ya plan to pop by in the afternoons. it. is. fcuking. humid. and if ya plan to go anywhere else after that? you'd rather not walk around with B.O. innit? 'nuff said.

JAO-GENG-ING: (expos-ing)
Ladies? Please do be careful of how your "personal movements" are. since all stuff is on the ground, you'd tend to squat down or bend over to look thru ... and if you're wearing a mini-skirt? or a low-top? wahraoehz! ~ "uncle" might have heart attack siah! but not before giving you a better discount lah! muahahahaha

... and you'd wonder why no one ever sells used-bras there ... dun wanna remind y'all mah! bwahahahahaha ...

*okay, i slap myself*

*SHER-LAPP*

happy? shall we continue? thanx ... :p

WEEKDAY SHOPPING:
Sungei Road "opens" after 1-2pm and lasts til 6pm on weekdays. so a good time would be between 4-6, i reckon (unless you kiasu and wanna cheong before anyone else does) ... better weather and most times; near closing hour? ~ things can be bargained down lower ... well, ya can always try, innit? it works for me ... :p

A LOVELY WEEKEND:
During weekends (sat & sun) they open til 7pm and it is muthafcuking-PACKED, especially on sundays (ie: little india, somemore ;p) ~ so beware of your wallets, modesty etc ... tho everyone seems to be minding their own business, one can never be too sure ... on sundays there are actually police patrols around, so that's cool (in a way).

and dun expect prices to be cheaper, becoz they are not. but sure as heck's there's a lot more things to see lor, since everyone brings out all and sundry to hawk-off :)

... on sundays there are also extra stalls along the road (the side road is closed to traffic) selling food stuff and drinks, nicely set on tables! (and you'd KNOW tis "official endorsed"-one) and sometimes too; on the opposite side (nearer Sim Lim Tower) on the grass-patch - there might be a stage and people performing, or even just playing soccer! heh.

and when it hits 6-ish/7pm? you'd be dealing and haggling in near-darkness. not much street lamps til they are automatically lit by 7-730pm (i think)

but damn shiok lor! ... heh :p

EYES OPEN BIG BIG EARS OPEN WIDE WIDE:
look around you. listen to horns and bicycle rings. becoz there are folks who just happily ride their motorbikes and bicycles and attempt to weave in-between the crowds ... dun ask me why, i orso dunno ... and also as an added "feature", in the afternoons, there always seem to be a train of tourists (mostly japanese) riding atop tricycles blasting music from boybands to techno-pop to rock, also happily weaving their way thru (but sadly for the tourist: never get to stop and shop) ... but people will make way one lor ... just dun be squatting at the side somewhere, then kana run over ... something for the tourists to take pictures of and bring home to laugh at with the entire family and friends lor ... heh :)

KERCHING KERCHING:
(1) dun bring too big a note with you. have a variety of change if ya can. tho there are some big-ticket-items there ... but ya dun wanna be seen having a wad of moolah, innit? folks there are expert-veterans already and are as eagled-eyed as old ah-peks leering at xiao mei meis in school-unis and and ... ... ... eerrr ... nebermind ... but ya know what i mean right? ... heh :p

(2) Unspoken Rule OF Thumb: Always slash the offered prices down by half. and tho you might be laughed at, cursed and spat at (maybe not the spitting lah. heh), you might just get away with a better price (rather than "full price"). but never at their asking price. (IMHO - and except maybe on sundays, if you're unlucky)

but of coz the judgment is up to individuals and i lay no claim to being a total "expert" in alla these, cool? heh :p

if you ask yourself: "do i need it?" = there's no need to, becoz what do you really need from sungei road?

but if you ask yourself this: "do i really want it?" = aaaahh, then it depends on how much you wanna pay for the items, as opposed to how much uncle/aunty is making-off of you ... and then, the experience there would be more "fun" and "adventurous", rather than a "bad one" where you'd feel ripped-off, doncha think? IMHO, of coz :)

STICK TO THE PLAN:
of coz i know everyone's an adult here (i think?) and getting lost and/or seperated from each other would be a pain ... and the network-lanes there can be quite confusing (i have a fool-proof plan, but dun tell you. heh) ... so plan your routes and your contingency meeting areas ... tho be warying of "meet you at the ice-cream-bicycle uncle later" - becoz there might be a few around the area! using the mobile is always good, but dun end up in an angry mood when you can't hear each other over the din, or when you're trying to describe where EXACTLY you are, and screw up the rest of the day/evening ... but of coz ya can always try ... ;p

MAKAN:
hey, Little India is just a stone's throw away, so there'll be lottsa places to makan afters. and diagonally across the street = there's a kopi tiam with (IMHO) kick-ass prawn-noodles! becoz the soup is the dark-dark-brown-kind and prawny until shioks! *slurp-slurp*


i guess in the end; it might be a different experience for different peeps, i reckon ... [ so if it's KNS (kanasai) to you, dun blame me hor! ;p ] ... heh ... and remember: tis only an adventure if you want it to be ... and that one man's junk, might be another man's treasure, (heck, "stoopid plastic toilet nonsense" to you, "diorama-delights" for me! muahahahaha) and all will be well ... i hope? :p


anybody wanna cheong sungei road? :)
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This affiliate advertising program also provides a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

POPULAR-EST OF TOYSREVIL POSTS FOR THE PAST WEEK