Bidadari Park

The final sketch done on a new accordion sketchbook gifted by Asia Link Sketchwalk Penang. I sketched the Rain Tree Island at Bidadari Park.

I want to find out more about the old Youngberg Hospital and Bidadari Cemetery that I grew up with near the junction of Upper Serangoon Road and Upper Aljunied Road. So I was very excited to attend the sketchwalk this morning orgainised by "I Jio You Sketching" group.

First, the bearings in the area since my younger days were all gone! Upper Aljunied Road is now flanked with all the new tall residential blocks that at a glance I cannot tell which blocks are HDB flats and which blocks are private residences. Anyway we missed the entrance to Woodleigh Hawker Centre so we went a few rounds and decided to park at Woodleigh Mall. I enjoyed my breakfast at Food Republic foodcourt inside the mega mall before heading to Bidadari Park.

According to the map Bidadari Park is a very huge park. I found many sketchers along the way and some had almost completed their sketches. I settled with a small group to sketch the very big heritage tree in the middle of the lake. I found out later it was called Rain Tree Island in Alkaff Lake.

Well, this place is changing rapidly without recognition and perhaps the heritage rain tree is the only old thing left today.

The new HDB estate around the lake is called Alkaff Lake View. If you tell the taxi driver you are going to Alkaff Lake View, you think all taxi drivers know the location? It is like in Tampines, there is a HDB estate called "Poly View" since it is opposite Temasek Polytechnic, you think the taxi drivers know where?

Pierre Cardin A5 Accordion Sketchbook
Size: 725 x 210mm

Here is the old map indicating the location of the old Bidadari Cemetery and a new map that is still not updated yet.