The Past is the New Present

Recently during our Digital Media Studies 2 module, our lecturer talks about 'nostalgia' in media. According to Wikipedia, 'nostalgia' means 'a longing for the past'. I found this topic really interesting and one of the things I realized was that Singaporeans today are getting more and more interested in nostalgic stuff.

Yesterday.sg

Yesterday.sg is a 'social media portal... that ethereal feel of travelling back in time". It was first launched in 2006 and it provides multimedia materials on Singapore heritage. It also have a forum and a 'Heritage TV'.

'Together' (当我们同在一起) is currently airing on MediaCorp Channel 8 9pm slot. What is special about this show is that it is written by the same person, Ang Eng Tee (洪荣狄), who has written the popular 'The Little Nyonya' (小娘惹) drama. Both of these dramas have most of its plot taking place in the past.

It is also worth noting that these are some of the few notable contemporary dramas currently to have their plot not fully happening in the present. The only other dramas that fit this is 2006's The 'Golden Path' (黄金路) and 2004's 'An Ode To Life' (三十风雨路). Older production that utilize nostalgic elements would go far back as 1999's 'Wok of Life' (福满人间) and 1997's 'The Price of Peace' (和平的代价).

I went to Bras Basah Popular store today to purchase this photo book 'My Life: Then & Now', published by MediaCorp TODAY. This book, if I am not wrong, originated as a TODAY photography contest to get photos from Singapore's past and present. You can view the photos on TODAY's Gallery.

The most ironic thing today was actually purchasing of the book. If you notice, Bras Basah is just a traffic light away from Bugis Junction, which is actually where North Bridge Road is. If you have watched Together (当我们同在一起), you would have known that the location of the plot is actually North Bridge Road! How time have changed, don't you think?

After buying the book, I stopped at the Econ Mini-mart near my place to buy this Wall's rainbow ice cream. I can still remember this was my favorite ice cream when I was a kid. And as I ate this ice cream while walking home, I noticed the many changes that took place in my neighborhood. The HDB flats are upgraded, the stones and sand playground replaced by plastic and metal-made ones, and the basketball court was replaced by a a giant walkway.

Looking back, I guess that is why people enjoys nostalgic stuff. This is probably because as humans, there will always be things we enjoyed in the past yet taken away from us in the present. And as such, many things are created based on nostalgia - for example television dramas, movies, books and even video games, to satisfy their needs of longing for the past. We shall look at more nostalgic things in future reports.