memories of old ri @ bras basah road

one of my more vivid memories of my four years of study at raffles institution at bras basah road was this picture of the old capitol theatre. each time i looked out of the classroom, which was often enough, i would see the huge poster staring at me from the front of the cinema building. what made it more interesting was that the poster would be changed each time before they started to screen a new show.

in and out of school, i often heard my better off classmates mention the name of magnolia snack bar in the capitol building. they would go there after school to have their milk shakes and ice-cream and/or to meet up with girls from the nearby convent of the holy infant jesus.

i can still picture in my mind the big banyan tree within the school compound, next to the school's main tuck shop. we had two tuck shops, the larger one was near the canal and the other one was closer to bras basah road. when we were not chasing ball (hantam bola) or each other on the school field, we would play under the shade of the magnificent banyan tree.

one other memory is that of the water in the canal filling up and emptying with the ebb and flow of the tides. the canal ran along the stamford side of the school and it drained into the sea. at high tide, it would fill up and conversely, at low tide, the water level would drop drastically.

in another year, when my classroom was in the other part of the building, i could see the grand raffles hotel and hear the happy noises coming from the exclusive brittania club across the road. i do not remember seeing asians going into the club; seemed like it was reserved for the privileged british soldiers.

my daily pocket money was just enough for a drink and a pau or a roti prata. most days, i would spend my recess time reading school magazines of other schools in the library. on those days when i had spent all my money. i would have to walk home from school, that is, from bras basah road to where the novena station now stands.