6 Memories of the Old Clementi That 90s Kids Remember Before It Became a Students’ World Today

Last Updated on 2023-03-10 , 3:51 pm

The Clementi I remember is very different from the Clementi of today. Firstly, there’s no shopping centre (unless you consider the cinema a shopping mall), and secondly, the bus interchange was very brown.

Most tertiary students of the past would have remembered this Clementi, and since a new mall is out there now, we’ve decided to take a trip back to the past and revisit the six memories that, well, make Clementi so fondly remembered.

Clementi Fountain

Yes, we know there’s a new fountain in Clementi as well, but it’s nothing compared to the old one. Just look at that. I bet all of us have once touched the water before. It’s so clear, it’s beautiful.

Empress Cinema (华声戏院)

Tell me, tell me, tell me, which 90s kid has not watched a movie there? It’s cheap, it’s good and the movies are so limited that you won’t argue about which movie to watch. It’s not just a cinema, boys and girls—it’s a piece of memory.

The lonely playground

Singapore in the 90s has so many playgrounds that this was then nothing new. But looking at, it was usually a place for us to sit and wait for our friends. We would go, “Okay, I wait for you at the playground.” Now? Everyone is late and can just send a WhatsApp message to justify. Fuck technology.

Lots and lots of HDB shops

Some might like it, some might hate it, but in the past, due to the lack of shopping malls, you’ll have to buy your stuff from those HDB shops. And not to mention, they’re cheap—very cheap.

Clementi Big Bookshop

Bookselling is a sunset industry, and it doesn’t come as a surprise when the Big Bookshop there closes down. But the memories of it never leave us: the need to deposit our bags near the counter, the big area for you to roam around and the cheap pens and pencils that you buy just because you’re there.

Lots and lots of walking space

Clementi is pretty cramped nowadays, with so many shopping malls and people. But once upon a time, Clementi was quiet and you can walk there for hours without bumping into anyone.

Now, a bank officer will approach you as you walk anywhere, asking you if you would like to sign up for a credit card. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find an image to complement this point because people then didn’t have handphone with cameras.