Anyone else miss the old school Geylang vibes? Before the “cleanup” and the quietness…
Eh, honestly ah, I was walking through Geylang Lorong 10+ the other night and it just felt… different. Too clean, too quiet. Call me nostalgic or whatever, but I really miss the “Golden Era” of Geylang back in the day.
I’m talking about the time when you walk past those shophouses and it’s like a gauntlet, sia. Especially those PRC aunties/sisters standing outside. They don’t just stand there and look at you—they really hustle.
Who remembers the “Press Orange” move? You just walking innocently to go buy frog porridge or beef hor fun, then suddenly one lady in a tight dress will lunged out, grab your arm, and try to pull you into the dark alley or the shophouse.
The strength they have is no joke, confirm can win arm wrestling. They will literally drag you and whisper, “Shuai ge, come in and relax lah.” If you don’t stand your ground, you really will be “pressed” until you blur. It was chaotic, a bit sketchy, but it had that “wild west” energy that made Geylang, Geylang.
Now? Everywhere also CCTV. Everywhere also SPF patrol. The street food still there, but the “vibrancy” (if you can call it that lol) is gone. Now the ladies just look at their phones, don’t even bother to pull you anymore.
Is it just me or is Singapore becoming a bit too sanitized? Even the vice areas now feel like a library.
TL;DR: Geylang now very boring. Miss the days where walking down the street was a workout because you had to dodge all the PRC ladies trying to “press orange” and pull you into their shops.