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SPH News Centre

SPH News Centre

Over the course of my comics making journey, I've had the fortune of being interviewed a few times by the local press. The first big article that I had was a piece in the Sunday Times by Stephanie Yap. The interview was held at the Singapore Press Holdings News Centre in Toa Payoh, which is within the vicinity of my old stomping grounds.

It amazes me how the Toa Payoh North region has become where the main printed news is done. There are also a bunch of publishers, printers, and media groups all clustered around the light industrial buildings that form this area. When I was kid, this was within the dominion of the 113 gang after school and you could face harassment if you walked around this place. Nowadays, you will likely find many well-dressed folks during rush hour and lunch times in what would have been an otherwise sleepy neighborhood in the past.

For some reason, the one thing I remember vividly from that first interview was not the size of the SPH premises or the rather cold lobby that greeted me. Instead, it was a sign that was stuck on the table where I waited that read "Please do not sleep/slouch here". It was really bizarre to me because it was a secure area and I wondered who would be loitering around here long enough to do that. There were rarely people sitting around whenever I had something scheduled at the venue. It's very possible that the enforcement of this no slouching rule created that cold lobby feel.

How many of you have visited the News Centre or work in and around this area?