It was a Sunday. I was bored, even though I had a ton of work that had to be done. But like I said, it was a Sunday. What better way to spend a day, by travelling across the country to some remote spot to photograph yet another abandoned old building.

Then again, this wasn't just any old building. It was built in the early 1920s as a weekend home by a Mr. Alexander Cashin. It was named Matilda House after his mother, and presented it as a gift for his wife. Although nowhere as grand as Istana Woodneuk, it was still nonetheless a magnificent place. Set upon a sprawling 350 hectares of land, Matilda House was surrounded by beautiful manicured lawns, coconut and rubber plantations and it had a private pathway to the beach, a mere 200m away.

In more recent times, the place has fallen into severe disrepair and gained itself a reputation for having frequent visitors from "other worlds". The government acquired it in the 1970s and till now, it's still awaiting restoration and another chance at glory once more.

When I first saw the site, I was taken in by how tranquil and quiet the place was. In 21st century Singapore, such places are really few and very, very far between. It was an interesting juxtaposition of the old building against the spanking new Punggol 21 estate in the background. But I also have to admit that for the first time, I felt really spooked when I explored the exterior of the place. I was quite certain I heard rattling sounds coming from within. I could feel like some invisible force had cloaked me with a very cold blanket. Then again, when I saw an opening at the side of the house, I could not resist the temptation. Probably just birds making noise, lah. Spook or no, I just had to go in. However, as I entered, my fear for spectres were taken over by fear of 1) crashing through the thin and creaky wooden floors, 2) getting stung by a swarm of wasps, 3) getting stabbed by some druggie, or 4) all of the above. Now that would make it a bad outing. Still, I had to enter. I figured that at most, I'd be entitled to a few days of MC from work. (Having a sense of humour really helps when you're in an environment like this, believe me).

But as you can see, I'm fine. I took a last glance at the place, imagining once again how it was like exactly 80 years ago, where the lights from Matilda House would light up that small corner of an otherwise dark and silent Punggol.

Beautiful, just beautiful...