Did you know that there is a group of people who are interested in preserving the sounds of a city (endangered sounds) because it makes the city sound unique...... it's the difference between vibrant and dead boring ... tee hee.... Anyway, they say that noise control is getting out of control and that urban planners should preserve the sounds and charms of a city. Would you like a city to be dead quiet ? Just imagine yourself inside a cushioned room or a recording study.....
Here are some sounds.....
a) Chimes of Big Ben = London
b) Most people associate the "ding ding" of a tram with HK. I remember when they changed the "ding ding" to a "honk" and a lot of people protested. I'm not sure whether they reversed the decision but it does remind me of my childhood. Then there's the din of the lunch crowd during dim sum.
c) I remember being in Beijing many eons ago and I could hear lots of bicycle bells - ringaling! I don't think you can hear that anymore....
I wonder what sound is characteristic of Singapore? The karanguni man (ragabone man) with his horn ? Hmmm... some people actually complained because they found him annoying, but surprisingly, he's still around and I think it's because Singaporeans are conditioned with this sound since birth!!! I suppose it's like in HK when the airport was at Kai Tak. We all got used to it when all the planes would land and you could almost touch the belly of the plane. Then when the airport got shifted to Lantau, the atmosphere was strange, like something was missing.
Now that I live in Singapore (and I live in a quiet area), I can't stand the din when I go back, especially when we go to the restaurants. I need to escape to the countryside once I'm there....
More info can be found at the BBC project Save our Sounds.
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