'Memories are flooding back': Ang moh TikToker reminisces childhood at The Cathay before renovation closure

The Cathay is one of the oldest and iconic buildings along the Orchard Road stretch. 

However, it was announced in February that the mall will be closed for redevelopment works starting from this month. It is part of the "planned facelift of Dhoby Ghaut and the vicinity" according to a spokesperson for The Cathay and is expected to be completed in late 2024.

This has spurred people from all walks of life to visit and look back on their fond memories of the place. One such person happens to be TikToker Daisy Anne, who shared her experience in a 74-second clip uploaded on the social media platform yesterday (Aug 20). 

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@daizamazze/video/7269035657178254594?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7269603400978941447[/embed]

"So weird to see it (The Cathay) empty! Such a historical building, and was such a big part of my teen years," wrote the 25-year-old UK-born influencer in the caption of her post.

Daisy started the video by saying that her video was inspired by local DJ Joakim Gomez's TikTok video of him "reminiscing" about the mall.

She mentioned that she was a theatre student at the School of the Arts (Sota), which she attended from 2010 to 2014, and there was apparently even a "secret entrance" on the second or third floor of The Cathay that led to the school.

"After every [theatre] performance my parents would take me to Billy Bombers and we would get burgers and a milkshake," she recalled with a smile while showing the area where the American diner used to be.

She also shared how she would go to Starbucks "every morning before school" and had a friend named Tish who would get her a drink at the coffee chain as part of her everyday routine then.

The "iconic" F&B outlet to her though, was the Italian restaurant Saizeriya: "When that opened, everyone went f***ing feral because it was so cheap."

Food aside, she enjoyed going into a "strange" vintage shop with very unique items and also mentioned The Cathay Gallery, which showcased old "movie relics", and she described as a "very cute" and "tiny museum".

It seems like the mall held a lot of firsts for Daisy too, as she met her step-mother for the first time at the entrance, and had "one of [her] first dates" with her "first-ever boyfriend" at Maki San.

"Oh my God, all the memories are flooding back to me. Goodbye Cathay," she ended the video with a sad frown.

In the comments section, netizens were touched by Daisy's video that they reminisced about their own memories at the beloved mall.

"I used to love watching movies at the cinema there during polytechnic days with my friends," commented one netizen.

While another called the mall their "home", one hilarious netizen remembers The Cathay as their go-to "emergency" toilet spot.

Though it is a place that holds fond memories for many, the building has a sombre past.

According to the online portal Roots, besides being the first skyscraper and first air-conditioned cinema, The Cathay — previously known as Cathay Building —was used as a shelter by civilians during the Second World War years when the Japanese air raids began.

It is now listed as one of Singapore's national monuments, with its unique Art Deco facade wall being a remnant of what used to be Malaya's tallest building.

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