Spotting a celebrity at local tourist attractions such as Marina Bay Sands and Merlion Park may be a common occurrence, but sometimes, they may also turn up unexpectedly in the heartlands.
Chinese singer Curley Gao, also known as Xilinnayi Gao, was in Singapore recently for a work trip, where she also took the opportunity to visit some of the heartland locations she was familiar with while studying in Singapore.
The 26-year-old idol, who finished first in Chinese girl group survival show Produce Camp 2020 and later debuted as part of BonBon Girls 303, revealed her trip around Singapore in a vlog posted on her Weibo profile on Friday (Feb 21).
“This vlog is going to be completely in Singlish,” she said at the beginning of her vlog in perfectly-spoken English.
Curley moved to Singapore with her parents when she was nine years old and studied in Macpherson Primary School and Dunman High School. She later attended university at the Berklee College of Music in the United States.
In the first stop of her vlog, she visited Causeway Point to meet with her secondary school friend whom she introduced as May.
Walking around the eateries near the entrance of the mall, she remarked: “Every single shop here is a memory.”
She had pho with May at Woods Square, where she revealed that it’s her first time back in Singapore after six years.
Following the meet up, she took the MRT from Woodlands to Bugis, where she recounted going for her first audition at Bugis Junction in 2016 for Chinese singing competition Sing! China season 1.
Curley said, lapsing into Mandarin: “This is like where [my] dream started and all… I remember memorising lyrics as I was queuing, because I only knew how to hum the song.”
While Curley did not pass the audition for the show, she eventually auditioned again for the same singing competition in 2017 and made it to the final showdown performances before she was eliminated.
Visiting Dunman High School and neighbourhood
After purchasing some snacks, including her favourite Milo Nuggets, she took the MRT to Mountbatten station, where she took a stroll around the area close to Dunman High School, adding that “nothing has changed”.
“I remembered in secondary school, the length of our skirt must not be more than a two-finger spacing above the knee. The discipline master would really inspect us to see if our skirts are too short,” she recounted.
Before making a trip to her alma mater, she also said she missed the McDonald’s fries from her childhood and specially made a trip to the nearby outlet for it.
“It’s really better than anywhere else and it’s crispy,” she gushed.
Along the way, she pointed out familiar places from her childhood, including two convenience stores at the gas stations close to her home where her mum would send her to purchase snacks, and the Katong Community Centre.
“What’s special about this place is that I used to volunteer for the Minds community, ” said Curley, referring to the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore.
“I used to volunteer for like two or three weeks, I came here every weekend and spent time with the mentally-disabled kids. They are literally angels, I loved my time here,” Curley shared.
At Dunman High School, she recounted her time taking the National Physical Fitness Award (NAPFA) test and also visited the school canteen, where she recognised the drinks stall tenants.
She bought a drink, telling the tenants that she recognised them. When they wanted to treat her, she declined politely: “No, it’s okay, we want to pay, I haven’t paid in Singapore dollars for a long time.”
Curley was also recognised by several students who requested to take photos with her.
In one encounter, a female student bravely approached her and told her she looked familiar. When Curley asked who she was referring to, the student said her name, which the former acknowledged.
“Really! You are so pretty!” the student and her friend said excitedly, before they took photos together.
Curley also visited the classrooms and saw her teacher, who took one look at her and ran to give her a hug, telling her that she had done well.
They went to see the school’s Vice-Principal Puah You Kai, who asked her: “So your Mandarin learning in our school, is it useful?”
Curley shared that it was, adding: “To learn Mandarin in Dunman High School played an important part in making me who I am today.”
Brought to you by Xiaohongshu
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