SINGAPORE — They both lived in eastern Singapore and had chatted online for about three years, but had never met each other. Their first meeting took place in Bedok in 2002 – waiting to enter a polytechnic at the time, Ms Nina Liang had gone online to see if anyone she knew wanted to go to the library, and Mr Ernest Choon responded.

They dated for nine years and are now parents of baby Sage, who is two-and-a-half months old.

Ms Liang’s contribution about Bedok is one of over 80,000 personal stories about various locations in Singapore that have been shared since the launch of the SG Heart Map project last November.

Today (May 24), they were among guests at an event revealing 50 of the more frequently mentioned places in the SG Heart Map project. Toa Payoh garnered the most stories among towns and earned a spot among the 50 places, as did MacRitchie Reservoir, the Singapore Botanic Gardens, the two integrated resorts and Pulau Tekong. 

The event’s guest-of-honour Grace Fu, co-chair of the SG50 Environment and Infrastructure Committee overseeing the SG Heart map project, noted that some newer landmarks have made it onto the list. This shows the project has engaged people from various age segments and parts of Singapore, she said.

From next month to August, free guided tours to some of the 50 places will be organised. The tours will also include stops at hawker centres such as Tiong Bahru Market and Jurong West Hawker Centre. The public may sign up at www.heartmap.sg.

Other towns, including Bedok, will be recognised in a separate category. Said Ms Liang, 30, an assistant manager, of Bedok: “If it wasn’t for the library, I don’t think we’d have an area to really talk and just be the two of us.”

Added Mr Choon, 33, an education officer: “Things were a bit different then. Now I assume new couples would meet up at Starbucks. But, then, there weren’t that many cafes; the library was a fantastic place for two young teenagers to get to know each other in a safe environment.” The couple will move back to Bedok later this year after their home is renovated.

Meanwhile, Ms Fu said the Botanic Gardens holds fond memories as she went there with her family as a child and with her boyfriend before they got married. 

“I used to date there… There was one night we didn’t really look at the clock and we exceeded the time and so the gates were closed. I remember having to go around looking for the warden to open the gates for us,” said Ms Fu, who is Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Environment and Water Resources. She still jogs there from her office in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

For Mr Lim Poh Lye, 49, MacRitchie Reservoir was his training ground for cross-country races in secondary school, and the senior research and development manager recently got re-acquainted with the nature reserve after about 30 years. A trip with his wife and two daughters in 2013 brought back fond memories of running and enjoying the scenery at the reservoir, he said.

More SG Heart Map celebrations are in the pipeline, with the unveiling of artworks inspired by the Heart Map next month at the Singapore Discovery Centre, and the finale in November at The Float @ Marina Bay.