Singapore, as a young and successful metropolitan city, thrives on progress and advancement in all aspects, which also means the scenery is constantly changing. To define the essence of a country and as a differentiating factor, we would look at its culture; only that culture would still be inevitably lost from one generation to the next. Focusing on old-school trades and businesses, this piece brings to mind an admirable generation of makers and entrepreneurs who took things into their own hands, from the ground up, with only a fraction of what we have now; who also honed their skills for decades and stayed true to their trades. And they are dying out because society and economy have evolved.