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Mum spots stranger drawing her sleeping child on MRT, turns out to be established local artist
A chance encounter.
October 02, 2026, 01:05 PM
Photo via @teeteeheehee/Instagram
Her first thought was "stranger danger", but thankfully, that fear turned out to be unfounded for one Singaporean mum on the MRT.
Going by Teresa, the mum was on the way home from home from HarbourFront with her daughter Noemi when the latter fell asleep.
It was a Friday afternoon, and the pair had gone out earlier in the day.
When the train reached Outram, Teresa noticed an uncle who boarded as he was talking "quite loudly" to his friend, she told Mothership.
However, when he saw Noemi sleeping, the uncle quietened his conversation and proceeded to whip out his sketch pad.
10 minutes later, Teresa had a sophisticated drawing of her sleeping child.
Image via @teeteeheehee/Instagram
Artist behind Singapore's longest hand-drawn historical mural
This was, as Teresa found out from talking to him, no random uncle.
He turned out to be Ng Peng Sing, the local artist behind "Singapore on Canvas"—the country's longest historical mural that took 22 months to complete.
The artwork at Tanjong Pagar MRT station is a visual chronicle of the major milestones and events in Singapore's history, as well as everyday life.
Photo via SMRT
Photo via SMRT
Upon discovering that the uncle was an artist, Teresa showed him some of her daughter's work too, which Ng praised.
As a textile artist herself, Teresa was inspired that Ng continues "creating, exploring and sharing his art at his age."
"It’s such a beautiful reminder that creativity doesn’t have an age limit, and that art can continue to inspire people in the simplest, most everyday moments," she said.
Upon reaching home, the mum did a Google search on Ng to show her daughter, who also has an inclination towards art. That was how she learned more about Ng as well.
"There was something so inspiring about seeing him so happily making art at his age, completely absorbed in what he was doing, his backpack full of sketch papers and art materials.
And maybe that’s one of the things I love about art… it makes the world feel a little softer. And it definitely made our day feel a little more beautiful."
