Fancy having a sparkling clean house to receive guests during the Lunar New Year? Around 90 volunteers have taken part in the Cleaning and Painting Project at Blk 48, Stirling Road this morning from 8am to 5pm. About 20 families have benefited from this project. The volunteers range from grassroot leaders, secondary school students to members of a voluntary welfare organisation. Our team conducts an on-site discovery on the furry of activities which began at Queenstown Community Centre.
Before the actual event, several volunteers have conducted house-to-house visits to inquire about information of residents who are interested in the project. Subsequently, cleaning and painting materials are provided by the Town Council and a local Community Foundation. Some of the areas allocated include kitchen, doors, living and bed rooms.
I am painting the wall!
I can reach the top!
Scrapping the dirt from the wall
Some of the houses are not in good condition. Cluttered with numerous items such as newspapers and books, and stained with charcoal black spots, one will not find these houses liveable at all. All the volunteers have gained insightful experience participating in this meaningful event by providing residents with something to cheer for in this coming new year!
"It's a meaningful event! I will take part in it again!"
"As long as the residents benefit, I don't mind the tiredness!"
Who Says an Aunties cannot help?
I don't get CIP hours for volunteering!
Cheerios!
Fancy trimming your hair at an affordable rate? We take you to CD Hair Beauty Saloon Blk 152 Mei Ling Street where Mdm Cindy Kang is! Another new segment of the blog, Shop 'Til You Drop, we will introduce the best deals around Queenstown for conscious and avid shoppers.
Mdm Cindy Kang and her shop!
Mdm Kang is a new kid on the block! Although she is just two months into her business at Mei Ling Street and taking on the big boys around her shop, she possesses a wealth of experience in the hair beauty profession for the past decade at Choa Chu Kang. Offering unisex hair beauty solutions to Meiling residents, she believes in delivering sincere service to her customers. She explains that there are many saloons in the area and customers are able to compare the service and price offered meticulously.
Looking at the neat arrangement of her equipment, shampoos and bottles of dye, we can see she is really serious! She's opened from 10AM-7.30PM daily except for Mondays! You can try her skills!
Mei Ling Street Market Area
PeepsTown is one of the several new segments that will be progressively inducted in this blog to introduce residents to the ongoing activities and events around Queenstown, either through videos or on-site coverage. In this entry, we will see how Alexandra Hospital do their part in conserving nature, Bukit Merah Secondary School's SCDF clip which is awarded Top 6 at national level, as well as the Christmas programmes organised by the various churches in Queenstown district. First, we have the Community Outreach at Queensway Shopping Centre during Christmas. Next, we'll watch a skit by Church of Our Saviour's (at Margaret Drive) outreach at Thailand. Lastly, Blessed Sacrament Church will present us with the Xmas party!
Alexandra Hospital's Nature effort!
A Out Reach activity at Queensway Shopping Centre during Christmas
Church of Our Saviour's skit
Blessed Sacrament Church's Xmas party
In the coming months, we will dig out the most delicious food around Queenstown. My Queenstown Yummy! Today, we visited Queenstown Poh Piah, located at Commonwealth Avenue Food Centre.
Queues at the Stall
Poh piah are spring rolls in Hokkien. The Poh Piah offered has a thin almost translucent skin that firmly holds the filling without allowing any sauce to spill out. The sweet and savoury Poh Piah Skin complements the unique sauce added. A wonderful mixture of flavors and textures is obtained: chewy (the skin), crunchy (seafood bits), juicy (bamboo shoots), crispy (lettuce and bean sprouts), sweet (sauce) and spicy (chili).Mr Lim standing in front of his beloved stall
The stall owner, Mr Lim has been preparing yummy poh piah for the past 40 years after taking over the business left behind by his mom. He would wake up 4.30am in the morning, preparing the ingredients at 6.30am before opening his stall at 9am. On a good day, he can sell up to 500 poh piahs. He explains, "Business used to be better when there are shops, emporiums and cinemas around." As Queenstown residents may have realised, Commonwealth Avenue Food Centre will make way for further developments this June. Mr Lim is still considering whether to carry on with the business as he is already 70 years old. So, grab your poh piahs today!
Commonwealth Avenue Food Centre
Singapore is a multiracial, multilinguistic and multireligious country. I've just visited Shanghai in China during the December holidays and I can tell you that I've always faced trouble deciding what to eat for breakfasts because they have little to offer except buns, buns and buns. I have trouble in Singapore deciding what to eat for breakfasts too. But that is a welcome dilemma! We are quite lucky to have cultural influence from different races and people from different background.
Today I've met Kumar, a fervent volunteer at grassroots activities and a professor at NUS, in his cozy colonial house in Stirling Road. He comes from Tamil Nadu in India.
Kumar and his family
You were an Indian national, tell us more about how you came to become a Singapore citizen and your first apartment. Well, my wife was a Malaysian and I travelled a lot to and fro Malaysia. I visited Singapore a couple of times during my travels and thats when I seriously thought about the propects of living in Singapore. In 2002, my brother's friend introduced to me an property agent while I was working in the US, and that is how i got interested in a commonwealth apartment. That time I was already undergoing citizenship orientation and was in the process to become a Singapore citizen. I was also facinated with the history of Queenstown through the orientation course, therefore I decided to settle in commonwealth.
You shifted to this new apartment in Stirling Road. You have such a nice and cozy house! Why did u choose to stay here? It is probably due to my liking and familiarity to the Queenstown area. I have lived here for about 1 year. I call this house, "the poor man's property", as I cannot afford a few millions for a landed property elsewhere. I paid about 520k inclusive of renovations. But this house is not without problems in the start.
What problems about the house did u face? Well, I spent a lot of money on renovations ( about 60k). It is due to the previous owner's negligence of the apartment. There were big rats, pests such as termites, and also many holes in the apartment. Another problem is that half of my flat is under the charge of HDB, the other half under URA. It is inconvenient because there are many restrictions due to the overlapping SOPs, so we had a hard time trying to apply permits for the renovations last year.
How are your neighbours? Are they friendly? Yes, generally most of them are. Just like recently during my son's birthday party, I invited them over for a party. When we meet each other, we will also chat and invite each other over for drinks. However, I prefer the older folks as they are more friendly and hearty, as compared to the younger generation.
Do you like Queenstown? What are the things that you like about it? Yes, I love the area. I like the fact that my house is near the mrt and that there are many bus routes that serve this area. It is also near to town . It is really a great location to live in, as I think it is generally quiet and convenient. I think that it is safer here as compared to other districts that i once lived, such as chua chu kang and marsling, due to the fact that the police are often patrolling around.
What are the things that you think needs improvement? I hope that there will be more amenities around, such as shopping and hawker centres. The nearest place that we can buy necessities is the NTUC opposite the road. Other than that we will have to travel to Commonwealth. Another thing is that around 1 year ago, we used to have rubbish all along the corridors. However, recently the town council is looking into the matter and the situation is getting better.Fate is what brings us together. I am very happy to have met Kumar. He gave me guidance and insight about local issues that many of us are oblivious or uninterested. Perhaps there are times we can befriend someone without the need to browse their passports. Life is more than that...Outside Kumar's house!
The empty stretch of road and MRT track outside Kumar's house on a rainy day
It's not easy being a housewife who can cook and manage the household. And it's not easy being a career woman who have the guts to be different! Today, we met Agnes, who worked in a shophouse in Blk 46-3 Tanglin Halt Road. She's one good example of a capable housewife and professional career woman. She stays in Tanglin Halt for 2 years. Next to her was her 15 year-old daughter, Julia.Agnes and Julia
Hi Agnes, how long have you worked?I've just started working for 5 months. It's boring staying at home as a housewife. Therefore I've decided to come out to do some work and support the family.Why have decided to enter the fashion industry?I am familiar with the fashion industry and interested in contemporary designs, therefore it is easier for me to make the transition to this line.Times are bad. How do you sustain your business?We are all doing business with the residents living around Tanglin Halt. Therefore, most of our customers are regular and familiar faces. It is indeed very tough to compete in this industry at this moment because younger crowds are attracted to shopping malls which can offer more variety. I'm waiting for the hawker centre to finish renovated so that more customers can patronise this area.Why did you choose Tanglin Halt then?My mother-in-law stays in this area. Therefore, it is much easier for me to take care of her as well. (Kudos!)Fluffy Corner at the Corner of the shophouses!
Clothes hanging outside Fluffy Corner....
P.S. Are clothes on the left column not on sale?
Time and tide waits for no man. New broom sweeps clean. There are many things and people changing to adapt and assimiliate into a new environment. Like the Tiong Ghee temple, which shifted twice because of inevitable developments within the region. However, there are certain things in life that will never change. One of these things is our faith. Today, we've met a resident, Mr Zheng, resting comfortably on a bench within Tiong Ghee temple with his grandson.
Mr Zheng and his grandson
Hi Mr Zheng, how long have stayed in Queenstown?
I have stayed in Queenstown for almost 50 years. I moved to Forfar Estate, the first Queenstown neighbourhood, in 1962 before shifting to Blk 171, Stirling Road. I am currently staying with my wife and son.
Now that you've retired. What do you do during your free time?
I will bring my grandson to Tiong Ghee Temple to pray and mingle with my fellow friends. This temple has never failed to bring back memories since its official establishment at its present premises in 1973. I will visit the temple every day to ask the Gods for protection and safety as well.
You've lived in Queenstown for almost half a century. Do you have any special memories?
Certainly! Queenstown used to be undeveloped swamps and hills. Now, it had been transformed into a place that is convenient and located close to the city. As I witness her transition, I will always marvel!
Tiong Ghee Temple where he frequents
While Meil Ling Street and Stirling Road were still hills, 10-storey flats were constructed at Tanglin Halt Road in 1962. The occupants of the flats were previously from kampungs. Although they were unable to speak in other communities' language, they remained cooperative, looked out for one day and greeted each other. The Kampung spirit did not diminish despite living in apartments which was separated by a concrete wall.
The Bird's Eye View of Tanglin Halt
"Chap Lau Chu" or Ten Storey flats
The building of the first HDB flats in Queenstown along Tanglin Halt Road did not go on without a hitch. Bureacratic red tapes and strong disapproval in acquiring graveyards had amassed unhappiness among Singaporeans. However, memories of cocoa aromas and metallic assemblage sonorous sounds in Tanglin Halt were symbols of the first industrialisation within a residential estate. Blessed Sacrament Church which we have featured
The uniform row of ten-storey housing blocks spawned the precinct's colloquial name Tanglin Halt chap lau. It is also home to Church of Blessed Sacrament with an iconic blue slate roof and Sri Muneeswaran Temple, the biggest temple dedicated to Sri Muneeswaran in South East Asian.Fast forward to 2009, the same rows of flats remain standing. Painted with sky blue and baby pink, they symbolise the advent of public housing in Singapore. Constant upgrading of the facilities enable lifts to stop in every floor along the block, compare to the past where lifts can only stop at certain levels to save costs. Flats, whether they are new or old, will always provide a roof over our heads. As time goes by, these block of flats may give way to new developments like those towering skyscrappers next to New Town Primary School. However, even as young Singaporeans, we must not forget the roots of our past.The Shophouses at the Market Area
The Pinky Chap Lau Chu
Do I look I'm 48 years old?
"I don't think so"
Covered walkways have sheltered residents from SUN, RAIN & BIRD SHIT!
Came out from the Car Park!
And Accessible to Wheel-Chaired Residents
The Blue Buddies
...where some residents develop a fear of height some years ago
The grey friend who is new in town
The present bird eye view of Tanglin Halt
I'm Not on Helicopter! I'm on 40th Storey!
The Winding Street that runs through the estate
I just realised those flats look exactly the same
