Tuesday 15 December 2020

Views From My Balcony

 

I pretend pretend my HDB flat is overlooking New York City's Central Park:



Living Room View




View To The Left Standing On Balcony




Front "Central Park" View Standing On Balcony




View To The Right Standing On Balcony




View Looking Down On Landed Properties Below





The landed properties opposite are earmarked for future condo developments. I don't think big daddy will touch them though for the next 10 years, going by the glut in condos at the moment.

Even if developed, the plot ratio in the Master Plan showed the new condos max cannot exceed 25 floors. 

I'm safe. I'm on the 40th floor. 

They can't block me. 

 

In case anyone not familiar with the area in Queenstown, the opposite far end of the "Central Park" is our former CMPB. That's where us old fogeys young that time report for our National Service.

Fingers crossed big daddy will gently transform Dempsey Hill into one vibrant and cool place. Hopefully not too commercial, and retain as much of the natural greenery as possible.


 





50 comments:

  1. Wah seh. A million dollar view to die for haha! Congrats :D

    Can imagine the occasional cold breeze during December or January to transport you overseas!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kevin,

      Its windy.

      I like that it let's in light to the living room!

      Since I often stare at the ceiling to "space out", at least now I have alternative view to stare at ;)

      Can do the Zen thing: Sky blue; trees green.


      Delete
  2. High rise living. Everyday eat Wind!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CW,

      My current place on the 8th floor still got mosquitoes come vampire me...

      Let's see at 40th floor will I still be terrorized by thirsty mosquitoes!

      Hope can lower my usage of fan and aircon. Well, some girls are into that green and carbon footprint stuffs.

      May even help me impress their panties off!

      LOL!

      Delete
  3. Need to pray that the lift don't ever break down!

    I remember I use to walk to CMPB alone for my enlistment. My mother asked if she needed to accompany me. I said "what for?" and took my bag and walk over the CMPB!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rolf,

      I took bus.

      My elder sibling and I both started work at 16.

      So like you, we reported to CMPB alone too ;)

      No drama.

      Just, "Mom, I leaving for NS now. Bye!"



      My floor got 3 express lifts. Very fast!

      Ya, I'll be quite PISSED off if ALL 3 lift broke down at the SAME time!

      Well, my conservancy charges has gone up from current $45 at Tangling Halt to $88 for the new place.

      I don't mind paying for performance, but they better maintain the lifts proper ;)



      Delete
    2. OK joining the party :)

      I'm a little younger so I enlisted in Tekong instead, alone too. Same goes for the passing-out parade since they were busy working.

      My brother lives on a 30-ish high floor in a DBSS and my ear goes pop when I take the lift up!

      Delete
    3. Kevin,

      Yup, the only time parents came to visit was the first 2 weeks during BMT.

      Passing out parade perhaps a bigger deal for OCS?


      I guess NS is not that big a deal for us and our parents ;)

      Delete
  4. Hi SMOL,

    Wow! Congrats on getting your brand new flat (top floor with 'jiak hong chu' view some more)! *Green with envious*

    :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rainbow girl,

      Thanks!

      The "air-come" is indeed strong.

      If I had hair, it would look sexy letting my hair blow in the wind ;)

      And the best thing?

      No one can look into my flat. So I can walk around "topless" in my flat.

      LOL!


      Delete
    2. So shiok... it's like you have your private sky park!

      Delete
  5. Oh you're the folks who blocked sky terrace's view. LOL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ERSG,

      I must say Sky Terrace is the most beautiful and well designed (exterior wise) HDB flats in Singapore.

      Must say these premium HDB flats don't look like HDB flats at all.

      Big daddy is already musing about moving the goal posts to prevent the "lottery effect" for HDB flats in prime locations.

      Phew! Got in before they moved the gates!


      Delete
  6. Wow, the view is really breath taking. Beautiful.

    I can imagine taking my breakfast or sipping afternoon tea while soaking in the view.

    Enjoy!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. mysecretinvestment,

      Look left can see Bukit Timah Hill. Look right can see Mandarin Hotel at Orchard.

      Look front see blue and green.

      Simple wants, simple tastes.

      Life is good when I have enough :)

      Delete
  7. Hi Smol

    Congrats.40th floor is real high! Can do a vertical marathon haha.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Small Time Investor,

      I think I'll try it!

      Must make sure I charge and bring my mobile along.

      Just in case need to call ambulance!

      LOL!

      Delete
  8. Hoho Smol,

    Congrats on getting in onto Singapore's version of New York's Billionaires' Row! 😁

    Time to get a 30X telescope for your balcony & aim it at the pool below! LOL!

    Yup, looks like your view will be unblocked for many years to come! 👍 Decades! 🤞

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Spur,

      I can be very Ah Q or Walter Mitty ;)



      Eh... What do I tell mom when she asks why I buy telescope for?

      Tell her I'm now into Astronomy?


      Those landed property owners below must be a bit annoyed. Great! Now HDB heartlanders can look down at us...


      I'll add it to my attas private landed property hunting checklist (Walter Mitty time again):


      1) Make sure there's no public transport access.

      2) Check Master Plan there are no land parcels zoned for public housing in the vicinity.


      That should keep thick-skinned HDB urchins from shamelessly stealing the landed property halo effect.

      LOL!


      Delete
  9. A breathtaking view!

    Fit for one of the heavenly kings of the blogosphere!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unintelligent Nerd,

      I'm not sure about the "heavenly kings" part, but I'm definitely one of the cooler and sexier old fogeys out there ;)

      That's what I tell myself whenever I look into the mirror.

      You sexy thing!


      I'm Ah Q and Walter Mitty rolled into one!

      Delete
  10. really good view. hard to find

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. carol,

      Thanks! I like it a lot!


      A new feline at this watering hole?

      Welcome!

      Just be mindful of the occasional "buayas"...

      Other than that, we are nice people; with some flowers in our hair ;)

      Peace.


      Delete
  11. Hi Smol,

    Very nice views indeed. Your camera also quite power lei. I was zooming in to look at the different in designs of bungalows.

    乔迁之喜,在于新的开始。
    古人登高望远,
    我悠哉悠哉,
    窗外一目十里。

    豪宅美园,
    在我拂袖之下,
    笑看红尘聊聊,
    远瞻高楼林立,
    采莲心中亩田水泥中。

    Hope u like the poem I thought of for your new house. Your camera power! I can see the bungalow details.

    Enjoy your stay

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sillyinvestor,

      What if I tell you its a camera phone?

      And its from the cheapest entry level smartphone some more!

      Its Xiaomi 6A from 2 years ago. I'm a fan of Xiaomi now. Can play my Epic 7 game with no lag too! Of course can't play Genshin Impact. Then how many phones can play Genshin Impact? LOL!

      That's why the casual consumer compact camera market has been destroyed by smart phones.

      The photo/video quality of smart phones today is so good that even I have capitulated. My attas Canon and Nikon cameras are now gathering dust. They are good, but they don't fit into pants ;)

      Delete
    2. Sillyinvestor,

      Thanks for the poem! Impressive!

      I'm humbled.

      Here's my 礼尚往来 ;)

      高楼寒舍
      窗外天蓝树绿
      屋内如我心
      空无一色

      亲人同住
      温情添色彩
      闹中取静
      红尘求道路


      Namaste

      Delete
    3. Now that SI mention, really wor... I can see the swimming pools and tennis court. :P

      No need binoculars or telescope, just use smart phone la!

      Delete
    4. Rainbow girl,

      That's the power of technology!

      No need big telephoto or professional zoom lenses. Just idiot entry level smartphone can oredi!

      Lucky I look like toad.

      If not, I'll be paranoid with people snapping away at my handsome good looks!

      Delete
  12. Smol, nice.

    I knew is hp camera all along.
    But my Xiaomi mimax 3 camera sucks. So surprised is a Xiaomi phone.

    But for the low price ... Nothing to complain.

    求意境不求景

    ReplyDelete
  13. hi, gratz to get ur nice new home, u must be very excited 😊.
    Actually isn't too high liao, i see those pictures my leg shaking...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sy,

      Thank you!

      Yes, I super happy. Hope to stay here until I go sell salted eggs ;)

      That's why at the moment, I rather sell back the remaning lease to big daddy 10 years later although financially speaking, it would be much more profitable for me to sell and downgrade to another 3 room flat outside the mature estates...

      Now more and more new HDB BTOs are 40 floors and above! We are learning from Hong Kong ;)

      Population 10 million here we come!

      Delete
  14. most important is u choose what u want & like, staying here happy & comfortable till ....
    btw, careful dont hang " " something near window may blow away by wind.😂
    40th floor too high for me, I still prefer level 8 to 10th floor. if not, my leg shaking every time look out from my window. 😂

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sy,

      At my previous Tanglin Halt flat, I was on the 8th floor.

      It's tree top height. Just like living in a tree house.

      Can spot 8 or more species of birds on the trees outside my flat!


      The wind at Dawson 40th floor can be quite strong... Sometimes can hear the "woo woo" sound and I must rush to close some of the windows.

      Saving on aircon and fan is a bonus!

      Delete
  15. hey, u stay at tangling halt before? can share what happen to the foodcourt & shops there? been there few months ago, more than half of the stalls in foodcourt are close ( not the 1 with famous laksa) and shops surrounding also close.
    the whole area less people compare to the sheng siong & koufu there.
    like dont know where the people go....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sy,

      Since last year, there were lots of citizen photographers taking pictures of Tanglin Halt before it's gone to the history books...

      Residents of the old 10 storey Tanglin Halt flats (biggest enbloc in Singapore) started moving out beginning of 2021; the bulk relocated by end 2021.

      I'm one of the laggards... Quite surreal. Imagine walking back in the night with all the blocks of flats literally empty.?

      Tanglin Halt Market officially closed on 31 July 2022. Most of the hawkers relocated to the new Margaret Drive Hawker Centre 1st August 2022.

      As for the affected shops, I suspect most took the compensation and "retired".

      Those hawkers (the famous laksa stall) next to the wet market and the surrounding shops there not affected yet.

      There are still quite a few newer and very tall HDB flats (near Seng Siong) that are not part of this enbloc. I guess they still need to hawkers and shops to service them until new replacements are ready...

      Delete
  16. been there around lunch time

    ReplyDelete
  17. no wonder so quiet lah...the new Margaret hawker is the 1 along the mrt line right? any recommendations? plan to go there soon. heard the malay stall not bad lei... 😋

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sy,

      On the ground floor, the chicken rice is popular - but avoid lunch hours as queue can be super long...

      As for the Malay stall, I prefer the one on the 2nd level - ayam nasir lemak popular, so is the lontong. The hawker is like me - handsomely bald ;)

      The longer queue on the ground floor for that Malay stall is because they appeared on TV!? At Tanglin Halt, they hardly got queue...

      In fact, the other Indonesian Muslim stall on the ground floor at Margaret Drive is more popular at Tanglin Halt (on par with the Malay stall now on the 2nd floor). But come to Margaret Drive, they both "lose out" for now as many OUTSIDERS got "misled" by TV.

      The then usual bei kambing behaviour of recommending to others what they saw and heard on TV... (A bit like investing)

      This is one example where judging by the queue line can be misleading...

      Local, local knowledge is different!


      If you into healthy eating, on the same 2nd floor, there's the Hakka Thunder Rice - again super long queue!


      Yup, Margaret hawker centre is along the MRT line. Nearest MRT is Queenstown.

      Do keep your expectations low. Most of the stalls are the same old same old as Tanglin Halt.

      The famous laksa, duck noodles, and night shift wanton noodles stalls are still at the Tanglin Halt Market.

      Delete
  18. just finish my chicken chop at 2nd floor, not bad. I saw 1st floor also have western food, but closed.
    2nd floor have a curry rice super loooooong q, just besides western food. what is nice about this stall? food looks like cai peng stall, don't see the curry or is it got hidden dish????

    ground floor chicken rice is 东记 right? nobody q when i reach here, but now long q after finish my chop...

    will come again next time for the hakka thunder tea. not really like the thunder tea rice or others food. this our not many stalls open, think here is more on morning biz is it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sy,

      I suspect the corner "curry rice" stall is just next to the balcony, right?

      LOL!

      It sells vegetarian bee hoon lah! No curry or rice!

      This one also well-known. It used to be inside Tanglin Halt coffeeshop, then when the coffeeshop got closed due to enbloc, it temporarily moved to the Tanglin Halt hawker centre for a few months. Now it's here at Magaret Drive.

      Highly recommend you try it next time. And order the vegetarian "duck" as extra side dish - its fried crispy tofu!

      Portion can be a bit big for 1 person, maybe share with 2 or 3 persons?


      Yup, Magaret Drive hawker centre is a morning and afternoon eating place. Evening time not much choices...

      One exception is the scissors curry rice stall. It opens only from 5:45pm onwards and sold out by around 7:30pm?

      Super long queue too! A favourite among the old Tanglin Halt residents.





      Delete
  19. seldom ear thunder rice tea, if it is super long q, may see what is good about this thunder rice.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sy,

      I don't eat thunder rice tea too. My mom and sis love it though. I'm more a meat person. Although now must eat more veggies as I'm insulin-resistant...

      Must avoid getting diabetes!


      Delete
  20. try avoid sweet or sugar & fruits if u worry about diabetes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sy,

      Yup, first lifestyle change was no sugar in my coffee... Remember it tasted like "shit"...

      Now I can appreciate the "nuances" of the different coffee blends ;)

      I walk a lot too, whenever possible.

      It's all good.

      I pass the fasting sugar tests annually.

      If I hadn't volunteered for the diabetes survey by NUH several years ago, I wouldn't have found out I'm insulin resistant all this while - even though I appear "normal" in all previous annual medical checkups...

      I failed this interesting test when I drink a very sweet drink and they monitor my blood sugar lever every 10 minutes over 2 hours.

      Thankfully, insulin resistant can be reversed.

      Delete
  21. Good that u pass, happy for u. 🙂
    As we getting older, our body 新陈代谢 system not that good compare to our young age. Really need to take good care ourselves.
    I believe universe arrange u to go for the volunteer test. 一切都是最好的安排。
    If u happen see this volunteer insulin test again, please let me know. I want to test also.

    Are u talking local kopi kosong or espresso kosong?
    I tried local kopi o kosong for a while, after that my stomach not comfortable. So I switch back to kopi with sugar. Or sometimes ang moh coffee without sugar.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sy,

      Ah! You into Karma that sort of thing ;)

      I'll let you know when I come across such tests again.

      I drink kopi/tea kosong. Soft drinks zero calorie type.

      Then again, I don't reduce my rice or noodles portions. LOL!

      I'm on intermittent fasting (2 meals a day), practice walking as my primary form exercise (city walker).

      Got lots of room to improve. Especially my fat stomach! Visceral fat is not exactly healthy...

      A flat stomach helps in the flirting arena too ;)

      Delete
  22. Is a good karma. Follow ur intuition, don't wait something serious happen then u know that intuition trying to tell u something good for u earlier.
    I am now still practicing my intuition... 🙏
    U have a healthy stomach, can take kopi o kosong. my stomach not so good for such strong drink.

    me have quite high visceral fat and bmi. doc ask me to exercise more to loss weight, but I can't control my mouth 😅
    walking is good exercise which I am trying to do, but stamina not so good, cannot walk far far...

    ReplyDelete

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