Toa Payoh Hiang Ji Roasted Meat and Noodle House

Tucked away in a little corner opposite the Toa Payoh hub, we decided to try out this stall while we were there to run an errand. The roasted meat looks bright and fresh from the glass panels.


Overall, I like the char siew meat because they are just burnt

Stirling Road vs Bahagia Terrace Houses. What are the differences?

There are also HDB terraces at Queenstown Stirling Road. Stirling Road houses and Jalan Bahagia houses were both built in the times of the SIT (Singapore Improvement Trust) days. So, what essentially are the differences between the HDB terraces in Stirling Road Queenstown and Jalan Bahagia Whampoa?

Above: Terrace houses in Stirling Road

#1 Age and Type

The terraces at Stirling Road were built in the 1960's. Terraces in Jalan Bahagia

Bahagia / Mamor Residents - please fall in at Facebook

We met our new neighbours who will be moving in to the unit diagonally behind us! They came by and wanted to ask our next door neighbour if the "left-over" structure in their backyard belongs to them; and if it does - whether they should ask their contractor to remove it. Coincidentally I've blogged about this structure some time back!

Welcome to the neighbourhood!

Someone suggested starting a Bahagia Mam'or facebook group but I haven't got time to do it then. Now I've created it but we have no contents yet - can anyone contribute? Photos, writings on wall, videos, events. Share your renovation woes, organize a BBQ and be house proud!

Facebook Group link here http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=70932533575
Invitees: Chuck, Joe & Rose, Jeanario, Lin & SY, Mona & Ezal, Daisy, Pamela, Steven & Joanne. For those I've missed out, you can drop me a note with your email or just join the group by clicking on the above link.

All ex-neighbours and future neighbours are also welcome. See you on Facebook!


PS I've put up a picture of my sofa *not shy* - but if you have an appropriate picture of the neighbourhood, please send to me for replacement!

X-Living in Bahagia - Pastel Skies in our Living Room

A splash of colours, a touch of class.


These are our 4 favourite paintings from BKK. 700 Baht for all 4 - that is about SGD 8 dollars for each! If you're in Chatuchak market, go to this young painter's shop at Zone C Soi 3 Room 111.

Unusual Landed Homes in Whampoa and Stirling

There are also a few areas with unusual landed homes costing way below $1million.

The Housing Board itself has 285 leasehold landed flats in Whampoa and along Stirling Road in Queenstown. These 99-year units were built in the 1970s by the Singapore Improvement Trust, the predecessor of the HDB.

Relatively small houses sitting on varying plots from just under 1,000sqft, can go for around $500,000 to $700,000, said MrCheng.

Such mid-terrace units are rather narrow, considering a typical mid-terrace unit sits on at least 1,600sqft of land, he said.

Then, there are houses with extremely short leases. Banks are not keen to offer loans for such properties, so buyers have to pay cash.

Click here to read the article - Land a house for under $1 million http://luxuryasiahome.wordpress.com/2009/03/29/land-a-house-for-under-1-million/

Source : Sunday Times - 29 Mar 2009

English Country in HDB (Terrace)

Seen the Life section of the Straits Times on 10th January? On page E13, you see my neighbour's English Country in HDB.

Bachelor Ian Fong's home is a cosy, twostorey abode that would not look out of place in the English countryside. It is, however, located in a residential estate in Whampoa.

It also looks like a terrace home when it is actually HDB property: It is one of 285 such landed flats that were built in the 1970s by the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT), the predecessor of the Housing and Development Board (HDB).

Besides Whampoa, there are similar two-storey flats along Stirling Road in Queenstown.

Mr Fong, managing director of public relations and design firm Sirius Art, bought the 1,300 sq ft property for $418,000 and moved in last April. It is considered a three-room flat because it has two bedrooms on the second floor and a living room and kitchen on the first.





Ian took inspiration from the colonial charm of Raffles Hotel when he did up his HDB terrace house. The structure of the 35-year-old property bears a slight resemblance to an English cottage—“I wanted the interior and exterior of the place to be in sync,” says Ian of the British-style look.





“In British homes, every room is a surprise,” Ian explains. He envisaged this for his own home as well, which is a pleasant mix of modern English eclecticism, Indian and Oriental accessories.

Oriental twist in the bedroom

His bedroom is filled with Oriental furniture that is painted white. It is less boring this way and gives the furniture an alternative look, he says. Dominating the space is an Oriental shelf filled with photos, toys and figurines, all adding to the eclectic look.



The other room, which is for guests, is decorated simply with light green wallpaper and a beige sofa bed.

For a touch of luxury, he lined the walls in his living room and kitchen with wallpaper, but only the upper half, 'to give the room more dimension and make the ceiling look higher'.

Explaining his choice of the mostly brown wallpaper design, Mr Fong says: 'Florals would make it too girly. I wanted something more masculine.'

Because he is an avid cook who enjoys entertaining, his favourite part of the home is his all-white kitchen, which immediately gets a wipe-down whenever he spots any stains.

'All my guests prefer hanging around the island in the kitchen, rather than in the living room,' he says with a chuckle.

He describes his home, where he lives alone, as one that is modern, eclectic and English 'but also with bits of Orientalism, because I'm very Chinese at heart'.

Eclecticism can be a challenge, he adds, because 'everything has to look different, yet still match'. On the bright side, it gives him 'more leeway as I can buy anything without worrying about it not fitting in'.

He also has no qualms about mixing expensive and affordable pieces for his home. For example, his living room has a $6,000 Natuzzi leather sofa and vases from Ikea that cost less than $20 each.



Left: I simply love his backyard, it's neat and pretty. What's cool is, you don't really need a big space to do this up! And that reminds me our backyard is scheduled for Phase 2 Renovations.

'It was the price that attracted me,' says the 40-year-old, who considered buying landed property in other areas. With this flat, he gets to live in a landed home at a fraction of the price. It has 65 years left on its 99-year lease.

He worked with his company's designer and spent about $150,000 on renovations, which included installing a bathroom on the second storey and extending the living room area by about 1m into the front garden.




Some of the newspaper images:

Story & Images Source:
#1 H&D Homes : Genteel touch | Home & Decor - Stylish Living Made Easy
READ MORE ABOUT THIS AND OTHER H&D HOMES IN THE AUGUST 08 ISSUE OF HOME & DECOR.

#2 Sirius Art Pte Ltd - Architectural & Interior Product Design (Ian's website)

Finding our Roots at Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall

One of Balestier's tourist attraction - Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall.


Located at Tai Gin Road.


It is a villa where Sun Yat Sen used to live and house his revolutionary activities.


You'll see this stone carving that says: One Man Changed China. Dr Sun Yat Sen.
And his statue against a block of modernized condominium.


An old picture - with the same block of condominium.


Along the sides of the park, we saw chinese wall carvings that presumably will be lit up during dark.

Inside the Memorial Hall, there are a few chambers / sections of the villa with exhibits.


A good idea of who Sun Yat Sen was.


It just re-opened recently on 15th Nov!


Left: Canvas painting of women binding a weeping toddler's feet. Right: Deformed feet.


An old map of Singapore and 3 historical spots in Balestier.


3 spots identified.




The round broad stairway up.


The 18 stars on this flag have a story behind it, but *oops* I didn't bother to find out much.


This is an interesting exhibit with life size wax models.


Audio visuals of the exhibit can be done in both English and Mandarin. How interesting!


This is Chuck's alma mata!

The 1911 Revolution heralded the advent of a new era for the local Chinese. Besides Science, English, Mathematics and other subjects, Mandarin replaced dialects in the language of instruction in Chinese schools. The picture shoes The Chinese High School. Founded in 1919, it became the first secondary school to use Mandarin as the language of instruction.

In the Nanyang Gallery, there is a huge canvas painting! Sun Yat Sen talking to a group of people... in Malaya. You can spot him in a pearl white traditional costume.


A nice picture of a "Teksi" cap I found in the Nanyang Hall.


There are similar canvas painting around the Memorial Hall! Sun Yat Sen, again in white, and surrounded by many people.


Some framed photos and one of the uniform exhibits.


Left: Hand made bombs.
Right: Chinese sabre.


News of Sun Yat Sen being kidnapped in London. There, his British mentor, helped him out of it. *This is like a history test. Thing is I remember no details.*


Some comrades being tortured and beheaded.

Interested to know more? Entrance fee is $4 per adult. Visit their website for more information.