Event is held at Compass Point (Sengkang) from 8th to 20th March 2011.
Patrons of Compass Point shopping mall was welcomed with the Capsule Carnival by Ban Dai featuring over 350 capsule vending stand. Each vending stands contains a toy and collectable of its own such as Gundam, Hello Kitty and Ben10. The area is also plotted with showcases, a huge vending stand and comic figures at life size, perfect for families with children and comic enthusiast to come for and even pass by the event.
Last village standing evokes Singapore’s rural past – By Simin Wang | AFP News – Wed, Mar 9, 2011 1:07 AM SGT
For forum feedback and full news visit this Yahoo News link: http://beta.sg.news.yahoo.com/last-village-standing-evokes-singapores-rural-past-20110308-090722-458.html
Quietly tucked away in a corner surrounded by high-rise apartments and rows of bungalows is a rustic village where the old Singapore still survives.
Dogs and cats run freely and chickens cluck noisily as children play around colourful, zinc-roofed houses made of wood and cement, undisturbed by the din of cars zipping by on an expressway just a few metres away.
Welcome to Kampong Lorong Buangkok, the last surviving village on the Singapore mainland.
Its days are numbered but until development forces residents to move, the village gives visitors a glimpse of what life was like in the 1950s before Singapore became one of Asia’s most modern and wealthiest cities.
Occupying a land area the size of three football fields in the northeastern suburbs, the kampong (“village” in the Malay language) has 28 houses scattered haphazardly with a total of about 50 residents.
With unpaved streets, large backyard gardens, grassy patches and occasional banana plants, the cluster is an anachronism in a city-state crammed with office towers, high-rise apartment blocks and shopping malls.
For residents, the village provides relief at the end of each working day, a quiet oasis where neighbours still know each other intimately, quite unlike the anonymity of city living.
“I have a deep attachment to my neighbours,” said Sng Mui Hong, a 57-year-old spinster who rents out houses in the village for Sg$6.50 to Sg$30 ($5 to $23) a month.
Most of Singapore’s five million residents live in government-built apartment buildings and private condominiums.
“After all they grew up with me, and some of the grandmothers and grandfathers here have watched me grow up,” said Sng, who currently lives with a nephew and niece, three dogs and several pet birds.
Her family moved into the plot of land in 1956, when Singapore was still under British colonial rule. Electricity and running water came into the village in 1962, a period when the country was in political transition.
Singapore, a largely ethnic Chinese island, became part of the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but was expelled two years later as Kuala Lumpur pursued policies favourable to the Malay majority.
In modern-day Kampong Lorong Buangkok, racial harmony comes naturally for the Chinese and Malay families whose houses are about five metres (16.5 feet) apart.
“They are like my own parents because we are from the same village. So I don’t care if they are Malay or Chinese,” Sng said of her older neighbours.
And while the village is by Singapore standards far from supermarkets, schools and bus and train stops, residents rarely mind as there are perks to village life that cannot be found elsewhere.
Some even own cars, a luxury in Singapore.
Makeup artist Jamil Kamsah, who has lived in Kampong Lorong Buangkok since 1967, enjoys the amicable nature of the village folk.
“People here are very friendly, motherly and polite, and it is easy for me to make friends with them,” the 55-year-old said. “I don’t scold animals and I talk to plants.”
In his free time, Jamil tends to his garden and touches up the exterior of his house, welcoming visitors with a ready smile.
In land-scarce Singapore, where many older buildings and residential areas have been converted to more modern housing or commercial use, Kampong Lorong Buangkok faces an uncertain future.
Sng hopes the village can be preserved to educate future generations about the past and show them how their forefathers lived.
“Not everybody started off wealthy, many grandfathers built their lives from scratch,” she said
Some city schools take their young students on excursion trips to Kampong Lorong Buangkok to learn about village life.
“Some children mistook the chickens for birds,” Kamsah recalled.
The village’s days are numbered, and the residents know it.
Singapore’s land-use planning agency, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), said there are plans to redevelop Kampong Lorong Buangkok, but gave no time frame.
“The kampong at Lorong Buangkok and its surrounding land is planned to be comprehensively developed to provide future housing and other neighbourhood facilities supported by a road network,” said a URA spokesperson.
Sng, however, does not feel sad even if her village has to go one day.
“Nothing lasts forever,” she shrugged.
@ Punggol opened recently with Popeyes Chicken and Biscuits! Popeyes serves chicken products in mild and spicy flavors and offers sides such as Cajun fries, mashed potatoes with Cajun-style gravy, and Cajun rice. All combo meals come with a side order, drink, and a biscuit. This outlet is Southeast Asia’s first Popeyes drive through located at Tebing Lane, off Punggol East Road.
Address: 10 Tebing Lane #01-05, Singapore 828836
For more information on Popeyes: http://www.popeyes.com
Marina Country Club which is located near the end of Punggol Road (600 Ponggol 17th avenue) is an extraordinary place for you to unwind and relax with the sea sports, dinning and chill out places for your family and friends.
The dinning places includes Ponggol Seafood which was the well known old Hock Kee Seafood at Punggol End, Japanese Grill and Channel Sam, the only Halah restaurant in the northeast of Singapore which serves live seafood. The country club has eight family KTV louges and nine in house bars and other facilities such as 7-eleven, an open concept thai massage, fishing equipments shop, a live prawn fishing pond and an amazing port wish serves sea sports and deep sea fishing.
More information please visit: http://www.marinacountryclub.com.sg/
NOTICE FOR APPLICANTS: Application for Fernvale Flora and Fernvale Gardens in Sengkang, and Segar Vale in Bukit Panjang is closed on 14 March 2011. You will be informed by HDB of your balloted queue position in end March 2011. Invited applicants will be given an appointment to select a unit. Selection of unit starts in April 2011.
Press released 28 Feb 2011
HDB is launching three BTO projects today – Fernvale Flora and Fernvale Gardens in Sengkang, and Segar Vale in Bukit Panjang. A total of 1,593 standard flats will be offered, comprising 205 units of 2-room, 219 units of 3-room, 800 units of 4-room and 369 units of 5-room flats. 95% of the flat supply will be set aside for First-Timer households.
FERNVALE FLORA AND FERNVALE GARDENS
2Bounded by Fernvale Road and Sengkang West Way, Fernvale Flora is a standard contract with 521 flats, comprising 93 units of 2-room, 107 units of 3-room and 321 units of 4-room flats. Nearby, along Fernvale Link, is Fernvale Gardens – also a standard contract with 382 flats, comprising 210 units of 4-room and 172 units of 5-room flats.
Both projects are in close proximity to Fernvale LRT station. Residents will be served by the wide range of facilities in Sengkang Town such as the Sengkang MRT/LRT station, bus interchange, Fernvale Point, Compass Point, Rivervale Mall, and Rivervale Plaza (an HDB neighbourhood centre). Other facilities include the Anchorvale Community Club, Sengkang Sports and Recreation Centre and Sengkang Riverside Park. There are also primary and secondary schools in the area. The Tampines Expressway is a short drive away.
PRICING OF NEW FLATS AT FERNVALE FLORA, FERNVALE GARDEDNS AND SEGAR VALE
New HDB flats are priced with a generous subsidy below their market value. The market value, as determined by professional valuers, takes into account the prices of comparable resale flats in the area, adjusted for factors such as location, flat attributes, design, availability of flats for occupation and prevailing market conditions.
In addition, eligible first-timers buying 2-room and bigger new flats and earning not more than $5,000 per month can also apply for the Additional CPF Housing Grant (AHG) of up to $40,000. The AHG can be used to offset the initial down-payment.
The selling prices for the flats range from:
Fernvale Flora and Fernvale Gardens
$88,000 to $120,000 for a 2-room;
$148,000 to $193,000 for a 3-room flat;
$240,000 to $311,000 for a 4-room flat; and
$310,000 to $378,000 for a 5-room flat
Segar Vale
$83,000 to $108,000 for a 2-room;
$143,000 to $173,000 for a 3-room flat;
$226,000 to $284,000 for a 4-room flat; and
$298,000 to $354,000 for a 5-room flat
First-time flat buyers are estimated to use 16% to 24% of their monthly household income to meet their monthly loan payments for flats in Fernvale Flora, Fernvale Gardens and Segar Vale. For example, a 4-room unit priced at $255,000 in Segar Vale, requires a monthly mortgage instalment of about $919. A family with a household income of $4,100 will be able to service this mortgage instalment solely using their CPF contributions.
UPCOMING SALES LAUNCHES FOR FIRST HALF OF 2011
HDB has ramped up its new flat supply significantly to meet the demand from first-timer households. In 2011, HDB has plans to offer up to 22,000 new flats under BTO, if demand is sustained. In the first six months of 2011, flat buyers can look forward to about 11,000 new BTO flats. These projects will have a good geographical spread in towns/estates such as Bukit Panjang, Jurong West, Punggol, Sengkang and Sembawang. The next BTO launch in March 2011 will offer about 1,500 flats in Jurong West and Sengkang. More details will be provided at the launch.
The BTO supply will be supplemented by the housing units under the Design, Build & Sell Scheme (DBSS) and the Executive Condominium (EC) Housing Scheme. For 2011, based on the land sales scheduled, there will be about 4,000 DBSS flats and 4,000 EC units. In the first half of 2011, HDB will release for tender four sale sites under DBSS with a potential yield of about 2,700 flats. The site at Clementi Avenue 4 under DBSS (estimated 770 units) has been launched for tender on 26 Jan 2011 (Tuesday) and with the tender closing on 8 Mar 2011 (Tuesday).
Under the Government Land Sales (GLS) Programme, HDB will also release four sale sites for EC developments with a potential yield of about 2,300 EC units in the first half of 2011. The site at Choa Chu Kang Drive (estimated 490 EC units) has been launched for tender on 21 Jan 2011 (Friday) and with the tender closing on 22 Mar 2011 (Tuesday).
More information, please visit http://www.hdb.gov.sg/fi10/fi10296p.nsf/PressReleases/DA4F63C348AA4B9C4825784500035F4A?OpenDocument
Punggol End, or Punggol Point where a memorial plaque was laid by the National Heritage Board of Singapore was a one of the bloodiest massacre site during the world war two. Through the uears there has been circulation of the place being haunted by souls of the dead. Is it true that a place of such the beautiful point of Punggol could be darken by these encounters. The Singapore Paranormal Investigators attempts to reveal the truth as they trace the evidences on Punggol Beach…
Sixty years later as of today, it is difficult for anyone to find fresh evidence about the massacre. The official estimate said merely thousands were killed, but there are sources as mentioned before in this article indicate that would be a total death toll up to 50,000. Do you think the innocent victims who died will be able to rest in peace? Perhaps they had died of no reason. They didn’t know why they were chosen to be massacred, and surely they would not like to see their fact of death had been quietly covered up, forever…
We visited the original sites of the massacre ground, surveyed the areas and collected evidence. Not hoping that we would be able to recover an anticipated figure of 50,000 bodies, but we want to explore the truth by following traces of minor details at the original massacre sites. Even we tried using the psychic methods. “When all the conventional approaches do not apply due to the vanishing of all the physical evidences in 60 long years, paranormal approach seems to be the only way…”, sighed by one of our SPI members.
A vacant beach of fine sand would be the first sight just after we have walked opposite from the jetty. On the sand, there seemed to be many more paw prints than foot prints as this portion of inland beach looked pretty deserted. A little dense bush in the south set the boundary of the beach. Just outside of the bush, there was a sign post and a boom gate installed by the Government marking the inland beach as a State land.
Roughly we could resemble this area as a part of the execution ground 60 years ago. Some accounts described here as a disposal land of countless corpses that were everywhere as far as eyes can see. Burial work was threatened to stop by the Japanese and the whole area including the bus terminus was announced to be a restricted zone. Hence the bodies were mostly “cleaned” up the wild dogs who lived in the bush. To our surprise, 60 years later as of today, there still lived so many dogs around as suggested by the numerous paw prints on the sand!
Source from Singapore Paranormal Investigators. To read more on Punggol End and other WWII massacre, please visit http://www.spi.com.sg/spi_files/massacre/main06.htm
Singapore’s First Waterfront Public Housing Estate
The Housing Board plans to offer the new Punggol Waterfront homes by mid-2010 . They will spend about $30 million to develop key features of the Punggol Waterfront Town. These Waterfront housing will have stepped courtyards. An integrated waterfront commercial and residential development has also been planned at the town centre, which will be built on both banks of the waterway. —> Read more visit http://www.punggolwaterfront.com/
20 Feb 2011
Guest of Honour: Mr Michael Palmer
Rivervale Community Centre is giving away 2 pairs of complimentary tickets to City Alive – Singapore’s Biggest Street Dance Party, happening tomorrow 11 Feb 2011 at the Pit Building, 11pm to 4am!
How to qualify? Easy, simply add our Rivervale CC profile on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001931097333#!/profile.php?id=100001931097333&sk=wall
….and post the name of our Rivervale CC cat (display picture) on the profile wall!
The First Two fastest posts with the correct answer will get 2 tickets each person! Hurry! Do it now~~ Good Luck 😉
http://www.facebook.com/#!/?sk=messages&tid=1600792222176
About 10 years ago, When Buangkok Medical Park, formerly known as Institute of Mental Health, are used to house mentally unsound people. In some extreme case, this patient will wear a top with extremely long sleeves that are doubled as a bind to wrapped with their arms cross and tied around their back. I remembered an incident, when a few cyclist decided to explore the surround area. Upon reaching the carpark, they heard screams and banging. This freaked them out and they decided to turn back and cycled away.
In the Present day, Buangkok Medical Park has transformed into a hospice, where old and sick people who needed extra medical care to relax and recuperate.
You could visit www.thenextdoorcloset.com for latest news on electronic gadgets.
Oluss Studio is collaborating with ArtHappen.Com to develop the first ever Singapore Art edition of a “Spot the Difference” mobile phone gaming application for Iphones and Android.
The developers have just launch the latest version of this game titling it “Photo Findings”. It features the photos of 3 Singaporean photographers James Lynus, Mackie Tan and Kelvin Tay (proudly to annouce that he is residing in Buangkok area). You can acquire this “Photo Findings” App in Android edition only through the Andriod Market.
This gaming application features a unique Virtual Gallery where the art works that are “won” will be kept. Users will be able to view the Gallery of art works and read information and important facts about the works and the artists.
Painting Findings’ first edition contains all Classical art works and is available for downloading for Iphones and Andriod mobile devices. It attracted 400 new users a day, mostly from the United States of America and followed by Singapore despite its low population ratio.
Painting Findings’ Singapore Art edition will be receiving proposals from artists of different generations in Singapore to represent Singapore Art in this programme. For more information on this entry, visit www.arthappen.com .
Despite the forest that I cycled through more than a decade ago was gone and thousands of resident have moved in since, the greeneries still stayed by us, by the route to the end of Punggol, only neater and urban. It is a wonder to see the palm grow over the years, taller and thinner, reaching to you, who is living high than them, before. The route home is not concrete like other towns, but the trees that cam through the path. Here are some pictures!
Top image: Pathway to houses, by the road and the light train railway elevated on the right of the picture.
1 – 13 September 2010
The return of Gundam Fiesta features for the first time a Giant Battle Diorama and Giant 1:1 Gundam Hand. This is probably the largest Gundam based exhibition in Singapore, held in Sengkang! Well, I realised many are finding for more information about this event.. so here are some recommended links:
http://www.gundam-singapore.com/
http://ronald-tan.com/2009/09/07/gundam-fiesta-singapore-2009/
It is (presumably) once in a lifetime that the Olympic games is hosted in Singapore and the torch can pass by our neighborhood, Punggol! There are flags of Singapore and Youth Olympic Games at the place so familiar to our eyes, by the greenest bushes and colourful void decks.
Photos from Rivervale Community Centre facebook site: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=67966176054&ref=ts
The last week when I drove in to Punggol End, the jetty way was closed and a temporary carpark was built near it. The construction happening there has hindered many from their routine of fishing and sight seeing. But, lets hope now that the construction is not going too long and that there will be a modification of space for the Punggol End jetty!!
Picture Source: http://www.oureverydaythings.com/2009/06/trying-out-fishing-punggol-beach/
This International Friendship Day at Punggol had great music, games, campfire and community friends through the night, and most importantly the fireworks near our house! Besides it being too dark, the live there was great! Enjoy the pix!
Singapore Leg Of The Journey Of The Youth Olympic Flame: Nation invited to celebrate the final countdown to the world’s first Youth Olympic Games
Media Release of Jouney of The Youth Olympic Flame: 07 Jul 2010 http://www.singapore2010.sg/public/sg2010/en/en_news/en_jyof_news/en_20100707_singapore_leg_of_the_jyof_nation_invited_to_celebrate_the_final_countdown_to_the_world_1st_yog.html
| In the final countdown to the world’s first Youth Olympic Games (YOG) hosted by Singapore, residents and visitors are invited to cheer the torchbearers on and join in the celebrations of the Singapore leg of the Journey of the Youth Olympic Flame (JYOF) over a six-day torch relay. At this once-in-a-lifetime event, the Olympic torch relay will make its way around the country, passing through residential areas, going by offices and schools near you before the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games (Singapore 2010) officially starts on 14 August 2010. The Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (SYOGOC) today announces the route for Singapore’s largest- and longest-ever torch relay: 2,400 torchbearers will cover a whopping distance of 305 kilometres – equivalent to travelling the entire length of the island six times. With torchbearers from all walks of life taking part in the relay, some 300,000 people are expected to line the streets and cheer on their friends, family members and fellow Singaporeans as they make history by being the maiden torchbearers of the Youth Olympic Flame. To ensure that everyone in Singapore has the opportunity to be a part of this Olympic torch relay experience, the Singapore leg of the Journey of the Youth Olympic Flame will be held from 7 to 13 August (with a break on 9 August), passing through housing estates, parks, schools, historic sites, places of interests and Singapore’s financial and civic districts. The torch relay route will kick off in the northern part of the Central Singapore district. The Youth Olympic Flame will then journey in an anti-clockwise direction from South East district to North East, North West, South West and eventually, the southern part of Central Singapore. The areas that the torch relay will cover are as follow: |
|
| From the corners of the heartlands to the city centre, Singaporeans can look forward to a line-up of highlights along the route to boost the excitement for the people cheering the Flame. In another first, a torchbearer carrying the Youth Olympic Flame will go on the Sentosa’s Megazip flying fox and whizz down over a jungle canopy from a height of 72 metres above sea level. Other highlights include a run through the nation’s popular tourist attractions including the award-winning Singapore Zoo and the well-loved Singapore Botanical Gardens. More details of the JYOF torch relay route can be found on www.singapore2010.sg/jyof. To turn the novelty factor up a notch, Singaporeans will also get to witness the Youth Olympic Flame being transported in unusual ways by torchbearers such as on a bicycle and dragon boat. In the pipeline for the torch relay is a leg adopted by the PUB, Singapore’s national water agency, that will involve the Youth Olympic Flame crossing the water of Marina Reservoir from the Merlion Park to the pier in front of Singapore’s latest integrated resort – the Marina Bay Sands, which is also the official Main Media Centre of Singapore 2010. For those who are unable to catch the action of the torch relay in person, the movement of the Youth Olympic Flame around Singapore can be tracked “live” online at the above website during the torch relay.In addition to the en-route highlights, SYOGOC has partnered five institutions to organise a Community Celebration on every night of the relay. Members of the public are invited to join in the festivities at a different location each evening, to party with thousands of others in celebration of the Journey of the Youth Olympic Flame around Singapore and welcome the world’s first Youth Olympic Games. The list of schools and institutions partnering SYOGOC in the Singapore leg of the JYOF has been announced last week. Singapore’s Cabinet Ministers will also join in to celebrate the start and completion of each day’s torch relay – please see Appendix 1.Mr Goh Kee Nguan, Chief Executive Officer of SYOGOC, said, “The Journey of the Youth Olympic Flame is an event for every person in Singapore. Whether you are a torchbearer bearing the Flame, a friend or a neighbour cheering on from the side, a student or teacher in a school hosting the torchbearers or a participant soaking in the festivities at the Community Celebrations; we invite and welcome you. We hope to see everyone in Singapore – be it Singaporeans, residents or international visitors – join in and celebrate the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games.”About Singapore 2010 – Blazing the TrailSingapore will be hosting the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG) from 14 to 26 August 2010. The Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games will receive some 5,000 athletes and officials from the 205 National Olympic Committees (NOCs), along with estimated 1,200 media representatives, 20,000 local and international volunteers, and 320,000 spectators. Young athletes – aged between 14 and 18 years – will compete in 26 sports and take part in Culture and Education Programme.The Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games aims to inspire youth around the world to embrace, embody and express the Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect. It will create a lasting sports, culture and education legacy for Singapore and youths from around the world, as well as enhance and elevate the sporting culture locally and regionally.For more information, please visit www.singapore2010.sg |
The energy from the concerts and games of Punggol East International Friendship Day 2010 organised by Rivervale Community Centre was added with the fireworks display at Sengkang. Here is some pictures of the fireworks (taken from nearby LRT platform) to share with all of you!
Families and couples gather at the open fields of Sengkang, near Anchorvale Community Centre and Punggol where the grass lands have not yet been developed. There is a growing hobby of kiting in Punggol and it is such a nice sight to see many kites fly!
16:00 – 22:00
Organised by Punggol Oasis Residents’Committee
VENUE: MSCP Block 175 Facing Punggol Field
Free foods from different cultures like peking chicken, curry puffs, laksa & many others will b…e served. Not forgetting cultural quizzes with vouchers to be won.
Take this opportunity to interact & mingle around with the other Punggol residents!
Future residents of Punggol will be able to enjoy once Singapore’s first eco-town within Punggol is ready. — ST [PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN]
| Date: |
Saturday, 24 July 2010
|
| Time: |
09:00 – 12:30
|
| Location: |
Open Field opposite White Sands Shopping Mall, Pasir Ris Central St 3
|
Themed; “Unity Through Sports”
Guest-of-Honour:
Mr Teo Chee Hean
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Defence,
Member of Parliament for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC,
Adviser to Pasir Ris-Punggol GROs
Highlights are:
– Stage performances & games
– Sports Games Stalls
– Try your hands at unique sports
– Snacks from the various races
– Goodie Bag, Lucky Draw and many more!
Photo Competition, “My Friend & I” -> to join, simply partake this photogenic contest with a friend from another ethnic group!
Tickets are at $3, available for purchase at all CCs and RCs in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC!
| Date: |
Saturday, 17 July 2010
|
| Time: |
18:30 – 22:30
|
| Location: |
Harmony Square, Rivervale Crescent
|
There’ll be Fireworks, Campfire, Games & Lucky Draw (Stand a chance to win 1st Prize of Notebook!)..
Meet new friends & your gather old ones!
Don’t miss it! Get your Tickets at $1 apiece. For more info contact Rivervale CC at 63120470 (operating daily from 2pm – 10pm except on PH).
Guest of Honour:
Mr Michael Palmer
MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC
Adviser to Pasir Ris-Punggol GROs
