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NEIGHBOURHOODS
101
June14
THE SCENE
When you walk out of your place,
the first thing you see is:
A toy poodle. You can’t move for them
nowadays; they seem to have become a
standard family accessory. That’s a lot of
chaps trying to delay children, if you ask me.
The closest store (of any type) to
your front door is:
A lighting shop – pretty much every shop on
Balestier Road is lighting-based. Which is
awesome when you wake up on a Saturday
morning with a hangover and all you want
is a cup of coffee and a slap-up breakfast…
Your neighbours are great, but you
wouldn’t mind a little less:
Company in the lift in the morning.
The unofficial uniform of your
street is:
Ahard hat, on account of all the construction
going on.
When you’re in need of a dose of
culture, you:
Go straight to Balestier Road wet market,
pick up supplies for the week and then on
to any one of the hawker stalls through
the back.
If you’re missing home, you:
Go to the balcony, look at the pool, look at
the sun (not directly, that would be most
hazardous) and tell myself to get over it.
A mandatory stop for out-of-town
guests is:
There’s slim pickings in Novena, but
Tandoori Corner on Balestier Road usually
features in most itineraries for guests. And
we’re a 20-minute (power) walk from the
National Park at MacRitchie Reservoir,
where the monkeys are always a crowd
pleaser.
You’d swap houses in a second with:
The family in the cosy black-and-white
house we overlook, who only ever seem to
be having an awesome time.
If you’re ever woken up at night, it’s
almost always due to:
Our five-month-old puppy Peggy chewing
my toes off.