5-Room Flat

I live in a 5-Room flat. In the recent years there has been more and more talk among my family members of moving. Many reasons support this notion, and with the recent budget announcement, it only makes more sense.

1. Whenever the government gives out incentives to the citizens, those living in 5 room flats, inevitably gets penalised. We get lesser rebates for the utilities and other charges. Cash incentives wise, how much you get is based on the size of the flat you live in. So the bigger the flat, the smaller amount you get, with the logic being since you can stay in a bigger flat, you must be richer. I know I'm being miserly here.. But damn, the extra $200 (which I'm deprived of becos I live in 5-room flat) sure makes a lot of difference! Damn it.) Think my family should move to a smaller flat, so that next time round when the government is giving out $$ again, we will be able to get more! =P

2. I live in the western most residential area in Singapore. The worst thing is my flat is nowhere near the MRT station, in fact only 1 feeder bus and a horrendously scheduled 99 ply my area. Every time I go out with my friends, I am inevitably the last person to get home. Going out late is even more hazardous. Cab fare is way too high for me to even consider going home alone by taxi, with the midnight surcharges and distance covered. If we move to somewhere nearer town, or at least close enough to the MRT station to walk, it will be so much more convenient for everyone in the household.

3. In the recent years, much of the time, my household isn't complete. My brother is away in UK studying, back in SG for only like few months each year. Dad has been going on missionary missions to India for my religious group, and often ain't home either. Soon, my brother will graduate and get married, moving out to their own home. Marriage is also a high possibility for my sis, she too will move out then. In a couple of years, there probably will only be at most 3 people in the house. Me and my parents. Why then do we need such a huge house? It's empty most of the time. In fact, at this present moment, I'm the only one home. My friend envies the peace and quiet I can get at home... But it gets rather lonely at times. Of cos, I'm not bothered by it, but I guess having someone around is nicer than facing just the walls.

Though I've lived here since I was 8 years old, don't particularly have any sense of attachment to this area. I don't think I will miss my neighbourhood should I really move. Not on extremely good terms with my neighbours either - my immediate neighbour screams and shouts at her kids (sometimes her in-laws too), while the kids screams and cries non-stop, leaving my family with no choice but to shut our main door most of the time to keep out the incessant noise. Amenities ain't the best in the area. There's really nothing to 留念.

I guess, ideally, would be great it we can move into a 4-Room flat, that's near the MRT. I don't mind old estates, like boon lay, since most of the time the amenities are well established. All the money from the sale of this present flat can be used to pay the new one. If there's a deficit, I don't mind servicing the rest of the loan, as the house will probably belong to me, since my siblings would have a place of their own. I still would prefer to stay in the west I guess. Probably too traumatic for my parents to have to get used to a whole new area. So somewhere in jurong, that's within walking distance to the MRT should be good. And if I do stay in the field of biopharma, all the companies are in tuas, so west would be good too. The estates on the fringes of city like redhill, queenstown are probably too expensive for us anyway, since I doubt we can fetch a good price with the present one.

Sigh, all this, is but just talk. My siblings won't be moving out till like at least 2 years later. So maybe, till then, I'll have to content myself with staying here. Well, at least our house now has enough rooms for me to have my own. I have a roof over my head.. What's there to complain?