On the 10th of Nov 2010; 1215hrs, I reached a milestone in my life. After what appears to be eons, I can finally afford a home on my own. Bought with my blood, sweat and tears, I finally experience the powerful sense of accomplishment that comes attached with being able to independently possess my own little niche in Singapore.
Located in the border of Sengkang, Rivervale's simple and colourful design sits alongside Tampines Expressway and is served by Rumbia and Bakau LRT just 2 stops shy from Sengkang Bus Interchange and NEL station. Rivervale Mall is within walking distance and there are plenty of food options nearby. The busy neighbourhood means it decreases the risk of walking through quiet, eerie lanes so I hope safety issues are tackled.
There are also many schools nearby which means there sure will be enhanced transport options so all the better for us. And the myriad of religious places of worship will definately open our eyes to the ceremonies in multi-ethnic Singapore. Thankfully, the places of worship nearby remain relatively quiet throughout the year as informed by Ross so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Punggol flanks one side of the estate whereas the other side nestles a large park where I forsee myself cycling in the sunset during my days off. Serangoon reservior meanders on the estate towards Punggol and I'm hoping that the park has food kiosks, treetop bridges or maybe even a prawning pond?!
Well, I can dream can't I?!
Despite its 99 lease, it is my biggest investment thus far and after a slew of unsuccesful BTO results, we had pretty much given up of getting lucky this year. I had initially begged God for success in balloting for a unit in Punggol 21 as it was situated near the NEL station or a unit over in Queenstown. However, I guess he must have foreseen the hefty pricetags that came with those premium units so He slipped me this offer.Although I must say that He really had me by my hair when I was issued with a Q number 3Xs the number of allocated units and a distant selection appointment date. We had then hoped to capture a unit over in Fernvale Foliage as I was smitten by its overall design and wide open spaces. Not to mention its proximity to Jln Kayu where Prata royalty stays open 24/7 (minus Deepavali/Hari Raya).
Alas, Prata and I had our destinies cut short as I witnessed every single unit in Fernvale get sucked dry. So, impatiently I chewed on my nails and piled my hopes into grabbing a unit in Rivervale instead.
So off I went, chewing my nails and pulling out my hair from their roots as the days wore on and we tracked the dwindling units left for selection. Ross and his sister was frantic to research the best units available. This morphed into somewhat like a PhD thesis with his sister's office co-workers joining in the hunt for the best-unblocked-private-no afternoon sun-no expressway facing-fengshui worthy floor & unit number when it hit our turn to make a selection.
It wasn't easy to choose a unit with a reasonable amount of privacy in this dense estate but we managed by God's grace to secure a corner unit on a mid floor with all the must-have criteria sworn by his lovely sister's office folks. It is a pity we could not get a higher level, though the one we managed to get is on a super auspiscious floor!
I will roll oranges when we move in!!
We bought the optional components, which included the doors and tiles for the flat. I have yet to decide on how to renovate MY OWN (swoons) flat but if its going to be all earth tones I may just gag and aspirate on my own vomitus.
The floorplan
A model of the floorplan
The estate is due to be completed in 3-4 years but there is talk that the contractor will be able to finish the job earlier. Whatever the case, given the financial strain that loom over the horizon, there will be a good amount of lifestyle changes that need to be put in place, For one, I may just very well need to only shop in Malaysia!
Maybe it's best if I don't have enough to eat so I can lose some weight!
So next year will be may well be my swansong from far flung expeditions. Hohoho.. although there seems to be a train of options beckoning..! I pray money will sort itself out and life remains blissful in the face of adversity!
