Pasir Ris

Heng's Family mini mart, located at Blk 567 Pasir Ris Street 51, is based in a refurbished bomb shelter at the foot of the block. As you proceed along the aisle towards the entrance of the minimart, you'd notice that the entire corridor is framed with advertisements offering a range of services, from printing to drinks. Once you reach the minimart, flanked by coin slot machines and doors from the 1980s, you'd have the unique experience of moving into a totally enclosed, yet well ventilated and air-conditioned place, and take a look at the variety of merchandise they have on offer. Mostly items are priced reasonably and the proprietor is friendly (also very willing to help you around). Overall, the mini mart is as integrated into the neighbourhood as any others, and it does offer a unique shopping experience indeed!

In certain secluded aread in Pasir Ris, such as the back alley of condominiums near Pasir Ris Drive 1, it is common to encounter scenes of trolleys being abandoned after use. Being located near NTUC supermarkets, it is easy to put 2 and 2 together and hence this has led to a few instances of photo taking and subsequent STOMPing by passers-by. Moreover, trolleys are at times left in the middle of a jogging track, creating obstructions for park users. We'd like to call out to residents to show some consideration and return your trolleys after use, as it not only leads to ugly scenes of our neighbourhood, but creates inconvenience for others as well.

The absolute end of the MRT tracks in Pasir Ris. Being the first station in the East West line system, it is common to see trains stopping there at night in preparation for the daily commute the following day. However, the track does not stop at Pasir Ris MRT Station but extends for 500-600m, all the way into the adjacent Pasir Ris Town Park without going too close to the coastline. This precaution is taking in case brakes were lost control of at times, and leeway is needed for the train to stop safely instead of flipping off the MRT track. Moreover, this feature also makes for an interesting sight, for how often do you get to jog under an MRT track that extends into your neighbourhood park?

As part of an initiative bringing the appreciation of nature closer to residents, there has been an ongoing project to build a variety of facilities such as walkways and pavalions through passes through the mangrove forests in central Pasir Ris. Being near the coastline, Pasir Ris sees its northern frontline impacted by waves regularly, and it is due to mangrove forests, especially the stretch in Pasir Ris Town Park, that safeguards our land from being eroded away and breaks the energy of the waves even before they reach areas inhabited by humans. In the midst of development, it is important to remember the important role nature plays!

Along Pasir Ris Farmway on weekend mornings, it is possible to see droves of volunteers walking dogs from the nearby dog farms. These range from members of the SMU Pet Society to Temasek Polytechnic Pet walking volunteers to members of the public who signed up for the experience. The dog walkers venture within a specific range, never going beyond the factories into Pasir Ris nor up the road to Lorong Halus. After their customary walk, it is possible to see through the fences of the dog farms mass grooming sessions that are taking place followed by trick learning and mealtime afterwards!

Located along Pasir Ris Drive 3, what distinguishes Pasir Ris Elias Community Club from other surrounding buildings at first sight would be its exterior design. Based on British colonial architecture (its a highly modernised version), there is a certain lure of the place. Moreover, being one of the biggest community clubs, it has plenty of facilitied catering to the needs of residents who patronise the area. This includes basketball courts, practicr rooms and even an archery range on Level 4! The CC nurtures interest groups such as the Jazz Band and The Chinese Orchestra, both of which residents see regularly as they perform in local community events. However, the CC recently closed for renovations and is only expected to reopen in 2015. However, for residents who wants to visit the McDonalds outlet here, its still running normal operations!

The entrance to the swimming pool over at Pasir Ris Sports and Recreation Centre. The building is well equipped with sports facilities, from table tennis courts to squash courts and a swimming pool, not to mention a park next to it. Moreover, this swimming pool is different in that it offers additional slides and water equipment attuned towards children, and hence it is not surprising that the place is a hotspot for the young! Most of the time, if you pass by the swimming pool outside, it is a guarantee that you'll hear gleeful shouts and screams coming from the inside!

Located at Blk 517 Pasir Ris Dtreet 52, Pasir Ris West Education centre is part of the PCF chain of kindergartens and childcare centres managed by the PAP foundation. It offers early childhood programmes at subsidised government rates for residents living in the area and provides a place fot parents to drop their kids as they go for work. Whilst many complain about the lack of ability of such centres to give their child a headstart in contrast to private kindergartens and nurseries, many of my acquaintances feels that this might not be so bad. For why not let your child have some happy first golden years in their lives before the onset of life's pressures, either from school, extra-curricular activities or work?

In a mature town like Pasir Ris, it is often a refreshing sight to see a new HDB estate spring up admist the older estates (most of which were built in the 1970s and 1980s). Hence when a new BTO estate was finished along Pasir Ris Street 51, just next to Coral Secondary School, it drew my attention when I passed by it on the MRT. When I had the opportunity to visit it a few days later, this sight I saw feels like a new beginning, from the empty apartments to the untemanted shops to the bare lawns. Its quite exciting to see how it will develop over next 2 years as it slowly takes root in the community. For slow, monotonous Pasir Ris, this is indeed a happening indeed!

Residents along Pasir Ris Drive 1 may have seen this structure set up on the lawn beside the pedestrian's pavement. Used as a command post, the structure is located strategically at a traffic junction to enable easy access to workers carrying out their tasks in the area. It has a briefing board as well as basic equipment and a fire-extinguisher available. These function to provide clear instructions tp the workers as to the job they needed to do as well as ensure safety (i.e. when a fire is accidentally stsrted through activities like welding etc). On certain rainy days, one may find a crowd of workers under the shelter of the tentage as they wait for the rain to stop before continuing on their tasks!

Located next to Pasir Ris Town Park just next to Banana Leaf By The Resort, Candy House is a firm specializing in the production of COTTON CANDY and POPCORN for events. Besides providing the candy itself, the machines needed to manufacture them are also available for RENT. If you visit their website www.candyhousesg.com or Candy House, what I really like about the company's products is the packaging. With products such as cotton candy made differently based on the theme of the event (i.e. for a Walt Disney event, cotton candies took the form of Disney characters), the end product is one which not only looks pleasing to the eye, but feels delicious as well. This is a big bonus especially during big events, when one factor is enough to sway a child's heart and which will be followed by the opening of the parent's wallet. Moreover, they also do share some interesting tips on their products, such as how to use the machines as well as making popcorn for the occasion. It is apparent that the company is new, but so far it has participated in quite a few events and hence there is the experience there. Hence, we just have to stand-by and see if it can continue performing as it moves on to larger events!

Outside the main building at the Lorong Halus Wetland Reserve is a mural of a map of Singapore. This particular map shows the water bodies, from river to lakes and the reserviors, throughout Singapore. It not only informs us of where they are, but also their capacity. Singapore lacks in natural resources, and water is not an exception. The amount of water here is not enough to feed the ever burgeoning population, now at a range of 5-6 million. Hence, located strategically at a wetland reserve, its silent message is for us to use water in an environmentally sustainable way, for if we keep up our usuage of water at its current rate, we might end up facing a problem of water shortage.