Lets make our Tiong Bahru Bloom!

Hello everyone! Have you bought your New Year flowers yet? Perhaps you might want to have nice flowers and plants all year round, or perhaps make your own front and back garden even nicer! (And there are lots of nice front gardens already in Tiong Bahru). Here is a proposal from a group of residents that was sent to the blog - and so, we share it with the rest of you - do join in if you can!



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Just wanted to share that we are trying to setup a team to participate in Community Bloom project for Tiong Bahru and we are hoping for assistance to seek for project members through your blog.

Currently, we are at the initial stage of the project where we are reviewing suitable land plot. Garnering more project members is our next focus and this is where we are approaching various channels that already reach out to residents.

The team leader for this project is Gordon who can be reached at gtwork@singnet.com.sg. A similar posting has been put up at facebook on Tiong Bahru estate as below.


Facebook posting:

Are your green fingers itching to stretch itself? How about joining us to work on a community garden right here in Tiong Bahru?

If you are interested, please drop a note to Gordon, proj leader, at gtwork@singnet.com.sg or myself through fb.

Join us now!!!!

Better ways of shading balconies

I am attaching a couple of pictures of how, in the hot country of Spain, where many apartments have balconies, the residents create shade and shelter, accommodate their air con units, while also creating a unified appearance for their building.




First, there is the use of CURTAINS. All of the same design, same colour. Quite a nice bright approach I think!



Then, there is the use of vertical fixed awnings, here in yellow... again, creating a uniform appearance, even though not all the units have chosen to install awnings... I like the fact that the residents are made to put the a/c units within their balcony, so that they don't really jump out at you...



Finally, here is a high rise block, finished in brick, with a mix of vertical roller blinds and retractable horizontal awnings, in a nice dark green. Again, not all units have it, but it is enough that those awnings that are there, are of the same family. Plus, the balconies, being kept open, enhances the 3-dimensional depth of the facade. This not only retains the original design intent, but also cuts down on the amount of heat being absorbed into the apartment during the hot Spanish summers (much hotter than here!). The planting by the residents is another plus.

The above are all non-conservation buildings.

Wouldn't it be great if our estate could recover a better external appearance if there was some thought taken by all of us and our designers, when we 'work' on our balconies? Afterall, when one moves into a conservation estate, the historic appearance is something that both attracts us in the first place, and is something that we all should contribute to...

Imagine how much better if we could recover this appearance:

What will you fight (die) for?

Hello!

sorry for the long silence... just got back from this year's ICT where I was privileged enough to have seen the beautiful landscapes of western Singapore - rolling hills, valleys, stands of trees and fields of long grass.. a sense of space... things that one does not associate with the Singapore that we know of 'everyday'...

Too bad that military restrictions do not let us take pictures to show you all the sights, but while beautiful, I wonder, would I fight for that beautiful landscape - if it is merely beautiful, but that I have yet to grow to love?

Would I rather, fight for (and implied, die for) this street, this estate, with both its beauty and its imperfections - because this is my little corner of Singapore that is HOME?, and which I have invested in emotionally?



Imperfections, in a parallel illustration, here:



What about you?

That's it for now, till I get back into the swing of things.. oh wait... there is THAT letter from the Town Council on awnings and planters... let me find out more...