"So do you think the waterway is a good concept?"
Turns out I was a "practical man" at the focus group I attended at the HDB. That's right HDB. I am on the mailing list for opportunities to get out of Woodlands i.e. flats available for purchase (I siphon out Woodlands and Sembawang on my own). I got an email requesting my presence at a focus group to discuss the new housing initiatives announced by PM Lee at the NDP rally. These new ideas include damming up 2 rivers in the Northeast and carving out a river through Punggol; and new garden-centric housing in Dawson. Find out more at www.hdb.gov.sg. Yes, yes, yes, I wanna go!
I showed up on time and there was dinner. It was not bad, especially cream puffs. We were ushered into a room and shown a video about the new initiatives and a nice lady told us what was required of us. "We" and "us" refers to about 30 people who showed up. I counted that there were about 6 Indians. (Ronnie commented it must have been a long night. Hmmm). Perhaps ethnic group representation wasn't much of a key priority as actual physical attendance.
It was fun. Probably because I have an opinion on everything. And I wasn't the only one. The folks in my group were great - preceptive, smart and had goldmine opinions spiced with a sense of humour. We, HDB facilitators included, laughed a lot and enjoyed the complaints and compliments.
"I live next to a canal. It is not very nice. It smells. When people come downstairs, it is noisy. And mosquitoes." "I live with 4 generations in my flat. It's not easy." "Barbecue pits on the roof, that's what I want."
In the end, we felt like we made a difference. There may be things that are different about what was initially announced at the rally (Sorry, PM) and we'd be the ones who instigated that change. Woohoo. The $50 NTUC voucher was nice too.
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