The Tanjong Pagar Town Council

Transcription

1 The Tanjong Pagar Town Council Wind wnumber MCI(P) 121/10/ /09/2017 wnumber February So long as we stay united, be clear-eyed about our challenges and face them squarely together, there is absolutely no reason why we cannot celebrate SG100 with even greater pride and confidence! Minister Chan Chun Sing

2 TOWN NEWS Striding into the new year The doggy god of fortune was a huge hit at our Chinese New Year celebrations. Well over a thousand of us, young, old and of all races, filled a huge tent at the Global Indian International School on 24 February to celebrate Chinese New Year together. Along with the god of fortune, we were all glad to see our MPs. Many greetings and wishes were exchanged and many pictures were taken. And at the table toasts, many huats were huatted. Over an excellent dinner, we enjoyed all kinds of performances on the stage. Dances. Dragon dancers. Wushu. Classical Chinese instruments like the flute and erhu. Many gasped when the acrobats and contortionists took their turn. Imagine fitting yourself into a middle-sized bucket. They fit. Minister Chan Chun Sing spoke brightly of the future. Through productivity growth and innovation, we can move beyond the domestic market and penetrate external ones. We must also continue to invest in the education of our people and our infrastructure. We are determined and confident of the next lap of our country s history, he said. After the toast to the new year, with some very long and loud yam sengs, the MPs went to every table with mandarin oranges, and we looked under 1,000 chairs for eight special ang pows. To end the night, we sang together. If you didn t make it to our party, here s a hearty Gong Xi Fa Cai to you! 2 The Tanjong Pagar Town Council

3 A better dining town news experience at Bukit Merah Central and parking! A feature of the opening ceremony was the presentation of 30-year service awards to members of the Bukit Merah Merchants and Hawkers Association. The carpark has LED lighting now. On 3 February, after a major upgrading, the hawker centre at Bukit Merah Central was officially re-opened by the MP for Radin Mas, Mr Sam Tan Chin Siong. Some very young children celebrated the event with exuberant dancing and swordfights with balloons. The Advisor and his grassroots leaders celebrated by checking This machine sorts the contents of returned trays. New canopies to shield diners from sun and rain. Return your tray here and collect your $1 deposit. out the new features the hawker centre now has. All stalls in the centre have been rebuilt with a better cooking exhaust system. The new tables and stools are arranged optimally, with wider aisles and walkways. The toilets have been refurbished and canopies have been installed on the sides facing the central courtyard. Brighter and airier, the centre now features an automated tray return system with central dishwashing. All the piping and lighting on the ceiling of the car park below has been replaced, the floor has been rescreeded, stairs and railings have been renewed, and everything has a fresh coat of paint. It is now a pleasant place to park your car! This information panel on the facade of the market tells everyone what s inside. It was suggested by stallholders who told the Town Council many people did not know what stalls were inside the market and that affected their business. And that s more than fresh paint at Bukit Merah View After extensive repairs and redecoration (R&R) by the Town Council, the Bukit Merah View Market and Food Centre was officially reopened on 30 December. The R&R programme included many improvements for the elderly such as non-slip flooring, wider aisles, ramps and railings. And for the lunchtime crowd extended awnings, more fans and free Wi-Fi. All the improvements were based on feedback from residents and hawkers. Speaking at the opening, Ms Joan Pereira, MP for the division, said the two-month closure for upgrading ended as the holiday season lull began, So when the New Year comes around, I think residents will be back to the centre. She also thought the free Wi-Fi will pull in more young people. Wider aisles and slip-free flooring. Window February

4 town news Going down memory lane in Tiong Bahru Our Year-end Carnival was an event for families to come together and have a fun Sunday. The theme was Times Past and we wore old-style clothing the ladies had bows in their hair and the men wore fedoras! It was planned to please all age groups. We had old-style stage performances for the seniors to enjoy. PassionArt volunteers had a handicraft activity for you to decorate your own tote bag. And we had a carnival train and bouncing castles for the children in case the Kampong Games failed to engage them. Kampong Games and Kampong Foods were the highlights of the day. We wanted the younger set to know what we had before Ipads and fast food. We also spent a lot of time hunting down antique cameras, photos, certificates and such for a display. It brought back many memories for the seniors. There were lots of seniors there. In addition to those who bought tickets, we invited another 200 folks who often have to spend their time alone. The Carnival closed, appropriately, with an outdoor movie screening. They were so popular in the good old days. The Embracing PArenthood Movement is a community-based initiative, led by the PA and supported by NTUC and other partners, to give parents from the same neighbourhood a chance to get to know each other and build a support network. It s also a platform for the partners to share information on parenting and family bonding. We held our first party in Buona Vista on 18 November last year. About fifty families came to celebrate the birth of new babies in the community. Every family with a Singaporean baby born between 2016 and 2019 can expect to be invited to a similar party, where they will get gift sets that include some insurance. NTUC Social Enterprises, the main sponsor, has set aside $28 million, spread over four years. Or $200 per child, based on an estimate of 35,000 babies born each year. Embracing PArenthood in Buona Vista 4 The Tanjong Pagar Town Council

5 town news Above our MP, Dr Chia Shi-Lu, and Mr Pierre Veyres, regional head for SE Asia at BNP Paribas, with one of the young awardees. Left some of the many Paribas volunteers take a bow after the party. Christmas Celebrations at Leng Kee For the seventh year in a row, the good folks from BNP Paribas brought Christmas cheer to Queenstown residents on 10 December last year. Christmas care packages were distributed to many needy families within the estate, and then the volunteers organised a Christmas party with lots of good food, good cheer and lovely presents. Dr Chia Shi-Lu took the opportunity to give out our study bursaries to primary school students at the party, in anticipation of the coming school year. In Moulmein-Cairnhill, we have a slogan, Mo-Ca Cares. It s an umbrella under which we do all kinds of volunteer work. We are blessed with 88 per cent of our constituency being residents in private properties who are able to help and are willing to help, said Mr Melvin Yong, MP for the division when he announced the app Mo-Ca Cares. The app plays a connecting role, linking volunteers with projects where help is needed. Projects cover everything from tuition to haircuts to painting rental units at Owen Road during the school holidays. Mo-Ca Painting is now two years old and last December, two groups of young volunteers from tertiary institutions went to work, sprucing up homes, ready for the new year. The elderly residents were very pleased by the hard and good! work done by the young people. Painting (part of) the town (and some volunteers) white Window February

6 food Kim Huat Wanton Mee is stall #01-05 in the newly upgraded food centre at Block 115 Bukit Merah View. They still believe in the $3 meal, and we tried both a wet a bowl of soup with five huge dumplings, noodles and crunchy fresh spinach and a dry, as in the photo. The roast pork was A1 and the bowl of soup came with three small wantons. The only argument that developed while we sampled these very tasty bargains concerned the noodles. They were perfectly cooked, but sooooo loooong! Open 5am to 2.30pm. Lean Bento Cafe is at #01-49, Block 43 Holland Drive. We tried their All-day Brunch ($10/-, shown) of scrambled eggs on a waffle, baked cherry tomatoes, air-fried tater tots and mesclun salad. Their menu was a tad complicated, but the friendly staff were helpful and we understand they have since developed a new menu. If it still features their couscous (sparkling with basil) and their mesclun, you should have a meal here, really soon. Open 10am to 9pm on weekdays and 10am to 6pm on weekends. Yean Heng Pancake occupies stall #01-32 in Pek Kio Market. You could never cook these at home! They come off the hotplate half a metre wide! But you only have to buy a slice. Our photo shows one slice with peanut filling and one with coconut. Like a lot of good food, the cake is crispy on the outside, soft and springy on the inside. The fillings are generous and the service is smiling. This is food that brings back memories of days gone by, when our treats were simpler. The wonderful thing is: these old treats are still the best treats. And only $0.60 a slice! Open 6am to 1.30pm, closed on Mondays. Wei Yi Laksa and Prawn Noodle is stall #01-20 at Block 48A Tanglin Halt Road. Before you decide what is the ideal laksa, you should try the laksa here. He s been cooking it for 30 years. Fresh would be our first adjective. Not just for the prawns and chicken. Or the plentiful beansprouts. It s light on coconut, with just a few, whole, laksa leaves. Perfect noodles. And when it s all eaten, you ll want to pick up the bowl and drink the soup you usually leave behind! Servings start at $3 (shown). Open 5.30am to 2pm, but usually sold out by twelve plus!. Closed on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. Food, Food, Glorious Food Collin s Grille Bento is stall #01-10, at the east end of the coffeeshop at Block 26 Jalan Membina. We tried their Roasted Shredded Chicken with Aglio Olio. The spaghetti pasta was cooked al dente and tossed with grilled mushroom, chopped dried parsley, garlic, aromatic olive oil and just exactly the right amount of chili. Add the flavourful roast chicken and you have a great meal in a bowl, served in a flash. And this dish, unlike most at Collin s, only costs $6. Open 11am to 4am every day. Soon Heng Fishball Noodles is stall # in the Block 11 Telok Blangah Crescent hawker centre. Plan on queueing if you want some fish ball noodles as good as they get. Your order will be cooked when you get to the head of that queue, then served with genuine smiles. Dry $3, wet $2.50. A remarkable bargain nowadays. And the fish balls are silky, the noodles cooked just so plus a taster of pickled cabbage to set things off. Open 5am to 2pm, closed on Sundays and Mondays. 6 The Tanjong Pagar Town Council

7 average town news The Town Council won much praise last year You can tell if you re doing things the best way if your way wins prizes. Here are four of the prizes won by our Town Council last year. Our Town did well to win a Water Efficiency Award but we could do better! We can help the Town Council save even more money on the Town s water bill by telling them if we see in any of the common areas: 1. Water leaking from a pipe. 2. Water leaking from a Monitor your water bills Check your water bill to monitor your family s water consumption. If your consumption is more than the average, re-look your family water usage habits. hose during block-washing. 3. Any fault in the automatic plant-watering systems. And to help you save on your household water bill, here are seven tips from the PUB: Take shorter showers Keep showers to under 5 minutes and turn off the tap while soaping. Wash in a filled sink Wash vegetables and dishes in a filled sink instead of under a running tap. Wash on a full load Fill your washing machine on a full load. Reduced flush Use reduced flush for liquid waste. Water Efficiency Award 2017 Presented by Public Utilities Board (PUB) Repair leaks promptly New bus service has fewer stops Repair leaks and dripping taps immediately to prevent water wastage. SBS Transit is running a new limited stop service 147e from Clementi bus interchange to Clarke Quay MRT station. The service was introduced to provide a faster Reuse Collect rinse water from the washing machine for flushing the toilet or mopping the floor. connection from Clementi, Dover, Buona Vista and Commonwealth to Outram Park, Chinatown and Clarke Quay. Distance fares for express services will be charged. Singapore Best FM Building Owner/Occupier 2017 Presented by International Facilities Management Association (IFMA) Municipal Services Awards 2017 (Team) Collaboration on Investigations on Public Health Feedback at Lengkok Bahru Presented by OneService Municipal Services Office (MSO) Moulmein-Cairnhill Division - Most Improved Estate Cleanliness Presented by National Environment Agency (NEA) Towards Clarke Quay Station Road Name Bus Stop Description Bus Stop No. CLEMENTI AVE 3 CLEMENTI INT NTUC FAIRPRICE BLK C'WEALTH AVE WEST C'WEALTH AVE QUEENSWAY EU TONG SEN ST CLEMENTI BUS INTERCHANGE / DOVER STN OPP BLK 19A CP BLK BLK BLK C'WEALTH STN EXIT B/C QUEENSTOWN POLYCLINIC OPP BLESSED SACRAMENT CH OUTRAM PK STN EXIT F/SGH PEARL'S CTR PEOPLE'S PK CTR CLARKE QUAY STN EXIT E CLEMENTI AVE 3 DOVER COMMONWEALTH AVE WEST Towards Clementi Interchange Road Name Bus Stop Description Bus Stop No. CLARKE QUAY STN HONG LIM PK CHINATOWN PT NEW BRIDGE ROAD NEW BRIDGE CTR OPP PEARL'S CTR OUTRAM PK STN EXIT H OPP NEW BRIDGE RD TER QUEENSWAY AFT C'WEALTH DR OPP QUEENSTOWN POLYCLINIC C'WEALTH STN EXIT A/D C'WEALTH AVE OPP BLK 7B OPP BLK BUONA VISTA STN BLK 19A CP C'WEALTH AVE DOVER STN WEST BLK OPP BLK CLEMENTI STN CLEMENTI AVE 3 CLEMENTI INT BUONA VISTA COMMONWEALTH Map not drawn to scale Service 147 Service 147e Non-stop sector COMMONWEALTH AVE TOWARDS Operating Hours (Daily including Public Holidays) HOUGANG From Clementi Bus Interchange From Clarke Quay MRT Station PORTSDOWN CENTRAL BUS Weekends / Weekends / QUEENSWAY INTERCHANGE Weekdays Weekdays AVE Public Holidays Public Holidays Hrs Mins Hrs Mins Hrs Mins Hrs Mins JALAN BUKIT CLARKE QUAY MERAH EU TONG SEN ST CHINATOWN OUTRAM PARK AYE NEW BRIDGE RD *Timings are subject to traffic conditions. For more information, please call SBS Transit Customer Relations Centre at (7.30am pm daily) or visit Window February

8 Your Say If you think the Town Council has done a good job somewhere, or you have a complaint, please feedback@tptc.org.sg, or call the Town Council at After having a leaking pipe for several months, we were finally relieved of the problem when Mr Clemence stepped in to solve it for us. We are impressed with the efficiency of his response to our call for assistance and appreciate his effort in solving our problem promptly. This has brought much convenience to us. Thank you very much! Cheers, Dawn Xu I want to highlight how helpful Iskandar and his team have been. I called to get help with our lift s loud, wailing sound and, within the day, he assigned someone to look into it and solve the problem. Solving this noise issue was important for my family and me. Thank you for being so gracious to work on it, so professionally, and so very quickly! Regards, Dylan Swa Well done to the two hardworking supervisors who take care of 671B Klang Lane. They are dedicated in keeping our blocks clean and ensuring that our corridors are neat and spotless. Both of them are very hardworking. Thank you, Decwel Thank you Ms Hazlin for the swift response and effective action to relocate the incense burning cage to another spot that will cause less smoke for residents in the block. We appreciate your understanding. Cheers, Zie Kamarudin 32 More and bigger buses for us from As part of the constant efforts being made by the LTA to improve bus services in Singapore, there will be more bus trips during peak hours for the following services that run through our Town: 5, 12, 16, 23, 32, 48, 56, 57, 66, 93, 100, 124, 132, 145, 151, 153, 175, 185, 186, 191, 196, 518, 857, 972 and 980 In addition there will be more high capacity buses on these services: 2, 10, 65, 106, 130 and 198 Here are six zoomed-in sections of pictures that appear in this newsletter. Write the headline of the story to which each picture belongs below it and win a very handy trolley bag! Congratulations to the ten prize-winners in our last contest: Mdm Teo Chwee Nee...SXXX6531I Mr Ling Leck Poh...SXXX0321F Ms Sandra Chan...SXXX9022J Mdm Agai Kannie Balan...SXXX4711D Miss Loo Lay Hua... SXXX6641E Miss Nur Adani Bte Mhd Adam.TXXX7761C Miss Ng Teng Fang...SXXX4712D Mrs Abdul Mannan (Messilah)..SXXX6237D Ms Emily Sin...TXXX7358F Mr Kanesa.N...SXXX1021D Entry Form Name: Mr/Ms/Mrs/Mdm/Miss Address: NRIC: Telephone: Age: Handphone: Postal Code: Contest is open to all residents of Tanjong Pagar GRC. All entries must be mailed before 1 May 2018 to: Quiz, Tanjong Pagar Town Council, Blk 166 Bt Merah Central # , Singapore The Window is published by the Tanjong Pagar Town Council and printed by HoBee Print Pte Ltd.