Singapore 360 - Day 36: United Colors of HDBs (A Change In Perspective)

It still amazes me how a change in perspective alters the way we see things. There was a time when I expressed my opinion that it would make HDBs look neater and maybe a bit more sophisticated if they were painted mostly white, or at least a lighter shade. I imagined the entire of Singapore having rows and rows of white buildings where people lived in. When I finally listened to what I was saying, I wanted to smack myself in the head.

I see two ironies in this. First, a lot of people already say that Singapore is boring. Just do a Google search on "Singapore is boring" and you'll see what I mean. Bringing my stupid idea into light, not that it would even be considered, doesn't exactly help disprove this notion.

Second, for most part of my life, at least up to the present, I have never been one to live inside an ordinary and dull white box. I realize now that choice had a lot to do with it but I will not deny that in the past, especially during the dark moments, that I was plagued with the victim mindset. What lead me away from the victim mentality? A change of perspective of course. And a decision to live under bright light.

Living outside a boring white box means life being an adventure, taking risks, learning new things and setting up one's self where a thing or two eventually goes wrong. It is a life filled with colors, one that requires a person to see things not in black and white but in the full spectrum of light. But it is also a life where things don't always go as planned and therefore one filled with tears, hope, laughter and disappointment. But isn't that what life is all about?

It's true, a change of perspective can shed new light and bring fresh color to an otherwise dull and boring view. Perhaps it's time to tilt those lenses?

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Singapore 360 - Day 30: HDBs

This is what a typical house in Singapore, commonly referred to as HDB, looks like.

I realize I have a previous post about HDBs but I've never actually posted a picture of an entire building.

As you might have guessed, I live in one of these flats. The government does a good job of maintaining them and is pretty strict —this might not be news to you— on implementing its set of rules for the occupants. For instance, placing flower pots on ledges where they can easily fall off and hurt or even kill someone is a no-no. Posters constantly reminding residents that they "may be jailed or fined" for violating such rules are omnipresent.

The main difference between a condo and a HDB, aside from the dollar sign, are the amenities. There are no swimming pools, gyms, barbecue pits or clubhouses in HDBs.

A friend points out that one of the things she doesn't like about HDBs are the pipes: they are conspicuously displayed — for good reason though: ease of maintenance — not only in the bathroom but sometimes in the living room. Her imagination gets the better of her, visualizing what sort of thing passes between those pipes.

As for me, I'm still happy living in an HDB flat. The nearby Pasir Ris Park and my own gym membership more than make up for the missing amenities. As for the pipes, I can live with that, as long as they don't ever leak.

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Singapore 360 - Day 11: HDB Laundry Bamboo Poles

Most of the Singapore population live in HDB flats. HDB stands for Housing and Development Board, the government office responsible for public housing here in Singapore. But locals have referred to these government-built housing units themselves as HDBs. "Do you live in an HDB or a condo?" is therefore a common question.

These high-rise flats were initially a response to the housing shortages Singapore faced after independence from Britain. Land is scarce especially here in Singapore, being the smallest nation in Southeast Asia and one of the smallest in the world, so HDBs make perfect sense.

How do you dry washed clothes if you live in an HDB and don't have a backyard to put up a clothesline? Easy, use bamboo poles to hang wet clothes outside. Bamboo pole holders, located mostly just below the kitchen windows, are built as part of HDBs and are designed specifically for that purpose.

There are holders inside the kitchen too, attached sturdily to the ceiling. They come in handy when it's raining or if there are certain clothes one is careful not to expose directly under the sun lest risk having their colors fade. Sometimes the only problem with this is that a number of people get too lazy to bring them down before they cook and so the aroma of the food seeps into the clothes. More often than not, it's not a very pleasant smell.

Like the HDBs, the bamboo poles and their holders are an ingenious solution to an everyday problem.

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Here's an interesting article I found on the Web:

Debunking the official myths about HDB flats (Part 1): Singaporeans are owners of their HDB flats

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