Island press

FIRST EDITION MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2016

Friendly Faces, Lively places As this was a continuation

Housing and Development Board
(HDB) Community Week deepens
residents sense of belonging with
implemented projects
GRETA LAU
of a similar project by their seniors
last year, Ng Shi Hui, 15, mentioned
that unlike last year, where they just
wanted to reach out to the residents,
the main difference this year is that
it is more about deepening the
relationship between the neighbours. She

T
he award-winning works to added: I hope this project can inspire other
promote good neighbourliness teenagers to step out of their comfort zone
for the Good Neighbours Project we tend to feel very awkward around
were showcased at the newly opened neighbours so its a very good chance
Bedok Town Square on May 20 to 29. through this activity to interact with our
The Good Neighbours Project neighbours, our friends.
had a Community category and a Youth Passerby Mdm Lee Sally, 67,
category. Three winners are selected learnt how to make a rose at the event
from each category based on how beneficial and felt that it was a good experience
their project is to the community, their for her as well as for others. Mdm
creativity and the sustainability of their Lee currently lives in a condominium
projects. The judging criteria include with her son, but prefers living in a
how they engaged the community and HDB flat. If you stay in the HDB
implemented the project. flat, you would have more friends,
Awarded one of the Most neighbours! she said. She added that
Outstanding Projects in the Youth community centres in the area allow Guest of Honour Mr Lawrence Wong (second from right), Minister
(Secondary School) category, G.R.O.W people to get together to share our for National Development, went around to view the exhibits and to
by the EVG Interact Club attracted experiences. congratulate all the winners. (Photo by: Greta Lau)

many people to their exhibit. Standing Another award winning project Award in 2014, hopes that her wish of
in front of the exhibit were teachers of the Community Category, Craft in residents coming together to make crafts
and students of Evergreen Secondary the Community, also had bouquets of would continue to spread to other My door is always
School, teaching visitors, mostly the roses made from Pandan leaves displayed. communities.
elderly, how to make roses with Unlike G.R.O.W., this project was about This is the first time the open. Im trying to
Pandan leaves. The project involved getting residents to come together to Community Week was held outside create the Kampong
teaching residents how to brew herbal make different kinds of crafts. of Toa Payoh as Bedok Town Square spirit!
tea, make eco crafts as well as get residents Ms Selena Goh Chee Leng, who is the first town plaza to be opened. Ms Selena Goh
to grow vegetables together. was also a winner of the Good Neighbour

New turning point

Compass Point temporarily
unnecessary and said she was already
closed for revamp, preparing to
accustomed to the original design.
make comeback as Compass One.
Another resident, Koh Xin Yun,
SARAH ANG said: I feel that whenever I go to Seletar
Mall, there are a lot of people when there
The revamp of Compass Point used to not have that many.
brought displeasure from most residents Despite the residents displeasure,
but it proved to be beneficial to unexpected other malls like Seletar Mall and Waterway
others during its time of closure. Point gladly welcomed the revamp as Compass Point looking like a deserted building while undergoing
Compass Point has been closed it brought about positive change. The renovation (Photo by: Sarah Ang)
for a year to give the mall a face- crowd size increased noticeably, bringing
lift since it has been unchanged for along more business for retail operators. said that there was a 5 per cent increase According to TODAY, MP Teo
more than a decade. When it re-opens, Chermaine Chua, a part-time retail in the revenue during this time. However, Ser Luck took measures to minimise
it will be renamed Compass One. staff working in Popular at Seletar Mall, when asked if there would be loss of cus- inconvenience by installing interim
The ongoing renovation has not said that more purchase is being made, tomers after the reopening of Compass facilities such as ATM machines at the
been taken well by the residents. The leading to an increase in revenue. One, she mentioned the possibility of a community club next to Compass Point
residents said that without Compass Food and beverage stores are especially decrease in customers for a couple of However, other than the changes being
Point, they have to travel further to in demand at Waterway Point, accord- months but was confident in the return of implemented to ease inconvenience,
other malls to do their shopping. ing to Vanessa Tai, a part-time staff at Koi the regular customers. residents are still left to adjust to
A resident, Nai Sijia, said that selling bubble tea. Despite having the mini marts as the changes for now.
she needed to take public transport Other than the malls receiving an alternative, some find that most of their Compass One prepares to make its
to other malls like Seletar Mall and a turnover of events, mini marts near daily necessities cannot be found at these comeback in the third quarter of this
Waterway Point to purchase daily HDBs also stand to gain during this period mini marts, saying that the inconvenience year, with residents looking forward
necessities. She felt that the revamp was of time. A staff at Prime, a mini mart, remains unsolved. to its reopening.
 2
2 ISLAND PRESS AUGUST 15, 2016

Running forward with history

Singapores first ever Heritage
Run draws crowds to a 4.8km
run around the Padang.
SARAH ANG & GRETA LAU
Singaporeans got the chance
to feel national pride early this year
with a run around Padang, soaking
in the sights of our national heritage.
Sundays are usually lazy
days, but on July 31, many
people were seen running as
early as 8:30am around the Padang.
Unlike other runs that have happened
in Singapore, the Heritage Run or better
known as Race around the Padang, was
organised specially for locals to know
more about our national monuments.
The main organiser of the event,
Adrian Quek, said that running around
the Padang will get one past 17 historical
participants, Toh So Lian, felt that it
would have been better if there were
advertisements in the newspapers.
Other than the run, there was
a heritage trail that was included as a
side event, which allows participants
to walk around the Padang and take six
photographs with three historical buildings
and monuments each. The trail was
implemented to encourage participants
to understand Singapores heritage better
and know what kind of buildings and
monuments there were in Singapore.
While on the trail, the participants
had to correctly identify which were
the buildings and monuments and also
know the name of each one. Most
participants went online to find out more
information about the buildings and
monuments so as to identify them better,
as to which route the trail was and thinking of how to improve from
where they were supposed to the challenges faced in this years
go, causing slight problems when event, saying that there are plans
they were locating the buildings
to make it an annual event.
and monuments. A participant, Hui
Yan, said that it would have
been better if there was a guided
trail. She also suggested that there
could have been an app or QR code that
provided them with information on the
trail.
With both the run and trail
making a huge success, co-organiser
Jeanette Alxis Quek is already

buildings and monuments, adding more
significance to the run. These historic
buildings and monuments include
City Hall, Victoria Concert Hall
RUNNING
but at the same time they found out
information about the heritage, which
helped them to understand the heritage
better.

AIM TO B
and statue of Sir Stamford Raffles. Many participants were unsure
His idea for the run came about as
he wanted to merge sports with heritage.
Using sports as a platform to raise
awareness of Singapores heritage and
its history, making it engaging for the
community. Quek hopes that participants
will benefit after the run and learn that
all buildings and monuments have
significance and meaning.
The run was held in conjunction
with Car-Free Sunday, an initiative
taking place every last Sunday of the
month at roads around the Central
Business District (CBD) area. This
initiative was started by the
Urban Redevelopment Board (URA)
to encourage less cars on the road and
introduce activities for pedestrians
and cyclists. People who knew
about this initiative came down
to the venue dressed in exercise
gear, ready to join the events.
With various categories ranging
from a family category to a corporate
category in the run, the people had the
flexibility of forming groups
with different people to participate.
People have also used this as an
opportunity to bond with family and
friends during the run, some even
signed up with fellow volunteers they
met at neighbouring events. Wang Yi, a
volunteer for Team Nila, joined the run
with fellow volunteers from different
events. Wang said: I think the purpose of
this event is to strengthen the community
and building the Singapore bond.
Most of the participants gave
positive response towards the run, with
some saying the distance was just right
and that it was the first time they had seen Nu
Ken
the buildings and monuments in person. - PH
However, due to the lack of publicity
for the run, many participants had only
heard about it after they went down A family turned up in matching t-shirts for the run, with the youngest family being only four-years-old.
for Car-Free Sunday. One of the - PHOTO BY: GRETA LAU
 3 ISLAND PRESS AUGUST 15, 2016
Aim, shoot and bond
Over 10,000 people gather across
the nation to compete in the
Singapore National Games 2016
SHEILA LIM & TASHIA YANG
Singapore National Games (SNG)
commenced from July 30 to August 7,
which provided a platform for aspiring
and former athletes of all ages to shine.
The Singapore National Games
was made with three objectives in mind, to
increase inclusiveness amongst citizens,
create better bonds and to have a healthy
active lifestyle. This years SNG was
extra special because on top
of the 16 sports that are offered,
the lineup
WITH
BOND
ur Syaidah and Singapore National Games Archery Competition Manager
n Ang, with Best Archer of the year award.
HOTO BY: DYAN TJHIA
included five para sports, which
is a huge milestone for Singapore
in the local sports scene says Mr Lim
Eng Lee, CEO of Sport Singapore.
He also says that Singapore
National Games was planned to get
people to want to embrace sports
as a part of their lifestyle. Not
only that, it was planned in lieu of
National Day which they hoped to
affirm the pride Singaporeans have.
On August 5, a para bowling
game was held at the Temasek Club.
Mohamed Ismail Bin Hussain, a
representative of the national team
for bowling and para sports, par-
ticipated in the recent para bowling
competition. Despite being visually
impaired, he clinched first place
and went home with a gold
medal. Mr Mohamed had faced
challenges and setbacks, however,
what kept him going was his passion.
Bowling has been my
passion for many years, and I really
enjoy bowling, he said. He shared
that in his first stages of bowling,
he could not get the hang of it, but
with much training and
perseverance he learnt to visualise
the lanes and let the ball do the
work. He also strongly believes was really unexpected, though it was
that Singapore National Games is
a great platform for Singapore to
have the opportunity to be more
inclusive of the disabled groups.
From disabilities to all ages,
Singapore National Games
has served as a heartwarming
platform for all to experience a
new level of inclusiveness in the
nation and August 7 was the finals for
the entire sporting event. 411 shooters
gathered for the finals for the Archery
games that were held at The Float @
Marina Bay. Toh Jing Kai, 11,
was one of the youngest athletes
at the games and represented
Potong Pasir Community Club.
Singapore National Games has
created better bonds amongst
Singaporeans as everyone gathers
at one place to shoot togetherand
its very fun. said Jing Kai after
he had clinched 3rd place with his
team for the under 14 category.
Para athlete, Nur Syahidah,
had a glorious moment during the finals
as well, where she managed to win the
Woman Best Archer of the year. The
entire experience for her was really
fulfilling, she added on saying, I was
really excited about it, because firstly
I wanted to gain experience and the
format is slightly different
because archery itself they are
3
including both the able bodied
and the para athletes at the same time,
so it was a really good platform for
the para athletes as they could grow
as well.
Gordon Tong, coach of team
Archery Association of Singapore, had a
very proud moment on August 7 as well.
With only a month of
preparation, winning the gold medal
a tough fight, we tried our best.
said Mr Tong. He also mentioned
that Singapore National Games was a
great platform to meet and bond
with fellow archers from different
generations.
For an aspiring athlete like Ong
Li Ying, 14, a representative from Jun
Yuan Secondary School,
Singapore National Games was an eye-
opening experience for her. She adds
on saying: It was like a mini Olympics
for me. The most memorable
moment for her was winning first place
for the under 14 category.
There were hundreds of
volunteers that signed up
to be apart of this bi-annual
event with Merry Hui from Team
NILA, a volunteering organisation,
being one of them. She said,
It was a really eye-opening
experience because Ive never seen para
sports live. Despite several challenges
she faced like having to constantly make
sure everyone was well as (she) was in
welfare she adds on saying, it was a
heartwarming experience, especially
when a disabled lady helped me earlier
with directions as I was unsure of how
to get to Temasek Club.
Letitia Lim, a volunteer under
ActiveSG, volunteered during the finals.
She said, I wanted to volunteer for
this event because I was an ex-archer
and just to help out my friends and to
be able to see them shoot. She also
mentioned about how through Singapore
National Games, she feels that there were
better bonds in the community as there
were opportunities for the public to try
archery at the booths and get a feel of it.
Calvin Heng(right), representing
Traditional Archers Singapore,
dressed in his usual shooting
attire for the Singapore National
Games 2016.
- PHOTO BY: DYAN TJHIA
A4 ISLAND PRESS AUGUST 15, 2016

Heartbeat for the community

People all across Singapore
gather in Kaki Bukit on a
Sunday to help refurbish
nine rental flats of the
less fortunate.
TASHIA YANG
Volunteers all across Singapore
congregated in the heartland of Kaki
Bukit to help renovate rental flats
of the less fortunate to improve their
living conditions.
On May 22, Kaki Bukit
Befrienders Team (KBBT) and Rotary
Club of Bugis Junction (RCBJ) joined
forces to clean, paint and refurbish all
nine flats. The volunteers came from all
walks of life, comprising both KBBT
and RCBJ members, as well as tertiary
students from all across Singapore.
Mr Michael Lim, co-organiser
of the Kaki Bukit Home Makeover
Project, said, It has opened my eyes
to new perspectives and taught me the
importance of planning, for example,
an uncle who is in need is required
to be assessed on the kind of help he
requires instead of being thrown with
unnecessary help like food rations as
he may have a lot already.
Volunteer Lazel Anne, 26, is an
undergraduate from The Philippines.
She volunteered because she has been unable
to provide help for her relatives living in the
squatters area, where they live in slump-
like conditions, due to family reasons.
Lazel is also part of a community
service club in her school and has organised
events for the mentally disabled. However,
this was her first time volunteering to
participate in such labourious work.
Nonetheless, she still found this project
fulfilling and said, One word to describe
my experience would be awesome because
helping others is in my blood.
Mr Raj Sebaraj, a member of the
Kaki Bukit Community Centre has been
joyfully serving the community for the
past nine years ever since he retired as an
ex-prison officer. He said, The elderly Two thumbs up from Ms Kamisah, a satisfied recipient of the home
people I help are like my parents and I really makeover project. (Photo by: Tashia Yang)
enjoy making them happy. He men-
tionedhow these elderly people gave needs. This testifies to how simply Kaki Bukit Home Makeover
him a sense of comfort and fulfillment lending a hand of service to others project has been running for two
whenever he was able to meet their can make an impact on both parties. consecutive years.

Thousands flood to first-ever

Keong Saik Carnival
33 Degree Celsius with music,
drinks and food.
SHEILA LIM
Potato Head Folks organised
the first-ever carnival at Keong Saik
Road with live bands, food and music
focused on remixed old songs.
The event featured 17 live acts
and attracted a large crowd amounting
to about 8,000 on May 28.
One of the bands, SA, focuses
on performing with traditional
instruments such as Dizi (Chinese
Flute), Gu Zheng (Chinese zither)
and Drums. The band makes use
of traditional instruments with
modern equipment to remix
self-composed songs.
Andy Chia, band member of SA
who plays the Dizi (Chinese Flute), said
carnival back to the streets to the people.
When asked about the toughest
part of the performance, Cheryl Ong,
the percussionist of SA replies, Its the
heat. Its crazy today. Despite the 33
Degree Celsius weather, crowds were
still seen grooving to music with drinks.
You know something that youre
doing is right when you start playing and
see people moving to the beat, said local
deejay Jean Reiki. She said that the Keong
Saik carnival allows people to chill and
relax with the music. The whole street is
so alive today, Ive never seen something
like this before, said Ms Reiki, who is
also a resident in this district.
She added that this event is a
contrast to the otherwise quiet street. The
street underwent a huge transformation
as a large crowd was there enjoying
the drinks, music and just soaking in
the atmosphere.
Other than the music and drinks,
island press
there were activities and booths around
Editor
Sarah Ang
the carnival for the public to interact. One sarah_ang@islandpress.com
such activity would be the interactive
installations that were available at
Jameson Whiskeys booth.
Sub-editor
Beer pong, a game where cups are
Tashia Yang
usually laid on the table in a pyramid shape,
were installed on the walls. Members of tashia_yang@islandpress.com
the public tried out the games at the booths,
which led them to win prizes such as a
T-shirt, notebook or even a shot of whiskey. Reporter
Bean bags and a ping pong table Sheila Lim
with massive paddles were also available sheila_lim@islandpress.com
for members of the public to enjoy
with their drinks.
Singapore is a land of diversity Designer
and its great that we can celebrate that, Greta Lau
said the trio of SA, Andy Chia, Natalie greta_lau@islandpress.com
Alexandra and Cheryl Ong, this is where
the community grows and where people
come together organically.

Natalie Alexandra, Cheryl Ong and Andy Chia from SA performing on Participants involved in beer pong installation at the interactive booths.
the Main Stage of Keong Saik Carnival. (Photo by: Sheila Lim) (Photo by: Sheila Lim)