Akyab Road, Martaban Raod, Bassein Road, Pegu Road, Bhamo Road, Prome Road, Irrawaddy Road, Mandalay Road, and Rangoon Road, these are all familiar road names that are found in Balestier. However you may be surprised to know that they are named after Burmese themes.
If you are not, then you must have known there is a Burmese temple in Balestier, named Maha Sasana Ramsi Burmese Buddhist Temple located at Tai Gin Road since 1990, which was previously located at 17 Kinta Road, off Selangor Road. The familiar Burmese themed Road names …

Image by KeithYip via Flickr

Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, which is also known as Wan Qing Yuan, is located at the Jalan Ah Hood, just off the Balestier Road. Tucked in the midst of HDB & private condominiums, it is sitting next to the Burmese Temple which is just by the side of the PIE flyer connecting to Toa Payoh. Surprisingly, Wan Qing is quite a serene and quiet place to enjoy in. 
 
 
I append the following from its website below:
 Wan Qing Yuan was built in late 19th Century. The …

Basic Flower Arrangement Skill (Free-of-charge)
Date: 5 Feb 2010 (Fri)
Time: 9am to 11am
Venue: Wan Min Peoples Presbyterian Youth Centre
65, 67 Woodsville Close, near to the Potong Pasir MRT station
For enquiries, please call Mr Tan @ 63820323
Organised by Wan Min Community Services

I bypassed the site at Balestier Road & Jalan Ah Hood that day, and realized that the hoarding has been put up around the designated Zhong Shan Park. Not sure if you could recall, the land was released under Government land sales early 2008. I believe the project was put on hold for a period of time due to the economy downturn. However it seems that the site is going to kick start the project soon.

The site is of 4.6 hectares, is located across from the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang …

We are seeing much discussion surrounding the topic of excessive cash premiums for HDB flats, with buyers desperate to get into public housing market. The cash premiums, equivalent to Cash-over-Valuation (COV), has hit as high as the median at $24,000 in the fourth quarter of last year, based on the Housing Board (HDB) data. In a way of saying, if the valuation of the HDB unit is $400,000, the buyer may have to fork out around $24,000 more on top to purchase it.
As the ERA Asia Pacific associate director Eugene …

Housing pricing is hitting a new high on the back of high demand from buyers, be it public HDB or private housing. Buyers are desperate to land a house fast before the sellers increase their selling price again.
Yes, I am very busy now.  After all, this is the best time we must work hard to get the best out of the market. And I am putting up some observations I see that are re-appearing since the peak in 2007.
The house sellers are at the upper hand in a boom time, especially …

Balestier Road is a interesting place, that it consolidates many good things into one. It has many Bat Kut Teh stalls, many chicken and duck rice restaurants, light fitting shops, and today I passed by this tile shop that I couldn’t resist the temptation to take some shots to share with you.
This is one of the many tile shops we have in Balestier Road. Lian Seng Heng is located at 568-A, Balestier Road. The shop is pretty packed. It shows that the property market is very good, that every one …

Many buyers wonder is there any difference between an apartment and a condominium development. However the importance of the titles has diminished with allowing foreigners to purchase apartments in non-condominium developments of less than 6 levels without the need to obtain prior approval.
In 1973, foreign ownership of private residential property has been restricted to condominium development and a flat with 6 levels or more development including HUDC Phase I, Phase II flats and privatised HUDC Phase III and IV flats. The Act aims to give Singaporeans a stake in the …

The simplicity of life  we witness is more poignant and precious in today’s materialistic life. A short film on the roadside barber in Balestier captured by Jeremy Chua has somehow touches my inner soul.
 ”What struck me about that barber was that,
he had a family to feed, and he
and his wife were able to do it
with their current jobs
-it doesn’t take a millionaire to raise a family.
I wonder how did they live, how did his sons cope,
how did his wife cope..
well, he seemed happy.
That’s what mattered most I guess,
being happy, being …

Interested to pick up some handicraft skills?
Join us at Wan Min Peoples Presbyterian Youth Centre
65, 67 Woodsville Close, near to the Potong Pasir MRT station.
Every Wednesday
Time: 9.30am to 11.30 am
For enquiries, please call Mr Tan @ 63820323
Organised by Wan Min Community Services