In the Beginning In 1997, G and I went house-hunting. We decided on a not-so-big single-storey house in Serangoon Gardens and made it our home, together with D, aged one. So the small family of then three moved in, together with our domestic helper, an absolutely indispensable part of the life and times of the Sims. In 2000, A joined the brood and we became a household of five. As the years rolled on, this little house stood the test of time, armed with a resolve to remain true to itself while all around, the neighbours were mutating into towering structures, forever altering the once charming landscape of this cosy precinct. But as D and A morphed from age to age, they made encroaching demands on sanity and space. Chaos aside, the study was first to go, for each one to have their own private den and mess containment. Soon the deluge of homework and assessment sheets spilled into the living room and there was no more division of boundaries. The living room became the ...