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PROJECT GROWING UP ( Or the Little House that would )


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 study, the storeroom, hive of activity, computer hub, study area, snacking spot, rolled into one.

In the meanwhile, the pounding and rumbling of piling works reverberates around this little house and I start declaring through gritted teeth that one day, when this little house is ready to grow up, it will outgrow the rest with a vengeance.

The Turning Point


It started with a long lunch with a dear friend, M, in early 2011. We meet about once a year since one is more gainfully occupied than the other, and it is time blissfully shared filling in the blanks about what the other is up to. M revealed that she was building a house; and that she had tracked down the architect when she chanced upon another house which made such a deep impression on her, that she rang the doorbell on impulse and asked for the person who designed it. She got his name, Mr Y. With my curiosity sufficiently piqued, I reminded M that I would like to see her house when it is done. It also upped the ante when the profile of this architect is quite unlike the rest; and when M is serious about anything or anyone, I take note.



Fast forward August 2012. M's house is up. I liked ( no, lusted after )what I saw; and knew that I wanted the same man for the job - the real McCoy! 


Anyway, to satisfy any doubt that it was not impulse shopping, G and I spent two weekends looking at other properties. We drove around residential estates and visited show-houses. They fell mainly into 3 broad categories - the ones which were over the top; the cookie-cutter ones; and the so-called "interior designed' fully furnished, void of imagination,ready to move in with your suitcase only types. I am not buying!

A Done Deal

23 August 2012 marked Day 1 of PROJECT GROWING UP. The deal is inked and the journey of this little house is about to unfold in the days to come. 







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