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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