My boyfriend, Sunshine, first hinted that he wants to spend the rest of his life with me by proposing that he applying for a BTO together. This may sound unromantic to some but I felt quite surprised and then sweet that he thought of building his future together with me when we were both 23 years old only. I definitely did not expect that topic to come up anytime soon especially when we were both still schooling at that time.
It was in May 2013 when he just randomly what’s app me, telling me that he actually thought of buying a flat and then spending the rest of his life with me, the night before. After that confession (I was bugging him why he slept late that night), I was first surprised and then suddenly I envisioned myself applying for a flat together with him, getting our own flat and spending our lives together building our own home etc. In order to understand more about BTO application, I went to Housing Development Board website and read all about it. Hence, when I next bugged him again to repeat his confession, I already know what to do and how to go about applying for a flat. Haha.
He mentioned that there is an upcoming BTO launch in July that year and he was interested in Fernvale Riverwalk in Sengkang. As he is one who is not bothered by the location of the flat, he felt that the location of Sengkang would mean a cheaper alternative as compared to BTOs in mature estates or estates in town. On the other hand, as he treasures his convenience, the location of Fernvale Riverwalk being right next to an existing LRT (Layar LRT Station) is definitely a plus point for him.
On the other hand, I have never thought of moving to Sengkang all my life but the thought of having the basic necessities all within the same town is quite attractive to me! After all, having stayed in Bedok my whole life and being within walking distance to Bedok Stadium, Bedok Swimming Complex, Bedok Public Library, Bedok MRT Station, Bedok Mall, Bedok Point, Fengshan Community Club, the famous Blk 85 Fengshan Market so many shops and schools, I really would dread moving to an ulu place with no or little amenities. Within Sengkang, there is also a sports complex, a swimming complex, a public library (now closed for renovation till 2017), a MRT station, shopping complexes, a community club and many shops and schools. Though these are not within walking distance from Fernvale Riverwalk, the presence of a LRT and a mall (Fernvale Point and a-then-upcoming The Seletar Point) and being right next to the Punggol Reservoir were really attractive to me! I can already see myself strolling along Punggol Reservoir with him right after dinner on weekdays and either jogging or renting a bicycle and cycling along it all the way to Punggol on weekends! I also imagine myself working in the upcoming Sengkang General Hospital and volunteering in the Ju Eng Home for Senior Citizens (with my children) in the near future! (That is the power of my imagination! ~Scary~)
In the end though, we did not apply for it when it was launched. Sunshine really wanted to because he said 1) we might not be able to get it the first time and so it does not really matter and 2) the flat takes years to be built. I did not want to apply because 1) if we might not get it, why waste the $10 application fee and most importantly, 2) we would not be eligible for any grants at all since one of us has to be working continuously for 12 months to be eligible for them! However, from then on, we were both looking forward (me>him) to August 2014, where I would have worked continuously for 12 months already…