Cecil Lee

Recent photos taken on 31 August 2018 of Valley Spring Valley Spring on the left. Middle and a distance away is Melody Spring. To the Right is Blossom Spring: Background is Melody Spring

Interlude - Yishun Glen photos taken on 31 August 2018 when I did an audit at nearby Bloom Spring which recently T.O.P.

Interlude - Melody Spring & Blossom Spring

Home made Hong Kong Dim Sum At Yishun Mall (Kim San Leng Coffee Shop)

Part 4 - Poor Shapes and Forms Feng Shui as one of the two central rubbish chutes share the same wall as these stacks/units: #44, #64, #818, #832 & #878. 1. Sample illustration from Block 383A stack #818. Can you see one of the two central rubbish chutes shares the same wall as the living room wall? 2. In addition, in order to enter or exit the unit; one has to pass through the central rubbish bin lobby daily. 2. Do take this into consideration when considering the purchase of a stack/unit at HDB Yishun Glen. 3. The architect most likely focused more on the efficiency of rubbish truck collection, first. And resident's needs is an after thought. 3.1. If this was Germany in the 1940's... most likely the architect could be branded a Jew and most likely hung by piano wires ... and presto! Such a Block layout would either never have happened.. or will never ever happen again. 3.2 Fortunately, this is SGP. Nothing will happen to the architect. But may be cursed.. by residents who had purchased a unit as in 818 etc... 3.3 I envisage a future owner of stack 44 making the most noises! In SGP there is more of a negative stigma associated with 44. Yet this situation compounds it even more. Added the diminishing value of HDB 99 year leases... P.S. All new HDB developments has a recycle and a common rubbish bin.

Part 6 - This development has two Precinct Pavilions (PPs). And one do not have control of activities within the PPs. 1. In fact, one may be celebrating a happy occasion like Chinese New Year. But find that their is a wake/funeral + religious chants performing on that same day. 2. Ideally, if possible, select a unit that do not have a view of the interior of a PP. And if possible avoid low floors and units that are in close proximity to such PPs.

Part 5 - Stigma attached to a unit in close proximity of an Electrical Sub-Station (ESS) 1. No matter how much one says that there is no issue with a unit close to the ESS; 2. There is no end to unkind words spoken about it. 3. Thus if one cannot convince; might as well follow the crowd and simply look elsewhere. Also less headache when it is time for resale of a 99 year old lease unit.

Part 4: Male Breadwinner and the inauspicious Fire at Heaven's Gate 1. Do a search in this forum for " Fire at Heaven's Gate ". 2. Generally, a kitchen especially if a stove is directly at the NW cardinal point will be inauspicious for the male-head of the house. Typically this can affect him. 3. This is because NW under the Ba Gua Trigram belongs to the Heaven (sign). And NW also represents the male-head elder of the house. 4. Thus in simple terms: turning on a stove at NW will burn one's Heaven luck = not lucky and also may affect the male-head elder's career. 5. It is thus not difficult to visualise South facing stacks and try to locate stacks with kitchen at NW sector. Especially Flying Stars S2 facing ones. 6. For example stack #884 has it's kitchen at NW. 7. Thus for this development HDB Punggol Point Woods have plenty of South facing stacks with kitchen at NW.

Part 3 - Typical "old school style" layout of the entire plot with a maze like pattern. Some even refer to this layout as a cross-word puzzle type of layout. No surprises, here 1. The planners of this development applies "old school style" layouts of blocks. 2. Typical "old school style" with stacks that are laid parallel to each other. To maximize a rectangular plot. Here, what else can go wrong since the motive is to pack as many stacks/units in one development. No surprises. 3. The planners also laid each block and stacks in a maze like formation. 4. Block 432A with stacks #840 & #842 are the only two in this development that faces Flying Star Feng Shui West = W1. 5. While the majority or the rest of the stacks either face: N2, S2, E2 or W2:-

Part 4 - Precinct Pavilion (PP) & Electrical Sub-station (ESS) 1. Although there are no documented cases of ESS affecting human beings; nevertheless many potential buyers be it new or re-sale often found that there is a stigma attached to it. 1.1. Thus why get into the hassle of this. Just try to avoid purchasing a unit especially low floors close to the ESS. 2. Precinct Pavilions often have wakes/funerals in them. One cannot control when a funeral occurs + religious chants (if any). 2.1 Unfortunately, sometimes a funeral may occur on one's festive occasion. Thus, it could be the 1st or 2nd day of Chinese New Year. What is worse is a unit that is of low storey. And visitors standing at one's living room can see or even hear activities coming from the PP. Low priority for low level stacks: #1113, #1149 and #1147 directly facing the PP. If want to purchase, try to purchase at least 6th storey and above. Firstly at 6th storeys and above, no way can see into the PP. But how about the chants / prayers (If any)? The higher the better. There were a few times when I visited HDB units close-by to a PP; once, during working hours, I heard loud music played or coming from a PP. It was at an estate in Fernvale Sengkang. Frankly, I am not too sure what is the rules and requirements for booking a PP in a HDB estate. As my visits to HDB estates with wakes does not always extend late into the night etc... Caveat Emptor.. Let the buyer beware. Depending on the floor level etc.. It may or may not also affect future re-sale value.

Part 3 - Test of your imagination: Please take a close look at this illustration:- Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, locality, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. If you agree.. here goes.. If you don't please click out of this thread.... Imagination: Did you notice that between the two pair of fishes; there are many ponds and there are lots of smaller fishes within these ponds! Congrats! If you see all these! Then your "right-brain" is more dominant! No wonder most likely maths is not your favourite subject. And a career in accounting is the last resort for you. Really you can't see them? In this case, you are a person who is "left-brained". A logical person. 1. Did you manage to see a profile of two fishes? 2. How about two pretty fierce predator mouths? And huge eyes (in green) 3. A slim-lined fish body and rudder (sorry! I mean tails)? 4. Maybe the architect of this development was struggling with the design for this plot of land? 4.1 And maybe.. he was about to head home after drawing a blank throughout the past few days? The date-line is tomorrow! A meaningful predator LOVE BIRDS (Oops! LOVE-FISHES) 4.2 And on the radio: an unlikely inspiration. A head of state of a certain country was advising it's people: "If chicken is so expensive, do consider purchasing fish - instead". Sorry this may not be the actual words. But the essence is there! 5. Next time, if you do purchase a unit here, one can create an interesting conversation about the theme of this development = fishes! Cheers! 6. Futhermore, the architect at least know that EVEN numbers are auspicious. This is perhaps why there are two streamline fishes with huge predator like mouths open towards the sea! 7. Oops! I need the Fire element, how Ah? P.S. Some even say the predator fish's head resembles more of a Gator fish! You don't find them in SGP. Thus these fishes are true Foreign Talents! Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, locality, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Addition on 30.10.2020

Part 5 - If possible avoid purchasing a unit close to the Precinct Pavilion (PP) or low floors with a view into the PP. 1. A resident has no control on wakes/funerals in a PP. 2. Often the casket is brought into the PP. The feel that my unit #02-20 or #02-192 is near to the wake. 3. Or unfortunately during festive occasions such as within the 15 days of Chinese New Year (CNY) to have to see a wake & religious chants performed there).

Part 4 - Possible Sha Qi from Drop-off-point Roof-lines? Block 477 unit #02-20 & #0-2192 Block 476C unit #02-70 Block 475A unit #02-80 As HDB Melody Spring Yishun is under construction (soon) hopefully the drop-off-point walk-way roof-line does not pose any threat to the above units. What is a threat? If the horizontal roof-lines slice towards an opening such as a bedroom window(s) and living room windows. Good news is that this is isolated to these few units (if any).

Part 3 - I am puzzled as to why the HDB left out the plot marked with an "X" below? 1. I can understand if it is reserved for a church / mosque or temple. But why leave a small chunk of land vacant for another future high-rise residential development? 2. Currently as it stands, HDB Yishun Glen consists of a total of 1,693 units. 3. If HDB thinks that the whole plot including X is developed, it may be too large an estate. 4. If this is the rationale; why don't HDB split the plot right in the middle into say two plots: with either a site spilt into roughly 1,000 units each x 2 by perhaps calling it Yishun Glen I and Yishun Glen II:- 5. The future site could perhaps hold around 400 units of flats. And as mentioned previously should be developed in conjunction with Yishun Glen. 6. Blocks 381C and 381D with stacks facing the future development plot may in the future be subjected to around 2 years or more of noise and dusts from construction work... 7. The planners should exercise consideration as there will definitely construction noise and dusts especially for units at Blocks 381C and 381D. And may also affected are blocks 381A and B. 8. If I am the potential buyer, I don't want to be faced with collection of keys and have to bear with 2 to 2 1/2 years of construction noise and dusts. 8.1. Thus I would usually try not not to select stacks/units especally at Blocks 381A-D (if possible).

The potential poison arrow is the edge of the neigbouring block edge. Check that it is not aimed towards your unit's opening. If the opening is a balcony sliding door; then avoid opening it. Or draw down the day curtain. The concept is: "If it is no longer seen, it is no longer a threat". I cannot really tell from, here. But if the sharp corner is aimed towards the yellow zone, not a major issue.. especially if day curtains or external blinds are used... Or better still looks like solid wall thus no issue at all.

Case Study: Is the home ruled by a strong-willed Empress Dowager type of matriarch, or by a kind-hearted elderly lady? A simple flow chart: death of a parent or grandparent, unless the family still has an Empress Dowager or strong-willed matriarch living in the home. Nowadays even the grand children seek advice from sites on the www.

My Brother found romance.

Part 2 - Good Shapes and Forms Feng Shui & Common Sense. Did you instinctively choose these stacks? 1. I am sure, one look at the site plan and many of us would logically or instinctively go for these stacks/units:- 2. Two major advantages: a. Sea view b. Morning sun. Therefore no afternoon sun.

Part 2 - What is a large BIN CENTRE (BC) doing in today's era BTO? 1. In the past around 1990's each HDB neighbourhood has a BIN CENTRE each. And each day, the cleaners would go to each block and their predefined rubbish chutes. Transport the rubbish to the centralised bin centre. The rubbish bin truck would go here and pick up the day's trash. 2. Today, each block has a centralised bin centre. The rubbish truck simply reverses, "lock-on" to the mechanised bin and off-load the rubbish into the truck. 3. Hey! Why then is it doing at HDB Punggol Point Woods? 4. Naturally, besides a unit close to a shop house, this bin centre is another consideration to stay clear away + view from unit (where possible). 5. In this development, the architect has neatly placed the centralised rubbish bin lobby hidden beside the 3rd lift within the lift lobby. 5.1. By doing so, no unit will be disadvantaged by having it's main door facing the bin lobby or one has to walk-pass the bin lobby towards the unit. Kudos! 6. And nowadays, several HDB estates have rubbish transported 80kmph underground to collection points. What happened, here? 7. A recent BTO development launched in November 2018 has labelled their bin centre as "Pneumatic Waste Conveyance System or PWCS" This makes sense as to why there is now a huge bin centre at HDB Tampines GreenGem BTO = Part 5: Pneumatic Waste Conveyance System or PWCS is another consideration when trying to select a "choice" unit.

Part 2: In 1966, good news is that HDB Yishun Glen would have been located on vacant virgin plot of land = Good. 1. This site would have part of Sungei Khatib Bonsu (river) running at the middle splitting this plot into half:- 2. Today, Sungei Khatib Bongsu has been redirected such that the head of this river is the Yishun Pond running towards the sea. 2.1. South of Yishun Pond is the SAFRA Yishun. And to the SW is the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital:- 3. Good news is that the present day HDB Yishun Glen BTO sits on literally virgin land. No cemetries or nearby markets. 4. Under Shapes and Forms, this is a good starting point. 5. I measured the distance between this plot to the nearest shore-line is less than 5 km distance away = Lower Seletar Reservoir / road leading to Seletar West:- 6. Together with it's neighbours such as Blossom Spring... the area is just several kilometres away from the sea = a breathe of "fresh air".

Today's modern alternative: 1. Instead of using the 100-day window to quickly hold events like a wedding, moving in, or a housewarming, 2. If the family agrees to a short mourning period of 100 days, then this entire period should be dedicated to mourning. Do not get married, move in, or hold a housewarming during these days. 3. These events should be held after the 100 days have passed. 4. This differs from the traditional practice, where the 100-day window was an exception for such events. Once that window closed, the mourning period continued for 1,000 days, or about three years.