Recently, I was browsing through my Facebook feeds (an activity introverts love I guess) and I noticed a particular ad kept popping up.
Being in the field of advertising and marketing, I was naturally intrigued by the ad copy. You see, it wasn’t that the ad was appealing to me, but rather, I guess because of my line of work, I had gotten “hooked” onto the Facebook advertising pixel.
In any case, what had captured my attention was a particular ad with the title…
“The Condo Tampines Residents Been Waiting For!”
(I’ve included a screenshot of the ad for your reference below)
As someone who has spent the early half of my life living in Tampines, I was naturally intrigued by the ad. It got me interested to find out whether was this condo really the perfect condo for people in the Eastern part of Singapore. I mean… the content even started with the line…
“Ever wondered why Easteners love living in Tampines?”
With an intro like that, I was bound to want to find out more. So, the first thing I instinctively did was to click on the link and to see the website it brought me to.
Apparently, the article was for a new launch condo along Tampines avenue 10, part of the development for Tampines North Town, The Tapestry Condo. From the initial look of the website, I would guess that this could either be the property developer’s official website, or it was likely a very good imitation of it.
Either way, the website was rather impressive, but more on that later…
What caught my attention was the feature on Tampines, and I wanted to find out a little more about my childhood town.
Singapore’s First Regional Centre
After doing some digging, I discovered that Tampines holds the title of being Singapore’s first regional centre. This means, it is the first town to host a wide variety of critical services for the residents, like shopping malls, offices, and banks. Growing up there, I didn’t really paid too much attention to these nearby amenities, but from the looks of it, the town has been evolving over the years.
It wasn’t too long ago when I remembered Tampines 1 being the next big thing as the town just had its third shopping centre after Tampines Mall and Century Square.
Yet, that is now “ancient history” as 2017 saw the introduction of yet another first in Singapore, Our Tampines Hub, the first integrated community and lifestyle building in Singapore. And judging from the success of the place, it won’t be surprising to see more familiar buildings popping up in the other two regional centres at Jurong and Woodlands.
All these and I haven’t even started talking about the other major facilities in the area… there are the numerous parks around the town, Singapore’s largest IKEA store is also in Tampines, along with a Courts Megastore and a Giant Hypermarket.
As a town, it was really shaping up to be a great town and I could see why the writer of the ad chose to emphasize on Tampines as a town that has been tailored for its residents.
But that was the town, the next question then was… how would this condo make it much better for the residents living there?
The Tapestry – A Luxurious Condo For People In The East
I’ve worked with property and real estate agents before. And more often than not, I’ve always found their websites to be simple and (honestly) poorly designed. Not just from a marketing point of view, but also from an aesthetics point of view.
What impressed me with this site however, was the information it provided. In fact, I daresay that it was perhaps one of the more informative website featuring this particular project.
As I was scrutinising the various webpages on the site, I stumbled upon the Story of The Tapestry and the developer’s vision behind the project. As its name suggests, the project was envisioned to symbolise a modern architectural masterpiece in the heart of the Tampines region. Just like tapestries have been a a form of art exclusively for royalty, this development was to symbolise a similar experience for the people in the East.
And with 52 condo facilities around the estate, it’s not hard to see why. There were many amazing plans and facilities both on the compound and even in the apartment units. Sure. there are the common condo equipment like the swimming pool, the gym, and these days, a reflection area… but at the Tapestry, there were a whole lot more. From the site map, I saw a hammock area, a gourmet kitchen, a jets pool, an eco-pond, and so much more. (check out the facilities page for the full list)
Most projects would have just stopped there. But I’m thinking, the developer must really want to bring this project to the next level, in terms of luxury and prestige. Because included within every condo unit is a suite of Smart Home equipment.
Not sure what a Smart Home is? Well I wasn’t either.
So, I went to check their page and I was pleasantly surprised to find out, every unit has these intelligent devices installed and ready for future homeowners to configure to their preference. Imagine walking into your home, pressing a button and the blinds are drawn, the lights dimmed, and the T.V. switched on while you rest on your sofa. Well, you wouldn’t have to imagine if you were living in this condo. They have it all installed for you.
Do Introverts Need A Luxurious Condominium To Live In?
By now, you probably can tell I’m super stoked just reading about the various amazing features to be explored and enjoyed at The Tapestry. (You can check out the website and decide for yourself)
However, it also got me thinking… do introverts really need such a luxurious condominium?
It is true introverts love their own quiet space. We love the sound of solitude and silence. We love having alone time, to be one with ourselves, and to enjoy our privacy. And a condo does deliver privacy at a level that is unmatched in Singapore. Not unless you own a unit at Sentosa Cove, and then again, you still have your neighbours there to deal with. But if we’re talking about affordable yet luxurious condos, then it does fulfill this important criteria.
That being said, I also know of many introverts who fall into a common deadly trap of negativity from always being alone. The danger of self-defamation. Which is why I wrote the article on “learning how to love yourself.”
Having too much privacy can be dangerous if introverts don’t learn how to open up and interact with those around them. And choosing to lock yourself up in a private condo unit is a sure-sign of someone falling into this pit.
Naturally, the topic of living in a luxurious condominium is bound to spur a whole different debate. It boils back down to our individual journey for happiness and what we’ll do to achieve it.
That being said, while most introverts probably wouldn’t NEED a luxurious condo to live in, it is definitely a nice reward for those with the financial means.
Which brings us back to…
Is Tampines the town to live in?
Reviewing Alternative Towns & Condos
The best way to determine if Tampines is the best place to live in is to consider other towns and their condos. While I can’t possibly look at every single condo, I decided to ask some property agent friends on their take, and which condos are launching in end-2017/early-2018 to make it a fairer comparison.
From their list of new launches, I decided to pick 2 condos to do a quick review.
The first is a condo by the same developer, City Developments Limited at Leonie Hill Road. Unlike The Tapestry, this is situated in prime location, district 9, Orchard Road area. This condo was launched in January 2018, and within a few short weeks, almost 75% of the first tower were completely snatched up. In case you’re wondering, the condo in question is New Futura.
Facilities-wise, it has all the standard features, but what really stood out was the history behind the project as well as the design by an internationally renowned architect. If you can afford it, it’ll probably be the best place you could ever live in, at least here in Singapore. The place is almost perfect, near enough to the city, yet far enough to enjoy its own tranquility. It does make the perfect spot for an entire introvert family to live in.
The second condo I looked at was The Verandah Residences at 231 Pasir Panjang Road. The goal was to look at another condo which is situated at the other end of Singapore to make a more objective comparison. Interestingly, this condo doesn’t feature as much facilities as the other 2. But what made it stand out was the idea behind the project. I can’t tell for certain as I’ve never lived in Pasir Panjang, but the area was supposedly known for its black and white colonial bungalows. They have since been removed and this condo was designed to retain that nostalgic feature for residents living there.
A Simple Conclusion
After looking at each of the condos I began to realise a deeper and hidden meaning behind each condo.
The truth is, each of them had their own unique selling angle which made it a strong selling point for people who lived in the area or want to live there in the future. The condos had their individual story and specialties.
Does one condo become better than another?
Perhaps if we’re analysing it on a financial or economical aspect, that statement would hold true.
But as we’re viewing it from an introvert’s point of view, a place that an introvert can truly call home, we need to consider the emotional aspect of the equation.
And in this scenario, having lived for a long time in the quiet yet busy town of Tampines, I’m naturally drawn towards the town. Towards living in the East as I have for so long.
So does The Tapestry serve as the condo for introverts?
It could very well be… if you’re living in the East.
Tampines Town Image by Zkang123 licensed under Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
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