Singapore Expats

Bukit Timah - condos to avoid?

Discuss about where to live, renting a property, tenancy issues, property trend and property investment in Singapore.
Post Reply
User avatar
zzm9980
Governor
Governor
Posts: 6869
Joined: Wed, 06 Jul 2011 1:35 pm
Location: Once more unto the breach

Post by zzm9980 » Thu, 17 Jul 2014 1:20 pm

x9200 wrote: On top of this, majority if not all the people speculating about it in this thread probably never been there not to mention living there.
And people speculating about that may be wrong! I had friends that lived there, and visited quite often. I found it far from the East or the North (AMK and EC is where I would commute from to there) and that was by driving. If you lived in the West then it was probably more convenient. But either way if we ranked Singaporean neighborhoods based on their relative proximity to popular destinations, the West side and Bukit Batok would be on the bottom half of the list.

And yet another humorless person who missed the point that this was all based on a joke. Some of you guys you'd think I was insulting your mothers.

Search By



User avatar
zzm9980
Governor
Governor
Posts: 6869
Joined: Wed, 06 Jul 2011 1:35 pm
Location: Once more unto the breach

Post by zzm9980 » Thu, 17 Jul 2014 1:39 pm

Actually, I have a scientific metric to *prove* that it is Ulu ulu.

How many Starbucks are in Singapore?
How many Starbucks are in Bukit Batok?

Whether you like Starbucks or not, given how many Starbucks there are pretty much everywhere on the island if a neighborhood was neglected by them that must mean it is pretty ulu ulu.

:)

x9200
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 10073
Joined: Mon, 07 Sep 2009 4:06 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by x9200 » Thu, 17 Jul 2014 2:42 pm

zzm9980 wrote:
x9200 wrote: On top of this, majority if not all the people speculating about it in this thread probably never been there not to mention living there.
And people speculating about that may be wrong! I had friends that lived there, and visited quite often. I found it far from the East or the North (AMK and EC is where I would commute from to there) and that was by driving. If you lived in the West then it was probably more convenient. But either way if we ranked Singaporean neighborhoods based on their relative proximity to popular destinations, the West side and Bukit Batok would be on the bottom half of the list.

And yet another humorless person who missed the point that this was all based on a joke. Some of you guys you'd think I was insulting your mothers.
No-no, this is your perception only. Nobody gets even remotely offended (based on what? Bukit Batok Patriotizm?). C'mon. You know, the fact that I don't use this sort of :) things does not mean I am a humorlessly insulted, I am probably just a bit more demanding.

If you lived your entire Singapore life in the East sure Bukit Batok is ulu-ulu-ulu or even further. People also have different entertainment priorities and not everybody needs to be every day on Orchard Rd or the Quays. I live already in a 2nd condo in Bukit Batok and I think this location is just excellent. There are at least 3 condos within the OP budget (for 3+1) I could recommend:
1) the Jade – sitting directly next to the MRT station
2) The Dew
3) Guilin View, pretty close to another MRT station

1 and 2 have a direct connection (no transfer) by bus to the Nexus within ca 30 min and a bit more complicated (2 transfers) to NUS but within ca 50 min. This is a luxury not many locations can offer in Singapore for 3.5k (3+1). I also know some people traveling to NUS everyday by bike

And Starbuck sucks. I would say more Starbucks around more ulu-ulu it is. It is like in a lame attempt to de-ulu-ulu the neighborhood. McDonalds works similar way. Truly prestigious neighborhoods avoid this kind of establishments.

User avatar
the lynx
Governor
Governor
Posts: 5281
Joined: Thu, 09 Dec 2010 6:29 pm
Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location:

Post by the lynx » Thu, 17 Jul 2014 2:50 pm

x9200 wrote:And Starbuck sucks. I would say more Starbucks around more ulu-ulu it is. It is like in a lame attempt to de-ulu-ulu the neighborhood. McDonalds works similar way. Truly prestigious neighborhoods avoid this kind of establishments.
I'd think that McDonald's at Alocassia (Bukit Timah) is the most high-end outlet I've ever seen. Housed under a pretty expensive condominium in a prestigious neighbourhood :P

x9200
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 10073
Joined: Mon, 07 Sep 2009 4:06 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by x9200 » Thu, 17 Jul 2014 3:14 pm

the lynx wrote:
x9200 wrote:And Starbuck sucks. I would say more Starbucks around more ulu-ulu it is. It is like in a lame attempt to de-ulu-ulu the neighborhood. McDonalds works similar way. Truly prestigious neighborhoods avoid this kind of establishments.
I'd think that McDonald's at Alocassia (Bukit Timah) is the most high-end outlet I've ever seen. Housed under a pretty expensive condominium in a prestigious neighbourhood :P
Now imagine the McDonald's is not there. Will the place be more or less prestigious?

User avatar
the lynx
Governor
Governor
Posts: 5281
Joined: Thu, 09 Dec 2010 6:29 pm
Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location:

Post by the lynx » Thu, 17 Jul 2014 3:20 pm

x9200 wrote:
the lynx wrote:
x9200 wrote:And Starbuck sucks. I would say more Starbucks around more ulu-ulu it is. It is like in a lame attempt to de-ulu-ulu the neighborhood. McDonalds works similar way. Truly prestigious neighborhoods avoid this kind of establishments.
I'd think that McDonald's at Alocassia (Bukit Timah) is the most high-end outlet I've ever seen. Housed under a pretty expensive condominium in a prestigious neighbourhood :P
Now imagine the McDonald's is not there. Will the place be more or less prestigious?
Same same...

x9200
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 10073
Joined: Mon, 07 Sep 2009 4:06 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by x9200 » Thu, 17 Jul 2014 3:43 pm

the lynx wrote:
x9200 wrote:
the lynx wrote: I'd think that McDonald's at Alocassia (Bukit Timah) is the most high-end outlet I've ever seen. Housed under a pretty expensive condominium in a prestigious neighbourhood :P
Now imagine the McDonald's is not there. Will the place be more or less prestigious?
Same same...
No lah!
(Are you by any chance a local who thinks Ikea is a place that sells quality furniture and provides fancy dining?)

User avatar
the lynx
Governor
Governor
Posts: 5281
Joined: Thu, 09 Dec 2010 6:29 pm
Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location:

Post by the lynx » Thu, 17 Jul 2014 3:47 pm

Haha! My logic was on whether Bukit Timah (Alocassia in this case) wears McDonald's or McDonald's wears Bukit Timah.

And yeah, I have a closet fetish towards Ikea - its furniture and Swedish meatballs... :twisted:

User avatar
JR8
Immortal
Immortal
Posts: 16522
Joined: Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:43 pm
Location: K. Puki Manis

Post by JR8 » Thu, 17 Jul 2014 5:09 pm

zzm9980 wrote:Actually, I have a scientific metric to *prove* that it is Ulu ulu.
How many Starbucks are in Singapore?
How many Starbucks are in Bukit Batok?
Whether you like Starbucks or not, given how many Starbucks there are pretty much everywhere on the island if a neighborhood was neglected by them that must mean it is pretty ulu ulu.
:)
Maybe could have an Old Chang Kee [aka 'Old Chunky']/Starbucks coefficient? :lol:

i.e. big enough to have 1, or 1+ of the former, but the latter is yet to arrive...

User avatar
JR8
Immortal
Immortal
Posts: 16522
Joined: Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:43 pm
Location: K. Puki Manis

Post by JR8 » Thu, 17 Jul 2014 5:14 pm

the lynx wrote:Haha! My logic was on whether Bukit Timah (Alocassia in this case) wears McDonald's or McDonald's wears Bukit Timah.

And yeah, I have a closet fetish towards Ikea - its furniture and Swedish meatballs... :twisted:

Oso say, I'll give you the balls




:lol:

Girl_Next_Door
Reporter
Reporter
Posts: 621
Joined: Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:35 pm

Post by Girl_Next_Door » Thu, 17 Jul 2014 5:34 pm

zzm9980 wrote:Actually, I have a scientific metric to *prove* that it is Ulu ulu.

How many Starbucks are in Singapore?
How many Starbucks are in Bukit Batok?

Whether you like Starbucks or not, given how many Starbucks there are pretty much everywhere on the island if a neighborhood was neglected by them that must mean it is pretty ulu ulu.

:)
You have the exact measuring scale as my husband!!!

Hannieroo
Reporter
Reporter
Posts: 999
Joined: Tue, 22 Jan 2013 6:04 pm

Post by Hannieroo » Thu, 17 Jul 2014 10:36 pm

I went driving in ma hood and saw no Starbucks. There might be one at Jem. But as there basic Americans is shit and the fancy frappe stuff is consumed by fools who don't understand coffee should be black I care not.

User avatar
zzm9980
Governor
Governor
Posts: 6869
Joined: Wed, 06 Jul 2011 1:35 pm
Location: Once more unto the breach

Post by zzm9980 » Thu, 17 Jul 2014 11:43 pm

Hannieroo wrote:I went driving in ma hood and saw no Starbucks. There might be one at Jem. But as there basic Americans is shit and the fancy frappe stuff is consumed by fools who don't understand coffee should be black I care not.
Starbucks isn't a coffee company, it's a marketing company. And they invest billions in determining optimum (NON ULU ULU) locations to deploy. Thus it's a good metric. I even used to use it here in the states when looking for somewhere to live. "Where is the closest starbucks? None within 2 miles? Then that place must have nothing else around" and it usually worked.

That said, I'll sheepishly acknowledge that there is like 10 starbucks within a 5 minute drive or one MRT stop of BB. BUT NONE IN BB! EVEN BATAM HAS STARBUCKS. What does that tell you?

x9200
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 10073
Joined: Mon, 07 Sep 2009 4:06 pm
Location: Singapore

Post by x9200 » Fri, 18 Jul 2014 12:05 am

This likely tells they are not competitive enough to have a place in West Mall. There is already Coffee Bean Leaf over there.

Hannieroo
Reporter
Reporter
Posts: 999
Joined: Tue, 22 Jan 2013 6:04 pm

Post by Hannieroo » Fri, 18 Jul 2014 12:27 am

Yeah there is no way there isn't one on Bukit timah. I only like my own coffee and I only like it in pyjamas so I don't feel I'm missing out.

I wish I had known that about Starbucks equalling sweet eff all else. I wouldn't have gone to Baku.

Post Reply
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Return to “Property Talk, Housing & Rental”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests