Toa Payoh

Hi

Lets see how to start. As you can see other people have already writen so many things about the blog already. I can start by saying that Toa Payoh have many fascinating places like the NTUCs, the pasar malam(night market)and i really feel happy living in here as there are so many good places. There are also places like interchange and many shopping areas and some fast food restraunts like MacDonald and KFCs.

Besides the places mentioned above, there is also a entertainment center which is also situated in Toa Payoh Central. The entertainment center consists of MacDonalds(all time favourite for kids), the arcade(all time favourite for teenagers), a 6-halls cinema and of course, restaurants such as Swensens and Sakae Sushi. It's quite lucky to have facilities near the place i stay as i can get everything i need in such a short period of time.

What will you think of when people ask you about Toa Payoh? Alot of people would just talk about Toa Payoh Central which my fellow schoolmates have done. Other than the Toa Payoh Centre, there are other places that i think people ought to know such as the Community Centres(South, East, West, Central), the stadium, swimming complex, and most importantly the neighbourhood. Apart from gourmets found in Toa Payoh Centre, there delicious food to be found around the neighbourhood such as in the markets and hawker centres. Let's give a brief history about Toa Payoh. The word 'Payoh' is originated from the malay word 'paya' which means swap.
Toa Payoh is simply means ' big swamp land' It was an extensive and notorious squatter district. Most squatters were engaged in farming and rearing pigs. (^oo^) The others were hawkers, factory workers, mechanics or domestic helpers. The squatters started moving out in1962. Clearance work was able to commence and the redevelopement project started in early 1964.

The Toa Payoh New Town, HDB's 2nd satellite town, was built in 1970. The housing estate was self-contained and had a town centre acting as a focal point for the shopping and entertainment needs of the resident. Industrial developemens were also built within the town to provide residents with job opportunities close to home while schoold were built within the neighbourhood.

Toa Payoh was the largest town in Singapore at that time as the first HDB town. The 12-storey structures of the standard blocks in Toa Payoh were then typical of the new apartment blacks built by the HDB, the new housing authority formed in 1960 to give a growing population an adequate shelther.

Most importantly, Toa Payoh has the honoured of having the visit by the Britain's queen, Queen ElizabethII. She is a distinguished dignitary who have visited Toa Payoh. She was here on 18 Feburary 1972, with the Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Anne. On the day of their visit, thousands of Singaporeans lined the streets outside Block 53 and 54 to welcome the royal party. The visitors made their way through the red-carpeted lift up the 19th floor roof-top to see the view before the residents.'

This is the end of my blog post.
Hope you enjoy and thank you.

Okay,to start of,i don't live in Toa Payoh.But since the age of 6,i have been regularly visiting Toa payoh almost twice every week,and now because of my school,i go to Toa Payoh everyday.I'll first state my impression of Toa Payoh.To me,Toa Payoh is almost like a second home to me,meeting friend's,making friends,learning new things there and most of all it has such a lively atmosphere that arouses everybody's anxiety's.

The first time i went to Toa Payoh was probably around 5 years old,as i attended swimming lessons at the Toa Payoh swimming complex.Talk about fun!everybody in the pool will always take a delight in swimming in the cool waters,and some even pee in it.Yes,impossible as it may seem,it's true!I have even experienced the baby pool feeling warm and hot,with a sour taste inside it,now that really made an impression on me!

So basically,even though Toa Payoh has made many changes,i'll still remember those experiences that it has given me,the thing's it has taught me,and how lively the place still is despite all the changes here and there.

There are many hot spot's in Toa payoh.Like for example the Toa Payoh sports area,the tree temple,the Toa Payoh garden and the Mosque muhajirin.Each of the hotspot's that were mentioned each have their own unique history.For the tree temple,legend has it that in the early 1960s,when land had to be cleared to make way for the New Town,an engineer who attempted to remove the tree crushed to death under his own vehicle!After that incident,this tree was believed to be spiritual,and the residents later than build a little shrine since 1969 with their offerings.

But the best hotspot in Toa Payoh i feel is the Toa Payoh sport's area.Firstly,it has everything essential there about sports,and the travelling distance between each area is so short!from swimming to playing soccer,it's just a brisk walk of about 2 minutes to get to the other area.So it's the best best best hotspot in Toa Payoh and we LOVE it!

BRYAN?

As a resident of Toa Payoh since I was as young as eight, the memoirs I have are indelibly etched in my mind. I feel that Toa Payoh is a place filled family warmth and love, maybe due to the fact that this is where I belong since it's the place I grew up. No doubt, this is a place that brings back all my childhood memories.

As the time passes, things around changes; let alone it be the appearance and concept of Toa Payoh. However, no matter what changes may be made, there are some things that'd never be gone. That'd be none other than the memories being left behind, always kept in my heart.

I remember during my younger days, I always anticipated weekends and holidays as only during these times I would be able to stay over at my grandparents' place. As I have many cousins living near my grandparents, we play and live together since young. Apart from that, we even know each and everyone of our childhood friends! There was countless games that we've played together, umpteen quarrels or even misunderstandings and making up after five minutes. In my memory, those days were nothing but happiness. Sorrowful memories seem to be shadowed by all the happiness that took place. I personally feel that Toa Payoh is a place that allows one to reminisce and feel as if they are a child once again due to the environment. Albeit the elderly population over here is increasing, the facilities are still suited to the elders and younger children. An example would be hop-scotch. Think back and you'd realize that this is not as omnipresent as it was once, before. Even the playground which were once laid out with sand are now replaced with those with rubber foam.

Some thing that has never changed over the past few years or probably even, decades, would be the delicacies and delicious food found in Toa Payoh. Small it may seem; but when it comes to tempting food that'd make one drool by just a look at it, Toa Payoh will never let you down. Furthermore, there's a huge variety of different races food for you to try out!

A hot spot of Toa Payoh that I often frequent would be none other than the Toa Payoh Sports Area, as it consists of the stadium. Did you know, in fact, there's a history behind the Toa Payoh Sports Area? Singapore hosted the 7th Southeast Asian Peninsular (SEAP) there, in 1973, for the first time as a new nation and Toa Payoh was to play a very essential role in hosting the games. Today, Toa Payoh Sports Area is rather significant to many people living and studying in this district as residents would pay a visit to the Gym for workout, swimming pool for a swim and stadium for either a run or perhaps, jog. Schools around this area have their Sports Day held at the stadium too! Some schools also make use of the swimming pool for swimming activities for their CCA. In addition, the stadium is also going to be used for the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) next year, 2010.

Joey [:
3E2

Toa Payoh!

Toa Payoh is a rather popular place in Singapore.Toa Payoh is not the place where I grow up in.Singapore is not my homeland.But I can feel the sense of warmess from the people and environment."Toa Payoh"it sound so unfamiliar to me,only when I was posted to First Toa Payoh Secondary School.I get adapted to this place slowly.Soon I had a sense of belonging to the school,to Toa Payoh.

Toa Payoh,have many interesting story about it past,and now too.Audition of Singing competition had once held at Toa Payoh hub,audition of singapore idol too.Many occassion take place there.

Toa Payoh is a convenient place for people to travel to and fro.Toa Payoh is also a place where i hope to live in.Toa Payoh has a pleasant history and I believe it will have a better future!(:

Serena Leong 5N2

Toa Payoh is one of the most popular places in Singapore. Although I don't frequent Toa Payoh, once i come back from other places to toa payoh, there is a sense of warmness here. When i was young, my parents often took my family to the Toa Payoh Garden to enjoy the scenery and the environment of the garden. Whenever we pass by the garden, my parents often remind me of the memories we have there.
Another place that is convenient is the Toa Payoh Stadium. Since i was in primary school, my school used to go there for sports carnival. I used to run for my team in the stadiumm too. Now that I am in secondary school, i realised that alot of schools use Toa Payoh Stadium for their sports carnival too. I guess its because its convenient and easy to book. Most elderlys also go there to sit down and relax, most probably its because of the quiet scenery.
Many people come from other places to toa payoh to dine too. Even MediaCorp sends their artiste to try the food stalls in toa payoh. This will also promote the popularity of the food stalls.
Toa Payoh is also the central area, which makes many people feel convenient in going to other areas, which is not very far away from toa payoh since its the central area.
There's also a library in toa payoh which causes convenience to the students when they wants to find a place to do their homework or to study. After studying, they can also go to the cinemas to watch movies for leisure and entertainment. It is also one way to destress themselves.
Overall, I think that toa payoh is a very nice and peaceful place which attracts people to come here. Compared to other places, Toa Payoh is also one of the most frequent places that people come to.

Posted By:
Lynnette - 5N1