I've Moved to Punggol

The room is a bit of a mess but this is work-in-progress!

So, breaking news!

As of 5th January, I've moved to Punggol! Quite amused that some of you have offered to throw me a room-warming party. I'm just renting a room. Hold your horses - wait till I get my own apartment alright?

It's a huge step for me, and something I have wanted to do for awhile. I was apprehensive, of course. I second-guessed myself. Why not save up to own a place? Why rent? Why go through the trouble of moving? I've also had people asking me, "What's the rush? Why now?"

Well, I could feel age catching up with me. There was also the impending new year. I didn't want it to be empty talk, that 2015 would be different just because it's not 2014. If the new year is what we make it out to be - a fresh start, a chance to hit restart, a chance to build from scratch - then I shouldn't be conservative about what I could do. Just jump and have faith that I'd be able to handle whatever gets thrown in my way right?

There's also the longing of finally having a space to myself. I've been in Woodlands for 18 years (I'm sure most of you are sick of hearing me complain about how that's far from everywhere), sharing the room with my two brothers. It was about time I ventured from the nest and got a place of my own.

I went on EasyRoommate for a couple of months and one week I just told myself, "Ok this is it. Do it." I lined up six places that were within my budget, saw all of them in a day and settled on a pretty awesome place which was cosy and literally a stone's throw away from the Damai LRT.

Punggol is not the best place to travel to or from. I've had friends telling me I've moved to one another inaccessible corner. It is literally at the end of the north-east and to prove that point, there's even a place called Punggol End. However I was pleasantly surprised to find that with all the developments coming up, from new establishments to tonnes of new housing, it's really an up-and-coming neighbourhood, and an exciting place to be.

Now, I'm responsible for basic necessities, absolutely mundane things like shampoo and tissue paper. I've taken an interest in buying groceries, which is awesome because now I actually now how much a packet of seedless grapes or a bunch of bananas cost! My proudest moment was buying and fixing a standing fan for the room. It was pretty fool-proof but that's the first time I've had to do something like that.

I'm happy that I made the move, with the help, advice, encouragement and support from the people around me.

A million and one things could go wrong, and I feel vulnerable now that I am responsible for keeping a roof over my head. At the same time I've never been more serious about adult stuff, like my finances.

It's going to be a tough year with lots of uncertainty, but that makes me feel alive. As they say, nothing worth doing ever comes easy.