Four years after votes were counted for Aljunied Group Representation Constituency on election night in 2011, I have yet to see the post-apocalyptic nightmare some had said my estate would soon be in.

As the first GRC to have 'fallen' to an opposition party, the Workers’ Party-run Aljunied was seen as the first real test of the opposition's capability to govern, albeit on a smaller scale.

There has been a lot of news about the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol-East Town Council (AHPETC) recently, but in the Serangoon ward where I have stayed for 22 years, it is very much business as usual.

The garbage is still cleared, the chutes fumigated regularly, the unfortunate cockroaches that fail to escape the fumes are still removed from the side-walks within the day.

View photos An exercise area in Serangoon More

Coffee shop prices have risen, perhaps not as drastically as some other areas. My usual plate of chicken chop now costs $5.80 from $4.50 a decade ago but inflation is a fact of life everywhere.

In fact, if one were to ask me what the differences were between living in the Workers' Party-run Aljunied and when my ward was under the People's Action Party, I do not think I could give a satisfactory answer. Perhaps there were differences, but as a resident, my life has not been affected.

I have to put up with a new Build-to-order project next to my block, this on the somewhat tiny plot of land where dog owners used to gather on the weekends but it is an experience not uncommon in Singapore.

As a resident and dog-lover, I obviously wished the Housing Development Board could have chosen to build the project somewhere else. As a Singaporean, I realise it is necessary to ensure everyone has a place to call home.

View photos A BTO project under construction More

I have emailed my Town Council several times, and each time someone would reply within a day and resolved the issues highlighted, such as the time I noticed a damaged external wall during a neighbour's renovation works.

An upgrading of a nearby park was finished recently, and it now comes with a resurfaced basketball court and elderly-friendly facilities. And while I do not like the new paint scheme of my estate, it is just my personal preference.

View photos A newly resurfaced basketball court More

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