Wag Kang Gamol!

So I was in Tumauini before New Year last year, and who did I "bumped" into? Mr. Andrew E! who happened to be in town to help a friend with some promotion work. I asked the customary, "Can we have a picture with you?" to which he said yes, though he didn't look well. And that, dear readers, is how I got that picture on the right of that dork who doesn't seem to know what to do with her hands!

PS. Though I wasn't conscious of it at that time, I felt afterwards that we just had our pictures taken and didn't really engage in a conversation--even after he said, "Ang ganda naman ng camera mo," twice. My bad. Sorry Andrew!

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List of Ghim Moh shops

(Last Update: January 22, 2009)
As mentioned in my Ghim Moh Livin article, convenience is one of the greatest advantage of living in the Ghim Moh estate. The 21-block estate is littered with shops-from food stalls to clinics to beauty salons! This article lists, by block, the different shops in Ghim Moh!

To go directly to a particular block, click one of these:

• [ Blk 11 ]
• [ Blk 19 ]
• [ Blk 21 ]

NOTE This list is a work in progress. Please bear with us as we endeavour to complete it.

Shops in Block 11 Ghim Moh Road

Shop Type	Shop Name
Grooming Salons & Spas	Ghim Moh Unisex Hair Salon 11 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-160
Grooming Salons & Spas	Facewear (Face & Body Spa) 11 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-160
Grooming Salons & Spas	Excellent Beauty Center 11 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-162
Grooming Salons & Spas	Pao Cherh Lee Beauty Salon (Unisex) 11 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-162
Bakeshop	Smiling Orchid Confectionery 11 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-164
Dry Cleaning & Laundry	Lan Bee Wash Laundry 11 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-166
Barbershop	Lan Bee Barber (Hair DRSG/PER Wave Salon) 11 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-166
Marts & Provision Shops	Kim Chua Provision Store 11 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-168
Marts & Provision Shops	iEcon 11 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-170
Medical Clinic	John Chiam Medical Clinic11 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-172
Dental Clinic	Royce Dental Surgery (TOOF Dental Affiliate) 11 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01- 174

Shops in Block 19 Ghim Moh Road

Shop Type	Shop Name
Drink Stall	Beverage Kopitiam, 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-235
Eating Place	Master Crab the Crab Specialist Kopitiam, 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-235 NOTE Crabs and seafoods!
Eating Place	Mahan Nasi Lemak Kopitiam, 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-235
Eating Place	Western Chow Kopitiam, 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-235
Eating Place	All Mighty Muslim Food (All Mighty caterer) Kopitiam, 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-235 NOTE Muslim-Indian food
Eating Place	Mixed Vegetable Rice Kopitiam, 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-235
Marts & Provision Shops	7-Eleven 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-237
Banking, ATMs, & Payment kiosks	UOB ATM Kopitiam, 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-237
Books, Stationery, School & Office Shop	Fullway (Photocopy, Book Binding, Laminating) 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-239
Beauty Salons & Spas	Hairwerkz Studio 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-239
Marts & Provision Shops	ABC Bargain Centre (Cheapest shop in Singapore) Kopitiam, 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-241
Marts & Provision Shops	Singa Fresh Pte Ltd Kopitiam, 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-243
Optical Shop	Ming Optical Kopitiam, 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-245
Banking, ATMs, & Payment kiosks	OCBC ATM 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-245
Marts & Provision Shops	Organicmart 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-247
Bakeshop	Jin Seng Confectionery 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-249
TCM Shop	Bee's Brand Birds Nest & Health Products 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-251
DIY, Home Appliance, & Maintenance Shop	Budget Store Kopitiam, 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-253
DIY, Home Appliance, & Maintenance Shop	Eng Household Enterprise (Hardware Household Electrical Appliances Lighting) 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-255
Eating Place	G18 19 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-257
Banking, ATMs, & Payment kiosks	DBS/POSB ATM & Cash Deposit Next to G18 Eating Place

Shops in Block 21 Ghim Moh Road

Shop Type	Shop Name
Barbershop	Fair Lady Barber Shop 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-139
Dental Clinic	The Dental Pal Pte Ltd 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-141
Grooming Salons & Spas	Zentury Nails 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-143
Video Rental	Lay Ming Trading 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-143
Grooming Salons & Spas	Innovative Hair Design 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-147
TCM Clinic	Ta Seng Traditional Therapy Center 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-143
Medical Clinic	Merlion Clinic 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-149
Grooming Salons & Spas	Jun Beauty Spa 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-151
Grooming Salons & Spas	Gil's Hair Corner 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-151
TCM Clinic	Tan Ching Ngee Chinese Physician 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-153
Books, Stationery, School & Office Shop	Xin Yu Book Co 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-155
Grooming Salons & Spas	Unisex Hair Salon 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-157
Pet shop	Buzzy Paws Professional Pet Grooming 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-157
Bakeshop	Prima Deli 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-159
Gambling	Singapore Pools (Toto & Lottery) 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-161
Optical Shop	M-Specs Optical 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-163
Fashion-RTW, Shoes, Bags	C & T Fashion 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-163
Dry Cleaning & Laundry	Chip Lee Seng Laundry & Dry Cleaning 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-165
Grooming Salons & Spas	Beauty Forever 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-167
Grooming Salons & Spas	Helen Han Beauty Salon 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-169
Marts & Provision Shops	Shop N Save 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-177
DIY, Home Appliance, & Maintenance Shop	Kim Yong Department Store 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-179
Fashion-RTW, Shoes, Bags	BB Apparels 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-181
Grooming Salons & Spas	Creative Beauty Salon 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-181
Pet Shop	Ocean Sun Aquarium 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-183
TCM Shop	HockHua Tonic Pte Ltd 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-185
Medical Clinic	HealthLink Family Clinic & Surgery 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-187
TCM Shop	Fook Choon Won Kee Medical Store 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-189
TCM Shop	Tong Suy Medical Hall 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-191
DIY, Home Appliance, & Maintenance Shop	Sindy Radio Company 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-193
Fashion-RTW, Shoes, Bags	Liew Chian Fay Traders 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-195
Fashion-RTW, Shoes, Bags	Fashion House 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-197
Dry Cleaning & Laundry	Brighton Dry Cleaning & Laundry 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-199
Fashion-RTW, Shoes, Bags	Simply Fashion Craft 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-199
Drink Stall	Sweet Talk (Desert & Milk Tea) 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-199
TCM Shop	Mah Kuang Chinese Medicine 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-201
Dental Clinic	Perfect Dental Clinic 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-203
Dental Clinic	Victory Clinic & Surgery 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-205
Grooming Salons & Spas	Zion Hair N Beauty Studio (UNISEX) 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-207
Jeweller & Goldsmith	(shop name unknown) 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-207
Banking, ATMs, & Payment Kiosks	Hong Leong Finance 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-211
Eating Place	Pizza Bar da Donato 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-213 NOTE Great Italian food!
Handphone Retail	(shop name unknown) 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-215
Photoshop	Astro Imaging 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-215
Postal Office	Singapore Post Office 21 Ghim Moh Road, Unit 01-225

Related Posts

• Ghim Moh Livin

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Ghim Moh Livin!

In my seven years in Singapore, I have stayed in different areas of the island, from the idyllic Upper Bukit Timah and West Coast to the exclusive Paterson and Balmoral roads. I've even spent two weeks in the ever-buzzling China town! But none of these places really compare to the balance of serenity, accessibility, community, and convenience that the Ghim Moh neighbourhood offers. I've never felt more at home in Singapore!

This article discusses what makes Ghim Moh so special.

Convenience and accessibility

Convenience and accessibility are, without a doubt, the biggest advantage of staying in Ghim Moh. From the building I'm staying at, the Buona Vista MRT is a mere 5- to 7-minute walk. Across the street is a stop for buses 100 and 111 that, between them, pass by major destinations such as Harbourfront, Vivo City, Robinson Road, Orchard, Suntec, and Esplanade. Just 10 steps from my building is another stop for buses 106 and 105 that again go to Orchard. The buses mentioned are the ones that I frequently use, but they are by no means the only buses available.

Looking for shops in Ghim Moh? Click here for a list of Ghim Moh shops. Otherwise, read on!

And lest you think buses and MRTs are the only attraction of the estate, you'll be happy to know (I sure was!) that Ghim Moh is famous for its food stalls. There's an extremely popular hawker center near the market, 4 Kopitiam-style eateries, and an unpretentious pizza place owned and managed by a true, blue Italiano! And the best part is, there's always a stall open any time of the day! What if you want home-cooked food? No problem! There's a wet market nearby, and a Shop n Save store that's open 24 hours of the day!

If chilling out and upmarket dining is more your style, there's no need to worry. Holland V is accessible by foot (and bus), and so is Rochester Park and the whole one-north shebang. And with all the development in the Buona Vista area, even the "ulu" (far) Portsdown is not so "ulu" anymore and is just a couple of bus stops away.

Another plus point of the estate is the countless shops that litter it! Here you'll find a barber shop, hair salons, and body spas. Dentists, medical clinics, and optical shops abound. There's a pet shop, a toto outlet, a dry cleaner, a video rental, and a photo shop. There's Hong Leong finance, too. And ATMs, AXS, and SAM machines. And a SingPost branch.

Philippine National Bank (PNB) has partnered with SingPost to allow PNB account holders to remit funds (in real time) to their PNB accounts. This means Filipinos don't have to travel to Orchard to send money! What about your calling cards, you say? Well, there's a shop in Ghim Moh that sells, among other things, international calling cards at discounted prices!

Community and serenity

For me, the best thing about the shops in Ghim Moh is that most of them are Mom and Pop stores. I don't know, there's just something about Mom and Pop stores that transport me back in time, when life was simpler and, should I say, more innocent? There's a sense of continuity and community in Mom and Pop stores that you don't get in malls and franchised shops, where, usually, the person who helped you in the shop and had a chat/laugh with, is gone a month later. Mom and Pop stores remind me of home, where I buy pork from my aunt and have my hair cut by the same person who groomed it 10, 15 years earlier!

But I found serenity not only in the sense of community that Ghim Moh fosters but also in its physical assets. With only 21 blocks, the estate is home to a fairly small community. It is also neighbour to a 70-hectare woodland.¹ The floor that I live in houses 2 units only, and has a great view of the woodlands, and the people who jog/bike/skates on a path along it.

However, a little caveat might be in order (if for nothing else but to manage expectations): Ghim Moh is an estate developed and managed by the Housing Development Board (HDB), and, therefore, wouldn't be as quiet, as less localized, and as impersonal ;-D as private developments. Although Ghim Moh is the first HDB estate that I've lived in, I've seen many and have been to a few. And for me, as far as HDBs (and maybe some private apartments) go, Ghim Moh is quite a winner.

Related Posts

• How to go to Ghim Moh (Coming soon!)
• List of Ghim Moh food stalls and shops

Footnotes

¹ Unfortunately, a patch of this 70-hectare woodland had been cleared to make way for new buildings.

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