SINGAPORE: The Geylang Neighbourhood Police Centre will be relocated from its current location at 132, Paya Lebar Road to Blk 42, Cassia Crescent near Guillemard Road. 

The new building is expected to be operational by mid-2019, police said on Sunday (Feb 4) in a news release.

The Geylang NPC has been at its current site since 2000. The relocation will enable the Singapore Police Force to better serve the needs of the population as Paya Lebar Central is redeveloped, police said.

Geylang NPC’s Superintendent Kwok Jiann Yrong said it is a “significant move” as it will ensure that the police will be “able to meet the growing demand from the future changes in terrain and population profiles”. 

“At the same time, this move will allow us to continue to provide swift and efficient police response to the community that we serve,” Supt Kwok added.

SINGAPORE: A concrete mixer truck got into an accident along Sheares Avenue on Sunday (Feb 4) which caused its revolving drum to tumble onto the road.

The police said they were alerted to the accident at about 12.40pm.

Channel NewsAsia understands that the drum fell off when the driver was turning right.

Photos posted by Facebook user Gary Wu showed the large white lorry in the middle of the road and a dented drum lying beside it.

No injuries were reported and police investigations are ongoing.

SINGAPORE: X-ray machines for bags and walk-through metal detectors are more commonly seen at airports, but these security machines will also be used at MRT stations in the event of a real threat to Singapore’s transport network or during periods of heightened security.

They were tested at one of the exits of the Downtown Line Newton MRT Station on Sunday from 10am to 6pm by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SBS Transit (SBST) in an emergency preparedness ground deployment exercise called Exercise Station Guard 2018.

In the exercise, commuters’ belongings and baggage were scanned by X-ray machines, and they were also required to pass through walk-through metal detectors before entering the fare gates near Exit A of the station.

Deputy director for public transport security, Mr Joseph Goh said: “This exercise conducted together with SBST is part of our regular review of security measures and plans for the public transport network. We want to be able to respond quickly and effectively when there is a real threat. 

“We want to take this opportunity to advise commuters to be vigilant, to report any suspicious person or object immediately to the staff or police.”

Each hour, an average of nearly 1,600 commuters pass through that Newton MRT fare gate to the Downtown Line.

They had to add about 10 minutes of travelling time to their journey because of the security checks.

But commuters Channel NewsAsia spoke to were generally not too concerned by the added travel time, while acknowledging the checks could have been more efficient.

Said one student: “At least it was not really inconvenient for us. It was more for security and safety, so I think the experience wasn’t that bad.”

According to Mr Alex Goei, CEO of SBS Transit Downtown Line, the exercise was to test and validate the processes that have been planned in the event of a heightened security alert.

He said: “Our takeaway from this morning is we will improve on our processes to see how we can get passengers through the bag check in a heightened security alert in minimum time and with as little inconvenience as possible.”

This is the first such exercise conducted at the Downtown Line and LTA said it will be doing more of such exercises this year.

SINGAPORE: The circumstances surrounding the deaths of Korean pop stars Jun Tae-soo and famed boy band SHINee member Kim Jong-hyun has shone a spotlight on the pressures facing young K-pop artistes and celebrities.

Their tragic deaths come as a shock to many readers and netizens, especially when a will from Kim revealed that he had been struggling with depression for a long time. It read:

I was broken from inside. The depression slowly chipped (at) me, finally devouring me.

Their untimely end has been largely attributed to the unhealthy dynamics of the competitive Korean entertainment industry and it is timely that the industry rethinks how it can help young artistes deal with fame.

Would-be K-pop stars are often identified early in life.  Extracted from their young adolescent lives, they are put through intense training with gruelling schedules, with little control over their choices in life especially their privacy.

Manufactured to feed the demand for picture-perfect K-pop stars and generate large incomes for their entertainment companies, they have to cope with the pressures and scrutiny that popularity brings and live up to sometimes unrealistic expectations.

This is all made worse by the fact that their livelihoods depend on their popularity, which can be subject to the whims and fancies of an unforgiving public that has no shortage of other celebrities to turn to.

In short, there is a huge price to be paid for their success.

And sometimes, that price comes in the form of a worsening mental illness.

NOT THAT DIFFERENT FROM PRESSURES YOUTHS FACE

But the pressures Kim and Jun face are not dissimilar to what our youths feel, much as these young celebrities may have found their experience to be heightened by the glare of the media.

Many children in Singapore are brought up to believe that success depends on their academic achievements. They compete against their classmates, their friends at tuition centres, their siblings and cousins.

Rewards – whether this takes the form of a material good like the latest iPhone or something less tangible like their parents’ affections – are very often based on their performance in examinations.

This usually leads to a skewed definition of success.

However, is success solely defined by grades, fame and wealth? Surely there is something more?

Jun Tae-soo and Kim Jong-hyun’s deaths have warned us of a need to redefine, and perhaps expand, the meaning of success.

People who do well in examinations are not guaranteed success in their working lives. Those who are successful at work or earn a good income may not necessarily lead happy and satisfied lives.

Indeed, no one is immune from depression. Academic success, money and fame certainly do not protect anyone from this common disease.

Celebrities such as Jun Tae-soo and Kim Jong-hyun were often in the public spotlight, and surrounded by many people.

One might ask how then was it possible that no one detected or tried to help them cope with the depth of their struggle with depression – a struggle which eventually consumed them?

CAN SOMEONE SUFFER FROM DEPRESSION IF THEY SEEM NORMAL AND HAPPY?

Depression as an emotion is a subjective experience. The depressive feelings affect the individual, but these sentiments can be masked and hidden from people around them.

In my clinical practice, I have come across family members who were not aware that their loved one was suffering from depression.

In other words, a person suffering from depression can seem normal and happy on the surface.

Common symptoms of depression include a loss of interest in one’s hobbies and withdrawal from social circles. A loss of appetite may be a physical symptom, and so is difficulty with falling and staying asleep.

Even though living with a mental illness isn’t a major cause of youth suicides, those who experience depression may find their thoughts predominated by beliefs that they are worthless, and that there is little hope for the future. Those who are serious about wanting to end their lives often keep it to themselves.

It is easy for many symptoms of depression to be attributed to changes in a person’s routine instead of mental distress.

However, being aware of these subtle symptoms and staying vigilant allows depression to be identified early, so that timely intervention can be carried out.

Depression is, after all, a very treatable medical condition if help is sought early. And we all are at risk of suffering from this condition. According to the Singapore Mental Health Study conducted in 2010, major depressive disorder has a lifetime prevalence of 5.8 per cent in the adult Singapore resident population aged 18 years and above.

IMPROVING AWARENESS

On a positive note, awareness of issues related to mental illness and mental well-being has improved significantly in recent years. This is largely in part because many high-profile figures and celebrities have come forward to disclose their own struggles with mental health issues.

Prince Harry has openly talked about the difficulties he faced when he lost his mother. Other celebrities who have spoken up about their experience with mental illness include Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez and Jim Carrey.

These have, to some extent, paved the way for conversations on mental health matters – that it is okay to talk about it.

We can all play a part by being that trusted friend or family member to whom a young person can turn, to voice out his otherwise unspeakable feelings of distress in a safe environment.

Already many schools offer support through school counsellors and even trained peers, and both can be a valuable source of help in the school setting for young persons with mental health concerns.

Family doctors are another first line of intervention, followed by the psychiatric clinics in our general hospitals or at the Institute of Mental Health.

The Community Health Assessment Team, a youth mental health service located at SCAPE Orchard, also provides confidential face-to-face and internet-based mental health checks for persons aged 16 to 30. Several helplines are also available.

There are many avenues where help can be sought and this is encouraging. But what remains critical is that we address the stigma behind mental health issues, so that those who need help aren’t afraid of reaching out to these channels.

In his suicide note, Kim Jong-hyun wrote “Please tell me I did a good job…”.

I would say to him that he had worked hard, and in doing so, done a good job.

But I wished he had the courage and space to speak up about his mental distress, so that he could have received the help that he so desperately needed.

Dr Tommy Chan is a consultant at the Institute of Mental Health’s Department of Psychosis.

SINGAPORE: Starting from this month’s Build-to-Order (BTO) exercise, all new BTO projects will come with an open kitchen concept, where the layout permits, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) announced on Sunday (Feb 4).

In a press release, HDB said this move comes as open kitchens have gained popularity in recent years, with seven in 10 BTO flat buyers opting for an open kitchen since the option was first made available in September, 2012.

The provision of open kitchens in BTO projects offers home buyers greater choice and flexibility in how they want to use and design the space, and lay out their furniture to better suit their lifestyle needs, said the press release.

HDB added that this option saves home buyers the hassle and cost of hacking the partition walls to create an open kitchen layout. Flat buyers can also choose to use cupboards and shelving creatively to define their kitchen, dining and living areas.

HDB first piloted the open kitchen concept for flats at Teck Ghee Parkview during the September, 2012 BTO sales exercise. Flat buyers were given the choice of having a kitchen partition wall under the Optional Component Scheme (OCS).

Home buyers then only needed to pay for what they chose – for example, if they opted to not have the kitchen partition wall, they would not have to pay for it. HDB said about 70 per cent of home buyers in this pilot project chose not to have the partition wall.

Following the positive response, HDB said it has since gone on to offer the open kitchen concept where feasible, to more BTO projects from the September 2013 BTO sales exercise.

Of the 108 BTO projects launched for sale from September 2013 to November 2017, 94 BTO projects were offered the open kitchen concept under the OCS. These flats are located in various HDB towns and estates such as Bukit Batok, Hougang, Jurong West, Punggol, Sembawang, Sengkang, Toa Payoh, Woodlands and Yishun.

From the February, 2018 BTO Sales Exercise, HDB said the kitchen partition wall will no longer be offered as an option under the OCS, in line with buyers’ preferences.

The public can view HDB’s show flats with the open kitchen concept at the My Nice Home Gallery at HDB Hub. The show flats can also be viewed online on the HDB InfoWEB, or via the Mobile@HDB app.

SINGAPORE: Starting from this month’s Build-to-Order (BTO) exercise, all new BTO projects will come with an open kitchen concept, where the layout permits, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) announced on Sunday (Feb 4).

In a press release, HDB said this move comes as open kitchens have gained popularity in recent years, with seven in 10 BTO flat buyers opting for an open kitchen since the option was first made available in September, 2012.

The provision of open kitchens in BTO projects offers home buyers greater choice and flexibility in how they want to use and design the space, and lay out their furniture to better suit their lifestyle needs, said the press release.

HDB added that this option saves home buyers the hassle and cost of hacking the partition walls to create an open kitchen layout. Flat buyers can also choose to use cupboards and shelving creatively to define their kitchen, dining and living areas.

HDB first piloted the open kitchen concept for flats at Teck Ghee Parkview during the September, 2012 BTO sales exercise. Flat buyers were given the choice of having a kitchen partition wall under the Optional Component Scheme (OCS).

Home buyers then only needed to pay for what they chose – for example, if they opted to not have the kitchen partition wall, they would not have to pay for it. HDB said about 70 per cent of home buyers in this pilot project chose not to have the partition wall.

Following the positive response, HDB said it has since gone on to offer the open kitchen concept where feasible, to more BTO projects from the September 2013 BTO sales exercise.

Of the 108 BTO projects launched for sale from September 2013 to November 2017, 94 BTO projects were offered the open kitchen concept under the OCS. These flats are located in various HDB towns and estates such as Bukit Batok, Hougang, Jurong West, Punggol, Sembawang, Sengkang, Toa Payoh, Woodlands and Yishun.

From the February, 2018 BTO Sales Exercise, HDB said the kitchen partition wall will no longer be offered as an option under the OCS, in line with buyers’ preferences.

The public can view HDB’s show flats with the open kitchen concept at the My Nice Home Gallery at HDB Hub. The show flats can also be viewed online on the HDB InfoWEB, or via the Mobile@HDB app.