and

then ... why, heellllooooo there and welcome to the 'hood J

But of course I suppose a hothouse of supermodels is about as likely to grace my street as the girls on ANTM eating anything more than a salad per day.

Unfortunately, the prospect of 1000 Bangladeshi, Thai and Indian workers suddenly popping up opposite my home is not exactly going to bring a smile to my face.

Thankfully I live in a private residential area in Bukit Timah, hence chances of that happening are probably very slim.

I'm not going to be politically correct and say that I do not care nor mind if such an event really did take place.

First, watch my property price plummet. This is inevitable, and one cannot deny this will happen.

I do see a few these foreign workers here and there due to new houses being built around my neighborhood, and honestly, I'm quite alright with them; they usually hardly register a bleep on my attention radar. However, 1000 of them? Permanently staying opposite me? Day in and day out? They will outnumber even us residents! I'm sorry but I do not want to be living in construction-worker town.

Having paid top dollar to live in a nice place, one would be aghast to know you now have to come home everyday to lorries ferrying workers dirty from construction, these men drinking, loitering, gambling, or being rowdy. I don't know exactly how bad it will really be, maybe my fears are unfounded, but the chances (from hearsay too) are there.

I'd also be concerned about safety - according to police reports foreign workers account for about 14% of total persons arrested for crime.

Then, there is the leering! All females should know what I'm talking about here. One, two, or three are already enough, I will not be able to stand having hundreds of eyes gazing after me each time I walk home. It is highly disturbing and unsettling to be mentally undressed over and over. I am speaking from experience and other females I've spoken to feel the same way. And what if.. just what if.. late at night, one of them loses control of himself one day and assaults me, or any other girl in the neighborhood?

Time to up and move baby.

I don't hate foreign workers nor am I racist in any way, but what I do believe is that choosing a place to live is a very personal preference. You have to feel comfortable in your sanctuary that you call home. The surroundings and location play a big part in one's choice of where to live - people look at everything from potentially annoying neighbors, to whether it is in front of a noisy main road, or what direction of sun the house gets. And in the same vein, a dormitory housing 1000 foreign workers opposite a potential home is not quite going to cut it.

Foreign workers do the jobs we Singaporeans loathe to do; we really should appreciate them for this, and make them feel more welcome. I recognize this fact, but yet, how many of us do not balk at the idea of living opposite so many of them? Sad to say, in this way, I feel rather hypocritical :(