During my army days, I would always drive past Gek Poh Shopping Centre and the modern external façade never fails to capture my attention. However, it wasn’t until last Sunday that I stepped into Gek Poh Shopping Centre with Jacqueline.

Fun Fact: The meaning of Gek Poh in Hokkien is Jade Treasure

Given the modern external façade of Gek Poh Shopping Centre, one would probably expect that the shopping centre will be a highly modern one but this is certainly not the case. When we arrived at Gek Poh Shopping Centre, we saw a number of “vintage”, old-school shops that reminded us of our childhood days and they have pretty interesting names like Channel 8, a shop that sells footwear and Boyz 2 Men, a barber shop.

If you were born in the 1980s, a day at Gek Poh Shopping Centre would definitely be a nostalgic time as the shopping centre’s interior décor and old-school shops will remind you of the shopping centres that existed during the olden days of Singapore.

Though Gek Poh shopping centre was not that crowded when we were there in the evening, the crowd at the food-court is altogether a different story as it was packed with diners. The food court offers many local delights and we were honestly spoilt for choices.

After checking out all the food stores at the food-court, I decided on having a bowl of Oriental Buddha Jump Over The Wall Soup while Jacqueline decided to have a plate of Western Spaghetti with Meatballs.

If dining at the food-court isn’t your cup of tea, there are also many other Food & Beverage outlets available and if you need a quick lunch/dinner fix, there’s also McDonald’s and Subway available at Gek Poh Shopping Centre.

Although Gek Poh Shopping Centre isn’t that modern per se, it has almost everything; from gift shops and jewellery shop to hardware shop and even a pet shop. However, what can’t be found at Gek Poh Shopping Centre is probably just the bank and entertainment outlets.

I’m not sure how many of my friends staying in the west actually visits Gek Poh Shopping Centre on a regular basis but if you do, feel free to share with us your own experience of Gek Poh Shopping Centre by commenting on this post! We would love to hear your story of Gek Poh Shopping Centre [if any].

If you happen to stay near Gek Poh Shopping Centre, you might be pleased to know that HDB is organising 3 main events and activities to celebrate Singapore’s 50th birthday.

1. Vote for your Top 50 shops

Acknowledging that retailers at the HDB Shopping Centres addresses the needs of the residents while being an important part of the community, HDB will be rewarding these neighbourly retailers this year with a decal and commemorative plaque for display in their shops as testament of their popularity.

Starting from 1 July 2015 till 31 October 2015, you can nominate and vote for your favourite shop via a mobile voting app that you can download and when you have submitted your vote, you stand a chance to win a prize in a lucky draw contest.

2. #myfavHDBmall Photography Competition

HDB Shopping Centres form an integral part of the residents’ daily lives by being a place for leisure, shopping, and community bonding and for this photography competition, all you have to do is shoot a photo that evokes a warm fuzzy feeling, depicting the homely environment that HDB malls are providing and submit your photos at https://myfavhdbmall.com/register. You can stand a chance to win some attractive prizes and the winning entries will also be exhibited at 888 Plaza on 14 November 2015.

3. Enter the Book of Records

To mark the momentous year, an attempt is underway to create the largest SG50 logo made from stamps to set a new record in the Singapore Book of Records. From now till end October, you can play your part by donating used and unused stamps for this record-breaking initiative.

To participate, you are to “post” your stamps at the specially designed post boxes at various HDB Shopping Centres and all submissions will qualify for a Lucky Draw. A total of SGD$2,000 cash vouchers will be up for grabs and the finished masterpiece will be unveiled with great fanfare at 888 Plaza on 14 November 2015.

With so much activities and contests that are now ongoing, what are you waiting for?

For more information about the ongoing events and contests, visit www.where2shop.sg now!