It’s August 1995, and you wake up at 7 am because the peeling paint and cockroach community in your decaying flat have given you itchy patches the size of a football field. Your block may be in a great location, but it’s so run down it looks like the rubble in one of those Call of Duty maps. But you’re waking up to good news for once: because that’s the month and year when the government announces the Selective Enbloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS), soon to be Singapore’s favourite gamble next to Toto and 4D. The idea for SERS is to revive ageing neighbourhoods. If your HDB is in the four to five per cent of eligible units, then your satisfaction and silence are bought by (1) a subsidised replacement flat with a fresh 99-year lease, (2) compensation at market value, (3) priority allocation for the new replacement flats, and (4) financial assistance, like certain waivers or subsidises for fees....