Jayley Woo Is Freaked Out By "Creepy" Neighbour Who Could Be Looking lnto Her Jurong Flat

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It sounds like a scene straight out of a stalker flick. Set in a HDB estate across different blocks.
One day, you glance out the window of your home and see a figure in the apartment across from your building, seemingly watching you.
This is what Jayley Woo, 31, is experiencing living in her new four-room resale flat in Jurong. She lives there with her husband, Bryan Tan, who works behind-the-scenes in the entertainment industry, and their nine-month-old daughter Jan.
The mysterious figure is that of a man, who looks to be in his 40s, usually dressed in a black tee, with long messy hair covering his eyes and a moustache.
“It was 12pm and he was standing at the window of the flat directly opposite mine, looking straight ahead with a steady gaze and not moving – for around 30 minutes,” Jayley tells 8days.sg as she gives us a tour of her home, which she moved into in September (more on that later).
“I was so freaked out. I told my helper about it, and she saw him too. I took a photo of him so no one would think I was imagining things.”
Jayley shows us photos of said “creepy” neighbour, which we will not post for privacy reasons, and let’s just say they give us the chills.
Standing in the shadows of his home around 50 metres away, the man appears to be staring into the camera. There is something disconcerting and haunting about his gaze. It is the same in another photo which was taken on a different day, also around noon.
While Jayley isn’t sure if he does this regularly, she has noticed him a couple of times in the two months she’s moved in. She does “not feel good about the vibes”, and understandably so. It doesn’t help that the windows of his home are always covered with mismatched bed sheets, which he uses as curtains, except the window he’s been seen peering from.
“I’m concerned that he could be a paedophile and watching my baby ‘cos we didn’t have curtains when we first moved in. It’s a bit sensitive when we change diapers,” she explains.
“My friends asked if I want to file a police report, but on what grounds? It’s not like he’s holding a pair of binoculars looking into my home. He’s just looking in the general direction and for all you know, he’s spacing out. If anything, I’m the creep for taking photos of him.”
She adds: “I’ll continue observing him for a while. My husband thinks he could be a recluse and I’m just paranoid from always watching true crime shows.”

Creepy neighbour aside, the couple’s home journey has been pretty smooth. They found their 1,000 sq ft apartment after viewing seven flats. Situated on a high floor, the five-year-old apartment, which they bought for $590K, is just minutes from Jayley’s parents’ home and in move-in condition – a prerequisite as they wanted the move to be fuss-free.
They eventually decided to overhaul the space since they were renovating parts of the house. The transformation took around two months and cost $90K.
The easy-going couple gave their ID free rein in the design. “Our only request was that it looks timeless and incorporate woody tones. This was his first design and we approved it,” shares Jayley. “It’s like a mix of contemporary and Scandinavian styles.”

Making an entrance
The first thing that greets you is the little “garden” at the front door.
The couple were inspired to transform their corridor space after seeing a neighbour’s green front yard. It also provides a comfortable spot for them to put on their footwear.
Inside, the living area, awash in wood and neutral tones, exudes a cosy warmth. Wood panels lining the walls add character and dimension to the space and are also great for concealing storage spaces and doorways for a seamless look.

Filling the space is this modular white eight-seater sofa.
While Jayley admits it’s a tad oversized and not so practical in terms of colour, she knew she had to have it when she tried the super comfy couch, aptly named Cloud, at the Grey and Sanders showroom. Bryan was against getting it.
“He said it’s too big and slouchy and has no neck support. He wanted a sofa with a recliner and head rest, but those are ugly AF. We had a heated argument, and he eventually gave in to me. Guess who spends more time than I do on it now,” says Jayley.

Kitchen and dining room
Just by the living space is the open-plan kitchen and dining area. Grey quartz-like countertops are paired with warm wood accents for a cohesive look.


Study
To give the illusion of space, part of the walls was hacked and replaced with half-height glass panels. This lets natural light into the pantry area and also allows Jayley to keep an eye on Jan when she’s in the study.
Master bedroom
When it came to designing the master bedroom, the main consideration was that there should be sufficient closet space as well as fit a king-sized bed and vanity.
While it would have been nice to have a walk-in wardrobe, says Jayley, it isn’t practical with a baby in the house. It doesn’t help that the couple has a lot of clothes.
All the available wall space beside their bed was used for Jayley’s four-door wardrobe, and the room was extended into the adjacent room, which is Jan’s bedroom, to accommodate Bryan’s closet. Their bed also doubles up as storage space for the couple.
Master bathroom aka Jayley’s bathroom
Following a suggestion by the previous owners of the flat, Jayley and her hubby decided to have separate bathrooms.
“They told us that with this arrangement, we can avoid clashes with one another. The husband does not disturb the wife when he gets up early for work, and my husband agrees, so we decided to follow suit,” shares Jayley.
She takes the master bathroom, while Bryan uses the common one. “He says it’s ‘cos he’s a commoner,” she quips.
Jayley had really wanted a bathtub but was told by her ID that “HDB doesn’t allow it”. When we tell her that we’ve seen it in other HDB house tours, she was clearly disappointed by the revelation. “Maybe there’s not enough space for a bathtub. I even went to find a square bathtub on Taobao, but the ID said it was too troublesome.”

Common bathroom aka The Husband’s bathroom
Photos: Dillon Tan
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