adrian_john

Interesting things you guys mentioned about those 'original prices' of HDB. Before I got my flat, I had a similar discussion with my father. When Toa Payoh was first built in the 70s, he told me he bought the best-spec 3 room flat with extra balcony at Lorong 6 for only $7 to $8k. When the flat was sold in 1988, it sold for only $40K and then we shifted to Bishan (newly built) 5 room which cost $112K. The first owner of my previous flat at 197 Bishan St 13 only got the 4S for about $75K. Look how wild prices have spun since then....

*whisper back to BD* Aiya, its OK lah, Kopi not trying to suan us one. He's a very generous man leh. Remember, he sponsor you wardrobe and sponsor me kitchen cabinet liao leh! Very 'da fang'!

No need to hear one. Just see can already! Ahahahahaha!

Wah seh, what Channel 8 serials siah .... I very sentimental person lah. I get very attached to things that have a meaning for me, which is why its hard for me to let go of stuff. Have replied you on the blinds via mobile liao.

Kopi..so far so good lah. Still not 100% ready yet. After unpacking and settling in, we realised we need some additional storage for the kitchen (Eh, oh ya hor, you supposed to sponsor right? Along with BD and Ivy's requirements.. Kekekeke! ) and we're still organsing the storage of some items in the rooms and waiting for our Living furniture to arrive.

The Drama of our 2nd Appointment at HDB As most of you would know, the 2nd Appointment actually is quite a fast process. You show up at the appointed time with all the relevant documents (whether you've paid your previous Town Council Fees, Taxes, Radio Licenses, outstanding installments etc.); The Officer checks and gets you to sign some documents; Seller passes keys to Buyer. The transaction is complete and Buyer is now new offcial leasee of the flat. All usually within half an hour or in some cases even shorter. However for us, this time we got treated to a somewhat different experience all thanks to a major screw up by the law firm acting for us for the Redemption of our housing loan (For the first house we had taken a bank loan). A representative from the firm is expected to show up at the 2nd Appointment and hand HDB some documents for the completion to be finalised. Our appointment time was 330pm. All parties (Including my buyer and his buyer - due to contra) were present early, and transaction went on smoothly for my Buyer's end. However, when it came to our turn, we waited for about 30 minutes and the law firm rep still did not show up. We called the law firm to ask whether the rep was delayed at about 415pm and they told us they'd check. Didn't bother to call us back after 10 minutes so we called to check, we were told the rep was on the way. By 5pm, rep did not show up and we called again. We were ding-dong-ed and transferred and put on hold on many occasions for more than an hour, and when we got to speak to someone regarding the task, we were being smoked again and againthat the rep was on the way. By this time I was already very impatient and pissed off and I told the firm that we've been hearing of their rep being 'on the way' for quite a long time now and since the person is nowhere inside we can't fathom why it'd take so long for someone to come down from Shenton Way to Toa Payoh; and by cab somemore! Finally, when the staff still hadn't showed up at almost 6pm - HDB was already locked up and we were like the last few souls there - I lost my patience and lashed out at them with the 'hair dryer' treatment about their poor service before they finally admitted they screwed up as the person who was in charge of this went on leave and didn't inform anybody of today's appointment. I really gave it to them for not just telling us upfront in the beginning and instead causing us embarassment, inconvenience, loss of time and anxiety. They only managed to send someone down at about 6-ish and the HDB officer, cashier and our buyer had to wait until someone from their firm showed up. I have reiterated to them that we are totally unhappy with their service and we're now in the process of getting a refund as well negotiating for a fruit basket to be sent to my buyer as a gesture of good will and apology. Awaiting their reply, which has been promised to be by tomorrow. It really ruined our day and took up our precious leave time where we had planned to run other office hour errands. Really big thumbs down to the unprofessionalism of this firm. Fortunately, our buyer was a nice, reasonable and understanding fella as well. Anyhow, amidst the misfortune of the cock-up, we bid good-bye to our first home; which has been our haven for the last 5+ years and also the home where the joy of kids came to life for us. We'll miss and always remember all the happiness and joy there; and all the convenience the home has given us - Never mind the jams and full car parks, some inconsiderate and weird neighbours and idiotic vandals.

Sorry ar... Really had a hectic week! Yes, I shall learn to create more links like your page. Ahahahaha! The blind pics, I try lah, to take this week. My Washer and Dryer are now active and I actually discovered from being at home through the morning that the airwell actually gets direct sunlight from about 11am to about 1245pm! So now we can dry it there. Was abit miffed the maid didn't take the initiative to point it out cos' she's usually quite conscientious about such things... So now at least (thank God!) I can minimise the hanging of laundry at my balcony although the laundry system there will serve as a good back-up lah. If you around my area, just pop by la ...

Heya All, Am back after a rather hectic 1 week; finally settled 2nd appointment of my previous flat last Monday (in an unfortunately 'dramatic' way - to be shared in another thread); and was away and bogged down with work. The house is still quite messy so haven't had the time to take more pics and move some of the unpacked stuff (down to 1 box and 2 bags - yay!), but hope to do so this week once the sofa arrives and perhaps my dining chairs too; then my Living/Dining will be 95% complete. Firstly, a big thanks to Kopi, Dyleen, Beany, Silverbullet, Reiki and BD for your feedback and sharing on the use of the storage heater. I've been using it the Option 1 way as well, but I realised that the hot water in the AM runs out pretty quick despite it being switched on in the morning. From observation and monitoring, I reckon its attributed to the fact that my wife uses alot of hot water followed by me and then so by 10am when it's the kids' turn to shower, most of the hot water is gone. If I shower before my wife, I realise there's still enough warm water for me from the previous night. So, at least I'm assured its not something wrong with the heater when the water runs out fast. I'm still curious if people do use the Option 2 way though....

Bro Bro, next time hor, before you go shopping just research lor. Or ask me along lah, Ahahaha.. I very good at stopping people from buying things and walking away one. I got lots of 'training' by always being my wife's 'devil's advocate' to the point sometimes she also buay tahan me! Sometimes for me personally, I can see something I like, but I'll still go around and look see in case there's somewhere/thing better or cheaper. So I can go see an item for a few times before I'm 100% sure and set to buy it. That probably explains why it took so long for us to finally get a sofa. We just got ours yesterday.

QUERY ON STORAGE HEATER USE Heya Guys. Sorry if I sound abit suaku, but just wanted to seek some opinions and inputs with regards to the use of storage heaters cos' I'm a little confused. Based on users' feedback, I understand there's basically 2 common modes of usage: (1) Turn on the heater for 15 to 20 minutes before use to warm up the water. Then use until hot water runs out and repeat the process of turning on to warm up again. (2) Leave the heater switch on all day so that the heater will automatically reboil when the hot water runs out. I was told that since the heater is energy-saving model, it'll not consume any energy when the hot water is not used, but only when it runs out. One electrician even said that this is more energy-saving than switching on and off when there's a need to use. Any thoughts or feedback on this from users? Much appreciated thanks.

Kopi, wah, you really splurge when you shop hor? Now I know why BD always suan you! But hey, good purchases lah - Particularly the Setra Mattress. I think it's a good investment to get a good, comfy bed with cushioning that suits your preference. So far, the people I know that are using Setra mattresses have alot of good and nothing bad to say about it. And I think it'll last you a long time too. The sofa you chose looks really comfy, especially since you have the space for it. You getting it in white? White will look great, its just the high maintanence only lah. If you have EPL at your place I don't mind to lim kopi at your kopitiam! Ahahaha! I'm considering whether to sign up with Mio. I just hate the fact that there's gonna be additional loose wiring around and another box .... grrrr!

Red_Devil: Your place is looking really good! Very nice touch with the spacious effect with the use of mirrors. I wished I could put more mirrors, esp for my MBR wardrobe, but the wife pantang cos' she's afraid it'll be bad for the kids if they sleep facing the mirror in future. DSMan: Husbands who 'listen' to their better half and let their wives choose are not henpecked. They're smart! Its better to let her have her preference and give in sometimes rather than choose your way and if she doesn't like how it turn out, you'll never hear the end of it! Ahahahahaha!

Heya Sally. Sorry about the delay, I PMed you last Thursday.

Wah I on leave for half a day and when I log on, Kopi's Kopitiam become totally transformed to lap sup kopitiam already. Really very spicy siah this thread ... what with scantily-clad babes lah, hardware, software lubricant all... I salute you lah Kopi! You da man! Think Rondy also can be lifetime patron of your kopitiam liao ... he's the man with all the ideas!

No worries man. If you need, just let me know lah. Apart from asking the lao chiaos here, I found that browsing through mags (and not to mention books) also provides quite a good source of ideas as it gives you a visual reference of designs and layout and even some clever innovations; which may be applicable. Also gives you some 'poison' on some nice accessories or stuff available on the market. Wah bro, you don't strike me as a guy who buys on impluse leh. Actually, if you regret and still plan to get stuff from GC, you can always tell them you wanna cancel air-cond but use the amout for other stuff (e.g. TV and other appliances)

Gantan: Sorry, didn't really quite understand what you meant by TV console being away from TV. Did you mean TV console away from current TV point location? If that's the case, you can get the electrician to do some re-wiring to suit the layout you've planned. That way, all the required points (e.g. TV/SCV/Mio/Phone) will be closer or exactly where you place the console. In some cases, you can even use the console to mask the trunking and have the points inside the console as well. The audio and video cable connected to the TV should then be able to run through some holes in the console. I know what you mean about the drop down trunking. Even in a house with concealed wiring, we also could not avoid some instances of these due to shifting of TV and power point locations. Only way is to minimise and run along recessed beams or along floor skirtings. The 2nd layout provided by Rondy looks quite good.

Oh ya, I forgot, you got an early handover hor. Shiok ar! Next week can start liao! Hey bro, btw, you want some recent 2009 copies of Home Decor Mags or not (e.g. Lookbox, Home & Decor and Square Rooms)? I got a couple which I can pass to you if you like so you can use for reference. Bro, you didn't check our Hong Tar ar?

Kopi! Congrats on your First Appointment man! 6 Weeks or so to go before you can begin your reno liao! Now you can start your hunt for stuff liao!

Usually no need to lay video and HDMI cables cos' they can still be concealed within the cabinet after fitting the equipment. But if you're running a surround audio system with multiple speakers and/or a non-wireless woofer, you'd need to pre-plan the speaker positions and run the wires inside the false ceiling beforehand if you want a clean look. Other cables you may wanna consider beforehand to minimise trunking are things like phone and LAN points and Mio/SCV points.

*Whispers to BD* Hey BD, you so inconsiderate leh! Why make Jason do double work of dismantling the new carpentry? You can just save him the trouble of sending it to Kopi's house and send it to yours directly lah! Kopi, got big bonus must spread the love around also leh ... my kitchen could use one mroe additional small storage cabinet.. Ehehehehe!

Wah lao, what consultant lah.. Just sharing and helping wherever I can lah! Ehehehehehe! Eh, actually you're the original 'invisible grille' consultant hor? No problem, you can definitely PM me if you need any help lah. Ahahaha .. but hor, remember ar, my rates are $120 for first consultation, followed by $80 for subsequent visits But you my buddy so sure got discount lah! No worries Chip! Actually, in comparison for the cost of the invisible grilles vs the conventional powder-coated aluminium grilles. Its not much different; which is why I was abit sad I didn't find out about the invisible grilles earlier. Also, for my balcony, I had originally planned for a wrought iron, but it cost more than the invisible grille. Look forward to seeing the tiling! I'm sure you guys must be excited.

Heya Chip&Dale! Congrats with starting off the reno! After hacking, the fun begins! Ahahahahaha! Yeah, its good to take pictures of the work and pop by daily to monitor. After everything's done up you can look back at it and smile. Hope you manage to get the invisible grilles done up for the whole house. They really do help with the aesthetics, especially if you got a nice view. Just note what I mentioned in my PM ok? Look forward to seeing your pics. If you need any further info, just PM me.

Wah .. New wake up with 4D number must buy leh! Just try, if it's your luck you huat lah! I think I shall tompang and buy your number for today's draw also. Hope got more luck than last week. I meant to buy the house numbers of the house project in Melaka when I first went on 18 Sept , but forgot about it... sekali 23 Sept draw came out 5456 top prize leh .... everyone on the project forgot so everyone missed out... sianz!

Hahahahaha, so now you're not the only one lah! I also very puzzled at why there's a shortage of space. I think maybe now I need to take a step back and find a way to re-organise. Luckily Mr Yeak's brother popped by to add some additional shelves. I'm gonna try and see how. Ahahahahahaha, that's what Christine always likes to claim too lah. But I think hor, she still win me lah. She got more clothes than me, and not to mention accessories and shoes. ****, almost 75% of the shoe cabinet is hers! Anyways, we'll be clearing out some clothes. If you guys are throwing or clearing clothes, don't dump lah, pass to me and I'll pass it on to the less fortunate or charity organisations that I help with.

Thanks BD and Rondy. Yup, we went for the hotel look for the MBR Bathroom. The mirror cabinet and vanity top also gave us alot of storage space for toiletries. Yup, that's me in the mirror... not something else! Ahahahahaha! Yes PJ! Loads of stuff indeed! And its like taking forever to like clear! The house still not complete lah. After putting all the items in, I realised we may still need to make another cupboard in the kitchen. Also, haven't bought any furniture for the Living Room yet, so its bare ....