Finally! I've settled into this new place that is almost double my previous. I was initally worried about the moving and how rachel will feel "losing" her mandarin garden swimming pools and the various playgrounds.
Thankfully, after a week or so, she had settled well and has learnt to accept the 7 eleven convenience store as part of the new house deal. Several slurpees later, she now enjoys playing the computer games and JumpStart learning cd roms in the air conditioned studio as well as watching her collection of vcds, dvds in the massive living cum dining quarters.
Rachel still prefers to sleep wedge between us despite having her own bed. Since we are both not fat, the king bed can accomodate us all 3 different body types and I should say that we are well rested.
Today we walked 10 mins to Mandarin Gardens with our violins for our lessons at Block 7. Its funny, I do not feel weird at all not staying in MG anymore after a 5 year stay. Perhaps at Neptune court we are only an estate away, the beach, the Siglap eateries, Parkway Parade, the Airport are all the same. Sitting on one of the benches near block 7, yan and I was able to listen to ipod and read the gossipy New paper while rachel had her lesson with Amy first.
I'm happy with Rachel's progess! She can play the first phrase of twinkle twinkle little star and a all open string song called Beguine which is her current favourite. It goes like this "GGGGDDDDAAAAEEEEAAAADDDDGGGGGDAE." Amy told me today that when she accidentally bow two strings at once, she remarked that the E string has a A sound. So funny. Erm, I take it as a compliment that my young girl of 3 has musical sensitivity and awareness. Some kids are quite blur about such things, according to her teacher.
We love our family's cool hangout, the studio, where yan teaches the piano and where I monitor the market and rachel e-learns on the computer. This is also the place where we play our violins and ocassionally piano together with so much family fun.
Indeed even as i update this blog, I can't wait to practise what i learnt today especially so with the new Kun shoulder rest that was bought this morning at lesson time to replace the current, made in china, free accessory that is worn out.
Wednesday, 10 September 2008
Tuesday, 22 July 2008
What a $ Mess!!!
This is perhaps my most angry blog! No, there will not be any vuglarities as I am not the type to shout the F or S word unlike one of my sis in law. (clue: not local)
What happened is this: Our current landlord had hiked the rental by double what we had been paying for a small studio apartment with panaromic seaview. She had bought this unit, our matrimonal home in 2006 with tenancy and had to of course honour the tenancy agreement. However, as the lease nears expiration, it became evident that we need to move out of our beloved home. For $3000, it no longer seemed wise to rent this small apartment when there was only a bedroom for the 3 of us. Besides, yan had begin to teach mainly from home and having an aircon room as a piano studio will definitely be better for the teacher, the students and the family.
When told that we will not renew our lease based on the new terms, the landlord was pleased to "offer" this: that she would prorate the rent should we move out earlier a week or two since our lease will expire on 8 sept 2008 and they needed time to refurnish this "vacant" apartment to get it ready for the next tenant. Its sounded like a ok deal, as we had began house hunting and its really not easy to get a unit that we like, that is both functionable and affordable since rental rates in D15 are really on the high side.
With the piano studio as our main criteria, we finally found a suitable unit in the neighbouring estate and managed to start the tenancy a month later, thinking that we could move out earlier. Moving out earlier would mean that the current landlord could get much better rates too in the current market situation, yes at least double.
To my horror, when spoken to yesterday.The landlady seemed to "forgot" what she had said or offered. She was not at all agreeable to us moving out earlier and insisted we stay till the end of the lease as it was "unfair" to her. She kept mentioning that she need our rental to make loan payments taken against the property. What was to be a amiable solution turned into a angry emotional conversation. I was really upset. Perhaps more with myself that I should be so trusting. That without the preferred legal black and white, I took the "bait" and now out new place is 24 days early and paying rent on both sides will set us back by some $3200. I just could not believe that she would go back on her own words and then deny and then tried to re-explain everything to " what she think she had meant out of kindness was"...etc etc.
We tried to delay the start date for the new place without any avail. Still, to lose $3200 like that is crazy. It was something I should have been more careful about. Afterall, she was no friend or relative but a landLORD who needs to $$$$. My dad and eve had always advise that one should never trust others easily. Perhaps I grew up in the church environment where everyone is kind of reliable and help was readily available.
A sincere naive moment and now this......................MESS! SIGH!
Even blogging about it makes me fume still.
While this issue is beyond me and my family, I am thankful that I have a God who cannot fail who does not go back on his words. My family is depending on the almighty Father God to get us out of this mess and to minimise the potential financial damage. Even so, God can restore to us the years the locusts had eaten. He will definitely bless us back many more fold.
What happened is this: Our current landlord had hiked the rental by double what we had been paying for a small studio apartment with panaromic seaview. She had bought this unit, our matrimonal home in 2006 with tenancy and had to of course honour the tenancy agreement. However, as the lease nears expiration, it became evident that we need to move out of our beloved home. For $3000, it no longer seemed wise to rent this small apartment when there was only a bedroom for the 3 of us. Besides, yan had begin to teach mainly from home and having an aircon room as a piano studio will definitely be better for the teacher, the students and the family.
When told that we will not renew our lease based on the new terms, the landlord was pleased to "offer" this: that she would prorate the rent should we move out earlier a week or two since our lease will expire on 8 sept 2008 and they needed time to refurnish this "vacant" apartment to get it ready for the next tenant. Its sounded like a ok deal, as we had began house hunting and its really not easy to get a unit that we like, that is both functionable and affordable since rental rates in D15 are really on the high side.
With the piano studio as our main criteria, we finally found a suitable unit in the neighbouring estate and managed to start the tenancy a month later, thinking that we could move out earlier. Moving out earlier would mean that the current landlord could get much better rates too in the current market situation, yes at least double.
To my horror, when spoken to yesterday.The landlady seemed to "forgot" what she had said or offered. She was not at all agreeable to us moving out earlier and insisted we stay till the end of the lease as it was "unfair" to her. She kept mentioning that she need our rental to make loan payments taken against the property. What was to be a amiable solution turned into a angry emotional conversation. I was really upset. Perhaps more with myself that I should be so trusting. That without the preferred legal black and white, I took the "bait" and now out new place is 24 days early and paying rent on both sides will set us back by some $3200. I just could not believe that she would go back on her own words and then deny and then tried to re-explain everything to " what she think she had meant out of kindness was"...etc etc.
We tried to delay the start date for the new place without any avail. Still, to lose $3200 like that is crazy. It was something I should have been more careful about. Afterall, she was no friend or relative but a landLORD who needs to $$$$. My dad and eve had always advise that one should never trust others easily. Perhaps I grew up in the church environment where everyone is kind of reliable and help was readily available.
A sincere naive moment and now this......................MESS! SIGH!
Even blogging about it makes me fume still.
While this issue is beyond me and my family, I am thankful that I have a God who cannot fail who does not go back on his words. My family is depending on the almighty Father God to get us out of this mess and to minimise the potential financial damage. Even so, God can restore to us the years the locusts had eaten. He will definitely bless us back many more fold.
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