Living the Viz: February 2011

Saturday, February 19, 2011

How many visiting cars can fit into one lot?

(Can anyone spot the grammatical error here?)

Friday, February 18, 2011

Strange Lights

Spotted on 15 Feb 2010 night.. Thought it was an invasion. Turned out to be Marina Bay Sands' celebrations. So I wasn't that far off.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Checklist for the Recently Interned (New rentals, that's you!)

Just realised, speaking to someone just planning to move in here, that a list of possible wear and tear items might be useful when you do a checklist of the existing 'damages' to the unit, stuff that you shouldn't be accountable for, and you should note to the landlord etc. I've been here since the TOP of the estate and believe that I have endeavoured to keep the place as clean/tidy/nice as possible. Aside from a cleaning lady that comes in weekly that we call the Force of Nature (destroying things in its path and all that), damages to existing structures/fixtures etc are down to just good ol' wear and tear, poor quality, poor workmanship etc.

I'm only referring to those parts of the unit that came with it when the estate was TOP'd, not the other bits that were added by various owners.

So what I can think of right now are:

Hairline cracks in the tiles of the bathroom, particularly the master bathroom. I noticed these cracks over the years, and it's not because I've been banging the tiles in my frustration while showering. They just appear. Not your fault, unless you tend to bang tiles in frustration while showering.
Loose tap levers. Two of them have gotten so loose that they come right off. Trying to get replacements for them now.
Stains and scratches on the white kitchen top. That's a pain in the @$$ cos the top is one whole unit. No amount of bleach can remove some of the really stubborn stains too. Poor quality top, is all I can say!
Rust on the stainless steel drying rack in the kitchen. Can be removed with a lot of elbow grease and a metal polisher.
Take note of the faulty water heater issue. Might creep up on you if your unit hasn't had the motherboard replaced yet.
Tears in the rubber seal of the bomb shelter. Happens due to weather I guess. The rubber becomes fragmented.
Minor 'cracks' in the parquet floor.
Take note too, of the spa in the master bathroom. There's a square tile that is actually loose, and has to be in order for any repairer to access the internal parts of the spa. That tile is getting quite loose in my unit now, and if it slides out and breaks.. gonna be really hard to find a replacement. So tape it together, use blutac, do what you need to do to keep it secure!

That's what I can think of for now. Feel free to add, if any of you can think of others!

My Battle Royale with LTA.. Okay, more like hitting a stubborn stone wall with a salmon.

Ok, as a driver, I get bugged about the lack of signage to the estate, the problem of the buses blocking drivers' views when they need to get out of the estate, other cars tailgating you when you try to get into the entrance etc. So I wrote to LTA asking them to look into the matter, and offering some suggestions. I pointed out that on Queensway heading towards Farrer Road, there's like a gazillion signs indicating that Holland Road is to the left, including one right outside our estate. I argued that we need one saying Viz Holland/Viz@Holland/Viz at Holland about 200m before the entrance so that drivers know where and when to slow down/turn.

This is their first official response (dated 13 Aug 2010):

REQUEST TO PUT UP PERMANENT SIGNAGE WARNING OF ENTRANCE TO VIZ HOLLAND ESTATE
FEEDBACK NUMBER: 20100720-0782

We refer to your email of 20 July 2010.

We would like to inform you that there are existing information signs to inform motorists leading to the condominiums along this stretch of Queensway. Nevertheless, we will do a site check and monitor if additional signs is necessary and we will implement it accordingly.

The "Holland Road" sign is a directional sign to inform motorists of the general direction towards Holland Road. Thus, we have no intention to remove or change the sign at this moment. The bus stop outside Viz Holland along Queensway serves seven bus services and is provided with a bay for safe bus operation. To share with you, we have explored the location and due to site constraint, there is no site after Viz Holland to accommodate a bus bay. Thus, we recommend to retain the existing bus stop as it serves the cluster of residents from the nearby condominiums.

With regard to your request for Viz Holland entrance sign, our colleague from the Traffic Management, Dr Lau, will reply you directly once details are gathered.

We thank you for writing in.

Yours sincerely

(SIGNED IN LOTUS NOTES)
Rebecca Tan (Ms)
Executive
Project Communications & Feedback

This was followed by another email (dated 26 Aug 2010);

Request to put up Permanent Signage warning of Entrance to Viz Holland estate
FEEDBACK NUMBER: 20100720-0782

Please refer to your email of 20 July 2010.

We have studied and find that the existing signs along Queensway towards Holland Road useful in guiding motorists and keeping in the right lane and conform to LTA's requirement of directional/ information signs before an intersection. The information sign "Condominiums/Side roads, KEEP LEFT" advise motorist to keep left and not to proceed into the tunnel to reach the number of condominiums around this vicinity.

Signs to individual premises (i.e. facility signs) are normally restricted to location open to location open to public access. Condominiums are not regarded as being in this category. This criterion is set to manage our streetscape without cluttering it with too many signs.

The entrance/exit of Viz Holland is visible to the motorists, however to make it more prominent, an identity sign could be install within the development boundary.

Thank you
Yours sincerely

(SIGNED IN LOTUS NOTES)
TAY CHENG TIONG EMMANUEL
FOR DEPUTY DIRECTOR
TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

In other words: "We've 'studied', you're wrong, status quo, thank you."
So, drivers of Viz, do you agree with their 'study' of our estate?

MyQueenstown Blog

We live in between worlds - Holland Road with its swanky associations, and Queenstown with its working class and historical roots. Some go left, others go right. For those who head towards Queenstown to buy their groceries, eat, shop, walk around, there's a blog set up by Queenstowners that may be of interest to you. Especially those who love Margaret Drive.

The blog address is: http://myqueenstown.blogspot.com/

You might like to know that the old NTUC at Margaret Drive will be closed soon, and the next nearest NTUC will be the one at Dawson Place. The hawker centre there's going to be gone too, I think demolition of the HDBs there - one of the oldest in SG - and the centre should begin in June this year. Go check it out before it's all gone.

Contacts for Unit Maintenance (ie Who to call when something breaks/self-destructs/rots)

Recently, the management sent out a letter detailing the list of contractors that were involved in supplying the fixtures/fittings in our estate. All these have expired on 31 Mar 2009 and so if any of us need to buy replacement parts etc, we need to get in touch with these guys.

So here's the list, for those (like me) prone to losing pieces of papers like this letter. It's actually more for me because I *know* I'll lose this letter!

The list is in Company - Contact - Items order.

Rheem - 68722043 - Electrical Water Heater
Paloma - 68722043 - Gas Water Heater
Brandit Asia - 65084639 - de Dietrich Microwave Oven
BSH Home Appliance - 67515000/67515003 - Bosch Electrical & Gas Cooker Hood & Hob
Soverign Spas Intl - 65672707 - Long Bath Jacuzzi @ Master Bath
Ideal bathroom - 62555303 - Master & Common Baths - Toilet hardware & Cloth Hanger, Sinks
Nan Wah Marketing - 65461311 - Yard Toilet WC Fitting & Toilet Soap Dispenser, Sinks
Marble Flooring (Mr Ah Long) - 90040986 - Marble Flooring
Merdeka Construction - 64818328 - Kitchen Glass & Balcony Sliding Doors, Windows
Pocket Door System - 62584111 - Kitchen Glass & Balcony Sliding Doors
Enlighten (Mr Kwang) - 67444715/98520716 - Wardrobe, Kitchen & Vanity Cabinets
Lee Khiok Tuan Parquet (Mr Lee ) - 67440772/97108211 - Parquet Flooring
Crystal Teak Enterprise (Mr Lim) - 64662522/90094679 - Parquet Flooring
CSH Global Distribution - 62695018 - Doors - Main, Rooms & Service Balcony
Yong Tai Loong - 62880355 - Rubbish Chute Cover, Door Knobs, Shelter Door
Nam Huat Tiling & Panelling Co - 68612628 - Homogeneous/Ceramic Tiles, Bathtubs Marble/Granite
TS Archi - 62657256 - Bathtub Glass Panel
Luxx (Ms Janet Koh) - 90257437 - Cabinet Countertop

I've found the list useful recently - My Newstyle Kitchen Faucet lever was always dropping off. Ideal Bathroom is now searching for the replacement levers for me!