Is our estate entrance dangerous?

As drivers, you'd have encountered the following by now:

1. Lorry parked at bus lane, blocking your view of incoming traffic as you attempt to drive out of the car park onto Queensway.
2. Cars barrelling down the side road, heading towards Holland Road at F1 speeds, making it hard for you to get onto the Queensway side road.
   
3. You slow down to turn into the car park, but the car behind you doesn't realise you are making a sharp left at Viz instead of Holland Road, and continues to tailgate you. You slow to make a turn and he horns or gesticulates/swears as he drives past.

Have you encountered such problems? Is our entrance dangerous?

Let me know. Do you know that there's no less than 6 signs indicating Holland Road on the left, on the road leading towards Viz? INCLUDING the big one right in front of our estate entrance.

I've been in touch with LTA and as usual they claimed to have 'studied' the road situation around the estate entrance (ie they looked at a map) and said there's no issue. Typical.

Tags: viz @ holland, viz holland, viz@holland, singapore, queensway, holland

Flaky Water Heater Control - Update on the 'Free' Repair

I've been getting a number of comments on the Paloma MC-117 error code and heater problem (as posted here). A number of people were upset that they did not get the free repair that I received.

So I contacted Rheem who handles Paloma heaters in Singapore, asking for an official response. This is what I got back from them:

"With regards to the faulty control board on Paloma heater, we would like to inform you that the warranty for Viz Holland has been expired, 18 months from TOP, which means until 30 September 2009. However, we only started to charge for the labour & transport of $65.00 from 01 Jan 2010 onwards and moreover we do not charge the part (control board - FOC) which has caused displaying an error code of 'Lo 76' ."

So there you have it. There is a labour/transport charge for the technician, but the part is still free. Hope this helps! Contact is still the same as in the original post.

Tags: paloma, rheem, paloma mc-117, paloma error code, viz@holland, viz holland, viz @ holland, singapore, queensway

The Eerie Orange Glow at Night

For those of you with balconies facing Queensway, you'll see the eerie orange glow in the sky sometimes at night.. For those who can see southwards, you'll see this fiery flame bursting out high into the night sky, like something right out of the Bladerunner movie.

It's a chimney 'flaring' up from the Shell refinery at Pulau Bukom!! Can you imagine how high this flare is, if we can see it from here...?

According to the Wild Shores of Singapore blog, Shell has put up some information on this:

During final preparations for start-up, flames will be visible at the top of the petrochemical plant’s chimneys. These are commonly referred to in the industry as “flares” and are a safe and routine part of commissioning a new unit, such as a cracker. The flares are likely to be seen from the last few days of February to early-March.

Simon Lam, Venture Director of SEPC, explains: “Flares at refineries and chemical plants are a normal and vital part of keeping facilities running safely during start-up, unplanned operational interruptions or scheduled maintenance activities. Members of the public need not be concerned as carbon dioxide, water, and occasionally some soot are almost the only substances produced. They are not hazardous. Shell takes flares seriously and aggressively manages them at our sites, aiming for zero routine flaring.”

Yet, the eco-conscious folks of the blog point out the damage that gas flaring can cause to the environment. It's not hard to see why, when you see the amount of smoke surrounding chimney at night, after several hours of flaring!

You can read more about it here (Link to Wild Shores of Singapore, with lots of pics of the flaring from various southern isles).

Wear a mask folks, or close your windows and doors at night!

Tags: pulau bukom, gas flaring, orange glow at night, queensway, viz @ holland, viz holland, viz@holland

Urgent: Loopy Veggie-Luvin' Golden Years Dog Looking for Kind Folks and a Garden!

This is off-topic but I just have to give it a shot here as well:

My wife's family has a 9 yr old mixed breed (ie mongrel) dog that they adopted when young (was a stray). They have had to move from a house with garden to a much smaller apartment which will not allow for a large dog. As a result they have decided to call the SPCA which as you know, may put him down.

This dog was involved in a road accident when he was a puppy, when he ran across a crowded road and got hit by a car which promptly ran off. The family nursed him back to health, and aside from a slightly-loopy ear, he's now as contented as a slightly-loopy-eared-dog can be.

He can be quite timid, but is a gentle, mid-sized dog. He doesn't bite and he is generally sociable (except for vets, which he can spot a mile away). Because of his age, he's not as active as before, although he's still quite a well, heavy-set, dog. He's a vegetarian too :) His size excludes him from HDB living though. :(

If any of you are dog lovers and think you have a home for the dog, preferably with a garden for him to bask in the occassional sun, and enjoy his golden years, please contact me at [vizardholland at gmail dot com].

Any help is appreciated.. !

(I should add that he has sharp hearing and makes for a good early warning intrusion system!)

Pseudo Guard Dog-ish Post

Smiling for the Camera

Stretch!

Please Adopt Me!!!

Tags: dog for adoption, rehoming dog, Singapore dog, dog adoption, dog help, rehome dog

Viz Holland Floor Plans

I've been meaning to put this up for a while now, but just never had the time to do so. I still don't, but managed to scan the original floor plans (as released by Sim Lian Group). However, it's not nicely cropped so apologies for that.

Here are the various floorplans for Viz Holland/Viz at Holland/Viz@Holland yadda yadda. Note I don't have the Penthouse floor plans (not included in the original brochure.. obviously we not posh enuf).

1. Unit Distribution Plan (Overview)



2. Type A1 (46 sqm/495 sqf) and Type B1 (76 sqm/ 818 sqf)



3. Type B1a (96 sqm/1033 sqf)



4. Type B2 (80 sqm/861 sqf)



5. Type B2a (106 sqm/1141 sqf)



6. Type B2b (105 sqm/1130 sqf)



7. Type B3 (103 sqm/1109 sqf)



8. Type B3a (156 sqm/1679 sqf)



9. Type B4 (88 sqm/947 sqf)



10. Type B5a (114 sqm/1127 sqf)



11. Type C1 (117 sqm/1259 sqf)



12. Type C1a (179 sqm/1927 sqf)

The 'a' types are those with private enclosed spaces (PES) ie on the ground floor. I didn't scan in the building specifications as these are likely to be redundant when new owners redo up their flats etc.

Oh, and apologies for the visibly disturbing stain on the scans. It's coffee, I assure you :) Hope some people will find this useful!!

Tags: Viz Holland Floor Plans, Floor Plans, viz@holland, viz holland, viz @ holland, singapore, queensway, condo, property

Goodbye to Parts of Margaret Drive

I blogged about this little locale nearby called Margaret Drive, back in October 2009 (blogpost here). It looks like parts of it, especially Blk 6C (where the skateboard shop is) to the food court with the really nice chicken rice, you tiao, poh piah, etc, will be demolished in July this year.

Let's just hope the eager government doesn't decide to send the wrecking ball to the historical Queenstown library. What community history do we have left, when all these are gone and all that's left is a plaque on some new shiny building?

To remember this place, here's some photos from Flickr shutterbugs of Margaret Drive. I only do this because their shots are so much nicer than mine :) Click on the links to see their photos.

Blk 6C by Royale wif Cheese
Margaret Drive and Queensway by ah__ling
Photodocumentary of Blk 6C by hidesphotography
Margaret Drive by hsalnat
Margaret Drive Food Centre by eve+line and others
Margaret Drive & Queenstown Library by davidktw
Margaret Drive by xtemujin (Check out the lion statues)


For some, it's hard to say goodbye
05:55 AM Dec 04, 2009
Today Online (source)
by Esther Ng

SINGAPORE - They have seven more months to live in their flats, and even though they have secured swish new abodes in Dawson Estate, the residents of Margaret Drive would rather stay put.

"I've lived here for 40 years. I'd rather not move if I could," said Madam Tan Kah Tian, 73.

"The new place is as cramped as a dog kennel," piped in her friend, 76-year-old Madam Liao.

It is a common refrain among residents.

Blocks 6C, 39A and the 40-year-old food centre at Margaret Drive will go under the wrecker's ball in July next year - all part of plans to rejuvenate Dawson Estate.

Block 6C looks like a slum, with windows and doors of shops boarded up, save for six businesses among them, including a provision shop, a plastic-bag wholesaler and a skateboard shop.

Located just opposite the Fishermen of Christ Fellowship and Church of Our Saviour - where the cinemas Golden City and Venus used to be - the 16-storey block with a row of shops on the ground floor was a hive of activity in the 1970s.

"Even without looking at my clock, I could tell when it was 6pm or 7pm just by the noise from cars exiting the cinema and traffic trying to get in," said retired primary school teacher Chua Khong Leng.

According to Mr Chua, 73, the "piecemeal" closure of the estate's amenities has hastened its demise.

"The closure of the wet market inconvenienced the residents. Then a few years later, Ta Chong emporium was torn down and along with it went the banks, post office and Crown Restaurant."

Those were the days

Back in the '70s, Margaret Drive was a bustling town centre. There was a food centre, a community library, Mont D'or cake shop, the cinemas, a bowling alley, as well as the emporium and restaurant that Mr Chong mentioned.

Some residents remember the squeals of children playing catch or hide-and-seek, or piggy-backing the stone horses.

Now, the only sign of activity is youth practising their moves in the afternoons at the open space in front of Mr Eddie Goh's skateboard shop, Go Sports, or students from Queenstown Secondary School patronising the roadside ice-cream vendor or Mr Alaudeen Mohammed Yasin's provision shop.

"When I set up shop in 1990, we got funny stares from the other shopkeepers, but they saw the kids weren't doing any wrong and left us alone," said Mr Goh. "Some of the old residents liked having them around as they looked out for the old folks and added life to the estate."

By the 1990s, Margaret Drive was an ageing town as many of its young had grown up, got married and moved to bigger flats in newer housing estates.

The 56-year-old Mr Goh admits that he will miss the cheap rents of $1,200 per unit - he has three units - but will operate his business from a shophouse he bought in Holland Close.

Mr C K Chua, 54, who has lived in his three-room flat since 1969, was at a loss for words trying to explain his reluctance to move out of the neighbourhood. He said wistfully: "It's quiet and the people are friendly. Besides, can you get unobstructed views like this when the morning sun greets you as you open your front door?"

From Mr Chua's 10th floor unit, condominiums along River Valley glisten in the distance. Those were not there 30 years ago, nor the new Queenstown flats, he said.

His father, Mr Chua senior, 91 and formerly from the Royal Army Medical Corps, pointed out a rectangle slot at the bottom of the flat's door that the postman used to drop mail through.

Over at the food centre, stallholder Mr Lee, 65, who sells butterfly pancakes and sesame balls, said he has been working at his stall for 40 years.

"I'll still carry on working even after I move out," he said.

While most are nostalgic about the neighbourhood, resident K K Chong, 36, is among the few who are upbeat about the estate's rejuvenation.

"My parents bought this flat when we heard it was slated for HDB's Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme, and now we're moving into a four-room flat in Dawson."

Tags: Margaret Drive, viz holland, viz @ holland, singapore, queensway, viz@holland, Dawson Estate, Urban Redevelopment

DEAFENING Construction Noises

For those of you staying at Viz, the construction noise is just starting to drive people potty, I'm sure. For those of you staying at Holland Peak or Olina Lodge, it must be worse for you, given that Holland Crest construction has just started and is compounded by Parvis's construction as well. I shudder to think how bad Holland Hill road is with all the massive trucks moving and and down the hill.



There are regulations on noise pollution in Singapore, and judging by the rapid speed at which Holland Crest is being torn down, it looks like the developers are now desperate to build up the new condo. And possibly ignoring construction noise regulations.

So here's the number to contact the National Environment Agency if you want to complain about the noise pollution from the Holland Crest construction:

1800-CALL-NEA or 1800-2255 632

More information can be found here (NEA Website).

Tags: viz@holland, viz holland, viz @ holland, queensway, condo, Holland Crest, construction noise

Update on Viz Holland Murder - 9 Jan 2010

Starting the New Year with such news does not reflect, in any way, my mordid inclinations :)

Here's the latest news on the murder case, dated 9 Jan 2010. Note that the judgment was made on "circumstantial evidence".



Bangladeshi to hang for killing lover
09 Jan 2010
Source: The Straits Times

A construction worker has been sentenced to hang for the murder of his Indonesian lover.

Kamrul Hasan Abdul Quddus, 35, a Bangladeshi, looked shocked on hearing the guilty verdict yesterday, which came almost a year after his 20-day trial in February and March last year.

In his written judgment, High Court judge Kan Ting Chiu noted that the case against Kamrul rested on circumstantial evidence.

But the circumstantial evidence was strong and was corroborated by Kamrul’s lies to the police and the inference drawn from his choice to remain silent when he was called on to give his defence, said Justice Kan.
“All this leads inevitably and inexorably to the conclusion that the accused had strangled the deceased,” said the judge.

On Dec 16, 2007, the naked body of Kamrul’s on-off girlfriend, Ms Yulia Afriyanti, 25, who worked here as a maid, was found in a cardboard box in a unit of an condominium under construction in Queensway. Kamrul was working at the construction site at the time.

Three days later, Kamrul was arrested. Ms Yulia’s mobile phone, watch and jewellery were found in his locker. Her torn work permit was found in his trousers pocket.

DNA tests indicated he had sex with her before her death; his fingerprints were found at the scene; and a piece of chewing gum found in the unit also had his DNA on it.

In police statements, Kamrul said Ms Yulia had phoned him at 4.30am, telling him to meet her at the site, but records showed that no such call was made from Ms Yulia’s phone.

He said that while searching for her, he found a box and a body was inside. He said he believed it was Ms Yulia but could not be sure, so he closed the box and left. He said he did not report the grisly find as he was afraid. During the trial, he chose not to testify.

While Kamrul did not provide answers, Justice Kan said a possible motive for the killing was to cover up his lie to Ms Yulia that his mother was coming to Singapore to discuss their wedding plans.

During the trial, it emerged that Ms Yulia got to know Kamrul at a party here in 2005 and they became lovers.
They planned to marry in October 2007 but she broke up with him after finding out he was married with two children.

Ms Yulia then began seeing a Filipino construction worker, but later resumed her relationship with Kamrul and renewed plans to marry him.

Source: The New Paper

During his murder trial last year, construction worker Kamrul Hasan Abdul Quddus, 35, chose to keep silent and not testify in his own defence.

But the evidence and other testimony pointed to one conclusion – he was guilty of killing his girlfriend, Miss Yulia Afriyanti, 25, on 16 Dec 2007. (Seereport below.)

Yesterday, Justice Kan Ting Chiu convicted him of Miss Yulia’s murder and sentenced him to death.

In his judgment, he said that he based his decision on the evidence provided, Kamrul Hasan’s lies in his police statements and his decision to keep silent.

He referred to evidence on how Kamrul Hasan did not tell police about Miss Yulia’s body and the box it was in until his arrest despite having been present when her body was found earlier.

Justice Kan said this evidence, though circumstantial, led to the inference that he had killed Miss Yulia.
Other damning evidence included the fact that her belongings, including her work permit, were found in his locker or in his possession.

Justice Kan then pointed out several lies that he had made in his police statements. Among them:
He said he and Miss Yulia had never considered getting married, but evidence from Miss Yulia’s friends and family showed otherwise;
When the police found a watch in his locker, he told them that he had bought it for his wife. Witnesses said the watch belonged to Miss Yulia;
He said he took Miss Yulia’s handphone with him when they separated after meeting on the night of 15Dec 2007.
But records showed that calls were made between their phones between 10.50pm and 2.10am the next day. That showed both handphones could not have been with him;
He said Miss Yulia called him at about 4.30am on 16 Dec 2007, but there was no record of such a call.

Justice Kan said the lies he referred to were refuted by clear evidence and were related to important points in the investigation like Kamrul Hasan’s relationship with Miss Yulia and his whereabouts on 15 and 16 Dec 2007.

He added that Kamrul Hasan lied to the police because he knew he would be linked to Miss Yulia’s death if he had told the truth.

Justice Kan said it could be inferred that Kamrul Hasan had planned to meet Miss Yulia on the night of 15 Dec 2007 on the pretext that they were going to the airport to meet his mother and brother.

He wrote: “Instead of going to the airport, however, the accused strangled and had sex with the deceased (in either order), removed and kept her watch, bracelet, chain and pendant, and ring and tore and kept her work permit.

“He then placed her naked body into the box and left the scene.”

Justice Kan said it could be inferred that Kamrul Hasan decided not to give his own evidence as he could not satisfactorily explain what he had said in his police statements, including thelies.

Kamrul Hasan’s lawyers, Mr Ang Sin Teck and Mr Rajan Supramaniam, said their client will appeal against the conviction and sentence.

When The New Paper told Madam Yulismawati, Miss Yulia’s mother, of the judgment, she said that she was hearing the news for the first time.

She said in Bahasa Indonesia: “I am glad that justice is done. But it will not bring Yulia back.”

Tags: viz@holland, viz holland, viz @ holland, singapore, queensway, condo, viz holland murder, murder