Didn't you always want...

A place by the sea?

Yes! Of course I do!

And now I have one!

Yes, the important news for this week is that I have a new flat!
I think what is called something like a 2+1+1 here in Singapore; meaning two bedrooms, 1 other room, and one hall. Also they are both what is called here 'common rooms' as in neither is a master bedroom. The 'other' room is a new addition (the HDB - Housing Development Board - is upgrading the estate) called a utility room, it does have a tiled floor, but no water points so it is not a laundry (so why tile the floor?), it is about half the size of one of the bedrooms. And the last 'room' is the entrance hall, which is wide and makes a small living room. There is a real kitchen, not just a small gas cooker (one ring, like a camping cooker) on a small cupboard in the corridor as there is where I am now. No, this one has a two ring gas cooker run from a gas bottle - so, a larger camping style cooker! That seems to be the way kitchens are here, and given that most families are cramped in small apartment and food halls are so cheap is it any wonder that everyone eats out? And that food halls are so busy all day long. No, this kitchen has a raised and tiled platform to fit a clothes washer and room for a large fridge and enough room in that same corner for a separate freezer if you choose, but more likely I will go for a pantry cupboard. And separate toilet and shower. There are metal security doors and windows, aircon in the two bedrooms, and wired for cable with two or three points.

Yes, it is an HDB, that is to say that it is in an estate that is several buildings constructed by the government to provide subsidised housing (that 85% of the population of Singapore live in). The estate is being upgraded, so the apartment has been renovated and is clean and 'dentless', the shops are being renovated, the playground is being rebuilt, gardens and lawns are being replaced.

The ground floor (first floor here, they speak American when it comes to architecture) is all shops and the second floor (which would be the 'first floor' in English or European) are apartments that are linked to the shops. The apartment has the same footprint as the shop below and there is a stairway inside linking the two. The one in this flat is locked. However, the other shops owners don't live in their linked apartments, they use them as storerooms for their shops; which means that I have no neighbours! So no possibility of noisy neighbours - which are my worst nightmare come true here, and also no worries for me about having my TV on late at night since I have no neighbours to bother.

There is a food court below, and although it was full of people when I was checking the apartment and we had the front door wide open, still I could hear nothing. So, very quiet.

Also it gets the sea breeze; as soon as you get one or two km inland here the night air does not really cool down much - I have found in my current apartment that there is no benefit in leaving the windows open at night, it is still hot outside. And I am on the top floor. But there the evening air was quite pleasant! So I will be able to open the windows at night and not live in a permanently air conditioned environment.

And it is only five minutes walk to the beach!!!

How cool is that?

There are two other 'blocks' (apartment buildings) to walk under, crossing a small local road in the process, then there is a motorway but there is a pedestrian underpass without having to go sideways any distance, then on the other side is East Coast Park! About in the middle of the park's length.

So; two bedrooms there to the one here, and they are significantly larger, one living room there that is twice the size of the one here, a kitchen that is maybe six times the space here that is labeled 'kitchen', and another small room. It has to be at least twice the size of this apartment. This one is dirty and noisy and old, that one is clean and quiet and new. This one costs me $2,300, but I think would be $1,500 if I took it on a long term contract. That one costs me $1,800.

The lease there starts on the 5th of January, the lease here finishes on the 9th of January 2009. So I have a few days to move (one suitcase and one box of stuff acquired) and arrange a fridge and maybe a clothes washer - my agent argued they supply one, but it will probably be second hand and only for the first six months, so I will want to buy a clean new one anyhow. My agent (a friend of a friend that has only just qualified - this was her first deal!) was also going to argue for a fridge, but I said not to as I wouldn't like what they got and that I would rather buy one that suited me.

I might get a clothes drier in time as well. People use these bamboo poles, like you see on Japanese anime, and poke them out their windows, and there are holders both inside (on the kitchen ceiling) and outside the kitchen window for these. I will also probably put insect screening on the inside of the security doors and windows, even though it is by salt water and there are probably few mosquitoes. I would like to put built-in robes in the bedrooms (where there are alcoves for such) rather than put clothes cupboards there, but we shall see.

I got a diplomatic clause written into the contract; which is to say that I can break it in six months if I haven't settled down into regular enough contracting by then, with a one month break charge. I have already arranged maid service; the agent / friend's auntie is retiring and would like some cash income, so she will come in once or twice a week for two and a half hours or so to clean and iron. We shall see how much time is needed. The flat is half the size of the last house I had in Australia and my cleaner there (my ex) came in for two hours twice a week. That cost $15 an hour or $250 a month, here we have agreed on $120 a month; but that will probably translate into $30 cash left out for her each week. $250 to $350 a month here gets a live-in maid (depending on her English ability, but plus the $5k a year government tax for employing a live-in maid, so really it is about $750 a month).

I wasn't expecting to get a flat until I came back in January. I wasn't really looking until then, although I had done a couple of web searches I hadn't made any calls. But I had talked to Ivy about it and she asked me a few questions before deciding that I wanted something along East Coast Park area. She only took a couple of days then before she started sending me a txts on new apartments, then sent this one saying I had to see it that night. She had good reason for wanting to be the first to see it, it gave us the opportunity to make offers and close the deal before anyone else got to view the property.

I am so buzzed!

A newly renovated, clean, spacious and airy in comparison to this one, well appointed, good sized, conveniently micro located, wonderfully macro located, reasonably priced apartment!

I think that I am going to love this so much.