And just to temper that last blog update, lest we forget that it does get very wet in other ways in Singapore. That is a lot of rain by anyone's standards!
Owner and photographer at Noodle Photography in Singapore
Friday, 25 June 2010
Sing or swim
Well, I've done a lot of swimming, in a lot of pools, but, I have never seen anything like this before. Pretty spectacular to say the least. It's definitely going on my lsit of 'to dos' when I get out there!
Marina Bay Sands roof top pool.
49 days left!
We go sub-50 days until we fly to Singapore. Wow, it's really getting close. Our belongings are being shipped in exactly two weeks which is also pretty scary! It's all booked, just a small matter of paying for it now. Must give the relo company a ring with a card number (preferabley someone elses!). Starting to get to the point where we're feeling like it's a bit out of control I think.
Our new tenant popped round yesterday to see if she wants to buy anything from us. No, in short, aprt from our living room mirror. So now we really have to get our skates on to clear out before we leave! She seemed very nice though and the kids got on like a house on fire. Although we seemed apprehensive to her about letting, I get the impression she's seen it all before and was very relaxed which is a relief. Hopefully it will be a trouble free relationship.
Fingers crossed!
Monday, 21 June 2010
Fibre Optics
We hear a lot about how Asia is leading the way when it comes to technology. I'm looking forward to the way things are shaping up for broadband in Singapore. It will quite probably change the way we watch TV, listen to music and watch films. Not to mention actually being able to Skype etc. without the camera connection conking out all the time! Find out more here Open Net in Singapore
At some point in the near future I should be able to access 1Gbps speeds. By 2012 95% of the island (yes an entire country) will have coverage. And it's already ahead of schedule. Impressive stuff. I wonder how that would work in the UK? Well, I don't really because it wouldn't. And won't for the foreseeable I should imagine as the current Government has got other things on their plate without having to worry about that sort of expense. I can see coming back to the UK being frustratingly slow when it comes to get online in the future. Let alone wanting to carry on doing everything I got used to doing in Singapore. However, the exciting bit is actually being in a position to experience that in the first place!
At some point in the near future I should be able to access 1Gbps speeds. By 2012 95% of the island (yes an entire country) will have coverage. And it's already ahead of schedule. Impressive stuff. I wonder how that would work in the UK? Well, I don't really because it wouldn't. And won't for the foreseeable I should imagine as the current Government has got other things on their plate without having to worry about that sort of expense. I can see coming back to the UK being frustratingly slow when it comes to get online in the future. Let alone wanting to carry on doing everything I got used to doing in Singapore. However, the exciting bit is actually being in a position to experience that in the first place!
Tuesday, 15 June 2010
Tenant
So, we have a tenant! Hurray! Found out last Friday with a call from the estate agent. By his demeanour I thought he was going to be giving me some feedback from the viewing earlier in the day. But no. She (single mother of two, 7 and 14 years old respectively), has put down a holding deposit and the house is off the market. She sounds ideal. Wants to move in on 2 August (which is what we wanted). Wants a 12 month contract (fine by us) and has a job in the city (which helps). So, that's that. Well, not quite obviously. We would like her to come back in and cast an objective eye over our furniture (and anything else she wants) and make us an offer on it so we don't have to get it out of the house. Chief furniture offender is the dining room table and chairs. It's lovely, but huge! Getting it in was a logistical struggle (doors off hinges etc.) So we'd really rather keep it in if possible. Just laziness basically!
Meanwhile, more 'stuff' has been floating out of the door whether sold or for free. And there's still a lot left! Anyway, the relocation company is now booked for 8 July and that really is D-Day for anything we want to send out there. By the same token, anything left afterwards is either coming on the plane with us or IT HAS TO GO!! Which reminds me, I must find out if we absolutely have to have relo insurance. As it stands, using the companies own insurance, we'll have to pay around £250. Now, that's a lot of money and we aren't taking anything that's worth that sort of money. So what's the point? Well, obviously it's an easy way for the relo company to make a few bob extra but to be honest I could do without that extra expense. Most of what we'd want insured is not replaceable (i.e. wedding glassware), and we might as well save that insurance money and just buy nice new one's if they're smashed. Hmmmmm.....
And at around the time our effects are shipped, we should find out where we are living. That's the exciting bit. Hoping that as we're the only family being 'shipped' out this year (from the UK anyway), that they'll have no trouble finding us a nice big appartment! They have sent details of the kind of thing we can expect and they look very, very nice. Fingers crossed!
Meanwhile, more 'stuff' has been floating out of the door whether sold or for free. And there's still a lot left! Anyway, the relocation company is now booked for 8 July and that really is D-Day for anything we want to send out there. By the same token, anything left afterwards is either coming on the plane with us or IT HAS TO GO!! Which reminds me, I must find out if we absolutely have to have relo insurance. As it stands, using the companies own insurance, we'll have to pay around £250. Now, that's a lot of money and we aren't taking anything that's worth that sort of money. So what's the point? Well, obviously it's an easy way for the relo company to make a few bob extra but to be honest I could do without that extra expense. Most of what we'd want insured is not replaceable (i.e. wedding glassware), and we might as well save that insurance money and just buy nice new one's if they're smashed. Hmmmmm.....
And at around the time our effects are shipped, we should find out where we are living. That's the exciting bit. Hoping that as we're the only family being 'shipped' out this year (from the UK anyway), that they'll have no trouble finding us a nice big appartment! They have sent details of the kind of thing we can expect and they look very, very nice. Fingers crossed!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)