This seems to be getting bigger each day!
Here's a snippet of recent article from Jakarta Post:
"The New Straits Times (NST), also quoting sources, reported that the foreigners were working hand in glove with officials of state-owned property developer Iskandar Investment (IIB) for hefty kickbacks for projects secured.
This week, two people were charged in relation to the scandal. One was Mohd Amin Suhaimi, 52, the husband of ex-IIB chief executive Arlida Ariff. He was charged with three counts of soliciting and accepting bribes amounting to RM1.6 million (US$504,000) to help a company secure a school construction tender last year.
The other was former senior IIB vice-president Rostam Razali, 51, who is accused of disclosing information on the estimated tender price of a road project three years ago.
The allegations of graft first came to light at the end of last year, when an internal audit turned up irregularities."
Read here for the entire article.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Rude treatment for journalists during media tour in Nusajaya
A group of fellow journalists were treated not so politely during a recent media tour to theme park organised by a government-linked company (GLC) under Iskandar Malaysia.
Read more: Staff lack basic courtesy - Johor - New Straits Times
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
JibJab 2011 Year Review
We received a JibJab Christmas Card from family and found this platform to be fun and amusing, so I'd like to share this with everyone.
JibJab allows us to insert photographs of people's faces into some animated videos and then emailing it as e-cards.
For a bit of a laugh, here's a JibJab video for 2011 recap:
JibJab allows us to insert photographs of people's faces into some animated videos and then emailing it as e-cards.
For a bit of a laugh, here's a JibJab video for 2011 recap:
Legoland begins sale of pre-opening annual passes
Legoland Malaysia began the sale of its pre-opening annual passes last Friday at a discounted price in conjunction with the holiday season, via AirAsia RedTix for a limited period.
Read more about this article.
Read more about this article.
Johor Premium Outlets
A couple of weekends ago we went to check out the Johor Premium Outlets. This place has been aggressively marketed to Singaporeans and has been all over radio, so we're curious to check it out.
The area is nicely laid out and you can find quite a number of popular fashion brands. However, the prices seem to be still quite steep and I did not find it much cheaper than anywhere else, so I was quite disappointed. We did not buy anything, except for Coffee Bean drinks and lunch at George & Dragon Café :).
Based on news report, the area will be expanded from 70 stores to 130 stores in the near future. "Genting Simon Group also plans to build a waterpark, a meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition convention centre and a 2,000 room hotel in the area." as quoted in TheStar.
It is all fine, good and exciting to hear this, but I would hope that Malaysia immigration would step up their services and resources to deal with the increasing flow of tourists from Singapore. Our friends were stuck for 3-4 hours on 2nd link causeway on Saturday noon. It is useless to have MAC pass because all lanes were equally jammed. I hope MY government will take this into account and put some serious actions into expanding the checkpoints.
Restaurants & food court in the compound:
Driving direction from Singapore:
Singapore → Tuas → Lebuhraya Hubungan Kedua Malaysia Singapore → Exit 304 → Exit 302A → Johor Premium Outlets
List of shops can be found here and the outlets are opened from 10 am to 10 pm everyday.
Enjoy & Merry Christmas~
The area is nicely laid out and you can find quite a number of popular fashion brands. However, the prices seem to be still quite steep and I did not find it much cheaper than anywhere else, so I was quite disappointed. We did not buy anything, except for Coffee Bean drinks and lunch at George & Dragon Café :).
Based on news report, the area will be expanded from 70 stores to 130 stores in the near future. "Genting Simon Group also plans to build a waterpark, a meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition convention centre and a 2,000 room hotel in the area." as quoted in TheStar.
It is all fine, good and exciting to hear this, but I would hope that Malaysia immigration would step up their services and resources to deal with the increasing flow of tourists from Singapore. Our friends were stuck for 3-4 hours on 2nd link causeway on Saturday noon. It is useless to have MAC pass because all lanes were equally jammed. I hope MY government will take this into account and put some serious actions into expanding the checkpoints.
 |  |
 |  |
Restaurants & food court in the compound:
 |  |
Driving direction from Singapore:
Singapore → Tuas → Lebuhraya Hubungan Kedua Malaysia Singapore → Exit 304 → Exit 302A → Johor Premium Outlets
List of shops can be found here and the outlets are opened from 10 am to 10 pm everyday.
Enjoy & Merry Christmas~
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Legoland urged to lower entry rates
The entrance fees for Asia's first ever Legoland theme park in Nusajaya are too high for locals, said Malaysian Tourists Guides Council president Jimmy Leong.
Based on Legoland Malaysia's site, the price of 1-day ticket for adult is RM140 while ticket for child is RM110. It looks like it's definitely worth getting the annual pass which will be made available at special opening rate of RM195 for adult and RM150 for child.
Monday, December 5, 2011
S'pore billionaire to buy 10ha from Johor royal family
It is quite difficult to write a blog entry on iPad!
Anyway, I just found a slightly older article about Singapore billionaire, Peter Lim who invested in a 10ha land to develop a medical hub and marina city in Johor Bahru. I think this is great!
This is very positive news as we've been hearing many more stories about Singaporeans crossing the border to get more affordable medical treatment in Johor. A recent story was Ms. Goh Chai Gek who decided to deliver her baby boy in Johor. The total cost of her cesarean section delivery was about RM8,190, including three nights. It would typically have come up to about S$5,840 (RM14,333) in a hospital here, meaning she enjoyed savings of about 40%. “I could also claim the amount from Medisave,” said the 30-year-old accountant.
In Iskandar area, I am happy to be surrounded by Medical school, hospital and pharmacy :) Neighbour of ours recently brought their daughter to Columbia Asia Hospital for a check up. They were very happy and in fact were impressed by the attentiveness, professionalism and affordability of the hospital's service. I may go check out the hospital for a future blog entry :)
Another neighbour of ours has also opened a compounding pharmacy, Amber Pharmacy, at Anjung which is located outside of East Ledang complex.
With Columbia Asia Hospital, pharmacy and a lot of medical professors + students in our area, I feel well covered in case if there's any medical emergency (which hopefully will not happen of course) :)
Seriously, it's nice to hear that there are reliable medical services nearby. A specialist doctor I used to see in Gleneagles Hospital in Singapore charges per 10 minutes and could not wait to get you out of his room - needless to say, I will not return to that clinic again. So it's also very nice to have good reliable alternatives besides the increasingly super expensive medical treatment in Singapore!
Anyway, I just found a slightly older article about Singapore billionaire, Peter Lim who invested in a 10ha land to develop a medical hub and marina city in Johor Bahru. I think this is great!
This is very positive news as we've been hearing many more stories about Singaporeans crossing the border to get more affordable medical treatment in Johor. A recent story was Ms. Goh Chai Gek who decided to deliver her baby boy in Johor. The total cost of her cesarean section delivery was about RM8,190, including three nights. It would typically have come up to about S$5,840 (RM14,333) in a hospital here, meaning she enjoyed savings of about 40%. “I could also claim the amount from Medisave,” said the 30-year-old accountant.
In Iskandar area, I am happy to be surrounded by Medical school, hospital and pharmacy :) Neighbour of ours recently brought their daughter to Columbia Asia Hospital for a check up. They were very happy and in fact were impressed by the attentiveness, professionalism and affordability of the hospital's service. I may go check out the hospital for a future blog entry :)
Another neighbour of ours has also opened a compounding pharmacy, Amber Pharmacy, at Anjung which is located outside of East Ledang complex.
With Columbia Asia Hospital, pharmacy and a lot of medical professors + students in our area, I feel well covered in case if there's any medical emergency (which hopefully will not happen of course) :)
Seriously, it's nice to hear that there are reliable medical services nearby. A specialist doctor I used to see in Gleneagles Hospital in Singapore charges per 10 minutes and could not wait to get you out of his room - needless to say, I will not return to that clinic again. So it's also very nice to have good reliable alternatives besides the increasingly super expensive medical treatment in Singapore!
Study being done on undersea tunnel to link JB and Singapore
A study is being done on the feasibility of constructing an undersea tunnel to link Singapore and Malaysia.
Iskandar Regional Development Authority chief executive officer Ismail Ibrahim said the tunnel was likely to be about 1km long, slightly shorter than the Causeway.
It's about time, hopefully there'll be more ways to cross between SG & Johor. I think this is important to prepare for the influx of tourists into Iskandar once Legoland and other attractions open in 2012.
Study being done on undersea tunnel to link JB and Singapore
It's about time, hopefully there'll be more ways to cross between SG & Johor. I think this is important to prepare for the influx of tourists into Iskandar once Legoland and other attractions open in 2012.
Study being done on undersea tunnel to link JB and Singapore
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
65% discount at outlets in Johor Premium Outlets
A new shopping mall in Johor Baru will soon give Singaporeans more discount shopping options in the region.
On Dec 2, the US Premium Outlets chain will launch its 70th branch, Johor Premium Outlets, in Kulaijaya, Johor Baru. The 16,258 sq m mall, just an hour's drive away from Singapore, will offer designer brands such as Coach, Armani and Salvatore Ferragamo at discounts of up to 65 per cent.
Wow - I'm very much looking forward to this but not looking forward to all the kiasusm which we'll definitely see!
DTSB, Iskandar Unit in RM600 Million Condo Deal
More condos coming our way! Construction phase I will begin in May 2012, involving 351 condominium units.
http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v5/newsbusiness.php?id=626181
Monday, November 7, 2011
MAC Pass Renewal
I read online that you can renew your MAC Pass at the Johor Woodlands immigration which is opened 24 hours. I called to double check and we were told to bring photocopy of passport, passport photo, current MAC pass & Singapore ICs. We set out to do this in one of the evenings after work hours. After going through rounds of security checks, we finally found the MAC renewal counter inside the immigration clearance area. It turns out that if your original MAC pass is issued by Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA), you can only renew your MAC pass through IRDA.
We went to IRDA office at Danga Bay the following morning. Thankfully, the renewal process was extremely straightforward and took less than 15 minutes (we went at 8.30am). All you have to do is to fill in the MAC form which can be obtained on site, provide photocopy of passport, MAC pass, passport photo, RM30/person and show original copy of Sales Purchase Agreement (passport should be valid for at least 2 years). The officers in the MAC counter were also very friendly :)
Contact details for Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) is:
#G-01, Block 8
Danga Bay, Jalan Skudai
80200 Johor Bahru
Johor, Malaysia
Tel No: +607-2333000
Fax No: +607-2333001
E-mail: macs@irda.com.my
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Materialism at the cost of Morals & Ethics? Is it worth it?
As would most people who read about the case of Yue Yue, I was mortified and till today, cannot understand how people could be so cruel and cold.
Yue Yue, 2 years old girl, was run over twice on October 13th 2011 in city of Foshan, China. A video posted on Youtube shows over a dozen people walked by and simply ignored her. It was a scrap picker who stopped and finally helped the poor girl. Many in China said that they are burnt by previous extortion cases against Good Samaritans, hence many would understand why people passing would just ignore the dying little girl. Some even accused the scrap picker to be a lime-light seeker.
“I’ll bet if it was the new iPhone laying in the middle of the road, people would be diving out of windows trying to save it from being run over,” wrote one blogger. This is so sad but it's so true. Has the search for $$ and materialism replaced the sense and value of humanity? Though what happened in China is very extreme, we see the same issues throughout the world.
A not so distant example is Abdul Hamid, young Malaysian student in UK who was robbed by youngsters pretending to help him during the London riot.
In Singapore last week, my husband was driving into Singapore and saw an accident involving a motorist on AYE. Ian stopped and got out of the car to help a motorist who was thrown off his bike. The motorist was injured (his leg was bleeding, but luckily he was not too seriously injured) and was distraught. The car behind Ian's car started to horn even though he could clearly see what was going on. Nobody else bothered to help.
This bystander effect happens everywhere, not just China. I really hope that no matter where we are, we take a moment to internalise, learn from this and not fall victim to the bystander effect. Help others in need, as Michael Jackson puts it "I'm starting with the man in the mirror".
Rest in peace, little angel, Yue Yue, your sacrifice serve as a strong wake up call to our society throughout this world.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Giving Iskandar a compelling edge - October 20, 2011
There is still much for Iskandar Malaysia to do if it is to fully achieve success.
The three areas of focus now are on making sure that:
(1) the planning and delivery model works;
(2) that safety and security is ensured; and
(3) that Iskandar's economic and regulatory framework remains independent, with consistent policies in place for the region to achieve long-term confidence and success.
My take on making it achieve full success:
- Ensure safety and security (most crucial) of residents and businesses in this area
- Provide highly skilled professionals and labour...case & point, house building & construction for example
- Ensure developers follow standards of maintaining its properties
- Improves customer service standards of both public and private sectors, make life easier in general, e.g. customer service of TM & TnB to help customers instead, be responsive and responsive.
Last but not least, DO NOT roll out the fingers scan immigration system and create 5 hours jam at causeways again :)
Giving Iskandar a compelling edge - October 20, 2011
The three areas of focus now are on making sure that:
(1) the planning and delivery model works;
(2) that safety and security is ensured; and
(3) that Iskandar's economic and regulatory framework remains independent, with consistent policies in place for the region to achieve long-term confidence and success.
My take on making it achieve full success:
- Ensure safety and security (most crucial) of residents and businesses in this area
- Provide highly skilled professionals and labour...case & point, house building & construction for example
- Ensure developers follow standards of maintaining its properties
- Improves customer service standards of both public and private sectors, make life easier in general, e.g. customer service of TM & TnB to help customers instead, be responsive and responsive.
Last but not least, DO NOT roll out the fingers scan immigration system and create 5 hours jam at causeways again :)
Giving Iskandar a compelling edge - October 20, 2011
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Consistent Leaks In The House
Just wanted to share some leaking problems that we are still facing in our house. We've reported it many times to the developer but all they have done was covered and painted over it. It's super annoying and I know that many neighbours are facing the same issues. Apart from continuously hassling the UEM customer service office, I'm wondering if anyone has successfully gotten UEM to fix these leak issues. Please do share your experience and thoughts.
Leaks on staircase landing wall
Leaks on guest bedroom's bathroom ceiling
Also, we found out that almost none of the windows are straight and the rendering on the walls are quite soft. Well, actually a lot of things in the house are not straight (from door frames, main entrance, etc) !!!!!!
We thought we could just drill and screw on timber blinds, but the rendering cracked so we had to screw in a length of aluminium angle to reinforce the top of the window opening which is anchored deep into the wall and then attach the Venetian timber blinds clip to the aluminium angle. The benefit of this is straight edge, less screws required to be counter sunk into the wall and we can attach any window finishing to the aluminium.
Leaks on staircase landing wall
 |  |
Leaks on guest bedroom's bathroom ceiling
 |
Also, we found out that almost none of the windows are straight and the rendering on the walls are quite soft. Well, actually a lot of things in the house are not straight (from door frames, main entrance, etc) !!!!!!
We thought we could just drill and screw on timber blinds, but the rendering cracked so we had to screw in a length of aluminium angle to reinforce the top of the window opening which is anchored deep into the wall and then attach the Venetian timber blinds clip to the aluminium angle. The benefit of this is straight edge, less screws required to be counter sunk into the wall and we can attach any window finishing to the aluminium.
If you're buying a house in Malaysia, do keep note of house defects and reputation of the developer. Even though this is a high end development, we still find challenges in getting the developer to be responsive and responsible in fixing defects. I have been told that this is very common here unfortunately. Hopefully things will improve (being optimistic) :)
Leading UK university for engineering and mathematics announces new international branch campus and full scholarships
University of Southampton has signed an agreement to establish a branch campus in the Iskandar region of Malaysia. Scheduled to open in 2012, the University of Southampton Malaysia Campus will initially offer undergraduate courses in engineering.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Iskandar Malaysia gets more hospitality investments
Greetings from Dublin.
More investments are coming into the hospitality industry in Iskandar Malaysia from domestic and foreign players within the next three years, which will add 3,000 more rooms in the region.
I would love to see more upmarket places (especially restaurants) in nearby areas!
Iskandar Malaysia gets more hospitality investments
More investments are coming into the hospitality industry in Iskandar Malaysia from domestic and foreign players within the next three years, which will add 3,000 more rooms in the region.
I would love to see more upmarket places (especially restaurants) in nearby areas!
Iskandar Malaysia gets more hospitality investments
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Nice meal at PapaRich
We went for a nice relax dinner last night at PappaRich in Sutera area, followed by a big tub of frozen Yoghurt from tuitti fruit shop next door.
 |  |
 |  |
PappaRich is a local Malaysian joint, similar to Old Town Coffee, which serves local classic dishes such as Laksa, Ipoh Horfun, Char Kuey Teow, Toasts and more. The 4 of us ordered chicken chop, laksa, asam laksa, char kuey teow, chicken wings, teochew siew mai and bee hoon. I did not really like the assam laksa as it was too fishy for my liking, but the rest of the food was quite nice and inexpensive. The total bill was around RM120.
The atmosphere of the restaurant is very relaxing. There are plenty of board games and magazines for patrons to use and read. It was very fun to play Zenga again!
 |
 |
 |
 |
PappaRich Skudai is located at: No. 26, 26A & 26B Jln Sutera Tanjung 8/4, Taman Sutera Utama 81300 Skudai, Johor
Friday, September 23, 2011
NewsObserver Gallery: Tech Junkie: Lego mania
Picture taken on February 22, 2011 Zainal Ashikin Muhammad, chief executive of IDR Resorts which is building Asia's first Legoland theme park displays a photo of a famous Malaysian mosque in front of a replica of its dome using Lego bricks in sourthern state of Johor Bahru. Asia's first Legoland theme park is on track to open next year in southern Malaysia, its builder said, as the region goes all out to lure tourists with a series of big ticket attractions. AFP PHOTO / MARTIN ABUGGAO (Photo credit should read MARTIN ABUGGAO/AFP/Getty Images)
NewsObserver Gallery: Tech Junkie: Lego mania
Unlikely for S'pore, Malaysia to merge Lee Kuan Yew - Channel NewsAsia
"Najib has brought forth a positive view of bilateral relations and the desire to develop southern Johor, the Iskandar region, using Singapore as a kind of Shenzhen. (This) means a complementary set of forces will be let loose, which will make it unprofitable for either side to be unfriendly," said Mr Lee.
Unlikely for S'pore, Malaysia to merge Lee Kuan Yew - Channel NewsAsia
Unlikely for S'pore, Malaysia to merge Lee Kuan Yew - Channel NewsAsia
Thursday, September 15, 2011
New Resort Apartment Launching in East Ledang
I've just received a newsletter from East Ledang's management office on the upcoming new resort apartment launch. Expected launch period is end of September.
Here are some details for this new condo:
Here are some details for this new condo:
| Site Area | : 6.10 acres /265,717 sqft (24, 687 sqm) |
Density | : 80 units per acre |
| Total No. of units | : 488 units |
| Land Tenure | : Freehold |
| Total GFA | : 83, 090 sqm / 894,373 sqf |
| Total NFA
| : 50, 950 sqm / 625,672 sqf |
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Gleneagles Medini to be built in 3 years
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Interesting Restaurant in Johor: George & Dragon cafe
Interesting name and decor...that was the first thought that came to my mind about this restaurant.
After weekend of cleaning and house work, we took some time and went for a nice dinner with our lovely neighbour. We decided to try the George & Dragon Cafe which is located at No 1 & 3 Jalan Glasier, Taman Tasek, 80200, Johor Bahru.
George and Dragon cafe is a little medieval England in JB. You will dine in a nice cosy envinroment which is surrounded by genuine English artefacts, including; suits of armour, knives, maps and shields. They have done a great job at making you feel like you are back in England, visiting some castles!
We ordered soups (asparagus & mushroom), ribeye steak, crispy chicken in pepper sauce, rosemary lamb and mushroom sauce lamb. This restaurant's specialty is steak, but since I do not eat beef, I had cream asparagus (soup of the day) and crispy chicken. The cream asparagus was OK, not superb, but I liked the crispy chicken. Everyone seems to like their food as well. Each main course cost 25-30RM on average.
Though a bit pricey, this restaurant is a nice getaway for western food, hence, I'm sure that we'll be going back again for weekends meals once in a while.
1 Week in Our House
Time flies, it's been a week since we moved into our house. We have officially terminated our rental agreement for the temporary housing...a 3 months rental which turned out to be a 9 months rental.
Moving and living in our house is a bittersweet experience. I'm very happy that we are finally living in our own house, which is the first house that I have ever owned in my life. However, I do get frustrated that things have progressed super slowly and there are still so much more to be completed. I spent this whole weekend cleaning as much as possible so that we don't feel like we are living in a warehouse (still do, but at least a bit better). At least, the big pile of rubbish outside is gone :)
Top 10 things that we've learned so far from our renovation exercise:
1. Lower your expectations, you would reduce the disappointment & heartache :)
2. Do detailed checks for defects & chase your developers to fix it. Developers here, (UEM included) tend to take shortcuts and things are often not up to the standards that we are used to, especially if compared to Australian standards etc.
3. Best to supervise all work done, unfortunately, micro-management is compulsory most of the time.
4. Some things are still cheaper in Singapore, e.g. electronics, top quality taps, LED lights.
5. Install water filter system for your house. We engaged a company to install and clean the water tank last week. You'd be surprised to see how dirty (I'm talking about dark brown) Malaysian water is...yuckie yuckie :)
6. Always compare multiple quotes.
7. Try to include some penalty clauses into your fit out contract if possible to help you recover from delays (in case).
8. Use stainless steel as much as possible, other iron/materials fall apart very quickly.
9. Whatever time frame you've given your renovation project, best to multiply that by two.
10. Most important point of all, never fully pay after a job is done, most of the time, you'll be calling the company to come back and redo something.
That would be my top 10 learning to date, I am sure that there would be more interesting experience that we will go through down the track. For now, here's to our 1st week anniversary in our new house.
Have a great Sunday evening & great week ahead everyone.
Moving and living in our house is a bittersweet experience. I'm very happy that we are finally living in our own house, which is the first house that I have ever owned in my life. However, I do get frustrated that things have progressed super slowly and there are still so much more to be completed. I spent this whole weekend cleaning as much as possible so that we don't feel like we are living in a warehouse (still do, but at least a bit better). At least, the big pile of rubbish outside is gone :)
Top 10 things that we've learned so far from our renovation exercise:
1. Lower your expectations, you would reduce the disappointment & heartache :)
2. Do detailed checks for defects & chase your developers to fix it. Developers here, (UEM included) tend to take shortcuts and things are often not up to the standards that we are used to, especially if compared to Australian standards etc.
3. Best to supervise all work done, unfortunately, micro-management is compulsory most of the time.
4. Some things are still cheaper in Singapore, e.g. electronics, top quality taps, LED lights.
5. Install water filter system for your house. We engaged a company to install and clean the water tank last week. You'd be surprised to see how dirty (I'm talking about dark brown) Malaysian water is...yuckie yuckie :)
6. Always compare multiple quotes.
7. Try to include some penalty clauses into your fit out contract if possible to help you recover from delays (in case).
8. Use stainless steel as much as possible, other iron/materials fall apart very quickly.
9. Whatever time frame you've given your renovation project, best to multiply that by two.
10. Most important point of all, never fully pay after a job is done, most of the time, you'll be calling the company to come back and redo something.
That would be my top 10 learning to date, I am sure that there would be more interesting experience that we will go through down the track. For now, here's to our 1st week anniversary in our new house.
Have a great Sunday evening & great week ahead everyone.
M'sia's Iskandar plan may aid S'pore housing market - Channel NewsAsia
"I think we are realistically talking about something that is still in the works, perhaps a decade or more before we can really talk about Johor as a real hinterland," Mr Song said.
KPMG corporate finance partner Vishal Sharma said: "I think in terms of the land price arbitrage I expect you would see the Iskandar land prices going up,
M'sia's Iskandar plan may aid S'pore housing market - Channel NewsAsia
KPMG corporate finance partner Vishal Sharma said: "I think in terms of the land price arbitrage I expect you would see the Iskandar land prices going up,
M'sia's Iskandar plan may aid S'pore housing market - Channel NewsAsia
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Moved into Our House Finally!
Finished or unfinished, furnished or unfurnished, we decided to take the plunge and forced ourselves (+ contractors of course) to move into the house on Saturday.
I engaged a cleaning company to clean 3 rooms, but I must say that I was not too impressed with the cleaning quality. The cleaning company I hired was Suria Supply & Cleaning services. They sent 4 people to clean, but still missed a lot of dirty spots, so I would not recommend engaging them. Looks like there'll be lots and lots of rounds of cleaning still to do.
After months of back and forth, our container has also arrived from Bali on Friday. Unfortunately, some items were incorrectly sized and a few items were damaged. We still need to go through all items and measurements in details, so I'll blog more about this episode down the track.
Overall, it's good to be finally in your own house. It's taken us 6 months since we started planning the interior design and we're far from being done. I can only hope and pray that we'll be able to get major items completed asap, reassess and reengage a new contractor (hopefully a very reliable one) for all remaining items.
Wish us luck!
If there's any word of advice that I can give based on my experience, that'd be lower your expectations and never pay fully after a job is done, most of the time, you'll be calling the company to come back and redo something (be it aircon fittings, painting, water filter, cleaning - you name it, we've experienced it all :)
Here's to all home-owners who are going through renovation headaches like most of us here :)
Erika
I engaged a cleaning company to clean 3 rooms, but I must say that I was not too impressed with the cleaning quality. The cleaning company I hired was Suria Supply & Cleaning services. They sent 4 people to clean, but still missed a lot of dirty spots, so I would not recommend engaging them. Looks like there'll be lots and lots of rounds of cleaning still to do.
After months of back and forth, our container has also arrived from Bali on Friday. Unfortunately, some items were incorrectly sized and a few items were damaged. We still need to go through all items and measurements in details, so I'll blog more about this episode down the track.
Overall, it's good to be finally in your own house. It's taken us 6 months since we started planning the interior design and we're far from being done. I can only hope and pray that we'll be able to get major items completed asap, reassess and reengage a new contractor (hopefully a very reliable one) for all remaining items.
Wish us luck!
If there's any word of advice that I can give based on my experience, that'd be lower your expectations and never pay fully after a job is done, most of the time, you'll be calling the company to come back and redo something (be it aircon fittings, painting, water filter, cleaning - you name it, we've experienced it all :)
Here's to all home-owners who are going through renovation headaches like most of us here :)
Erika
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Airport City Plan for Senai
I recently took a flight from Senai Johor airport to KL airport. With 40 minutes ride from home to Senai, flying from Senai to KL is the fastest and most convenient way for us to go to KL. The airport is very straightforward, quite modern and comfortable. It is a bigger airport than what I had imagined. The airlines which fly to Senai airport are Malaysia Airlines, Firefly and Air Asia.
Reading from the latest press release, international flights are to resume from Senai Airport as Firefly, the community airlines, has confirmed flying from Senai Airport to two Indonesian cities, Bandung and Surabaya, starting this August. I cannot wait for flight to be established between Jakarta & Senai as well. Fingers crossed.
Happy Sunday***
Reading from the latest press release, international flights are to resume from Senai Airport as Firefly, the community airlines, has confirmed flying from Senai Airport to two Indonesian cities, Bandung and Surabaya, starting this August. I cannot wait for flight to be established between Jakarta & Senai as well. Fingers crossed.
Happy Sunday***
Finally a supermarket near home
Good news for all local residents, Mydin supermarket has finally opened up and is now operating at 9-11pm on most days except for weekends and public holidays, during which the supermarket is open from 8.30 am.
We checked out the shop yesterday and were happy to see that it is quite complete, well except for non halal items. It is conveniently located at Anjung which is just next to entrance of East Ledang area. Good stuff! The place was filled with locals who I think are mostly from Gelang Patah. I've never seen Anjung filled with so many cars and people.
Again, this is great new addition to our booming neighbourhood. Check it out here.
P/s: this is my first post from my Android phone, so please excuse the typos - I blame it on the touch screen keyboard :)
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Frustration in dealing with Interior Designers & contractors
I guess this is not a surprise to anyone who's built/renovated houses in Malaysia. With things constantly falling behind schedule and many many many things not being done properly, I am very close to a point of despair and our dream house design seems soooooo far away. Please please be super careful when selecting your interior designer(s).
I'm glad that we've not recommended our Interior designers to anyone. In fact, I'd strongly suggest to never engage services of Ray Mak & Alien (partners).
I am considering finding another contractor to finish the job, so if you know of any trustworthy and reliable contractors, please drop me a note. Thanks in advance!
Frustrated,
Erika
I'm glad that we've not recommended our Interior designers to anyone. In fact, I'd strongly suggest to never engage services of Ray Mak & Alien (partners).
I am considering finding another contractor to finish the job, so if you know of any trustworthy and reliable contractors, please drop me a note. Thanks in advance!
Frustrated,
Erika
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Grand Iskandar taking shape
One of this year's highlights will be the opening of the Johor Premium Outlet (JPO) in Kulai-jaya with Prime Minsiter Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak slated to attend the opening on Nov 11.
Shoppers will be able to buy branded items at factory discounts of 25% and above for famous brands including Gucci, Prada, Coach, Ferragamo, Ralph Lauren, Esprit and Calvin Klein.
Grand Iskandar taking shape
Shoppers will be able to buy branded items at factory discounts of 25% and above for famous brands including Gucci, Prada, Coach, Ferragamo, Ralph Lauren, Esprit and Calvin Klein.
Grand Iskandar taking shape
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Johor set to house region’s largest film-making complex
Johor is set to house the largest film complex in the region when Pinewood Studios Iskandar Malaysia (PSIM) opens its doors in 2013. Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios is a joint venture between Malaysia sovereign wealth fund Khazanah and Pinewood Shepperton, the British film studio behind the Batman and James Bond movies.
PSIM chief executive officer Michael Lake said the complex, on a 32.37ha site in Nusajaya, would offer state-of-the-art facilities for film production and related activities.
The complex will have five fully air-conditioned and sound-proofed film stages with floor areas of between 1,400 and 2,800 sq metres, and two high-definition television stages of 1,100 sq metres each.
Johor set to house region’s largest film-making complex
PSIM chief executive officer Michael Lake said the complex, on a 32.37ha site in Nusajaya, would offer state-of-the-art facilities for film production and related activities.
The complex will have five fully air-conditioned and sound-proofed film stages with floor areas of between 1,400 and 2,800 sq metres, and two high-definition television stages of 1,100 sq metres each.
Johor set to house region’s largest film-making complex
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Slightly different topic: Sharing on Google+ for digital enthusiasts
If you're into the digital space like me, you may have been following closely on the latest Google's product release: the Google+ project. I've had a chance to trial this and while it will take me some time to consider moving to Google+ completely, I must say that I like the concept of Circles (esp the dragging and dropping friends into your own defined Circles) and the hangout function (with multiple video chats streams etc).
Read more here if you are into social connection online and would like to find out more about this product.
Happy surfing!
Read more here if you are into social connection online and would like to find out more about this product.
Happy surfing!
Maxis sees big demand in Iskandar
Maxis' Chief operating officer Jean-Pascal van Overbeke stated that in the past 15 months, the company has added an additional 328 3G sites, bringing the total to 994 3G sites in the southern region.
Overbeke said Johor Baru received the lion’s share with a third of the total 3G site expansion in the region while more than 90% of the 365 sites in Johor Baru had been upgraded to support high speed broadband allowing maximum speeds of 21 Mbps.
He said the company was also the first service provider to surpass 5,000 3G sites nationwide and was able to deliver high speed wireless broadband and mobile data capabilities covering over 80% of the country’s population.
Good to hear this, here's the full article for your reading pleasure.
Overbeke said Johor Baru received the lion’s share with a third of the total 3G site expansion in the region while more than 90% of the 365 sites in Johor Baru had been upgraded to support high speed broadband allowing maximum speeds of 21 Mbps.
He said the company was also the first service provider to surpass 5,000 3G sites nationwide and was able to deliver high speed wireless broadband and mobile data capabilities covering over 80% of the country’s population.
Good to hear this, here's the full article for your reading pleasure.
Renovation renovation renovation - Quick update
Hi everyone, it's been a while since I did my last update and posting. Life has been very hectic with a couple of family emergencies to deal with. Hopefully things will be better for the 2nd half of 2011.
We've been progressing with our house renovation....slowly. Completion date has been postponed again due to some delays. Right now, we're aiming to move in between 3rd week of July to mid August. The house will nowhere be as completed as we hope to be, but by this time, we're just focusing on taking it to a stage at which we will be able to move in. Work will continue from there onwards.
Some of the major area being renovated are:
Ground floor living area
Yes, the wave ceiling :) A few of our neighbors have been following our progress. Thanks for all your encouragement and support :)
When we were brainstorming about the design of our living room, we decided to not split the room for now as we are still unsure about how we would like to use the space. We then decided to make our ceiling a feature in the ground floor area. We took an inspiration from one of my client's office in Bali (I love Balinese creativity & design). So the idea of the wave ceiling was born.
Since Ian's an ex engineer, he knew from start how he would build the ceiling, but communicating the idea to our interior designer and builders were never easy.
Big lesson learnt: interior designers & builders in Johor tend to have very narrow view and limited experience in designing/building something more than the usual Johor house designs. We've spent a ton of time explaining and taking on jobs by ourselves (esp. my husband) as our design concept is very specific and is definitely very different from local houses' interior designs. If you're after a more international/specific designs, best to design it yourself :)
Unfortunately, based on our experience, I definitely will not recommend our interior designer to any expats.
Framework of wave ceiling:
Boards being installed:
Ian has been busy working on the wave ceiling and we hope that it can be completed by next weekend. Fingers crossed! I cannot wait to see the completed ceiling, it would be super nice and cool.
Master bathroom:
We decided to redo our entire master bathroom and swap the toilet & shower areas.
The renovation is not completed yet, but at least the walls have been tiled. The bathroom should be 80% completed by end of this week. We're still waiting for our Bali furniture to arrive, hopefully that should arrive in about 3 weeks time.
These are the areas with the biggest work required. Once the bathroom is almost completed, we will be able to sand and darken the parquet floor. Once the wave ceiling is completed, TV and kitchen cabinets will be installed. With lights (mostly LEDs) and aircons installed, we will be able to move in...finally Yeay!
Please wish us luck for completing this renovation! If you're renovating your house, I wish you all the best too!
P/S: To my aunt who passed away this week, we love and miss you. I know that you're in a better place and your memories will always be cherished. Rest in peace auntie.
We've been progressing with our house renovation....slowly. Completion date has been postponed again due to some delays. Right now, we're aiming to move in between 3rd week of July to mid August. The house will nowhere be as completed as we hope to be, but by this time, we're just focusing on taking it to a stage at which we will be able to move in. Work will continue from there onwards.
Some of the major area being renovated are:
Ground floor living area
Yes, the wave ceiling :) A few of our neighbors have been following our progress. Thanks for all your encouragement and support :)
When we were brainstorming about the design of our living room, we decided to not split the room for now as we are still unsure about how we would like to use the space. We then decided to make our ceiling a feature in the ground floor area. We took an inspiration from one of my client's office in Bali (I love Balinese creativity & design). So the idea of the wave ceiling was born.
Since Ian's an ex engineer, he knew from start how he would build the ceiling, but communicating the idea to our interior designer and builders were never easy.
Big lesson learnt: interior designers & builders in Johor tend to have very narrow view and limited experience in designing/building something more than the usual Johor house designs. We've spent a ton of time explaining and taking on jobs by ourselves (esp. my husband) as our design concept is very specific and is definitely very different from local houses' interior designs. If you're after a more international/specific designs, best to design it yourself :)
Unfortunately, based on our experience, I definitely will not recommend our interior designer to any expats.
Framework of wave ceiling:
Boards being installed:
Ian has been busy working on the wave ceiling and we hope that it can be completed by next weekend. Fingers crossed! I cannot wait to see the completed ceiling, it would be super nice and cool.
Master bathroom:
We decided to redo our entire master bathroom and swap the toilet & shower areas.
The renovation is not completed yet, but at least the walls have been tiled. The bathroom should be 80% completed by end of this week. We're still waiting for our Bali furniture to arrive, hopefully that should arrive in about 3 weeks time.
These are the areas with the biggest work required. Once the bathroom is almost completed, we will be able to sand and darken the parquet floor. Once the wave ceiling is completed, TV and kitchen cabinets will be installed. With lights (mostly LEDs) and aircons installed, we will be able to move in...finally Yeay!
Please wish us luck for completing this renovation! If you're renovating your house, I wish you all the best too!
P/S: To my aunt who passed away this week, we love and miss you. I know that you're in a better place and your memories will always be cherished. Rest in peace auntie.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)