Differences in our home in SG and NZ

Dear SG,

Let's compare the difference in our home in Singapore and in New Zealand.

SG - 3 bedrooms - HDB Apartment
NZ - 3 bedrooms - Terrace house

SG - 2 bathrooms (toilet and shower)
NZ - 3 bathrooms (1 toilet, and 2 bath and toilet)

SG - 93 square meter floor area
NZ - 185 square meter floor area

SG - current interest rate 2.6% mortgage
NZ - current interest rate 8.8% mortgagee (gasp!)

SG - loan period 25 years
NZ - loan period 30 years

SG - 99 leasehold apartment
NZ - freehold land

SG - living room in the front of the house
NZ - kitchen in the front of the house

SG - Single level
NZ - Double storey

SG - Pay a monthly charge for parking in a HDB carpark
NZ - A garage and a whole row of parking lots outside, free.

SG - Walk to wet market, hawker center and town center
NZ - Walk to supermarket, Wendy's, KFC, MacDonald and town center (we are fast food junkies)

SG - Walk to MRT
NZ - Walk to bus terminal (possible but it will take around 15 mins of walk)

SG - Connects to underground TV cable
NZ - Connects to TV Antenna and satellite dish

SG - Concrete wall throughout
NZ - Plaster wall internally and on the front and back, brick between 2 houses.

SG - Ceramic floor throughout
NZ - Capet floor throughout and ceramic flooring in kitchen and bathrooms

SG - Air Conditional system
NZ - Electric heater and gas heater

SG - External cupboards
NZ - Built in wardrobe (no need to buy cupboards!)

SG - one dog registration per HDB apartment
NZ - no limit but don't go overboard (yipee!)

SG - no cats allowed in HDB apartment (not strictly enforce but legally no)
NZ - no limit but don't go overboard

SG - main entrance is the front door
NZ - we found that most family enter via the garage door instead, front door are only for visitors

SG - letter box under locks and keys
NZ - open letter box

with love from NZ,
J

We own a piece of New Zealand

Dear SG,

It's official, we now own a piece of New Zealand. It's not really big, just 297 square meter. A pretty small section of land by New Zealand Standard.


In case you are wondering, it's a land with a terrace house sitting on it. It's our new home to be, it's where our dogs will be send to when they arrive in Auckland. We are finally settling down. We actually bought furniture and dish clothes!!!


I'm still in a daze, what have we got ourselves into?!? Our mortgage is for 30 years, our mortgage interest rate is 8.8%, we can only have air for breakfast, water for lunch and the leftover for dinner! Forget about personal spa pool, forget about luxury boats, forget about handsome personal gym instructor, forget about anything. The bank owns us now.

The house in the middle, yes... it's pink.... or a kind of dull pink.... vehicle not included.

with love from NZ,

J & A

Happy and sad, part of life

Dear SG,

It's wonderful to be alive but life itself isn't always a bed of roses. Within the space of one hour, I experienced sadness and happiness from 2 different incidents.

Just last night, I sent off a Singaporean family who is leaving Auckland because the husband has been transferred to Macau to work on their company's new project. When they are departing, my heart aches because we won't know when we'll see them again.

After they left, I went upstairs to check my email and saw a reply from Mitchville Kennels. My heart immediately lighten with anticipation because Mitchville has been hired to get KiKi and ZoZo over to Auckland by mid of Nov. It seems that everything is going as plan and we'll be reunited with our dogs by the evening of November 15th.

To Casey, Shan Shan and their children, all the best in a new environment. Make the best of the opportunity and may you find new friends as wonderful as yourself. The 2 kids here will miss their friends and us adults will definitely miss you guys.

The children's first sleepover, they had the time of their life fooling around all nights long. Ann's idea was to let the children have a sleepover so that Casey and Shan Shan can pack in peace. It works, because the kids nearly tore down Ann's house with their screaming and running. Being the last chance they will have playing together, we kind of just let them be.

Brought back heaps of memories of my sleepover at my cousins' or friends'. hee...

Life can be so bitter sweet.

with love from NZ,

J

Depressing start of the week in NZ

Dear SG,

It has been a pretty depressing start of the week here in NZ. I was told that the whole nation is affected whenever something happen to the ruby scene and this time i really felt the effect of it.

Andrew and I woke up early on Sunday to catch the All Black in a match against France in the Ruby World Cup. Expectation was high because the All Black has been on a winning streak. Sadly, they lost that game. Even I was depress. Monday was all blues for everyone at work. Sian ah....

with love from NZ,
J