A Visit Back To Reiki Sanctuary Written by : Reiki Sanctuary Date : Thursday, June 19, 2008

Today, we had our contractors down to the flat for an inspection.  It was a little weird - as much as we dared not move around too freely and inspecting every corner, the previous owner [Mr Monteiro] passed a remark 'go ahead, do whatever you need to do - this is already your house'. 

That was, indeed, very sweet of him.  It made sense but still we should respect the situation since he and his wife were still residing there. It only proved that we had bought a blessed home. And, it was made possible for us to find one as he decided to downgrade due to old age.
We felt that we should, at least, give them the last few days to savour the place.  Afterall, they had been staying there for 23 years.  They were still in the middle of packing and there were still so much more to pack.

While Chiauw was busy attending to the contractors, I found out:

01.  That I had been to this house before.  Mr Monteiro showed me a photo taken during a Christmas gathering some 18 years ago with ex colleagues.  Geez, and I could not even remember about it - not the slightest memory.

02.  That the water pressure in the house is not strong enough to install rainshower.

03.  That Mr Monteiro had called some transport/mover services that I had earlier recommended and chose Citimap Transport Services.  We would probably use the same one.

04.  Mr Monteiro will move out on 26 June.

05.  That we will be getting our keys on 27 June 2008.

Some exterior pictures of the New Reiki Sanctuary:

The lift landing on the ground floor:

Lifts Landing on Ground Floor

To the right, there's an overhead bridge that links Jurong East and Bukit Batok:

Overhead Bridge to Bt Batok

The spacious recess area between two units from ground floor.  This is what we like and was one of the reasons why we bought this place.

Recess Area from Ground Floor

Lift Landing to Stairs

The spacious main entrance:

Main Door n Gate

And this is the rug that Mr Monteiro will leave behind for us.

Main Door Rug

The Park as seen from Balcony:

Park from Balcony

The Car Park from Dining Room:

Car Park from Dining Room

A far view to a friend's flat [taken from Study Room] which is just across the highway and diagonally opposite the block:

Ah Hong's Flat

Such a serene and tranquil afternoon visit.  The area is quiet.  Though it was hot afternoon, I didn't feel hot entering the house - and that's a good sign.

Hopefully, we can start renovation on the first week of July.  Yay!!!

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Coming Home Written by : Reiki Sanctuary Date : Sunday, May 18, 2008

I'm coming home.

My late parents lived in Jurong East [JE].  They were the early JE generation 25 years ago when HBD developed that area. 

I remembered complaining that it was far.  Far to town, far to my workplace.  Far for my youthful rendezvous. There was no MRT then.  It was considered an ulu place to live in.  There was no direct bus to town - we needed to take the feeder bus to Clementi Bus Interchange, about 20 minutes away.

I moved out of JE at the age of 27 to settle in Hertford - considered the central part of Singapore.  It was also the beginning of freedom.  However, with it, it came with heavy financial responsibilities.  Nevertheless, it was the beginning of many new opportunities.  And many life lessons too.

The space, the freedom and the independence lead me to experience many things in life.  It enriches the way I see things.  It raises me.  I learn about parental love, about family value, about loneliness, about joy, about friendship, about relationship .. above all, I learn the value of gratitude. 

Circle in the sand, life goes round and round - guess, that's the mystic of life.  Where we come, we end it there too.  From the mountain where I have left many years ago, to the mountain where I am today, and I am coming home.  I am back to Jurong East where my life has started.

Few days ago, I was having a conversation with a friend.  Teasing to this friend, "where have you been all these while?", the reply was a voice of wisdom, "hiding in the mountain waiting for your return'. 

Conversation with God? - perhaps so.

When I first view the new Reiki Sanctuary, I feel peaceful.  It has a calming tender energy.  Instantly, I feel it is home.  I know that I will spend a lot of time in the house.  It will be the mountain back to where I seek my refuge.  It will be a heavenly place of solace.  It will be a place to reflect.  It will be an epitome to peace to connect with the best, the magnificient, the abundance.

From The Mountain

The Stylistics

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Unexpected Abundance Written by : Reiki Sanctuary Date : Thursday, May 01, 2008

Law of Attractions and Vibrations - yes, that is what all our life evolve around with.  What you think about is what you become.  And, what we truly seek, is what we will get.

Making that calculated choice to be in Jurong East - we relied only on our priorities but unknown with the unexpected twist of luck, brings along with a piece of good news as announced by the National Development Ministry. 

We didn't expect that Jurong East would "undergo a transformation that could propel the estate to the forefront of the suburban property market" as reported in Sunday Times April 13.  It makes our choice a good investment for our future.

Not that we are planning to sell and make a profit - and the time allowed by HDB to sell is after five years,  but it will definitely give us a better opportunity and comfortable economic outlook for our old age. 

Property experts feel that Jurong East public flats have strong potential upside and an increase of five to 10 percent in the next two years.  Surely, when the whole Master Plan for the estate is completed, prices would increase significantly too.

When the transformation is completed, it becomes the largest commercial hub outside the Central Business Distriction and rivals Marina Bay in size.  It will outsize Tampines, now Singapore's biggest suburban commercial hub, with its size of 360ha. 

The transformation involves the building of new waterways, 1,000 private homes and 2,800 hotel rooms as well as the addition of 500,000 sq m of office space and 250,000 of retail space.

This is the least unexpected abundance that greets us so early with our plan to move.  And, there is so much to look forward.

Ministry of National Development Plan of Jurong Lake District: - from Sunday Times, 13 April

Jurong Lake District

Some of my friends called me when they heard about this news:

"Hey, did you know about this before you bought your place?"

No.  We just want to be thankful that the government is doing such thing.  Indeed, we feel very fortunate.  When we purchased the unit, the property market has also softened a little.

It reminds me of the time we bought Hertford too.

"Wow, both of you are very lucky!"
"It is a good move!"

Thank you.  We are grateful for all these.  We have made some plans for our old age and one of it is to have an early retirement.  I envision that the property in Jurong East will pick up, just like Toa Payoh and Bishan, and it will make us confident to have a comfortable old age.
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We are very grateful! Thank You!

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The New Nest Written by : Reiki Sanctuary Date : Saturday, March 15, 2008

We probably had viewed less than 10 units since the day we started hunting for a house three weeks ago. We viewed mostly in Jurong East area when we found one that we like best. 

We made three appointments that Saturday with three different housing agents.  They were all a five rooms' flats either door to door or a point block unit.  Strangely, we didn't actually view a 4 room flat throughout the house hunt. 

It was probably the price difference between them, which was not much, and to go for a 5 room would be a better economical choice.

Luck was with us.  We actually liked the very first unit we viewed that morning but didn't want to commit.  After viewing the other two units, we decided to make an offer.  We were told by the agent that there was already an offer made by another party.  We stood firm with our Cash Over Value offer and told him to consider us.

I believed the works of the Universe.  It was the work of Law of Vibrations and Attraction.  We signed the Offer To Purchase that very evening with the seller and omitted the 14 days grace period.

The house plan:
- Size Area:  121sq m
- Type: 5 Improved
- Age of Block:  23 years
- Floor:  5th
- Door: East
- Balcony:  North

Original Layout

And this is how it looks like in 3D.

Original Layout in 3D

The setback:

As much as we wanted a fast transaction, which is normally will take three months to complete the buy-sale of the house, we were told that we needed to give the seller a month extension after the sale completion with HDB. 

The sellers, an elderly couple with no children in their late 60s, decided to downgrade.  To us, they made a wise decision.  At least, they will have the cash to last them through.  Wishing you all the best, Mr & Mrs Monteiro.

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