Warning: this is sort of a venting post.
I usually try to keep things positive here but I feel I must post this in my efforts to help others who are moving to Singapore or even those who are already here. My previous post was a pretty positive post about having been here for 2 years now. Although most things are going well, today was a pretty frustrating day and brought out the claws a little bit.
So, the bad things in Singapore that start with ‘L’???
LG
Landlords
Leaks
Lizards
LG is the maker of our washer and dryer. We spent quite a bit of money on them 2 years ago when we moved in and they have been in an almost constant state of repair over the 2 years we’ve had them. The washer has had one new motor among some other repairs. Thankfully, the washer had a 2 year warranty so we haven’t had to spend any money on it’s repairs. The dryer, with only a 1 year warranty, has now had 3 new motors and is currently dead forever because we aren’t going to spend another $300 to put it another one, which is what it needs. We move out of this place in 3 weeks and our new place has a washer and dryer so it’s just not worth fixing again. We have already invested over $1000 in that dumb dryer. We are now bumming friends dryers to dry our clothes for the next 3 weeks. We do hang dry alot of our clothes but I’m just not particularly “keen” on crunchy towels and underwear. Although or tv and microwave are made by LG and have been fine, I cannot recommend LG appliances. Not a fan. (Tip if you’re moving to Singapore: Get the LL to provide the washer/dryer if you can. Repair costs will be on him/her then. Or buy used off of of Craigslist or Gumtree. There’s a constant flow of expats moving in and out and selling things. We could have bought 3 or 4 used sets for the price we’ve paid for our one set and probaby wouldn’t have had to.)
Landlords: Although I know some LL’s are top notch, we didn’t get one of those. I hear horror stories all the time of greedy or lazy or just mean LL’s. Ours doesn’t really fit in any of those categories but he just is sort of complacent. He doesn’t really seem to care much about his investment and we suffer. I sure hope our next one is good. I’m feeling much better about our new LL. LL’s are unavoidable here for us transient expats. Try to find a good one if you can. I guess my main reason for not liking LL’s is that we are used to owning our place, fixing things that break and fixing them properly (novel concept, I know!), and fixing things that… well this brings me to my next ‘L’.
Leaks: This house has SO many leaks. I think with all this rain we get in Singapore and the house not being built particularly “square (builders term), the leaks are just something most people have to deal with. It’s a pain and something we would fix if we were our own LL. Our house is old, for Singapore, so I’m hoping that our newer and newly renovated condo will be better. Please, let it be better!
Lizards: Because of all the cracks here and there, we get a relatively constant flow of lizards too. I know many people love lizards but I do not. I know where to strategically place my little white sticky things to keep them from surprising me on the sofa or in my bed. I know that trapping them is not humane but they are not human and humans belong in my house, not lizards. I do take a little bit of sinister pleasure when I see one stuck to a trap. I leave them alone if they are outside. They have all that space in the great outdoors, they need to stay out of my house. So… for those of you who don’t have the heart to ask, here is the type of trap I use. This way you can keep your lizard phobia a secret and no one will attack you for killing those poor little cute things. ugh… IF my husband and son were ALWAYS here to catch them then maybe I wouldn’t need the traps. But they hide and they are fast so 9 times out of 10, my guys can’t even get them.
I buy them at the DIY/Home Fix stores at Tanglin, Jelita and Holland Village just next to Lim’s (upstairs above Cold Storage). I take them on trips with me to places we visit that are “not so 4 star” and they have always come in rather handy for lizards and other little critters. Judge me if you must. I can take it.
There is one really good ‘L’ word that I am working hard to instill in my frustrated being at this time.
Love: 1 Corinthians 13
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails.
