Air

I believe the contractor knows best what to go and when to do what first....your neighbours are merely trying to be smart alecks....sometimes older generation ppl, especially aunties and uncles, like to show that they know everything Maybe just tell them, you appreciate their concern and there is no need to "ma fan" them for always popping by to check on your reno...you can check on the progress yourself.....if they still didn't get the hint, maybe ask the workers to tell them not to step in the house when the reno is in progress.... wah lau...i didn't even know if got anybody stepped into my house during my reno leh...cos i nvr go up to check....but ignorance is sometimes bliss.... oh so they are young couples....ok then i think it's easier for them to get the hints than older ppl.... ya me too....i usually contact the owner or my ID before I go up...i dun like to trespass ppl's homes too....if i were them, i won't like it also....

ya i agree with xinyi....why bother listening to your neighbours?!? You are renovating YOUR house, not renovating THEIR house....why shd you listen to them so much?!?! Your mum is right....your neighbours too free nothing to do, always go around kpo-ing your reno... As for trespassing your unit, I also agree that if any scratches, who is accountable for it? Maybe you should make it clear to your neighbours that there is no problem with your reno and everything is going as planned and you trust your contractor 100% as he has been responsible so far and that you appreciate their concern.....now only reno part already come and kpo...imagine next time you move in liao, they also suka suka come into your house when your door is open!?!?

U very contradicting The best is don't go lar...weekend then go...

Sigh.....i think the best solution is to wait till time's up then go home....

ok I hope you will be able to zhao earlier without getting caught!

U really bo cheng hoo.... U put notice there lor.... "I'm in the loo, will be back in a while...terrible stomachache....had durian, onion rings and garlic bread for lunch...it's advisable to avoid coming into the toilet for the time being for your health sake." Then nobody will dare go in the toilet, then nobody will discover that you are actually not in the toilet...u can fang xin go home!

ehh u dun be too guo fen....si mi go now?!?! U can start to act now liao....at least later zhao earlier will be even easier

If kena caught, just put on a very sick face and pretend to soh your stomach, then faster zhao...i think ppl will understand...

Dun stress lar....weekdays evenings go down is really quite pointless one leh...cos you can't see....even if got defects you also can't see....end up wasting your own time only....check once a week is good enough... I dun encourage you to wear heels inside your house like what you neighbour said....what if your heels scratched the flooring?!?! who will be responsible then?? When you squat down and see from far, your tiles are all aligned then ok liao....no tiles are protruding ok liao.....alternative to marbles is coins...but you got to knock on the tiles one by one....dun have to be so through, just selectively pick a few tiles here and there to check...if you check whole house, i think check until tomorrow also cannot finish checking...

My friend used to work in a Jap bank too...she can't tahan the culture because it's really like what you watch on TV, whenever the boss passes by, you have to bow your head low low to show respect...She hated it....in the end, she left....it's still pretty much an MCP environment in most Jap companies....I can't tahan also....when I look in the mirror, I don't even bow to myself, why must I bow to other ppl?!?! I bow to no one Japan and Korea have very strong cultural values, so probably that explains the low divorce rates. Singapore where got culture?!?! We are basically rojak I used the most old-school way...roll marbles to check for hollow tiles You can hear the hollow-ness if there is one cos when you knock on the tiles, you get an empty hollow sound instead of a short sharp sound.... As for gaps......just use your eyes and check.....if you don't see any big gaps, should be ok... Check thoroughly on weekends lar...weekdays go is just to make sure what needs to be done are done....and night time can't really spot defects too, if any......weekends then go over and make a thorough check...

I do agree on the rectification part. Actually I don't really know what to check leh cos we didn't really thoroughly check, jsut look see around everything ok then we ok le.... For wirings, you are unable to tell right? Ya for floorings, make sure there's no hollow tiles....tiles are in line with each other....grouting properly done, no gaps...

Why you so guai listen to every word your neighbour says?? Me and my hubby didn't even go and check on our reno while it's in progress, we only pop by on weekends leh....but we do pop by whenever major stuff is being done like flooring or carpentry...otherwise nothing much to check lar...

I envy you sia...really got good and helpful neighbours...my neighbours...sigh.....think liao also DL

I dun think there will come a day lar....they always say nowadays women hold equal power as men in society, but you look at the salary range, men are always paid higher...look at civil servants job, if indeed there is equality, why is there different salary ranges for male and female? And for males, there is with NS and without NS?!?! What kind of equality is that?? The concept of women holding equal power is just a feel good factor when many of us know deep down that it can never be true.

I feel that when you are up there, politics is no longer an issue because you will not be involved in the backstabbing anymore, instead you will be the centre of the political issue To be able to climb to the top, you must be oblivious of the politics surrounding you. The whole company can hate you to the core, but you can still di gong di siao...that, then is li hai Ya I agree...sometimes small kar has its advantages too.....see better opportunity nia, easier to jump ship....if u are at managerial level, tendency is you will get stuck in that company for some time...doesn't enjoy the same freedom as small fries...

That is why you should start planning your finances to cater for kids; expenses in future. It's never too late to start saving now....not only for your kids but for unforeseen circumstances so that you can have buffer and something to fall back on if anything happens....don't wait till then to save....you'll be too stressed up by then..

I can tell you one thing for sure, in other ppl's eyes, you have a perfect man, to you, he's always just somewhere short of perfect Like I said, you can't force him to work harder for his moolah. It's just a personal goal issue. It's the same logic as you like durian but he doesn't, you can't force him to eat durian just becuase you like it right?

Ya, when I was young, my dad used to tell me that if other ppl can do it, you can do it too, nothing is impossible. Until now, his words are still deeply embedded in my mind. I believe everybody can make it big, nobody will be a born loser. The issue is whether he wants to make it big or not, and of course luck plays an impt issue. Then again, if you have no drive to succeed, no matter how much luck or opportunities present themselves to you, you're still gonna stay the same. Actually, I kinda hv the same thinking as your hubby. I used to want to climb high high up the corporate ladder, then after working for some time, I realised it's pointless really. No matter how high you climb, you are still working for other people. all your hard work and the money you make goes to someone else. At the end of the day, who are you really working for?? My dream is to work for myself, every penny earned goes back to my pocket, not to someone else's. To me now, I no longer see the corporate ladder as my final destination.

Sometimes whether or not to bia for your moolah is really up to individual.....honestly, if I were you, I would tend to compare him with other ppl....but then ren bi ren qi si ren....since he's already like that before you got married, you should have accepted the fact that he is what he is.....dun try to change him, I believe nobody likes to be forced or pressured into doing something. Unles you have serious bread and butter issues which stems from his current attitude towards work then it's an issue, otherwise I think there's pretty much nothing you can do to change him. Sometimes when you know that you have no way out, the only way is to change your own thinking.

My hubby is in such a scenario now....he took at least 20% pay cut to join back his first company which is just a small company but he forsees good prospects there....so i can accept.... As to such extremes like voluntary job, I duno...sooner or later will have bread or butter issues.... I've a friend who used to be a worker of some christian organisation, drawing a minimum sum of money each month....she gave up a few years later cos with that kind of money very hard to survive....so are you asking a realistic question??

Quit job now stay home do what?!?! No kids for me to play now leh....and cannot afford to quit now cos hubby just changed job and took pay cut also.....

I will also nvr be able to catch up with my hubby cos he's got much more qualifications and experience than me The fact that he's a few years older than me makes it more difficult for me to accept the possiblity of him having a lower earning power than me. I'm more comfortable with him earning more than me so that in case next time i have kids and i decide to be a stay home mum, i can comfortably do so without having to worry abt bread and butter issues I agree totally on the last part. It's no use if a man is an income generator but sucks in other aspects of life.

ya lor...nowadays u can assign yourself very powerful title....but money-wise, not that powderful..... No leh i can't accept Because I would rather take his place and becme housewife so that I dun have to work

Not really leh...nowadays higher level of authority doesn't equate higher earning power... Of course not asking to forgo the chance of having earning power just so that your husband can at least be on par with you....who doesn't want more money? It's ok if he earns lower than me, but he must have the drive and ambition to succeed. What I can't tolerate in guys is contentment with status quo even with the knowledge that the wife is earning higher than him, nothing wrong with that but it's just my personal opinion. What I observed is that, usually female bosses who are really high up there in terms of authority and earning power, the partner usually is a successful man himself....i dunno lar.....this is what i observed from my previous bosses....the same can't be said for male bosses though....some are also high up there in authority and earning power but wife is a stay home mum or housewife....So can't compare really..

hmm....I won't say more successful but rather equally successful...and how do you measure success? In terms of earning power or level of authority?? My mindset is rather traditional. I would want my man to earn more than me, to be in a position higher than me. Honestly, if there comes a day that I were to be more successful than him, I will gradually start to feel that he's not up there with me....I duno...maybe will start to drift further apart from him... I know I'm very realistic but I've ever thought of this before.