In a dilemma
Be prepared for a long one or do something more worthwhile;). I will selit-selit more pics from the trip as not to bore anyone to death.
Our current routine
On normal working/schooling day, we leave the house at 0740 to first send Bea1 to KAFA, later hubby to office, the youngest two to the babysitter’s. I have ample time to have proper breakfast with Bea2 before sending her to kindy.
I start working at 9, left the office at around 10.30 to fetch Bea3. Me and a colleague whose kid goes to the same KAFA take turns to do it. So that’s not everyday. Both girls play either in my or colleague’s room, depending who is in charge, we get the girls to have lunch and send them to school. I fetch Bea2, send her to babysitter and the youngest two get normal lunchtime smooching from me. I normally stay for one hour. I spend the rest of the afternoon working.
Depending the time Bea1 finishes her class, we arrive home at around 6.15 or 6.40. We get a little late when I need to do pasar malam shopping.
Though I’m the one that spend the most time moving around, I’m happy with this routine. Maybe seeing the kids in between work makes working day goes by faster.
Relatively peaceful breakfast in Victoria Hotel in Anglesey.
The tiny space we’re living in
It’s only close to 1000sqft. 3 minutes to KAFA, 5 to my office, 15-20 to hubby’s office and from there 10 to babysitter’s on normal days.
It has 2 +1 rooms. That +1 room does not even have 4 walls, we must make a partitioning to make it a proper room. But that deceives our first-time guests well. They all say we have a big apartment before we tell them the truth.
Anyway I’m grateful for it, we still have available space ever ready to be filled with more Ikea stuffs hehe. But I try to have minimal furniture, to have more space for the kids to run, roll, cycle or whatever kids their age do.
Hubby says he loves living in an apartment. No need to worry about maybe a snake or tiger hiding in the bushes in the backyard, he says. Obviously I can't hope he would maintain any extra tiny land that we may have in the future. I love it too, easier to manage, with the security I feel safe whenever hubby is not around.
BUT we made a point that we won’t stay there for too long. We know we somehow need more space. We need an upgrade to preferably a landed home but must be around the same area.
Just few weeks ago, the owner of the next door unit put it on sale. We were thinking to buy and hack a wall. But upon inquiring for advises, people said better buy landed home for proper stay for a big family. Now the apartment is taken already.
Walking happily towards a playground in Nottingham University campus (not very sure of the exact name)
Landed houses nearby
Being in PJ, a double-storey around 22x75 ft costs around RM400-500k. We don’t dream about the bungalows. Most land is leasehold with around 50 years left, that is an issue to me for various reasons and they are VERY old! We may need around RM100k for renovation.
I heard crimes are rampant in areas around here. But I maybe just paranoid. I don’t think I would feel save living in any of the area when we drove around looking for place to consider.
Bea showing a map to Adel in Windsor
Colleagues cum neighbours
One used to stay in Sri Damansara, the other nearby Damansara Damai. Both have kids schooling near the office. The one from SD said the family went out of the house at 6.45 am, managed to reach home at 7.45 pm on good days. A little rain would get them stranded for another maybe 1 hour. When she heard that I was about to move into the new apartment, she pleaded the husband to get one unit. She moved in shortly after we did. The house in SD was first a weekend house, then they only went back once a month, now it is almost abandoned.
The second colleague moved nearby just before we did, also cannot tahan the traffic from DD.
Playing with Little Ponies on Hadrian's Wall.
And now the temptation
I read about a new development in neighborhood of the 2 places I mentioned above. Since I goyang kaki a lot last week, I went to the showhouse for fun. Nice design, they make full use of space, huge guestroom downstairs, got one little room for maid (but to me for storage of junks, maybe), natural light abundant even for intermediate unit, guarded and fenced (previously thought Gated and Guarded community but it is not. Anyway I would feel safer with fence all over and guards patrolling than nothing at all). Only a few km from Ikea hehe. Price in the range 470k is a bit high but still affordable. By comparison it is the cheapest in that vicinity (but don’t compare with SD as they are older development). Most houses of similar type with similar concept of development around that area go up to 700k already. Distance-wise, it is still closer to work/school compared to others. 99 years leasehold but I don’t really mind that, but not 50 years in PJ. Closer to hubby’s kampung, near a highway that bring us straight to more highways to my kampung;).
I got tempted bit by bit, went again with a friend the next day just for a reason to have her giving me more encouragement. But she was neutral. Hubby tried hard not to layan, but I managed to get the whole family there. I was there 3 times on 3 days in a row!
The ONLY killer factor is the traffic. The 3 visits done through different route but traffic can be deceiving that time as a lot of people were still on holiday.
Am I happy with an approximate additional 1 hour on the road daily, ½ hour each way?. That does not include the stress of looking at a sea of almost static cars ahead. Kids may suffer even though Bea1 said she is ok with the travelling, more expense for petrol and toll.
After putting all this down in writing, it is even clearer to me that this one is not for us. And now we are left with no other choice. I’m still grateful for the tiny apartment, of course.
What I’m going to do now is trying to finally face the reality, I should just forget about it. Yes, I must do it BUT I have to return to the showhouse to fetch Adel’s shoes that we left there on Saturday…arghhhh! I hope I would feel better after a trip to Ikea after that. I hope with the girls with me, it won’t be that hard. Off to fetch them now.
Pssst…anyway, if you think you can give me more encouraging advices, I would take that. I can do a flip-flop…I don’t think I’m ready to let this one go!
Ok the last pic for now...my baby trying to keep warm from the strong winds at the Land's End.
Our current routine
On normal working/schooling day, we leave the house at 0740 to first send Bea1 to KAFA, later hubby to office, the youngest two to the babysitter’s. I have ample time to have proper breakfast with Bea2 before sending her to kindy.
I start working at 9, left the office at around 10.30 to fetch Bea3. Me and a colleague whose kid goes to the same KAFA take turns to do it. So that’s not everyday. Both girls play either in my or colleague’s room, depending who is in charge, we get the girls to have lunch and send them to school. I fetch Bea2, send her to babysitter and the youngest two get normal lunchtime smooching from me. I normally stay for one hour. I spend the rest of the afternoon working.
Depending the time Bea1 finishes her class, we arrive home at around 6.15 or 6.40. We get a little late when I need to do pasar malam shopping.
Though I’m the one that spend the most time moving around, I’m happy with this routine. Maybe seeing the kids in between work makes working day goes by faster.
Relatively peaceful breakfast in Victoria Hotel in Anglesey.
The tiny space we’re living in
It’s only close to 1000sqft. 3 minutes to KAFA, 5 to my office, 15-20 to hubby’s office and from there 10 to babysitter’s on normal days.
It has 2 +1 rooms. That +1 room does not even have 4 walls, we must make a partitioning to make it a proper room. But that deceives our first-time guests well. They all say we have a big apartment before we tell them the truth.
Anyway I’m grateful for it, we still have available space ever ready to be filled with more Ikea stuffs hehe. But I try to have minimal furniture, to have more space for the kids to run, roll, cycle or whatever kids their age do.
Hubby says he loves living in an apartment. No need to worry about maybe a snake or tiger hiding in the bushes in the backyard, he says. Obviously I can't hope he would maintain any extra tiny land that we may have in the future. I love it too, easier to manage, with the security I feel safe whenever hubby is not around.
BUT we made a point that we won’t stay there for too long. We know we somehow need more space. We need an upgrade to preferably a landed home but must be around the same area.
Just few weeks ago, the owner of the next door unit put it on sale. We were thinking to buy and hack a wall. But upon inquiring for advises, people said better buy landed home for proper stay for a big family. Now the apartment is taken already.
Walking happily towards a playground in Nottingham University campus (not very sure of the exact name)
Landed houses nearby
Being in PJ, a double-storey around 22x75 ft costs around RM400-500k. We don’t dream about the bungalows. Most land is leasehold with around 50 years left, that is an issue to me for various reasons and they are VERY old! We may need around RM100k for renovation.
I heard crimes are rampant in areas around here. But I maybe just paranoid. I don’t think I would feel save living in any of the area when we drove around looking for place to consider.
Bea showing a map to Adel in Windsor
Colleagues cum neighbours
One used to stay in Sri Damansara, the other nearby Damansara Damai. Both have kids schooling near the office. The one from SD said the family went out of the house at 6.45 am, managed to reach home at 7.45 pm on good days. A little rain would get them stranded for another maybe 1 hour. When she heard that I was about to move into the new apartment, she pleaded the husband to get one unit. She moved in shortly after we did. The house in SD was first a weekend house, then they only went back once a month, now it is almost abandoned.
The second colleague moved nearby just before we did, also cannot tahan the traffic from DD.
Playing with Little Ponies on Hadrian's Wall.
And now the temptation
I read about a new development in neighborhood of the 2 places I mentioned above. Since I goyang kaki a lot last week, I went to the showhouse for fun. Nice design, they make full use of space, huge guestroom downstairs, got one little room for maid (but to me for storage of junks, maybe), natural light abundant even for intermediate unit, guarded and fenced (previously thought Gated and Guarded community but it is not. Anyway I would feel safer with fence all over and guards patrolling than nothing at all). Only a few km from Ikea hehe. Price in the range 470k is a bit high but still affordable. By comparison it is the cheapest in that vicinity (but don’t compare with SD as they are older development). Most houses of similar type with similar concept of development around that area go up to 700k already. Distance-wise, it is still closer to work/school compared to others. 99 years leasehold but I don’t really mind that, but not 50 years in PJ. Closer to hubby’s kampung, near a highway that bring us straight to more highways to my kampung;).
I got tempted bit by bit, went again with a friend the next day just for a reason to have her giving me more encouragement. But she was neutral. Hubby tried hard not to layan, but I managed to get the whole family there. I was there 3 times on 3 days in a row!
The ONLY killer factor is the traffic. The 3 visits done through different route but traffic can be deceiving that time as a lot of people were still on holiday.
Am I happy with an approximate additional 1 hour on the road daily, ½ hour each way?. That does not include the stress of looking at a sea of almost static cars ahead. Kids may suffer even though Bea1 said she is ok with the travelling, more expense for petrol and toll.
After putting all this down in writing, it is even clearer to me that this one is not for us. And now we are left with no other choice. I’m still grateful for the tiny apartment, of course.
What I’m going to do now is trying to finally face the reality, I should just forget about it. Yes, I must do it BUT I have to return to the showhouse to fetch Adel’s shoes that we left there on Saturday…arghhhh! I hope I would feel better after a trip to Ikea after that. I hope with the girls with me, it won’t be that hard. Off to fetch them now.
Pssst…anyway, if you think you can give me more encouraging advices, I would take that. I can do a flip-flop…I don’t think I’m ready to let this one go!
Ok the last pic for now...my baby trying to keep warm from the strong winds at the Land's End.
posted by mama23beas at 9:42 AM
8 Comments:
Whatever you do, KEEP THE APARTMENT!!! The value will not depreciate, I am sure, being close to the Univ and all. You can always rely on it to fetch a good rental, or you can always use it as a tempat singgah in the future. If I were you, I'd never get a place thaat requires me to redah crazy traffic in the morning or evenings. You don't need the extra stress :D
yeah, know what you mean, but pay attention to the clasifieds to see if got landed around yr apartment area for a steal. If I can, I'd go for single storeys!
it is not easy to get a nice landed at reasonable price n good location.....
Hope you will get your dream home...
wahh sis rem, it's a really nice pic arr.. i hope i can go there tp tak tau bila.. InsyaAllah..
Anyway thanks 4 the small picnic just now.. EE suker sgtt...
Hey Ros,
You really don't want to live that far away. I considered that area for a long time but just could not get myself to move out of my apartment in Brickfields. We are working moms and to me spending the extra hour playing with my kids is more valuable than having a house.
Really with all that you are juggling with, you just dont need the extra stress.
Another oportunity will come by, a better one :)
QOTH...yes definitely. My next door neighbour is renting out for RM1800 per month. And yes can be tempat singgah inthe future...at the moment cannot afford to pay monthly installment for both.
Mrs B...thanks, does it come from experience from living in a double storey? Yes around our place got a lot of single storey but like I mentioned with 50+ years lease.
Thanks Chennel...whenever that is!
E E, we will do it again definitely.
You too Shamira? Thanks...hopefully another oppurtunity will come by but even now I will wait for a few more months to consider and do more research before they launch the second phase.
My real estate agent relative advised me to always consider the distance to your children's school when making a move. You won't regret it, he says.
I guess there is lots of pros and cons between house and apartment. I do miss my little apartment, so easy to manage. I could clean it up in 10 minutes and everything was within easier reach. In a landed propery, I feel much more unsafe (since its not a gated community) but we now have the space for when the kids grow up and your family grows (such as yours) it will start to feel a bit more crowded and you will appreciate the extra space. :)
akak.. me ever dream to have landed property but since my fren dah kena samun... with parang all that dah takut esp bila dah ada anak...
not to scare u but hope akak cari tempat yang selamat... and better look for closed community
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