1) Finally, I went to Japan!!!
I mean I started watching Ultraman when I was like what 7 years old. Along the way, I watched my 1st Gundam in Primary 5, started Anime like Bleach and Slam Dunk in secondary school. Even till now, I am still watching animes like Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer. So since my first dap into Japanese culture at 7 years old..I took like 30 years before I finally stepped foot into Japan. And it met all my expectations except the big cities like Osaka which kinda feels way over crowded and touristy. I attended my very first World Expo and it was an "enlightening" experience like the queues and the scale of the exhibition. Also went for my very first Onsen , of course its the private one cuz it will be weird to see other people stark naked and it was also still the summer season so am afraid of the bugs. Great to hear the japanese speak Japanese around me and also did a short hike in Kamikochi. Though the weather was bad, but it was still nonetheless breathtaking.
Of course the delicious food..metcha ooishii. Loved the cheap Yen haha and also been spending quite a bit on shoes, outdoor stuffs and of course Uniqlo there. Definitely will want to go back as I like the shopping there and the mountainous areas..gosh I just love mountains. Though the threat of the great earthquake still looms around ( authorities predict the next Great Earthquake to be at 80% probability in the next 30 years), hopefully I can still have a few more trips there before it happened.
2)2nd Time doing Renovation, finally got Charlotte's Carpentry
Once settled with the Lumina Grand lawyer stuffs and that our TOP was approaching, we kickstarted the process of looking for IDs every weekend in Nov. We saw like about 8 of them and eventually settle for Charlotte's Carpentry. Previously, our first renovation we really wanted to go with them as the previous ID who now is the 2nd in command of the business, was really meticulous and helpful. Also even though he was quite busy but he still slotted us in between timings and all. But alas, no matter what we did, we were not able to quite bring down the price without sacrificing the whole design. Eventually we went with Felix from Design4Space who managed to provide a solution to our house's awkward layout and yet was within our budget. Strangely, he has also since moved to Charlotte's Carpentry so in a way, was quite lucky that we were not allocated to him again. Lets say eventually during the Reno process with him it wasnt very smooth, nothing bad happen just that the communication wasn't very good and eventually the paint he offered though was industry norm but it wasn't durable. Eventually after a year I had to ownself buy my own paint and repaint the house. Hopefully for Charlotte's this time round ,they offer free upgrade to Nippon Paint higher end collections so I hope this round will be better.
We got Raymond this time round, a bit of a quiet guy, very organized as well..and he was the top 3 sales last year so I guess he did well enough and that looking at his portfolios seems pretty match with our condo current color scheme so I think it will be a good fit. So far our 3D discussions and all, seems alright and he also oks with our various amendments but end day still need to collect keys and see the house before we can also proceed further I guess. Hopefully this time round our 2nd time Reno, will come good for us.
3)Ticked something off the bucket list which is to visit Old Trafford!
This is many thanks to cat's relatives because they wanted to migrate to the UK and wanted to look at some cities as well as visit friends. So when they wanted me and cat to follow them cuz of our English and I can drive long distance, they were oks to have me spend one day at Old Trafford, the Home ground of Manchester United. I paid for the stadium tour but alas the dressing room was in renovation so I couldn't go in. But to walk along the touchline and the stadium seats as well as the director's box. To feel the air of the place. Makes me want to bring my dad at least once together and watch a match together.
I hope that dream will come through soon and if we watch together , hopefully United will win the match as well as to be challenging for top 4 once again. Come on United !
4) Manage to sell our current place at our targeted price with a 3 months extension
So initially were kinda skeptical that we can stay at our place all the way until renovation is done as we wanted to limit the bridging loan interest as much as possible as well to not pay for storage. Also, it will be very troublesome to move in with Cat's parents for 3 months or so. Initially, our agent who is my mum's cousin, wasn't very optimistic at our targeted price. But cat was quite adamant at it...I mean she definitely know her stuff, as she works in the real estate industry as well as she did a certificate in valuation before. Hence, we posted the targeted price on PropertyGuru and the extension. Initially there were quite a few viewings which we expected as we kinda cut the 8th floor listing for the same listed price and we were 15th floor. We didn't want to put in a too high amount as it will definitely turn off buyers and based on cat's estimated valuation is also way too high. After like 9 viewings, shag cuz every time a viewing is going to happen, we had to clean and pack the place to pristine condition. We finally got an offer within our targeted price , and with a bit of nego, we got it at our targeted price. However, we were not out of the woods yet as the buyer did indicate that if the COV is way above, he will withdraw. So when the valuers came down, and we gave them all our receipts of the Reno costs and all. Eventually the COV was just 10K which is within the buyer's expectations. We used to pay 30K last time round sia and also was the highest record for the building at the time. This time the valuation was pretty much on point and also is currently the highest price set for this building. Now it's with HDB hands, and I hope everything smoothly and we can reduce our Bridging Loan Interest as much as possible.
5) Switching to a Google Pixel Watch 4
It has always been to have most of my smart devices to be under the Pixel or pure Android Ecosystem, so once I pass my Samsung Galaxy Watch to my mum who has a galaxy phone so it's a better fit for her. With the pixel watch it will be easier in a lot ways as it is compatible with my Pixel phone. I think downside is that the domed glass is exceptionally prone to cracks and scratches as well as the recent update as caused the sleep tracking to be non existent.
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