Wedding’s off, now here’s your $132k bill

Wedding’s off, now here’s your $132k bill


By Khalil Adis (courtesy of PropertyGuru)
Following the story of a couple who had to pay a hefty penalty for their Design Build and Sell Scheme (DBSS) unit after they broke up, PropertyGuru received an email from a reader who is undergoing a similar experience.
John (not his real name), had bought a DBSS unit for $660,000 in 2008 from a developer under the Fiancé/Fiancée Scheme.
John was supposed to submit his marriage certificate by 20 April 2011.
However, due to unforeseen circumstances, he is now unable to continue with the purchase as he has since broken up with his fiancée, who is a foreigner.
With the marriage now cancelled, he is ineligible for the scheme.
In addition, he will now have to pay a penalty of 20 percent of the purchase price.
The amount works out to $132,000.
Despite his appeals to the developer and seeing his MP twice, he was told to get married, failing which the developer will proceed to forfeit his deposit.
John is now harbouring suicidal thoughts as it means he will be thrown into debt.
"I will be destroying my life the next three years as I need to save up again for my marriage. This is too heavy a penalty for me," said the 29-year-old who is earning $2,500 a month.
HDB's or developer's responsibility?
When asked why he did not apply for a Built-To-Order (BTO) flat as it is more affordable, John said he and his then fiancée fell in love with the location.
"I was with my ex-girlfriend and the location is nice. I would say it has a lot of plus points. That's why we chose this DBSS flat," said John.
John also feels that he has been pushed around between the HDB and the private developer.
In his email correspondence to the developer, he mentioned how the HDB had asked him to talk to the developer.
In the meantime, the developer had said they will be talking to the HDB.
"I am very frustrated being pushed between HDB and the developer," John said in his email.
When contacted, the developer said it makes the final call.
"The developer reserves the rights to terminate the sales and purchase agreement by serving a 21-day notice and forfeit 20 percent of the deposit as stipulated in clause 20 of the agreement should the buyer be no longer eligible to buy the DBSS unit," said a spokesperson, who did not want to be named.
The spokesperson added that it is flexible before buyers exercise this right "by allowing the buyer to form another family nucleus as approved by the HDB."

Under the DBSS scheme, the HDB sells a piece of land to a private developer.

Subsequently, the developer will undertake the entire construction, pricing and selling of the flats.

Blurring the lines between public and private markets

With the line between public and private housing now blurred, problems are bound to occur.
In the case of a private property, a buyer has the option of reselling his unit to another buyer at any time.
Not so in the case of HDB flats.
Being a public housing project, buyers are required to fulfill the five-year Minimum Occupation Period (MOP).
In a HDB Built-To-Order (BTO) unit, buyers will only incur a five percent penalty.
However, for DBSS units, buyers will incur a whopping 20 percent penalty.
This is where problems may arise should unforeseen circumstances occur.

No way out?

In a bid to assist the reader in his difficult situation, the developer has offered a solution to avoid the hefty penalty.
To retain the flat, he can form a family nucleus.
However, he was informed by the developer that his brother's name is not allowed.
Meanwhile, his parents are ineligible, as they have a private property.
Those who own a private property must now dispose them after getting a DBSS unit, within six months of getting the key.
His ex-fiancée is also ineligible as her parents already have their names in another HDB flat.
Another solution is for him to get a new fiancé.
However, he is again thrown in a dicey situation.
As the ethnic ratio quota for Chinese had been filled, he can only marry a non-Singaporean.
"Now that the Chinese quota has been filled, I cannot find someone who is Chinese to get married to take over the flat. I have to find other races. This is really very stupid," said John.
John said he had asked the HDB and the developer to help him search for a new fiancée who fulfils this criterion, but they were unable to help.
Developers' hands tied
When contacted, the developer said it is unable to comment if the ethnic quota can be waived for John's case as it falls under the purview of the HDB.
In addition, the developer would have to incur costs in order to re-market the unit to a suitable buyer.
However, due to John's unique circumstance, the developer said there is a possible leeway.
"Under such circumstances, the developer can allow another buyer, provided there is an eligible one, to take over such a unit," said the spokesperson.
Interested buyers would have to comprise one Chinese and another non-Chinese applicant in order to be eligible.
So, until such a buyer is found, John would possibly be thrown into debt.

Some comments that I like/agree:

Iceman:
Sadly this problem had to come up.
I would look at it from 2 angles.
1. John seriously should have considered carefully before even plunging into this purchase. As mentioned, his salary is only S$2,500 per month (not sure if it's gross or nett) but even if so, it's hardly a figure that warrants anyone to be committing to such a pricey place to live in. Sorry for sounding dispassionate but it is a truth. I am not trying to given John a lesson but I think we should be more figure minded with our monies especially when it monies that we have yet to earn. We should live within our means and grow from strenghth to strength instead of getting into debt especially such a huge one and then having to work our guts out to repay. However, with the current housing prices John 'should not' be faced with this problem. My second point is aimed at the developer/HDB.

2. With the present price of public housing, the HDB/Developer would have NO problems in disposing off this unit which John had purchased. HDB should looked into John's case and do a careful and detail investigation into his causes. If it is the truth John so speak then HDB/Developer should let John off the hook perhaps with a small fine coupled with a no-purchase clause of say the next 3 years or whatever it's within their discretion. There is no need to slap the entire 20percent on John as it being too uncompassionate. I do agree that the HDB in particular have their set of rules but rules can be flexible depending on the circumstances.

The developer mentioned of costs incurred in marketing John's flat if they were to take back the unit, this costs can easily be offset by the fine HDB imposed on John, so this is a lame excuse.
And it's the worst joke ever by the developer to ask John to go get himself a new fiancee, especially a non-chinese - just right after he's been ditched by his ex? He must still be living in a night mare about women. What an awful suggestion.

DTC:
My opinion , whether the penalty are reasonable or not have nothing to do with this case.
It's spell out clearly on the contract , we need to enter the contract with our eyes wide open.
Today , his made a loss due to unforeseen circumstances , the other way around he can also made a huge profit . He sign on the dotted line knowing if he is unable to fulfill the criteria he would have to pay a penalty , he still decided to go for it , so he have to paid for it . Unless he was con into buying it else we have to take responsibility for what we decide.
Now back to whether is it fair for 20% penalty , it is not fair. What can we do , we can walk away and buy normal HDB. I think all these bad decision are driven by Greed & MBT 's asset enhancement theory.

Trust:
When I bought my 3-rm flat I had many acquaintances saying I was stupid... I could easily afford a 4 or 5 room flat but I'm now 35 and free from the shackles of debt from servicing a mortgage. I bought a unit of a size that I NEEDED and my mortgage was for 15 years. Every bonus month I pushed a large portion of the monies to paying off the mortgage. I sometimes think the powers that be wants us to be in a state of debt as it's one way of keeping the citizenry rooted to Singapore.


My Views:
Wahahahahaha! Have to find a wife, not only that, she cant be a chinese?!?! Muahahahaha. Sorry for coming across as dispassionate. But a contract is a contract. I do sympathize with his loss but he should have calculate his sums before committing to a flat. All the comments were mocking how he dare to buy a S$660K flat with a monthly salary of S$2500. Aiya. Actually, it's obvious he came from a well-to-do background with parents staying in private property. If he dont have the support of his family, how will he dare to buy such a property? There are tons of young Singaporeans out there staying in private property because of well-to-do family background. It's not uncommon. However, I suppose a penalty of S$132K for nothing, on top of an unsuccessful union is a pinch, no matter how rich his parents might be. I can almost imagine how his parents might be pulling his ears now. Even if he will be in debt, I suppose his parents will help him out every month.

Hmm.............thank god nothing happens between me and dearie when we decided to buy our resale DBSS flat. I never thought the implications can be so detrimental and unfair. =PPP

Geylang Checker - has my support and more room for improvement

Dearie mentioned to me lately there is this new website called the Geylang Checker which posts pictures of guys, who supposedly patronize prostitutes at the Geylang area.

"Woah! Then you better be careful wor!" I joked, which of course, earned a 360degrees rolled-eyes from hubby.

Kekekeke!

It was said that the website was founded by a lady whose friend told her she saw her boyfriend at Geylang...doing what most guys usually do at Geylang. And so she went to check it out. It was indeed the truth and she broke up with the boyfriend immediately. Kudos to her!!

You know what I dislike the most about some girls were that they are always in self-denial.


"No lah, it couldnt be him at Geylang, you've seen wrongly!!"

Instead, the founder went to check it out herself and certify the truth.

"It's not his fault, it's those China B*/prostitutes seduced him!"

Haven you heard of it takes 2 hands to clap?

While I agree that 3rd parties and vixens whom we always know, are at fault, I always feel the guys bear a bigger share of blame. If they're strong in their mindset and try to stay away from disturbing and distracting "objects", they can never be seduced.

Since I am never a guy, I can never understand how...how...desperate or miserable they will feel if they're arent satisfied properly in you-know-where. But I think if a man, a single man, has to succumb to such urges and temptations and resort to visit prostitutes, there's only so much respect I can give him. Because he struck me as weak and I can only guess there's nothing much meaningful in his life.

Couldnt he just divert his attention and energy to his work?
Couldnt he just spend that 1 hour having dinner with his dear parents or friends?
Couldnt he just spend that 1 hour doing any other thing which can give him pleasure, be it reading, jogging, swimming etc?

I have absolutely nothing against prostitutes. They're doing an honest living. I wont even raise an eyebrow if I passed by one wearing only bras and panties, or being coquettish to passing males. It's their job.

However, it's another issue for single males to visit pros because ultimately, to me, it's like...you know..."public toilet". I mean, no offence to them. But it's like...who will visit prostitutes?

Super s*x-deprived guys who has no channels to release? And has simply no other activities to keep them busy or simply too lazy to seek other entertainment? I can only think of lao chee-ko-peh loh.

The above are only my views, with no offence to anyone. And of course, married or attached males who visit pros are simply unpardonable, no matter what reasons they might conjure. Wife pregnant? Not an excuse! Had an argument with wife and need a channel to release? Go die!

Dearie added that it might be unfair to some males because pictures were merely taken when they're walking along Geylang area. They could be working there or eating frog legs porridge at the area.

I checked out the website. Indeed, it's not impressive. Firstly, the whole website is pretty confusing and has a messy layout, plus the pictures were really blur. Of course, do mosaic the faces and carplate numbers, but 100% fully blur pictures are annoying to see. In addition, like what dearie said, some were merely walking on the roads.

"If the pictures really capture the guys walking into or out of motels or nightclubs etc with his hands around another female's shoulders, then it's another story." Dearie said.

It does makes sense lah. The pictures were nothing concrete.

However, just like the founder mentioned in the website, the website is merely a checker. For e.g, if you saw your bf/hubby's car appearing in the pictures at, say, 8pm when he told you specifically he's meeting a client at Vivocity, then obviously something is amiss.

I dont frequent Geylang nor am I familiar with that area so I also dont know pictures of people strolling at those specific spots are significant or not. But I always feel so long so you have a clear conscience, there's no need to be afraid even if you're spotted in the pictures. Anyway the pictures are so blur. Only your closed ones will recognize them. And they say;

People who know me will know how I'm like
And people who dont know me, there's no need to care

In any case, those pictures cant prove anything concrete. So if any wives caught their hubbies in the pictures, I think a second chance is allowed if proper explanation is given. Just keep a lookout will do. In any case, if the hubby really does patronize pros and unable to kick the habit immediately, at least he will reduce the frequency and gradually stopped I supposed. =S

Some people said the founder is merely out for vengeance towards men. Hahaha! What a stupid statement. Hey, sacrificing so much time and effort to alert Singaporean women whose hubbies are cheating on them?? I LOVE such vengeance then. =) She and her team are doing a favor for Singaporean ladies. They have my support. I do hope the pictures can be clearer(lol), and more significant spots/shots are captured instead. Muahahahaha!



Lastly, I wish all Singaporean Ladies have a faithful husband, blissful marriage and a loving family. =)

Weekend

Had a very heavy and fulfilling weekend! It's all so worth it. =)

Friday
Full day agency event, from morning 7.30am to midnight. It's very fruitful and fun. Work hard, play hard. And guess what, it's the first time in my LIFE that I built sandcastles!! It's really not as easy as you think. Although our group didnt win the contest, I truly enjoyed the process. After which, we had supper at Bedok before heading home. Reached home around 3am. Concussed!

Kel actually asked whether I'm free to meet up the very night but I was unable to make it. Yes, haven seen her for so long. I do wish to catch up with her soon. But weekends are really so few and precious ever since I've started roadshows. And I have so many dear friends I wanna meet. =)

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Saturday
Met up with sweetie Gra and Suan for Melben Crabbies dinner. We were pretty excited and couldnt explain why! Perhaps it's another few months since we've met? Everyone is so busy! But I told Gra the bigger reason might be...it's the first time we're catching a crabbies feast!! Yes yes very excited. We reached at around 6pm and there's already a long queue. In total, we waited 1.5hours for the sumptuous crabbies to arrive. 3 of us clapped unanimously like naive little schoolgirls when they were served. Lol. Guess the waitress looked at us like one kind. =P Had to say it's well worth the wait! =D




Chilli crab has always been my favorite because I love the savory sauce which comes with it. They're simply divine with the fried buns! We ordered 10 but me alone had 5! We didnt order rice nor other dishes though. Suan had little and what's more, she dont eat claws(gong)! OMG!! How can that be possible?? But I really cant contain my happiness when she said she dont eat claws. Muahahahahaha. Which means I can have moreeeee. So Gra and me each had 2 as we ordered 2 normal size crabs of 1 kg each. =D~~~ The dish was really splendid. Although it's already my 3rd time visiting Melben, I felt it was the best experience. Meat were succulent, claws were simply humongous, the sauce's sweetness and spiciness were perfect. Lots of egg too!!

Ahhhh..........really feel like going back again. Our total bill was around $101 including buns and drinks. So worth it.

We finished the dinner at 9pm and adjourned to Holland V for drinks. Coffee Bean it is. Told ya I'm quitting alcohol for the next 300days. Muahahahaha. From 9.30pm, the 3 of us chattered like nobody's business until 3+am! Even met 2 of my colleagues! Haha!

Crabbies feast soon!!


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Sunday

Met up with Ja, Ken and his wifey, YL for dinner at Marché 313 Somerset. Erm, it wasnt worth mentioning much because the food were simply so-so, not cheap plus services were slow. Still, we had fun chatting and trying all the different dishes. We had the signature Rosti with chicken cheese sausage, which lost in comparison to Ambush(Jurong Point) Rosti with Pork Cheese Cracker. Erm, we ordered other dishes too but somehow I cant really recall them...not worth a mention lah...The root-beer is not bad and pretty expensive loh.

After which, we adjourned to TCC just opposite the road for some drinks to relax. They all had tea while I had Mint Choc Frappe which was sweet until I can die. Merely drank half of it. And we suddenly realized TCC is having a 1-for-1-promotion for mains/pastas/sandwiches and kinda regretted we didnt dined there instead of at Marché, which was quite a disappointment for me. =P

Lin and KS were supposed to join me(I've invited them to join us, friendly friends dont mind at all. =), but poor Lin was sick. I had to catch the lovely couple another time. Hope she get well soon...and me too actually. Sigh. Yes, we're both sick of being sick! Lin and me had been trying to arrange to meet up for weeks!! Aiyea, I think we have to arrange again. =)

Love my friends and I wish everyone will be healthy!!

Went to Dr Roland Chong for follow-up specialist consultation at Gleneagles because the stupid chest pains just wont stop. They came back after I finished my medicine last prescribed at Mt A....and was slowly increasing in pain until it was pretty bad the last few days. Around 7 on my pain-o-meter of 10. And it was...pretty sian and dampening to see another month's of medication being prescribed to me. Another month of being jelly again liao lor. How to work?

心有余而力不足

Surprisingly, Dr Chong's attitude was pretty friendship and helpful, so different from how he acted in Mt A. Hur Hur~

Oh yes, I've caught Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, of course!



Ratings: 4/5
Comments: Yeah...kinda sad that it's already the last sequel. But still pretty glad with the happy ending. I dont like shows which make me cry. =P It's actually pretty content-packed, IMHO, maybe because I didnt read the books? Will actually prefer the show being split into 2 sequels and it's not for the sake of extending it. In any case, I felt it's alot of story-telling instead of actions. Still pretty exciting and nice, but dearie got bored with the relating of the story most of the time. =P

Rants!

Actually I'm really sick of being sick.

After I discharged from Mt A and finally after I finished my course of antibiotics, I thought I can have some comfortable life. But still, I have minor chest pains. That's not all. I started to have sorethroat and it was such a nuisance. What's more, I have fever together with running nose cum cough. Damn. I felt so miserable. The fever made me felt like burning all the time so I had to hide in the aircon room, blasting my aircon to the fullest. But my running nose didnt stop, so I was sneezing like mad with my nose like a running tap. And because the stupid nose was stucked, I had to breathe harder. And when I breathe harder, I will have the chest pains. Might be because I over-exert my chest muscles or WHATEVER lah I dont know! Till now, it seems like the root problem still not really solved. SO, I had to breathe through my mouth. BUT when I breathe through my mouth in aircon room, it made my throat even drier. With every swallow of saliva, it's damn painful. Simply felt like dying during last week.

Went to see doc and again, on antibiotics. I even lost my voice! Had to consult doctor a second time. It was very irritating when my throat was filled with tons and tons of phlegm. It's like, they're forever there! And the mucus in my nose was forever thick milky ones. Arrgghhh!!

I'm much better today. I merely wished to vent it all out.

I must get well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

Celine's birthday 2011 @ Shanghai Dolly

It was Celine's big day!! The day where she reached the big 3!! Calls to mind that mine is coming soon in a few years...... =( Alright, I'll let the pictures do all the talking! I'm the photographer for the night. =) Nobody bought a camera except me. Excluding iphone that is. How can iphone cameras suffice for a birthday party shoot? =P Ok lah, they're not super sharp considering I was also kinda tipsy but at least I can take a series of pictures pretty fast.

Venue: Shanghai Dolly.

H A P P Y 30th B I R T H D A Y SWEETIE!!! Kekeke!!


From singing of Happy birthday song, to making a wish, to cake cutting. =D




We all had a great night! =D

Stay pretty, sexy, cheerful and blissful forever with your loved family!! Love ya!

Hope she likes the studs Jov and I got for her from Swarovski. =)

I didnt stay long though...left at around 1+am. Felt so drained!

A total of 70+ pictures, after deleting those beyond-repair-super-blur pictures. Pass you soon!

My lovely hubby pressies for me from Greece!

This entry is dedicated to dearest hubby for his lovely pressies for me from Greece. =D

Initially I was supposed to expect 1 bag from him because he made me super mad and super sad few months back. Since I can never teach him how to be more sensitive to my needs and feelings, this is quite the only way(by extorting a bag from him), to relieve him of his guilt, and to console myself that he truly do care for me. =) Believe it or not, the idea of compensation with a nice bag is much out of exasperation and lame attempt on my part, in coercing him to care. Currently, it's the best method to keep him from making me angry/irritated/annoyed/sad. Because he knows, it's a hefty price to pay to make me unhappy, in any way. =)

Oh, and of course, because he loves me, in his very unique ways, he bought me not 1 but 3 items from Louis Vuitton.

Thames PM in Damier Ebene Canvas

Generally I love Damier Ebene Canvas prints because they're really easy to maintain. My long wallet still look fantastic after like...7 years? I've stopped buying Monogram already because the beige leather can oxidized to a very ugly colour in a very short time.

Thames PM's size is great because while it's not very big and bulky, it can fit my long wallet, handphone, Lumix camera as well as a compact. The only bad point is the strap is really thick and sharp at the edges, it's not nice to carry if you're bare-shouldered. It's stiff and doesnt stay on the shoulders too(my shoulders are not narrow), so you have to keep it in place by using your arms to hug it near to you.

Eva Clutch in Damier Ebene Canvas

Works both ways as a evening clutch as well as sling bag! Size is perfect for clubbing and elegant enough for a dinner. =) Love it!

Pochette Cles in Epi Leather, (bought in Noir(black)

I know! The Pochette Cles in Rubis(red, in the pic above) is so stunning right? But it was out of stock, I only can get the black one. =( As much as my long wallet serves me well for it's long row of card slots, I usually take only 1 card and some bills out when I'm out clubbing or on days which I dont intend to shop or carry a big bulky bag. Especially during clubbing, I only bring 1 key out so this fits me well because it has a slim card slot(on the outside, opposite side not shown in pic), a zipped closure for some bills(cab fare) as well as a hook for me to attach 1 key. Hassle free! Fits in my Eva Clutch nicely. Epi leather is easy to maintain too.

Actually dearie bought me a passport holder in Suhali leather, but I thought it's a waste to only use it when I'm on travel. So I changed it to the above. It's the same price! =P


He too, bought a passport holder and belt. =)

Thanks my dear, LOVE YA! You probably know that all along. =D Smuacks!

Off to have my sashimi buffet with dearie! =)

Alcool chill

Saturday - 2nd July 2011
It was actually pre-birthday celebration for Iv and Ken who share the same birthday on 5th July. Happy birthday dudes!! We meant to catch dinner, Transformers movie and then chill. But Transformers was so hot that all tickets were sold out.

Anyway, I was supposed to meet Ken, YL and Ja for dinner but later chose to meet all of them straight at Alcool pub at South Bridge road because I wasnt hungry. Especially when they're having buffet. It was a larger crowd than I've expected, as almost everyone bought 1 or 2 friends along. Perhaps a total of 11 people? Didnt manage to take pics with all as some left pretty early. The aircon was so cold that I started sneezing non-stop. Very very bad. The night ended early at around 1+am. But Iv had already puke alottttt. Guess that's his aim. (=.=)'''


Ivan, pretty gone face~ I always admire how Cel always manage to conjure this very sexy expression in her pictures. Lol. Guess I can never master. Geez. Jov's new short coolz haircut!

Damn funny, all 4 of them looked at different directions.

Sigh, I wished my hair grow longer faster. The stupid fringe always irritates my eyes. Argghh!

Just look at Iv's super 骚 expression. Hahaha!

See Iv's 莲花手? Hahaha!

Cel's birthday party is coming soon too, at Shanghai Dolly on friday night. Will be another crazy night I think. =)

Mt Alvernia Hospitalization experience

Previous entry as to why was I hospitalized.

Entry continued.....

It was a Wed afternoon so it wasnt very crowded at Mt Alvernia. Waited around 45minutes(considered short) for my turn to see the doctor. Explained everything and finally got arranged to be admitted. It was a super hassling process. Dearie and I walked back and forth between the A&E department as well as the office for some financial counseling. I had a shabby one done by a nurse at the A&E department with a piece of paper, ticking my options. It showed the different ward charges. For standard rooms, single-bedded is S$400 per night. My alternative is doubled-bedded at S$230 per night. Please note they are only ward charges.

Got directed to the office where I waited another 30minutes for my turn, for another round of financial counseling. This time round, I was showed the estimated bill size for 1/2/3 days of hospitalization on the average basis for my ward. I dont quite remember the figures but I browsed through 1 and 2 days hospitalization and the figure was around $3k-$5K. And I suddenly found the initial financial counseling was pretty misleading huh~

Anyway, no single-bedded rooms were available so I had to settle for doubled-bedded. Along the way to the ward, there was this stale smell all along, as though you're visiting somewhere old and havent been cleaned in ages. Seriously, I much preferred the dettol/chlorine smell. I was directed to this rather dim room with heavy stale smell, occupied with 1 patient. It was 6pm already, 3 hours since the consultation with the doctor. Faint. Dearie and we were shocked that getting warded can also take so long with a private hospital. Of course it's still faster than a government hospital which takes 8hours or longer.

Before I started to settle down, I saw this.


(=.=)''' While I do not scream at the sight of cockroaches, I was disgusted how unhygienic the ward is. A cleaner was nearby and I called to her to help me clear it. Guess what? She seemed nonchalant and made no move of catching it. I spoke more firmly again and she actually called in the nurse, pointing at the cockroach. And the kind nurse brought me to another room where there's no stale smell which definitely look tons cleaner. She said they're going to disinfect the room and dont wish me to be there as it's unhealthy for me. And I wonder how the patient in that room is going to take it???

Anyway, the new room definitely looked cleaner, brighter and more inviting. Best part was, I had the whole room(and toilet) to myself because no other patient was admitted. Own tv, with the giant headphones attached to bed. Most of the time, I merely turned the volume to max and listened from faraway as the giant headphones was a chore to wear. Simply too big for my head, heavy too. Despite adjusting my bed in all angles, the tv was still so far above. Imagine my eyeballs(iris) were hanged high up like a ghost most of the time. ZzzZzz. Not many channels but they have HBO.




Anyway I was so tired and famished that I requested for my dinner. Initially the nurse dont dare to give me because I was also admitted for gastrology problems. They told me to wait for the doctor as I might need to fast for tests. When I asked when the doctor will come, they took time to revert and finally said the doc will come at 8+pm. I've experienced once at NUH when I fast for nothing and got to fast 16hours in a row, because the stupid doctor came later than promised plus the fact that they couldnt booked the theatre in time bla bla.

So I insisted on my dinner and said I can fast through the night and have any tests in the morning. It was already 6+pm. If I were to fast for another 6-8hours, it would be 12midnight or 2am. Hmm....not that it's not possible...but I dont think a doctor can perform a scope/coloscopy for me at that late hour. Afterall, it's not an emergency like appendix. So I had my dinner!

So moral of the story, be firm!! And think twice!! Dont follow exactly what the junior nurses(not head nurse) say because most of the time, they dont know much.

Pretty happy to have a menu to choose from! There's more than 8 choices available from western/chinese/malay/indian food. So ecstatic to see "Pan-fried prawns in saffron sauce with butter rice". Muahahahaha! Saffron sia!

Kawaii neh~!~ The cucumbers/carrots were cut so intricately.

Prawns were succulent, but hor, sigh...the whole dish was close to tasteless. *wails* There was minestrone soup too. I was super hungry so I finished everything. And I whined slightly to the nurse, =P, "Eh the food was tasteless! Next time can use more seasoning? I'm not that sick lah." It's actually more of a grumble, I dont really think they will listen but they did! The dishes which followed after these were pretty good, considering I dont have much appetite after all the tests.

Requested for toiletries for my bath after my dinner.


Shampoo, shower foam and body lotion, tooth-brush and toothpaste. No conditioner.
They were pretty moisturizing, considering my dry hair and skin. The lotion, however, smelled horrible, like toilet cleaner but I had to use it. Surprisingly, they were very moisturizing for the skin and leaves no sticky feeling. FYI, Mt Alvernia are super stingy with such toiletries. They only gave me a pack for that 2 days stay and said another pack will have extra charges added to the standard room charges. Appalled, I said I dont have enough shampoo and shower foam to use, and the nurse gave me 1 more of each. Thank god I'm short hair loh. Better to bring your own toiletries.

Dr Roland Chong came to see me at around 9pm and advised scope, coloscopy and ultra-sound scan to be done. And because he's based in Mt E, his time in Mt A was limited. Also, he need to co-ordinate with the availability of the operating theater for the tests, I was required to do the tests at 7am the next morning. That wasnt so bad until the nurse came forward with a 1litre water pitcher, telling me I need to finish the laxative in 1 and half hours, where after that, a second pitcher will follow.

"2 litres of laxative?? Oh my god! So does that mean I will diarrhea throughout the night??" I asked in shock.

"Erm...ya..probably.." The nurse replied.

I very much prefer to have a good night sleep and only do the test the next day afternoon or evening but dearie said it will also mean that I will need to fast another 8hours tomorrow in the day which will be torturous for me as compared to fasting throughout the night. Also, Dr Chong said he will charge additional if he needs to come back the next evening because it's considered OT for him as he's based in Mt E.

Doing a surgical procedure at 5+pm also considered OT? Duhz! When I said whether I can bring it earlier, so as not to incur his OT charges, he said the theater is only available at either 7am in the morning or 5.30pm the next day.

I'm quite irritated because before I'm warded, I've already said I want a Mt Alvernia based doctor so that I can follow-up easily for my own condition. And now, a Mt E doc was being assigned to me because somehow, ALL doctors from the Gastroenterology department were either on leave or on course. Dr Chong even mumbled, "Yeah, because she's lazy, so here I am." I was shocked, it clearly meant the Doctors at Mt Alvernia were simply having too good a life so that they can take leave as and when they want? I dont know about that but hmm....I wont like it if my doctor is always on leave, it will pose inconvenience if I really need to see him/her for follow-ups.

In view of all the above reasons...I've decided to simply LS through the night...so as to get everything done all at 1 go. =( The laxative sucks! I tried my best to drink but seriously, I cant get past my 2nd glass! I waved white flag to the nurse and she consulted Dr Chong(by phone) again. After awhile, the head nurse strolled in with 2 medicated bottles with pointed tips. =.=''' I can almost guess....yes....she inserted the liquid up my @ss. She's very professional so there's no uncomfy feeling and the diarrhea started. It's a breeze! They should have used this method sooner lah! Merely discomfort like common stomachache. Preferred this 10times more than drowning myself in the stupid laxatives. 2 litres? Who can finish in 4 hours? Not to mention it's disgusting taste.

So yes, if you ever need to do a scope(touch wood), you can request for this method if you find the laxative a disgusting chore to finish like me.

The diarrhea wasnt that bad, as in I didnt diarrhea throughout the night. But I had little sleep. I was being "served" another 2 bottles of laxative in the morning before the test and finally got pushed into the operating theater with apprehension. Thank god, they were done very very nicely. I woke up hours later with absolutely no bad feelings for my throat and *ahem* anus.

I still remembered how terrifying was the one I did at NUH. They stuffed the scope into my throat BEFORE I was unconscious and naturally, I was defensive as it was very painful and torturous. To my shock, they didnt stop and wait till I was unconscious and continued to stuff it down my throat violently. I felt as if I'm murdered in that bed! Tmd! I also woke up with a swollen throat which is super duper painful with every swallow of saliva.

Never go NUH. They suck big time!

Dearie came to see me again, bringing me my laptop. Iv also dropped by as he's working nearby. He described Mt Alvernia as "vintage". (=.=)''' A very nice word for "old". Frankly speaking, indeed, Mt Alvernia wasnt as new and nicely renovated as I thought. And it suddenly dawned on me that the ward charges(solely ward charges only) were expensive. Well, we always know, everybody knows medical expenses in Singapore is expensive, more so for private hospitals. But for a ward charge of more than $230, wow, that's even more expensive than a 4 star hotel which clearly have better and newer furnishings as well as a bigger area. Please do note there are other nurse/doc/surgery/misc charges.

Dr Chong came again in the evening and told me my scope test showed positive for bacteria infection. He added that it's acid influx up my esophagus which caused my chest pains. I never thought chest pains can be caused by problems from the stomach. I had many questions but Dr Chong had little time for me, no more than 5minutes. I had to half-chase him all the way to wherever he's going, for my answers. Thinking back, it got me kinda irritated. Isnt the doctor's responsibility to explain to the patient what is her condition, how it happened and what to avoid in the future? I'm not expecting him to sit down for half an hour with me, just 10-15minutes.

Since it was already the evening, I decided to stay for the night since the hospital charges wards just like any hotel charge their rooms; i.e, full day is charged so long so it's after 12pm(check-out time). Might as well I have my dinner and morning breakfast before I leave.

Here's my dinner. Black pepper chicken with butter rice. Very yummy!



I got hungry around 11pm again and sadly, they dont provide supper, not even paid ones. =( The cafe located at level 1 had closed way before, but thank god for this!




Warm, toasted sandwich! The poster said chicken but it turned out to be tuna instead. Although the vege in the sandwich wasnt very fresh, it was very yummy. Perhaps warm food simply tastes great to any starving people. Ice milo from drinks dispenser.

Next morning
I had pork porridge. Very delicious. =) It was another hassle to discharge. We had to queue for payment, yes, I understand that it's necessary. But imagine almost everyone have questions for their bills..."What is this extra charge about? What is this miscellaneous thing?" etc etc. It really drags the time. I dont have much to ask as seriously, there's nothing much you can debate about a medical bill, is there? Anyway, my insurance can cover everything. I did, however, requested for a more detailed bill which will only be printed at request, at no charges.

After which, dearie went to the pharmacy to queue for my medicine, which was actually pretty quick. Was prescribed antio-biotics which always turn me into jelly...but despite having finished all, I'm still having the chest pains occasionally. Hmmm........the date for follow-up has been set by Dr Chong, mid July.

I'm still contemplating whether to consult him further.

Firstly, I dont have good impression of Mt E doctors because a dear friend of mine kanna chopped dearly by 1 of them before, i.e, a normal scan of market rate S$200 was being mark-up to S$800.

Secondly, since all my records were at Mt Alvernia, I prefer a Mt Alvernia doctor.

Thirdly, although the scope/coloscopy tests were done excellently with no negative aftermath, I dont particularly admire Dr Chong's offhanded attitude and disclosure to me for my conditions.

The total bill came up to S$5K+. Both dearie and me were slightly shocked for a mere 2 days stay, 2 invasive surgeries and 1 scan. Not to mention the service, environment were merely fine.

Reviews of Mt Alvernia/Things to note
1) Nurses' call are attended very promptly, in less than 5minutes, even after past midnight. In comparison to government hospitals like NUH who only come around 45minutes. Sometimes, they dont even come even when you're dying in pain.

2) Doctors are more easily contactable as the nurses can call them and allow you to speak to them. Unlike government hospitals, you can only wait and guess. Sometimes, you dont even get to see your doctor after you discharged and you dont know wtf happen to you at all.

3) Food is good and has a wide array to choose from. This is important to me. Haha! Food were being served lukewarm too. No suppers though!

4) Cleanliness of rooms differ from room to room!

5) I cant comment on Mt Alvernia doctors as Dr Chong is from Mt E. To give him credit, the scope and coloscopy were nicely done. Though again, I also dont know whether are all Mt Alvernia doctors like him, who dont care to spare a 5-10minutes to answer his patients' questions properly.


Lastly, thanks to dearie for accompanying me most of the time, throttling back and forth from home. =) Thanks to all my friends who had expressed concerns in their many many ways. Actually, I'm rather surprised. For some friends whom I thought will care more, actually cared less. For some friends whom I thought dont really care, actually care more. Haha~ Of course there are also friends who really care for me, just as much as I thought, and just as much as I care for them. =D You do have to understand some friends are simply more caring by nature than others. Dearie, for one, have little words of concern to offer but he shows all his care by actions; i.e, accompanying me for hours, bringing me everything I want, do every little thing for me when I'm sick. I guess most guys are like that bah. =P

Thank you all! =)

Admitted to Mt Alvernia

Sorry for the absence. I was hospitalized since from 15th - 17th June at Mt Alvernia.

Why?

I've been having this consistent chest pain which I grumbled everyday. While it's not that painful where I will roll about in bed like when I was having menstrual cramps, it's still a pain which bothers me everyday. Everyday! It started last year before July. I did consulted GP few times but I was merely given medicine to unblock air-way, asthma as well as painkillers. That's because I mentioned the pains started when my nose started to get blocked every night till I had difficulties in breathing. I breathed harder and harder which resulted in chest pains.

The most horrible episode was in July 2010, which scored 9 out of 10 on my pain-o-meter. It felt as if my heart was being constricted. It was detailed in here. Thank god for blogging, else I didnt really realize the chest pains started so long ago. I sucks at remembering events and has a poor judgement of periods.

The doc at Mt Alvernia prescribed me painkillers but it's not strong enough. The pain only totally subsided 3-4hours later. Subsequently, I still have chest pains now and then, mostly on a scale of 3 to 4. As time goes by, it became more and more frequent, more and more painful, on a scale of 5-7. I consulted docs at Mt Alvernia again, detailed here. This time, stronger painkillers were given and I had bliss for 1.5weeks or so. Dr Yam said it might be because of misalignment of muscles in chest, hence I was told to go back a week later to let him re-align. I went back, experienced hell of a lot of pain, still, chest pains came back.

I knew I have no choice but to admit for tests and check-ups to find out what's wrong. But I held it back despite dearie's constant nagging. Apart from this irritating chest pains, I also experienced stomach pains frequently after meals. And diarrhea everytime I had spicy food. Last tues(eve of admission), I had it again and it was pretty bad. It could not have been a case of food poisoning because it's quite low chance that I have food poisoning every 3 days. So, I told dearie it's high time I admit to Mt Alvernia to get everything checked all at 1 go.

Entry to be continued...