Thursday, March 19, 2009

Settling in

It's funny. Before we started house hunting in Singapore, we set down a prioritised list of criteria, did many many hours of online research, and spent several days seeing apartments with our increasingly frustrated real estate agent. The evenings were spent comparing notes, refreshing our memories with photographs of the properties we were discussing, and assessing each apartment against the criteria on a spreadsheet. 

And then we walked into this place, and both of us just instantly liked it. It wasn't perfect - in fact, it actually did not meet quite a few of our criteria - but it was the first place that felt like it could be home. And that was how we - rational, model-making, excel-wielding, B-school types - chose our new home. It just felt right. 

So in we moved and discovered that the apartment came with its very own Ugly Naked Guy. Yup. Fellow who lived across from us and liked to sit by his window in his underwear and surf the net. Perfectly positioned to be within our line of sight from our living room and balcony. 

2 weeks into our stay, we realised that we had to do something about it. Imagine, we'd plonk down on the sofa to chat and relax after a long day, and there he would be - Naked Netsurfer, Eyesore Extraordinaire. I sent up some strong complaints prayers. Make him move, I pleaded. Or at least let him put some clothes on. Really, if we had to have a naked neighbour why couldn't he have looked like John Abraham? Now that I would be totally cool with.

Of course the good book says that God helps those who help themselves, so apart from my nightly prayers, I also began to work out what combination of hanging pots and screens on the balcony would block of our view of the bare expanse I did not want to see. But even before I could put that into action, it seemed my prayers were answered. One day I noticed some contractors in his apartment, and within a couple of days he was gone. The husband and I heaved a huge sigh of relief and all is well in our world again.

Well almost. Last week, I was playing with Munch on our balcony and I saw something in another apartment window that had me do a double take. A woman, doing housework - in a bra and thong! Ok, so she's not quite Ugly Naked Guy. For one she's most definitely not a guy. And not ugly either. And apparently she doesn't do naked housework on a regular basis because I haven't seen her since.

But I am rather mad about the whole thing. I'd asked for a John Abrahm lookalike, dammit! Someone up there has a very twisted sense of humour.

17 comments:

Mamma mia! Me a mamma? said...

Hahahaha! Hilarious!

But do tell us more about the house...

Mama - Mia said...

hahahaha!!

i am guessins while you were praying for John Ab(s)raham, hubby was praying harder for Bips! :D

the thought neva crossed your mind?! :p

hope the house becomes home very soon! :)

cheers!

abha

Shobana said...

Hahahahahaha! I guess, SIN is seemingly a great place for "bird" watchers to live! I second Mama-Mia's thots about the hubby praying for a Bipasha look alike!

Anonymous said...

LOL, We too have an ugly Naked Old guy living opposite to us. What I have noticed in SIN is the most men walk around just in their micro mini shorts, infact you even get to see them sipping beer in those shorts at food courts. :)
But woman in bra and thongs doing housework is just too much ! LOL !!

Pipette's Mimi said...

hahahahha this is so funny!!! Mags,this post is hillarious!
OH and happy settling in..:) we moved into a new house too..and thankfully,there are no ugly naked guys around us!:P

Swati said...

You are so funny ! Happy settling in !

Sunita Venkatachalam said...

ROFLMAO. Mama-Mia may be right :) And here I was thinking SIN was this straightlaced place esp when compared to BKK.

Welcome back, write more (classic case of pot calling kettle black), Love to the kids.

Lavs said...

Hi Maggie..just wanted to drop in to say a hi. Hope things have settled down. Do write when you find time.
Love
Lavs

DotThoughts said...

ROTFL. Poor you. We have a neighbor who does yard work in a skimpy bikini.

Just Like That said...

ROFL! You do have an interesting view, don't you?

Sukhaloka said...

LOL, brilliant! :P.
Sounds like my kind of woman, though. Though I'd probably pull the curtains shut ;).

Good to see you back, Mags!

Meenakshy said...

Hi Maggie.. have been following your blog for some time now but was not able to comment in any of them as i browse from office.. :)..
i am a mother of a 6 month old boy and your experiences have given me much needed confidence during pregnancy (especially the Birth story) for the next level in my life..
anyways i have also stayed in SIN for 6 months in 2008 and i can absolutely relate to what you are saying. Came across this:
http://www.dumblaws.com/laws/singapore
well, I didnt try out what can be done on this. If you live in any of the condos, I think you can really do something about it.. :)

Do keep us posted for the updates

Good Luck

~Meenakshy

Unknown said...

LMAO! This blog just got a lot more interesting...can't wait for the update on this one..:)

aMus said...

this was too funny...and abha is probably right :D

where in singapore are you put up? :D

Subhashree said...

Hahaha.. may be your hubby prayed a little harder than you ;)

Nagesh.MVS said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Nagesh.MVS said...

Haha .

Work From Home