I was very frustrated with the way the authorities handled the strata title issue for Prisma Perdana. For three whole years we (the resident association) were trying to get the strata titles for the owners of the apartment and we had such a hurdle to cross. Nevertheless, it was really an experience working with a group of dedicated volunteers from the residents of Prisma Perdana..............
To the Editor of The Star,
I am an owner of an apartment in Prisma Perdana, Cheras and was a former president of the Prisma Perdana Apartment Resident Association. For four years, the residents and committee members of Prisma Perdana have fought very hard for our rights to get our strata title and to manage our own apartment.
From having to get our certificate of fitness through the assistance of our Cheras MP, YB Tan Kok Wai, to seeking the professional advice from the National Housebuyers Association when our developer, Saraintan Development S/B, wound up and finally being in the process of our strata title transfers, we would have thought that the tough times are over.
It has been the dream of every owner to finally get his title and we even went the extra mile of engaging a lawyer to do the transfer collectively for the residents here in order to speed up the process.
Alas to our dismay, we realized that the conditions imposed by the Official Receiver before approving the transfer was impossible to fulfill. They required each and every owner to show proof that the first owner of the apartment has settled all outstanding amount with the developer. As a fourth owner of the apartment, how on earth am I going to get such document from the first owner when I don’t even know where on earth he is right now. On top of that, as our developer has already wound up, all their files and documents would have already been in the custody of the Official Receiver. Why do they require the document from us?
Besides, if the first owner had not settled his outstanding dues to the developer, how then could the second, third and fourth owner obtain the letter of consent from the developer to get their financing from the bank?
Please, someone from the authority, please change the conditions in the strata title transfer. It’s no wonder strata titles are almost non existent here in our country when the authorities themselves are making it difficult for the owners to do their transfer. No wonder it takes years for the titles to be transferred. So what can I do now????
11/07/2007
Euro & Me
I remembered having to prepare my third speec(got to search my pc for my second speech) and i came out with this...........
ITL, BEF, FRF, DEM, ATS…… geez…. I can’t even remember all my nicknames. How can I even remember all this tongue twisting currencies……
Good evening fellow toastmasters and guests.
At the strike of the clock, at 12.00 midnight, in the evening of 31st December 1998, while I was happily hibernating away in my nice warm bed, dreaming about the ‘dim sum’ breakfast I was going to have the next morning, there was this group of people, over the other side of the EARTH, who are busy preparing for the birth of a new phenomenon …. The birth of EURO……
Somewhere in my mind, in a galaxy far, far away, at a time when I was more concerned with whether I should or not answer the call of the Toastmaster, I was sent to attend a course on EURO in July 1998. I had no inkling what it was all about except that it was supposed to make my live easier. You see, I am with the Treasury Department of a bank. And what my main job function is, it is to ensure that all the many different foreign currencies in the bank are well funded. That means all money going out should be matched with all money coming in.
We are talking about not just five, or ten…. but more than thirty currencies I am looking after…. More than all the fingers and my toes put together. Many times I had to scramble to call other banks to cover accounts which has insufficient fund. So in future, if any of you experience your foreign currencies demand draft has bounced or your counterparties overseas failed to receive their money, then you know its dealers like me who were sleeping on our job.
Anyway, back to EURO. With EURO, that means instead of having to deal with eleven currencies in the EMU, I am going to deal with only one. WOW…… close to 100% reduction in workload…. What a dream. So there I was happily waiting for the year end to come. Then, as days and months progressed, I began to hear not very encouraging news from my friends from other banks about their woes and miseries with EURO.
I got worried. No one, not even my boss was concerned about what we had to prepare for EURO. It’s like Armageddon is coming, it’s just beyond the horizon and we were having picnic right at the edge of the earth. A few of my colleagues and I got together and starting to make enquiries from other departments about EURO. We were assured, quite confidently by our processing department, they handle the payment instructions and all other relevant accounting entries relating to treasury, that they have everything in place.
Phew, with this piece of mind, we continued with our picnic. We were thinking … this is LIFE!!!!
Then, a week before the start of the new year, before EURO was officially traded, all hell break loose …. Like they say, when you are down in luck, it doesn’t rain, it pours …. My boss called an urgent meeting to discuss the practical implication of EURO. It was then, we realised that nothing was done at all to ensure the payment and accounting system were in place for EURO. And we had to get it done in one week what others, even the foreign banks, took months to get it running smoothly…..
Needless to say, me, who was doing the funding and my colleague who was also doing the covering, spent the first two weeks of 1999, walking around with bags under our eyes. My colleagues in the accounts and processing department suffered a more terrible fate. It gave them countless headache attacks but at least they had an avenue to voice their grievances. They called us and nagged at us for not thinking about this earlier.
Well, that episode was soon over. It has taught me a very important lesson. That in this world, there is no free lunch. I was planning to have it easy with my workload reduction. I realised my effort and contribution is needed to make that happened. It’s the same with many things in life. You have a dream and you want it realised. Then, you know you got to put in dedication and determination to achieve it. I never expect EURO to have such an impact in my life.
ITL, BEF, FRF, DEM, ATS…… geez…. I can’t even remember all my nicknames. How can I even remember all this tongue twisting currencies……
Good evening fellow toastmasters and guests.
At the strike of the clock, at 12.00 midnight, in the evening of 31st December 1998, while I was happily hibernating away in my nice warm bed, dreaming about the ‘dim sum’ breakfast I was going to have the next morning, there was this group of people, over the other side of the EARTH, who are busy preparing for the birth of a new phenomenon …. The birth of EURO……
Somewhere in my mind, in a galaxy far, far away, at a time when I was more concerned with whether I should or not answer the call of the Toastmaster, I was sent to attend a course on EURO in July 1998. I had no inkling what it was all about except that it was supposed to make my live easier. You see, I am with the Treasury Department of a bank. And what my main job function is, it is to ensure that all the many different foreign currencies in the bank are well funded. That means all money going out should be matched with all money coming in.
We are talking about not just five, or ten…. but more than thirty currencies I am looking after…. More than all the fingers and my toes put together. Many times I had to scramble to call other banks to cover accounts which has insufficient fund. So in future, if any of you experience your foreign currencies demand draft has bounced or your counterparties overseas failed to receive their money, then you know its dealers like me who were sleeping on our job.
Anyway, back to EURO. With EURO, that means instead of having to deal with eleven currencies in the EMU, I am going to deal with only one. WOW…… close to 100% reduction in workload…. What a dream. So there I was happily waiting for the year end to come. Then, as days and months progressed, I began to hear not very encouraging news from my friends from other banks about their woes and miseries with EURO.
I got worried. No one, not even my boss was concerned about what we had to prepare for EURO. It’s like Armageddon is coming, it’s just beyond the horizon and we were having picnic right at the edge of the earth. A few of my colleagues and I got together and starting to make enquiries from other departments about EURO. We were assured, quite confidently by our processing department, they handle the payment instructions and all other relevant accounting entries relating to treasury, that they have everything in place.
Phew, with this piece of mind, we continued with our picnic. We were thinking … this is LIFE!!!!
Then, a week before the start of the new year, before EURO was officially traded, all hell break loose …. Like they say, when you are down in luck, it doesn’t rain, it pours …. My boss called an urgent meeting to discuss the practical implication of EURO. It was then, we realised that nothing was done at all to ensure the payment and accounting system were in place for EURO. And we had to get it done in one week what others, even the foreign banks, took months to get it running smoothly…..
Needless to say, me, who was doing the funding and my colleague who was also doing the covering, spent the first two weeks of 1999, walking around with bags under our eyes. My colleagues in the accounts and processing department suffered a more terrible fate. It gave them countless headache attacks but at least they had an avenue to voice their grievances. They called us and nagged at us for not thinking about this earlier.
Well, that episode was soon over. It has taught me a very important lesson. That in this world, there is no free lunch. I was planning to have it easy with my workload reduction. I realised my effort and contribution is needed to make that happened. It’s the same with many things in life. You have a dream and you want it realised. Then, you know you got to put in dedication and determination to achieve it. I never expect EURO to have such an impact in my life.
Write up on Humour contest
In Toastmasters Club, members get to write a lot......... and talk a lot too..... and we have a lot of contests and then write about them for the benefit of those who had missed out on the various events........................... I wrote this for one of the Humour Contest in Damansara Utama Toastmasters Club in 1998.....................
Armed with all ears and eager anticipation, I weaved my way through the Thursday evening traffic, praying I would make it on time for the much awaited ‘Battle of the Year’, the Damansara Utama Toastmaster’s Club Humour Speech Contest 1998. This year saw the participation of eleven Titans, consisting of both veteran generals as well as young heroic captains and sergeants. The event was definitely treated with marked importance with the presence of wise and well-respected toastmasters, blah, blah, blah with the honour of crowning the chosen one, the coveted throne of ‘Titan among the Titans’.
Being given the formidable task to be the first Titan to grace the floor, G Jayam did his utmost to warm the evening’s atmosphere with his creative British humour. As the evening progressed, the spectators were enchanted with amusing anecdotes and the ‘sunny side up’ tales (and no doubt reality too) of man and women relationship, travelling as well as culinary experiences, antics of politicians and last but not least, some hilarious ego bursting self-proclamation of character by the Titans. All woven with delicate care on the fabric of the toastmaster spirit. (though some sexual and political innuendoes were made, all is forgiven as the saying goes, ‘Ignorance is bliss’).
Vijayankumar succeeded in charming the judges with similar strategies used in casting his mesmerising spell on his wife. Tham Chee Wah’s lamentation of women did not escape the judges’ notice and he was awarded the first runner-up position, just a rung above Sharon Ng’s arty ‘No’ lesson.
Heartfelt gratitude and praises to the contest chairperson, Lee Wei Siong and his entourage of sergeants for their commendable effort in ensuring the smooth running of the evening.
Now, let’s not forget that though one battle is won, there are many more to go before we emerge victoriously in the war. As Vijayankumar carries our club’s banner into the next battle field, the Area 51 (opps, Area C5, I meant) Humour Contest, on 16th September 1998, show your patriotism for the club and your support for him by being there.
Armed with all ears and eager anticipation, I weaved my way through the Thursday evening traffic, praying I would make it on time for the much awaited ‘Battle of the Year’, the Damansara Utama Toastmaster’s Club Humour Speech Contest 1998. This year saw the participation of eleven Titans, consisting of both veteran generals as well as young heroic captains and sergeants. The event was definitely treated with marked importance with the presence of wise and well-respected toastmasters, blah, blah, blah with the honour of crowning the chosen one, the coveted throne of ‘Titan among the Titans’.
Being given the formidable task to be the first Titan to grace the floor, G Jayam did his utmost to warm the evening’s atmosphere with his creative British humour. As the evening progressed, the spectators were enchanted with amusing anecdotes and the ‘sunny side up’ tales (and no doubt reality too) of man and women relationship, travelling as well as culinary experiences, antics of politicians and last but not least, some hilarious ego bursting self-proclamation of character by the Titans. All woven with delicate care on the fabric of the toastmaster spirit. (though some sexual and political innuendoes were made, all is forgiven as the saying goes, ‘Ignorance is bliss’).
Vijayankumar succeeded in charming the judges with similar strategies used in casting his mesmerising spell on his wife. Tham Chee Wah’s lamentation of women did not escape the judges’ notice and he was awarded the first runner-up position, just a rung above Sharon Ng’s arty ‘No’ lesson.
Heartfelt gratitude and praises to the contest chairperson, Lee Wei Siong and his entourage of sergeants for their commendable effort in ensuring the smooth running of the evening.
Now, let’s not forget that though one battle is won, there are many more to go before we emerge victoriously in the war. As Vijayankumar carries our club’s banner into the next battle field, the Area 51 (opps, Area C5, I meant) Humour Contest, on 16th September 1998, show your patriotism for the club and your support for him by being there.
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