Apartment's Design Facilities and Services from The Perspective of User's / Owner/ Tenant/ Residents/ Housewife

Since I got married I used to live in an apartment or condominium. Frankly, I am not sure what's the difference between condominium and apartment as I knew both are high rise residential buildings. I've been living in a service apartment and was owned one condominium back in Malaysia. Here in Vietnam, we also living in an apartment and hardly heard people mentioned about condominium. In Vietnam the term most heard for residentials are, house, villa, apartment and hut. 

Ok, this writing is actually my opinion about the design, facilities and services of the apartments that I've lived in and I've seen and observed. Back in Malaysia, we currently have what they called it service apartment in Damansara Perdana. When my husband bought the apartment (we just engaged at that time), my thinking was the apartment will be facilitated with services such as in-house cleaning (day-maid) service, laundry service, etc. That time back in 2005, with that price and size of less than 100sqm, I could consider it as a mid range service apartment. This block that we lived in is considered as a commercial block of the residential complex that contained another 2 blocks, that they called it condominium. This mean in this residential complex, it has 2 condominium blocks/buildings and 1 service apartment block/building (this is where we were lived in before we moved to Vietnam. We still live in this apartment when we go back Malaysia during the school holiday).
Back to my expectation, I am expecting those services provided when moved in when its completed. We moved in after my the delivery of my daughter. It was a disappointment when it was not turned out as what I've expected. According to the developer, the meaning of service apartment for this particular building was a commercial building as the address can be used as both commercial and residential, while the condominium address can only be used as residential address. It turned out that we have to pay higher assessment tax as compared to the condominium building. I feel we've been conned as the actual promotion did not reflect the actual scenario. What the..................May be someone professional can be best explained to us about all this. But it was ok to us as long as we have a place to live safely. For your information, our service apartment has no reception counter and we can only pay management fee at the management office where all the building and technical management are stationed. The management office is operated with an office hour 9a.m - 6pm with 1 hour break at 5 days a week with alternate Saturday operation. This means we can only communicate and do transaction during operation hour as mentioned.

But, here in Vietnam, I found that, if you live in a service apartment means that the management of the building will provide a house keeping service and some with laundry service.The normal apartment doesn't has the housekeeping service and normally the management fee is lower than the service apartment's management fee. Besides that, there is no different between the normal residential and commercial residential. Every each of apartment complexes has their own reception counter that serve the residents, regardless it's a service apartment or non service apartment. Basically, it's a part of the facilities provided which included in the management fee without discrimination of types of  apartment you lived in.
In our apartment that currently we are residing (Imperia An Phu Residences, developed half way by Korean developer with a Korean Design), its reception operates as early as 7 a.m and close at 8.00p.m and some will close at 9.00 p.m. The reception is still open during lunch hour (I believed they practice rotation break). This reception counter is specifically will give service to its residents it term of many things such as paying the bills (electric, gas, water, internet as well as tv cabel), arranging transport, posting/delivery of parcel, management of facilities (common hall, recreation room, library, tennis court, gym, etc). This reception counter will receive complains too, e.g resident has lightings or air-cond problems, they would just go to the reception, logged a report and the reception will arrange technical team to inspect and fix it. Should the fixing needs an exterior service, they are willing to arrange for the residents.

In Malaysia, we may only see a reception counter for the selective higher end condominium or exclusive condominium or its a combination of hotel and service apartment. The normal condominium or "service apartment"/ apartment, mostly have no reception counter. Any complain about the facilities will be handled by the management office. This is where the residents can see the chaotic, behaviour of the building manager, where the clerical, vendor and technical came in and out and at the same time serving the customer/ residents, somehow it looks not that professional for me who has been used to be served by a proper channel of residential building management. I am not sure why building managers or building manager service provider unable to provide this proper service to the residents. It is not only our "service apartment" that doesn't have the reception but the condominium I bought also did not have the reception counter for residents. I think, the reception counter is important as it is located away from the management office. This is important as it will develope a gap between the customer to the internal management.
As a resident or user/customer, I would not need and should not know about the internal problem of the building management. The gap also play as the confidentiality safety to the building manager. That's why it is more appropriate to have a reception counter away from the building management office. For me it is inappropriate that the outsider observed or listen to the internal management activities and conversation. Well, I do not know about others, but for me it looks more professional when you have a reception counter away from the management office in order to attend and assist the residents' complain and request. Sometimes I feel weird as most of us know that Malaysia is more developed than Vietnam but in this particularly issue, I found the service and facilities I get in Vietnam is far away better than I get in Malaysia.

Now about the design. I've been living in an apartment that has Korean designed as it was developed by Korean developer and soon will be moving to an apartment developed by local Vietnamese developer. I was living in an apartment developed by local Malaysian developer , had owned a condominium developed by Malaysian developer and has experienced the ambiance of apartment developed by Singaporean developer in Malaysia. Apartment's design of all these apartment did give me different ambiance and feels when I was in it.
Amongst of all apartments that I've experienced in it, I found the Korean designed is one of the best and most practical. Here we are not talking about the quality and workmanship as yet. Here, I am talking about the design in particular.Why I said the Korean design is the most practical? I think the Korean design is the most practical because it take into consideration of the Asian's aesthetic culture, the technology and the practicality. For example, in our current apartment, the layout of the unit has the shoe space.
Mostly in  Asian culture, they will take off shoe prior entering the house, so this apartment has designed a shoe area as you enter the apartment that separates the floor of the interior space. As such you will take off you shoe at the shoe area as you entered the unit but not yet reaching the interior layout such the living room, dining or kitchen area for example. At the shoe area, the built a show cabinet to store shoe that you seldom use and some space for slippers and shoes that you regularly use. This shoe area is lit with dedicated lightings.
Next, this apartment unit has a practical size for each section ( living room, toilet, dining, kitchen, store, laundry, compressor area) that ease the maintenance of each section and comfortable to move. Another point is keyless entrance which very very practical as you only use one access card for the turnstile, the lobby door and the unit door. Without this access card you are unable to have an access even to the complex except the reception counter. Each unit door is using coded door, that means only residents has the individual pass code to access their particular unit. This is very important for safety purposes. This means, 3 layers security check with or without vehicle. In each unit, it is installed with visual inter comm. That means you can see and recognize your expected guest from the inter comm monitor. The inter comm monitor is not only installed at the wall but also at the mini tv installed in the kitchen. This is so practical as the housewife who is busy cooking in the kitchen doesn't has to run and check or open the door of the expected guest from the main inter comm monitor. You may also just press the open button for the door from the toilet if you are in the toilet. The inter comm device installed in the toilet also has etiquette button if you don't want the outsiders listen to the toilet flushing sounds.
Their landscape of common area, kids area and swimming pool area was designed and built practically for recreation, exercise plus kids and disable friendly.

Comparison of Apartments' layout and its facilities:

From a housewife point of view:

Being a Malaysian living abroad would not allow you to own a property but giving me an opportunity to experience living nomad from one apartment to another. It gives me an opportunity to compare the quality and practicality of design and floor plan layout of the apartments that we rent and we owned back in our home country.

From my observation, most of middle to upper level of apartments in HCMC is much more practical in terms of floor layout and safety system as compared to apartments built in KL and P.J. 

I took example  the range of years (2000 - 2010) that the apartments were built. In P.J and Subang (Emerald Perdana (completed end 2004), Perdana View (completed around 2004 - 2006), in Damansara Perdana and Saujana Residency (completed around 2006 -2007) in Subang Jaya).  

1. Intercom System
First, we look into the security system aspect. Both Emerald and Perdana view were equipped with an intercom system (voice only-wall phone) but surprisingly, Saujana Residency that were priced higher than Emerald and Perdana and built lastest than Emerald and Perdana is not equipped with an intercom system. Can't you see the hassle when the guest is coming over?. the guard has to call the owner /residents on their personal mobile to inform and to ensure the guest prior allowing them to enter the building. Comparing to HCMC, all of apartments built within than years range  have been equipped with intercom system. I believed when they built they thought of the possibilities of potential tenants, as their target potential tenant is always expatriate/ foreigners as primary tenants, locals as secondary tenants. As such, all apartments there were equipped with intercom system at least voice type, some with both visual and voice intercom system.

2. Kitchen Layout
Emerald Perdana and Perdana View have a better floor layout better than Saujana Residency as they have better air ventilation where both have kitchen that attached to the drying are which was open , while Saujana does not has a proper drying area, or if they called it drying area, however it was a closed area attached with its closed kitchen. The design only provide a small air window ( is not a window actually) at the drying area. These are the poor element that contribute to poor ventilation in the kitchen area.  Comparing with apartments in HCMC, even though some of apartment do not have drying area (for the design without drying area, normally the dryer will be provided or the washing machine will be placed at the balcony), normally the kitchen is open concept or has a big window for better ventilation. Most apartments in HCMC have open concept kitchen and if it is a closed concept kitchen, it would be attached with an open concept drying area to keep a better ventilation.

3. Reception Area
Emerald Perdana and Saujana Residency, these two apartments do have reception area or lobby area. Their lobby area are nice and spacious but unfortunately not being full utilized for the benefits of the residents. I hardly see apartment's lobby has seats and reception counter in KL, P.J, Shah Alam and Penang.Badly design, Perdana View doesn't has proper reception area at all. Most of residents of apartments in P.J,Shah Alam, K.L and Penang have to pay bills themselves via online, post office or service provider counter. Maybe in the service apartment there is a reception counter that could accept payments of utilities bills for its residents but so far I never encounter any as yet in Malaysia. In Malaysia, most of the time residents pay their service charge at the management office which is serve as service counter and building facilities management office as well. Here, in HCMC most of the lobby would at least has a chair or sofa for its residents to sit while waiting and most importantly each apartment has at least one small reception counter to give service to residents. Some of the reception counter can accept all utilities bills to ease their foreign residents. And most of the time the management office for the building is located away from the reception counter. This is important as it doesn't mix the customer service operation and building facilities operation. As a resident would you care to think about the building's operation?. I just care where to pay the bills and service charge and I don't like to be bothered by other staffs' conversation behind the service counter.

For this posting, I think it is enough to give some comparison as I am not the expert to analyse. It just an opinion that come from an observation of a housewife who spend most of the time at home.

New Year 2018 : New Apartment

We had such a fresh opening of 2018. We moved to a new apartment, as such a new environment and new fresh neighborhood for us. At first it was hard for me to accept that we had to move out from Imperia, but my husband told me that it's a time for us to change and enjoy a new environment since we had a chance. I was hoped that the new environment would bring more good things and more happiness to us. 

True enough changes give us a fresh new life. The space of the new apartment is much smaller than our previous apartment, however it is much convenient here at our new apartment. It is just a few steps to the shopping mall, convenient stores, halal butcher and choices of supermarket. 

My plan for 2018, start collecting collection for my painting book and finish my master project paper. The rest I leave it to what Allah have planned for me. Insha Allah.

My Passion Continues When I Become a Housewife

My husband doesn't like to adress me a housewife. He called me Home Minister or House Manager or Domestic Manager. Funny, right? he..he. So sweet of him for not letting me feeling bad for being a full time housewife. Many people thought that being a housewife, you're nothing less than unemployed, no earning, bad shopper, etc.  but as a housewife the responsibility and work is nothing less than a working women. Of course working women has much more work if she doesn't hire maid at home. But being a housewife , my work never reduce as there always has things to do in the kitchen, in the living room, in the bedroom , etc. Housework started as open your eyes until you close your eyes (sleep). The only time that we don't do work is when we getting our sleep.

However, being a full time housewife, you have an advantage of pursuing things that you haven't achieve due to work commitment. When I was working I've been dreaming to further my study and do paintings, however, I never got a chance to do all those.  Since now I have plenty of time and the time is so precious, I wouldn't want to let it flies empty, so I decided to further my study in Master in Management and brushing up my talent in painting. I enrolled  my Master in Management and art class. I searched the universities that offered an online programs and has a flexibility of sitting an exam at my current place, Saigon. Then I found that Open University Malaysia fulfilled all my requirements and I decided to enroll the Master program with this university after I met one of the Open University Malaysia's lecturer who attended a seminar in Saigon, Dr Zaini . He has convinced me that even though I left my Uni after so many years, and a full time housewife now. He said that I might do better since I have plenty of time and flexibility to suit my phase of learning. Now it is not a dream anymore as I am now in the 2nd year, will be sitting the last final paper next week and finishing the master project paper soon. I can't believe that I made it myself without attending a classes or having a lecturer teaching me . I just attended to all courses, notes and videos uploaded on the university's online study webpage plus my own additional online reading. I even did better than my Bachelor Business Administration (Hons) Marketing. Maybe because I took into consideration of my 14 years working experiences in many industries (Motorsport, M.I.C.E and Tourism and Leasing and Facility Management). Well, as many people said where there's a will , there's a way. Please pray that I can finish my Master in Management with flying colours.

Besides doing my Master in Management, I also now have a chance to brush up my talent in painting. I enrolled in art class at Grado Art Studio and my sifu is Mr Ignacio De Grado. Surprisingly, there are few people have bought my work and some are repeat clients. That's has push me forward to focus brushing up my skills in painting as well as gaining for more knowledge in arts. Here are some of my art works that I can share. For more, you may visit my art blog at https://ciksugallery.blogspot.com.

Potrait - Shakira

Since I've joined an art class, I've started having my own painting collection and one of my favourite, is my daughter's portrait. 

A portrait of my daughter wearing a costume of cartoon character, woody of toys story

Medium : Oil Paint

Size : 34.5 cm x 44.5 cm

My life journey from zero to something with zero debts - Part 1

Hi, I am a "kampung" (village) girl who was living in a very decent life. My father was a crane operator at Port Klang, one of the busiest port in Malaysia. He earned around RM2000 per month or maybe more when it plus with his overtime pay. We lived in a very average standard of living where what we have were all the necessity, nothing extraordinary or luxury. We went shopped once a year near to Hari Raya (Aidilfitri) and that was the only time we had a chance to eat or dining out. My father's principle was simple never have a debt, therefore most of the time he only spend on what he has. The only thing that my father bought with loan was his middle cost single storey house which now giving him monthly rental of around RM300 per month. My father bought his cars were all with cash, therefore he only bought used cars. His first car was a mini minor car which was then given for free to a lucky man whom he knew interested so much with he considered as junk. Ermm....even though he was lucky, but my father kept the grant document of that mini minor with him and now it is with me.

This is how the mini minor looks like for those who never saw it before. 

The 2nd car he bought was Toyota KE 20. He bought it for cash and no commitment to pay monthly installment. That car was very nostalgic as that car he used to send me to my college (ITM) in Dungun when I did my Diploma and continued its merit until I finished my BBA (Bachelor Business Administration) in UiTM. I drove that car daily to school and work after graduation. 

The 3rd car he bought also with cash , zero commitment. Our daily expenses were very decent as with that salary he earned, he has to ensure that monthly commitment were fulfilled without failed. My mom was very helpful, as a home manager she understand my father's sacrifice and condition who travelling 30km daily to earn money and feed us. She was selling savory to the school canteen caterer and yearly she sold "rempeyek" and "tumpi (a traditional snacks) for Hari Raya. I myself was selling crackers at school based on order to get some pocket money. So, basically that's decent was our life back then. I was adore my father in his home financial management principal "Never spend more that what you have and avoid loan". At his very average income he managed to open "Tabung Haji" account for all of us and made a monthly deduction into our account. Yes, I used that money to further my study. 

Because of my father was decent, I always keep myself reminded to hold the same principal in managing my self financial. How I grew actually formed my expenditure pattern. Even though, sometimes I have extra, I will always reminding myself and ask myself whether it necessary prior deciding to spend. 

My first job was with a small company supplying audio visual product to language lab. It was owned by a young Singaporean man. My first salary was only RM400 per month, that was after my Diploma before I further my study in UiTM in mid of 1997. After I finished in  my study mid 1999, I was worked at chandelier and ceramic showroom owned by a Datin. I got the job because I did my internship there and was offered to work there. My salary there was only RM800. I remembered , it was hard living with RM800 and living in Kuala Lumpur and sometimes travelling almost 120km daily to work. It was depressing, sometimes I had to get loan from my father to work. I feel ashamed but what can I do for survival back then? Luckily I have father who really understand my situation , and supported me financially even though he had no intellectual advice for me back then. At one point of time I felt so depressed and decided to find job at my hometown. 

I managed to get a job as assistant marketing at a computer shop and part time tutor at the training center owned by the owner of the computer shop, a local Indian entrepreneur. My salary was only RM700 a month but I have no choice since I need to be working and live at my parent's house to cut down my cost of living by avoiding paying monthly rental for room and travelling cost. It was a very depressing life until at one point of time I feel helpless and shameless. I was then resigned due to feeling guilty working with I thought has taken an advantage on others as it was against my principle. I did part time job after that. During the jobless period I prayed hard and seeks Allah's guidance to get a new job and ease my life.

I used to go to the park back then, there I released my depression and it was one day I felt that I really dissapointed with my life and cried deeply in that park. But time taught me about redha and accept whatever given by Allah. All the hardship may have good in returned, that's His promised. 

One day I was asked by my friend  to submit my resume for a ticketing officer position at Sepang International Circuit. I didn't mind about the position, I just grabbed the opportunity. Alhamdulillah I was accepted and started worked with SIC in 2001. 

The first event was F1 2001 and I was asked to in charge for the on-line ticket and the first task was attending a meeting that discussed about the crashed F1 2001 website. It was a very big challenged, as I had zero knowledge about IT. There was when I first met my husband who was an IT consultant for SIC. Nothing was discussed and non of the words came from my husband that I understood. But I tried hard, he he.... . It was the greatest start of my working life. It's my first working experience after my university that has built my confidence as I was exposed to an International world by attending to an international customers from all around the world. I learnt a lot about human behaviour here. How motorsport fan behaved at the track , human passion, people with their attitudes,characters,  people with their ambition, their dreams, their hard work, the struggle, the lost, the success, and all about human. Sepang International Circuit is the first real life university for me, thanks to the management of SIC on that time that practices an open concept management with strong team work spirit.  The knowledge and experience working with SIC that has groomed me to be an independent worker that the my employers after SIC gained that advantage that I had.  After I attended the University of SIC, I can work independently and became multi tasking. That skill I brought along when I attached to the new companies.

If at SIC I carried 2 tasks at one point of time, at MRCB I was given a lot more tasks besides my Marketing job as a Marketing Executive. I was the advisor for the event cum the decorator for the event cum van driver to buy a carpet for the event, A coordinator for marketing promotion activities, the leasing person ( until my peers called me a landlord lady), supportive staff for the subsidiary company until being absorbed to the subsidiary without changing the position at the headquarters HR (voluntarily forced) and last but not least internal ISO auditor cum Chief Internal Auditor. Sounds grand but in reality you work just for "job satisfaction" without rewards. Tired but I was Ok as I like the work and I like myself got busy with work. For me without working life is lifeless, nothing, zero.   And now, I am a full time housewife living abroad pursuing my Master in Management and my passion in art and zero liabilities. How did I get rid of all my liabilities? By working hard before I didn't get the chance. So I worked very hard to own my own apartment, my own car, my eveything that I had with my own money without a single cent I asked from my husband before I quit my job in 2014 when I had to follow my husband moved to Saigon, Vietnam. I then sold my apartment that gave a very good profit to me and I've settled all my loan without my husband or any other family members' help. All by myself. But I always believed that rezeki Allah is everywhere for us to find and always there is rezeki for us. We work, we pray and we "tawakkal" and Insha Allah, Allah will always give what He has wrote for us. 

Saigon Before and Now

My first time visited Vietnam was in 2009. During that year I did not see any tall buildings as yet. As I remembered, we just shopped at Ben Tanh Market, Saigon Square, night market  and at  small shops and boutiques at the old buildings. We went to Cu Chi Tunnel , Mekong River , and war museums while some of us who a little more adventure, they went to water puppet show and massages. It was an authentic company trip as compared to what we have in Kuala Lumpur at that time.

In 2013 I went to Ho Chi Minh again , but this time with my small family, my husband and my daughter. It was a last minutes arrangement and we went to view Shakira's new school. It was more like an induction session for my husband who will be transferred to Ho Chi Minh for a work assignment. We were there for 3 days 2 nights and it was during the New Year celebration. That time, I saw not much differences from the first time I came to Ho Chi Minh City. I only saw few new tall buildings but not as tall as buildings in Kuala Lumpur. The traditional concept restaurant with very low chairs (looks like squatting when you sit on it) and very low table were still occupying old buildings to cater working peoples around the city.

2014 we arrived Ho Chi Minh in August while my husband came earlier in February. I was impressed when I saw new high raise building were under construction in the town center. I was wondered why were the expats residing in District 2 (Quan Hai) instead of District 1 (Quan Mot) where there were not much of shopping mall  in District 2. There are only Parkson and METRO in District 2 which are located in An Phu area, while most expat are residing at Thao Dien.

Most of International Schools are located in Thao Dien and only one International School near to An Phu area, that is AIS Thu Thiem campus. Shakira is schooling at AIS Thu Thiem campus which is the main campus of AIS.  At the main campus they have the kindergarten, the primary and the secondary.  In 2014 the apartment that we currently occupying was just opened and not many people residing in yet. In front of our apartment there was an empty land where you can see a lot of cows and there were few huts on that empty land. There are only 3 apartment complexes near to our apartment including the one apartment that attached to Parkson.

Now in 2016 , there is one giant mall was built in just  2 years called Vincom Mega Mall and it is as big as Subang Parade. It is now add varieties and options to expats living surrounding areas within District 2. I can see a lot more new restaurants  with modern concepts were built along the roadside towards to our apartments. From only 2 traditional coffee shops now there are more new concepts restaurants were built to cater the increasing communities surroundings the area. The recent development is the new opening of new mix development of apartments, office and commercial buildings behind our current apartment. I can see now their MRT developments through our windows. The MRT project will mark their economic level is competitive as other ASEAN countries.

As conclusion,Vietnam is developing rapidly like when Malaysia was in the 1990's and their people are now struggling developing their country and nation  via the economic activities. This rapid development will push their economic going upwards in fast phase. However, this development should be monitored closely on its quality in terms of product , services, and deliverable.  Otherwise people would have perception Vietnam as the 2nd China ( very good economic growth but well known of their imitations and low quality products).

As Malaysian I'm still proud that I was born as Malaysian. "Happy Malaysia Day" to everyone in Malaysia.

New Journey

May 2016 - I am now ready to pursue my Master Degree in Management. I have registered with Open University Malaysia to do the course. I'm a bit nervous as the course is full online. I never experienced of learning out of class and far from a lecturer or a tutor, but I think it's a new challenge for me to study alone at home with assistance of gadgets. 

As an encouragement my husband bought a new macbook pro for me. It's really boost my spirit to pursue my dream now. It's quite interesting after many years never attended lectures and now I started my routine as a student. Next, would be my enrollment to an art class to  brush my skill in paintings. Now my time are fulfilled with benefitted activities.

Thanks Allah for all His plan for us.