Vista Bay Apartment

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Learns To Rock) — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 04:07:00 +0000

24th July2012
Unifi is here !!!
After months of installation and maintenance, UNIFI is ready to be used by all the residents in Vista Bay Apartment.
To make things easier, UNIFI will open up a booth at our lobby area on 25th July 2012 from 10.00am till 7.00pm and again on 29th July 2012.

So, whoever is interested, do come down and register ya.
Have a great day ahead.

Important Strata Title Message

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Learns To Rock) — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 10:10:00 +0000

29th April 2012

As many of the resident may already know, Vista Bay Apartment Strata Title is out and as of now, the process of doing this is still ongoing. Do bear in mind that the residence are advise to proceed with the Strata Title transaction as soon as possible as crossing the dateline would be something that the resident would not like to do as there are penalty for those who are late.

From the notice that were given earlier, our own Vista Bay Apartment lawyer is the one handling the transaction and although this is not a compulsory for the owner to engage the lawyer, but then, it's still advisable to do so with the lawyer. Speaking of our lawyer, please take note that the Lawyer, Daniel Lim & Co (Advocates and Solicitors) is no longer attached to Kwang Lim & Azni (Advocates and Solicitors).

Therefore, any association between Daniel Lim to Kwang Lim & Azni is no longer valid and we hope that this confusion can clear the air during the process of doing the Strata Title transaction. If you have any doubts on this matter, please proceed to the management office to acquire or you can call directly to Daniel Lim as his handphone number is mentioned inside the notice given earlier.

Real Property Gains Tax (RPGT)

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Learns To Rock) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 01:00:00 +0000

9th April 2012

The 2012 Budget unveiled on 7 October 2011 included a revision of the Real Property Gains Tax (RPGT) rate from the 5% to 10% as part of the Government’s efforts to curb property speculation. The increase was recently gazetted and took effect from 1 January 2012 onwards. Jennifer Chang studies the impact of this move on property purchasers.

The rate of 10% applies to gains on properties held and disposed within two years while gains on properties held and disposed between two and five years will be levied a 5% RPGT rate and disposals after five years continue to be exempted from RPGT.

RPGT is a form of capital gains tax that is chargeable on gains arising from the disposal of real property, which is defined as:

• Any land situated in Malaysia and any interest, option or other right in or over such land; or

• Shares in a real property company. Anyone disposing of real property in Malaysia - whether a resident or non-resident - will be charged RPGT on the gains.

Evolution of RPGT

A tax on property was introduced in 1974 under the Land Speculation Tax Act. This was subsequently replaced with the Real Property Gains Tax Act in November 1975. Although in existence since the mid-70s, the Government pro-actively adjusted the rates of the RPGT through the years to cater to the property market conditions.

It’s natural for most people to react to the reintroduction of RPGT, having enjoyed full exemption for a few years previously, however, compared to the original rates of RPGT which range up to 30%, the recent hike of up to 10% is actually quite mild.

Impact on the Malaysian Property Owner

The disposal of a property takes place upon the signing and execution of a Sales & Purchase Agreement (SPA). The date of the SPA is significant, being the deadline to file RPGT returns and tax payments are based on SPA date. For example, the acquirer will need a 2% retention of the disposal price to be paid to the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (IRB) as part of a withholding mechanism on behalf of the seller of property and such withholding and filing of notification of disposal needs to be submitted to the IRB within 60 days from the date of SPA.

In conditional contracts which require Government consent, the date of disposal can shift to a later date than the SPA. Hence, the date of disposal shall be the date when Government consent has been obtained. Exemptions applicable to property disposals for a Malaysian individual include:

• An amount of RM10,000 or 10% of the chargeable gain (whichever is greater).

• Gain arising on disposal as a result of compulsory acquisition of property under law.

• Gain made by an individual who is a Malaysian citizen or permanent resident on one private residence.

• Gift made to the Government, State Government, local authority or approved charity.

• Gift between family members (e.g. parent and child or husband and wife).

Of importance is the fact that RPGT applies when property ownership is seen to be long-term capital. Where ownership is speculative, the IRB may view the disposal as revenue and seek to levy income tax instead. Income tax is levied at 25% for companies and up to 26% for Malaysian individuals. Of course, compared to income tax, the RPGT is preferable.

However, what is capital and what is revenue can be subjective and may depend on the property ownership and the taxpayer’s profile. For example, the sale of a residence after five years of ownership is more likely a capital transaction. On the other hand, the sale of an empty plot of land just subdivided for a project is likely to be treated as revenue.

What else do I need to know about RPGT?

Innovative property owners who have parcelled their properties in companies also need to be aware that the sale of shares in such companies may trigger RPGT. Remember, the definition of real property includes shares in a real property company, of which a substantial portion of their assets are properties.

The hike in RPGT rate from 5% to 10% is seen to be moderate and it is important to note that regionally, Malaysia is quite competitive. Countries such as the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea and India have some form of capital gains tax regime which could later extend to other types of assets as well. However, for some of our neighbours such as Singapore and Hong Kong, there is no capital gains tax regime on properties sold by resident individuals. We do hope that eventually, the RPGT rate in Malaysia will be relaxed, especially for Malaysian individuals.

Source: Jennifer Chang

Astro Byond - New Generation

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Learns To Rock) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 14:28:00 +0000

4th April 2012
In today's apartment or condominium environment, unified form is always will be one of the agenda in
any discussion beside security. To have a unified form would mean to have an outlook of the place where it would be nice to look at rather then a place where everything look disorganized.

One of the facilities we have that can be catergorized as unified form is our centralise Astro system.
We have a build in network that strecthes from the top of the building till the lowest floor that houses our units. Meaning, by having only one dish to cater to all needs, we can avoid having a cluttered outlook of Astro dishes sticking out from our building. With this, many of the resident will able to enjoy our beloved channels from Astro without worrying about how the Astro dish would impact the outlook of the building but then, this does not come without a price.

For centralized system, any upgrade of device or system would mean catastrophy to the building setup itself.
Replacing the system in the building would means having the entire device setup to be replaced with a brand new one. Since the launch of Astro Byond a couple of years back, this has been a topic with our utmost priority.

When we went to inquire about the changes need to be made to upgrade to Astro Byond, a couple of years back, the feedback was not really something that we look forward to. A payment of RM80,000 would need to be made to Astro to replace this centralized System of ours and thus, this has been considered as not a feasible move for our resident's organization. But then again, there were not much of a demand for Astro Byond at our place either and with this, it has not been a major issue with us.

Lately, Astro Byond has gain popularity among the residents and the management has started an inquiry into the process again and this time, we have gotten ourselves a significant best response so far but then again, it does not means we we will get it cheaply as well. The negotiation between us and Astro ended with a term that, Astro will replace for us our centralized system for free if we would be able to get 30% of the residents to subscribe to Astro Byond before the installation.

And thus, we are on the verge of diseminating the information around our apartment to get people to sign up and if we are able to get the amount needed, then that would be great. We would save RM80,000 on this alone.

With this, I humbly urge all those residents who alrady subscribe to Astro Byond or about to subscribe or plan to subscribe, please proceed to the lobby area to sign up by filling up the form at the notice board, in front of Management Office.

We would appreciate your help on this.

Mainland Property is Booming

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Learns To Rock) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 06:44:00 +0000

23rd March 2012

The value of land, and residential and commercial properties in Seberang Prai is certainly lower. The price for the most expensive landed property on the mainland may be just a fraction of a similar one on the island.

I learnt that a fully-furnished bungalow in the posh and gated Park View Residence near the popular Juru Auto-City in central Seberang Prai was sold for RM1.6 million.

The buyer was a Penang island resident looking for a nice property in which to invest his millions.

A real estate agent told me that a fully-furnished bungalow on the island similar to the one this buyer bought in Juru would have cost him close to RM6 million, if not more.

Many people agree that the property market on the island has gone “crazy”.

The prices and values of properties skyrocket quickly due to high demand and speculation.

The word “affordable” can rarely be used to describe the kind of homes that are being built on Penang Island. Most are only affordable to the rich. Just look at the ongoing modern residential projects around us now and those in the pipeline. I think I do not have to list them down. We know them well enough.

For this reason, many islanders have chosen to migrate across the narrow channel to look for affordable homes on the mainland. There are still many that are within the purchasing means of the average Penangite today.

However, it may take just a few more years before we see a different property market in Seberang Prai. Even now, prices are going up due to growing demand. The new housing projects on the mainland are also said to be moving upmarket, especially in central Seberang Prai.

Henry Butcher Malaysia Seberang Prai recently revealed in its Seberang Prai property market report for the first half of 2011 that the property market there had a huge growth with 9,679 transactions worth RM2.61 billion.

The residential sub-sector recorded 70.1 per cent of the market share. The increases recorded were 74.3 per cent in volume and 66.3 per cent in value compared with the first half of 2010.

Raja Uda, Bagan Lallang, Seberang Jaya, Bukit Tengah, Alma and Simpang Ampat were the hotspots on the mainland with high growth rates due to many apartment and condominium sales.

More of such high-rise residential developments are expected to come up in the near future. The question now is: “How much are they going to cost?”

The asset consultant firm also revealed that some 70 per cent of new residential developments on the mainland now are luxury projects such as three-storey bungalows, instead of the more affordable ones such as single and double-storey terrace homes.

Condominium units in Butterworth such as the high-end Wellesley Residency were being sold from RM258,000, and apartments and three-storey bungalows in Bukit Mertajam from RM268,000 and RM448,000, respectively.

Among the most expensive properties on the mainland were the Park View Residences next to Juru Autocity, where a double-storey semi-detached unit would cost from RM593,000, a three-storey semi-detached unit from RM892,000, and a three-storey bungalow between RM920,000 and RM1.5 million.

In a survey between January and December last year, Henry Butcher also discovered that the prices of new launches in Seberang Prai went up by eight to 21 per cent.

For instance, a double-storey super-link house at the gated Tropicale Residency in Alma, Bukit Mertajam, sold for RM330,000 in January, but the price increased 21 per cent to RM398,000 in December.

A three-storey semi-detached house at the gated Taman Gemilang Permai project at Jalan Song Ban Kheng, Bukit Mertajam, was sold for between RM698,000 and RM748,000 in January but in December, the price was revised to cost from RM890,000 due to strong demand.

To afford an average RM350,000 home in Butterworth and Bukit Mertajam, an average family with a RM4,500 income would have to save their salaries for about 6.5 years without spending, said Henry Butcher Malaysia Seberang Prai senior manager, Fook Tone Huat.

This is not to say that new low- and low-medium-cost residential projects are nonexistent on the mainland.

There are several projects that are being built by government-linked agencies such as the Penang Development Corporation and the Penang Regional Development Authority, but not everybody will be eligible for low- or low-medium-cost units.

For a nice house in a nice area on the mainland, people are expected to pay much more today, even though the property price appreciation in Seberang Prai will still take some more years before it can match the island’s property value.

So, what should average Penangites do to own quality homes, while addressing everyday bread-and-butter issues?

Pray for a big salary increment? Hope to strike big in the lottery? Win a house in some lucky draw? Take a big loan and save up for many years?

Should Penangites consider to relocating even further from the island to less hot places such as Kepala Batas and Tasek Gelugor in the north and Nibong Tebal in the south where land and property prices are cheaper?

Maybe migrating to Kulim or Sungai Petani in Kedah is an option too, while houses in their home state are being bought by rich people, who are not necessary Penangites, for investment and speculation.

Source: High property prices look set to stay - Northern - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/streets/northern/high-property-prices-look-set-to-stay-1.62585#ixzz1pv3C8LOF

Vista Bay In-house Documents

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Learns To Rock) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 02:00:00 +0000

22nd March 2012
Managing an apartment building is not only about talking and carrying out the work to sustain the building maintenance, but also talking about documentation work as well. These documentations cover a lot of matter ranging from invoices on the task carried out to cheques that need to be paid to vendors and from meeting minutes documents to the letters that bear the JMB seal. All these are important and none of them are being neglected in our persue of having the best managed property in Penang.

If the owner would be able to noticed, there are no confidential information regarding the building management fund as well as meetingminutes are put up for public viewing. Even on the notice board, we do not really reveal all this to the public except for recent AGM meeting minutes. This is because, we believe that a lot stranger coming in to our place and getting information about our building
and effect certain judgement in delivering service to our place such as giving a higher price when doing something for us. Knowing this, we try to avoid all the internal building matters to be revealed out to the public and when we are talking about public, we meant non-home owners.

So, how do we deliver the crucial information like funds, transactions as well as decisions making agenda to the owners of Vista Bay Apartment then. Well, we basically put all those important documents as well as meeting minutes in one place and that is the Management Office. We decide to put in that place as its as common as it gets and at the same time, there are people who would be able to identify those reqestor as home owners. For Vista Bay home owners, you can always request to look at all the documents that relates to our building management. As for the Management, we can say that we got nothing to hide. We are the elected representatives from resident and therefore, our work is to serve the community living here in Vista Bay Apartment.

As of now, how we keep our documents are as mentioned above but if you guys feel we should have a better way to handle it then, we are all ears.

Extraordinary General Meeting 2012(EGM - Financial Management)

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Learns To Rock) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 00:18:00 +0000

21st March 2012
The management (JMC) has called for an EGM to address on a topic regarding the Financial Management of Vista Bay. Therefore, we hope that the residents (owners only) would be able to spare some time from
their busy schedule to attend this meeting. It is very important and a decision would need to be reached in order to move on with the process. The date and time of the meeting is stated below:

Date: 15th April 2012 (Sunday)

Time: 2.30pm

Vanue: VB Multi-purpose Hall

Duration: 3 hours - 4 hours

The agenda of the meeting will be discussed inside the forum as the topic of internal matter would not make public here. On how to proceed to get yourself into forum, please follow the link below:

Vista Bay Apartment Forum

Thanks for your cooperation.

Deed of Mutual Covenant

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Learns To Rock) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 01:30:00 +0000

20th March 2012

Whenever one buys a piece of property where there are common facilities, such as security, social amenities and other areas that require the involvement of all unit owners, one will be requested to enter into a Deed of Mutual Covenant (DMC). This is done simultaneously upon the signing of the Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA).

In layman's language, the DMC is an agreement of mutual undertaking between the developer and the purchaser. The contents vary from developer to developer, and they are distinctly separate from those in the SPA.

Unlike the SPA, the contents of DMC are not dictated by the Housing Development Act. The contents are purely clauses that spell out the mutual agreements/undertakings of both buyer and the developer. Many house buyers do not really pay attention or understand the details of what they are signing for. This is particularly so in cases where the buyers, to save cost, have not engaged their own lawyers but rely on the developers' lawyers who have prepared both the SPA and the DMC.

Some of these clauses one has to be wary of are as follows:

Maintenance charges

This is where the clauses is invariably left open ended. Usually the agreed amount is valid for a set period (say two years). After that, it is likely to be increased by what is merely stated as 'a reasonable amount'. A lot of dispute have arisen from this 'reasonable amount', and buyers are holding the short end of the stick. Remember, you must understand what you are signing, and if you are not comfortable, ask questions to clarify.

The undertaking not to lodge a caveat

This clause explicitly removes the right of the purchaser and his financier from lodging any caveat on the property. Thus, in the event of non-performance on the part of the developer and, in particular, if the developer has gone into liquidation, the buyer may have nothing to fall back on. Question the deveoper as to how else your interests can be protected.

Right of the developer to cease supply of utilities

This clause gives the developer the right to cut utilities, such as water or electricity, in the event of any payment default by the buyer/resident. Thus, in the event of any unresolved dispute, the resident will not be in a position to argue his case when he already has his utilities disconnected.

Exclusion of liabilities

This clause unconditionally indemnifies the developer from any form of liability arising from the usage of the common properties by any party concerned. This indemnity also covers injury or losses that are brought about by the negligence of the developer. It is a one-way traffic.

Consent to assignment/subsale ('consent fees')

Before the enforcement of the amendments to the Housing Development (Control & Licensing) Regulations 1989 (Housing Regulations), it was not uncommon to find purchasers caught unaware that they have to pay the developer and administrative charge when they want to sell or refinance their condo unit before the strata title has been issued. The amount charged varies from developer to developer or sometimes from original purchaser and subsequent purchasers.
With the amendment to the Housing Regulations, effective Dec 1, 2002, developers can now only charge a sum of 0.5% of the purchase price or RM500, whichever is lower. This is regardless of when the SPA was signed. The amended Housing Regulations also states that: '... No housing developer shall collect any fee by whatever name called for giving his consent to any purchaser or subsequent purchaser of a housing accommodation to assign his rights and benefits to and in the contract of sale to any financial institution providing a loan for such purchaser to finance or part finance the purchase of the housing accommodation ...'

Period of validity of the DMC

A DMC is usually only valid until strata titles have been issued to the individual unit owners and a management corporation is formed. Until then, this is the only governing document in which the developer has the upper hand to control the usage and payments towards the management and maintenance of the common property. When some purchasers wish to amend certain contract wordings in the DMC, the developers often refuse, arguing that the deed has been ratified and put on record and, thus, cannot be changed.

Source: HBA

How to Balance Work and Life

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Learns To Rock) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 05:41:00 +0000

15th March 2012

As long as you're working, juggling the demands of career and personal life will probably be an ongoing challenge. Use these ideas to help you find the work/life balance that's best for you:

· Track your time

Track everything you do for one week, including work-related and personal activities. Decide what's necessary and what satisfies you the most. Cut or delegate activities you don't enjoy or can't handle — or share your concerns and possible solutions with your employer or others.

· Take advantage of your options

Ask your employer about flex hours, a compressed workweek, job sharing, telecommuting or other scheduling flexibility. The more control you have over your hours, the less stressed you're likely to be.

· Learn to say no

Whether it's a co-worker asking you to spearhead an extra project or your child's teacher asking you to manage the class play, remember that it's OK to respectfully say no.

· Leave work at work

With technology to connect to anyone at any time from virtually anywhere, there may be no boundary between work and home — unless you create it. Make a conscious decision to separate work time from personal time. When you're with your family, for instance, turn off your cell phone and put away your laptop computer.

· Manage your time

Organize household tasks efficiently, such as running errands in batches or doing a load of laundry every day, rather than saving it all for your day off. Put family events on a weekly family calendar and keep a daily to-do list. Do what needs to be done and let the rest go.

· Bolster your support system

At work, join forces with co-workers who can cover for you — and vice versa — when family conflicts arise. At home, enlist trusted friends and loved ones to pitch in with child care or household responsibilities when you need to work overtime or travel.

· Nurture yourself

Eat healthy foods, include physical activity in your daily routine and get enough sleep. Set aside time each day for an activity that you enjoy, such as practicing yoga or reading. Better yet, discover activities you can do with your partner, family or friends.

Earth Hours 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Learns To Rock) — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 15:45:00 +0000

11th March 2012

It's that time of the year again. The time we would allow ourselves to dwell into the soverinity of the world

by helping mother nature in a small way that would be able to make a big difference. 60 Earth Hours, the event the world organize to remind us to show kindness to the earth is around the corner again and this time we do hope everyone would be able to join hand and make a different.

The date to remember :

Date: 31st March 2012 (Saturday)

Time: 8.30pm - 9.30pm (1 hour)

Venue: Vista Bay Apartment.

To commemorate the event as usual, we will turn off all the lights in the building and we do hope that all the residents will be able to join us in doing the same to their own unit. Just switch off the lights.

It's a small effort but believe us, it makes a lot of difference.

What is 60 Earth Hours?

In 2006, WWF-Australia inspired Sydney-siders to show their support for climate change action in the first ever Earth Hour event. It showed that everyone, from children to CEOs and politicians,

has the power to change the world they live in.

Then in March 2007 in Sydney, Australia, 2.2 million individuals and more than 2,000 businesses turned their lights out for one hour to take a stand against climate change.

In 2008, the plan was to take Earth Hour to the rest of Australia. But then the City of Toronto, Canada, signed up and it wasn’t long before 35 countries and almost 400 cities

and towns were part of the event. It said something compelling to the world: that the climate challenges facing our planet are so significant that change needs to be global.

With the invitation to ‘switch off’ extended to everyone, Earth Hour quickly became an annual global event. It’s scheduled on the last Saturday of every March – closely coinciding

with the equinox to ensure most cities are in darkness as it rolled out around the Earth.

In 2011, Earth Hour saw hundreds of millions of people across 135 countries switch off for an hour. But it also marked the start of something new – going Beyond the Hour to

commit to lasting action on climate change. And with the power of social networks behind the Earth Hour message, we hope to attract even more participation so we can build a truly global community committed to creating a more sustainable planet.

Vista Bay Apartment Security Improvement

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Learns To Rock) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:58:00 +0000

7th March 2012

With the crime happening around us become more rampant than we can ever imagine, security has been push up to be the main focus in all residential area in and around Penang.

This focus was never a last item in Vista Bay Apartment agenda but then again, we are not ready to turn this place into a prison as well.

With this in mind, we have recently step up another security measure at our place and this time, our

focus is on the 3rd floor emergency escape staircase. This changes would somehow or rather, need to get use to but then, it will be a safe passage in the event of emergency for the residents and same goes to the

rescuers.

Whatever the case may be, the residents would need to bear in mind one thing, this 3rd floor entrance

should ONLY be use in case of emergency and not for personal usage. As of now, the front and back entrance has been lock down and only can be use in case of real emergency. Any vandalism of the equipment will be dealt heavily by the local management as well as local police enforcement.

Like we said earlier, security is our main priority and all of our safety are our main concern.

With this, we all, residents, should act as a police officer as depeending on security equipment alone is not sufficient at all.

Transition Period

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Learns To Rock) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:10:00 +0000

26th February 2012
It has been a smooth sailing for us all who is living in Vista Bay Apartment and for the past 2 and a half year, we have been living in a calm and mindful environment, to most, it's called home.

And for this past 2 1/2 hear, the Joint Management Committee has done all within it's power to protect and maintain the health of this building be it from outside source or within. AGM, Annual General Meeting has just past and collectively, we manage to pass a few resolutions and this of course, are agreed by all residents.
We are glad with the great turn out and we do hope this kind of support will continue as we are not doing for ourselves only but for all of us, who called this place home.

One of the topic I want to point out during this meeting is that, we are basically on a transition, a transition of the view, wisdom and opinion of the people handling the place. As of now, the Chairman of the Joint Management Committee has decided to give way due to unforeseen reason and this has paved way to a new blood to lead the management after more than 2 years in helm.

Mr Michael has decided to call it his time on maintaining the place and will be replaced by Mr Yong and was supported unanimously by the residents. Mr Yong is not a new member as he has been around for quite some time now and with his commitment to manage the place, we are sure we are in good hands. We hope he will bring in new ideas and inject a fresh new look into the building. With neighbouring lands being develop as high rise building, our place will surely be given a boost on it's price and if it is maintained well, we bet, our value would not only hit the targeted selling price but will go beyond the market price.

As of now, during the time this post is being put in place, our place is actually valued at RM280,000 and by this 3rd quater, i'm sure it will hit RM300,00. Why are we so optimistic on this matter? Well, easy, we already manage to sell the unit at the price mentioned and some owners has already put the selling price at way beyond RM300,000 and we will soon see whether our estimation is correct, but to tell you the truth, our estimation has never been wrong till now.

Anyway, the property value aside, we are actually putting the security as our primary objectives as we want all our residents to have a peaceful mind about the place, whether it be about their family safety or whether it is about their comfort, we have it all here.

Happy Dragon New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Learns To Rock) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 01:46:00 +0000

22nd January 2012
Vista Bay Apartment's Joint Management Committee would like to take this opportunity to wish all the residents a very Happy Chinese New Year and hope this year would be able to bring you a tremendous of joy, great wealth and superb health. For those not celebrating this festival, Happy Holiday and remember to drive safely on the road and also, keep note to make sure your house is securely lock from inside out.

Safe journey and have a great festival.

Vista Bay Apartment Strata Title

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Learns To Rock) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:50:00 +0000

17th January 2012
With great pleasure to announce that the residents of Vista Bay Apartment would be able to collect their Strata Title to their respective unit.

With this, we would strongly advise all of the owners to make the transfer without delay and according to the New Strata Title Act (Amendment) 2007, the owner maybe liable to penalty of minimum of RM1000 to a maximum of RM10000 by the relevant Authority for not effecting the said Transfer without delay.

Also to take note that a storage/admin charge of RM50 per month will be charged to the owner's account commencing 1st June 2012 for the safe keeping of the original Strata Title.

For the purpose of collecting the Strata Title, owners would need to prepare the following document:

a) The relevant pages of the stamped copy of Sale and Purchase Agreement
b) Purchaser's Mykad
c) The current loan/security documentation (Letter of offer/Facilities Agreement) of the current financier.

One last thing to bear in mind, the transfer will only take place if the owners are not in arrears of any payment to the Joint Management Board or Cendana Realty Sdn Bhd.

Thanks

2011-2012 VB Annual General Meeting (AGM)

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Learns To Rock) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 03:37:00 +0000

11th January 2012
AGM is here again. This event is normally help once a year and by law, it should held not more then 15 months elapsed between each AGM. For Vista Bay Apartment, AGM is normally held either end of the year or early of the following year and this time, its the same.

In fact, the AGM for this time around has been postponed twice as we did not manage to get enough quorum to start one and since this coming AGM is the 3rd time being called, by law, this event will carry only and make certain decision whether we manage to attract enough quorum or not. So, for all residents of Vista Bay Apartment, do take note this date:

12th February 2012 (Sunday)

2.30pm

VB Multi-purpose Hall

It is advise that all the residents should attend this meeting to gain knowledge of how our apartment is doing and what will be done in future. Since this is your own property and own asset, it's essential that this knowledge is good to have rather than not. Basically we are going to talk about the updates of the building as well as appointments of a few new committee members. Besides that, we are going to touch on security measures that has been put in place and also about the financial health of the building management itself. To those who has question regarding the place they are occupying, this is also the place they can voice up.

With this, I hope that all of the residents can make it to this event although i know that you are pretty happy with the place but nonetheless, taking time to know a little bit more about this place would not hurt at all.

Thanks

2012 First Earthquake Feeling

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Learns To Rock) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 03:18:00 +0000

11th January 2012
What a 'great' start to the year. Another earthquake feeling but fortunately this time, it was not as terrible as last time. The building sway but then for a period of few seconds only and although its a small one, but it manage to shake most of the residents up.

This feeling was actually felt at around 2.50am this morning and 6 hours later, the news hits the newspaper.
Below are the cutting from the newspaper Ths Star:

"Petaling Jaya: A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 struck off Northern Sumatra's West Coast Wednesday, triggering a tsunami advisory that was lifted later.

However, the tremors of the quake, which occurred at 2.36am, were felt in Perlis, Penang and Kedah, according to the Malaysian Meteorological Department.

The department lifted the advisory two hours later.

The epicenter of the quake was located at 314km South West of Simeulue, Indonesia and 856km South West of Pulau Pangkor, Perak.

The department said they would continue to monitor the situation."

2012: End of the World

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Learns To Rock) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 01:32:00 +0000

3rd January 2012
On Dec. 21, 2012, many doomsday believers fear the apocalypse — anything from a rogue planet smashing into us to our world spinning end over end. However, the world should expect nothing more next year than the winter solstice, the longest night of the year, NASA says.

So, before you guys decided to go out and spend all your belongings as well as to go out to commit any crime or anything bad that your heart desires but not willing to do till now,..........better think twice.

Many people point to the end of the Mayan Long Count calendar on Dec. 21, 2012 as evidence of the coming apocalypse, but astronomers have been quick to stress that there is nothing to be concerned about.

According to the ancient Mayan calendar, next year's winter solstice marks the end of a 144,000-day cycle. This cycle, which begins at the mythical Maya creation date, has already been repeated 12 times. The 13th will end in 2012, capping a full 5,200-year Mayan cycle of creation.

This date has long been shrouded in mystery, with many claiming that it will bring destruction to our planet. [End of the World? Top Doomsday Fears]

Rogue planet Nibiru? One fear is that a rogue planet that has been dubbed "Nibiru" or "Planet X" is supposedly aimed at Earth. Self-proclaimed Nibiru expert Nancy Lieder, who says she is in contact with the aliens from Zeta Reticuli, first said Nibiru would cause widespread disaster in May 2003, only to change it to Dec. 21, 2012.

There is, however, no evidence that Nibiru is real.

"Nibiru is ridiculous because it doesn't exist — it never existed as anything other than a figment of the imagination by pseudo-scientists who don't seem bothered by a complete lack of evidence," astronomer Don Yeomans, manager of NASA's Near-Earth Object program office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., told SPACE.com.

Cosmic alignments? There is no basis for the claim that it might be lurking behind the sun, as it could not have hidden from observation until now, Yeomans said. If such a planet was headed toward Earth by Dec. 21, 2012, it would already be visible to the naked eye.

There are also concerns that planets or stars might line up in ways that will transform Earth. For instance, some theorists claim that from our point of view, the sun will cross in front of the plane of our galaxy on Dec. 21. However, the sun already does this twice a year, Yeomans said.

In fact, the sun will eventually cross the plane of our galaxy. However, the sun is about 67 light-years from the galactic plane, so it should take several million years to do so, Yeomans said. Even then, when our solar system finally does cross the plane, nothing special will occur, he added. [10 Failed Doomsday Predictions]

Some also claim that gravitational effects from planets lining up with each other will somehow affect Earth. However, there is no planetary alignment due on Dec. 21, 2012, "and if there were, it wouldn't cause any problems," Yeomans said.

The only bodies that have any significant gravitational impact on Earth are the moon and the sun, effects we see as the tides. Tidal effects from other bodies in our solar system are negligible at best, and in any case, we have experienced them for millions of years without notice.

Solar storms? Solar storms — deluges of energetic particles from the sun — do happen, usually waxing and waning in cycles that last roughly 11 years. When these charged particles collide with Earth, they can trigger auroras and damage satellites and power lines, although not really inflicting any lasting harm, Yeomans said.

There are accounts of a solar "super-storm" slamming into Earth in 1859. Although that caused relatively little damage back then, there are concerns that such a storm might cause far more harm now that our world is more dependent on electronics.

Yet, there is no evidence that such a super-storm will happen on Dec. 21 of next year, Yeomans said.

Flip-flopping Earth? There is some alarm that 2012 could see the flipping of Earth's poles — either the planet's geographical poles, which mark the Earth's axis of rotation, or its magnetic poles, which our compasses point toward.

But, there is no reason to fear such an occurrence, scientists said, because the moon stabilizes our planet's spin. The planet's magnetic poles do flip, but over periods of about 500,000 years, and not suddenly, "but over thousands of years," with no evidence of a flip on Dec. 21, 2012, Yeomans said.

Even if the planet's magnetic poles do flip, no real problems would occur, other than the inconvenience of us having to change our compasses from north to south, he added.

Cosmic impacts? The Earth is always vulnerable to impacts by comets and asteroids, but giant impacts are rare, with the last major collision taking place 65 million years ago, ending the Age of Dinosaurs.

"There are no known near-Earth objects in 2012 that present a credible risk to Earth," Yeomans said. "None, zero, zip, nada."Still, astronomers do monitor the sky for near-Earth objects.

But despite evidence to the contrary, doomsdays theorists have garnered attention, and similar prophecies will continue to proliferate unless scientists become more involved in bringing truth to these outlandish claims, Yeomans said.

Mounting hysteria regarding these unfounded doomsday predictions "will improve only if scientists get more engaged in debunking pseudoscience," he said.

Source: Charles Q. Choi

Ushering 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Learns To Rock) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 11:03:00 +0000

31st December 2011
Happy New Year everyone especially to the residents of Vista Bay Apartment.
We bid farewell to 2011 and.............................Helooooooooooooooooooo 2012.

If we take a look back at 2011, we certainly can count the blessing that our place is progressing quite good and from the looks of development around us, there is no lack it at all. New apartments are coming up, events and many more are being planned at our place and we sure will be seeing a lot of progress in this coming years.
One thing for sure, with the increase of cost in every sense, maintaining our place without having the price of what we are paying not going up would be a daunting task but nevertheless, that is the aim of the management.......... maintaining the place while reducing every aspect of cost.

Security will be our main goal again this time and right now, as said previously, we boast the best security measures taken place within our place here. Whatever measures we put in though, we still need the cooperation from all residents in keeping our place as safe as possible for our kids or for our future betterment.

Looking forward, we hope that everyone living here in the apartment would have a great time ahead and may all of us prosperous under the same roof.

With this, on behalf of the management, would like to wish all of you a very Happy New Year......2012.

Marry Christmas and Happy New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Learns To Rock) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 01:14:00 +0000

24th December 2011
It's that time of year again where we celebrate our bonuses, increments, clearing annual leave by force, festive new year and the best of all, the Christmas itself. I would like to take this opportunity to wish you guys a very Happy Holidays and hope you guys would enjoy this coming time around as mush as I do.

If you guys are travelling, make sure you guys are aware of all the safety measures that need to be taken care off while driving and having a tip top condition car and also not to forget, make sure your home are properly secured while travelling out leaving it behind.

Again, on behalf of Vista Bay Apartment Management, I would like to take this great season time to wish all of you a very HO HO HO, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Christmas Lobby Decoration Event

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Learns To Rock) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 12:47:00 +0000

25th November 2011
Christmas is around the corner and again, we would like to make this event a better link to our Vista Bay Apartment.

Thus, we would be organising a Lobby Decoration Event in conjunction with this festival and we are looking forward to see all the residents of Vista Bay Apartment coming down in groups to help beautify our lovely place. With this, the management would appreciate all the residents would be able to join us at the date and time stated below:

Date: 27th November 2011 (Sunday)

Time: 2.30pm

Happy Deepavali 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Learns To Rock) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 02:06:00 +0000

26th October 2011
We would like to wish everyone in Vista Bay especially the Indians, a very Happy Deepavali, Festival of Light. We would also take this opportunity to everyone to have a safe journey back home and always careful when you are on the road. Not forgetting to lock all your doors and windows and do be aware that thieve target any open space that you may leave open for them.

Take care and have a joyful day ahead.

Deepavali Lobby Deco Event

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Learns To Rock) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 11:41:00 +0000

8th October 2011
Our Vista Bay Management has come out with an event to decorate our beloved building and this time around, we hope to create a mood of Deepavali, the celebration of Lights. So, on this day 9th October 2011, will be the day we gather around as one community and live up to the celebration by decorating our lobby.

There will be volunteers that would be doing the Indian speciality which is the Kolam, a kind of grain painting which will be done in the centre of the lobby while beautiful cloths with colour significant to Deepavali will luminate the ceiling of the place.

It will be a pleasure to see that every of the resident here would come and joint in the fun as well as helping hand in making this lovely event a successful one and thus, making this coming celebration a celebration for all.

The time you guys should note would be 2.30pm and hope to see you guys there.

Pets in Apartment/Condo

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Learns To Rock) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 16:00:00 +0000

2nd October 2011
Pets, be it a cat, dog or even exotic animal, are what we called, man's companion whether it's during bad time or good time. They always will be a pleasure to see but at times, it can be called a nuisance. Whatever this may be, taking care of them is always a task that need attention from the owner. Owners who think more of work and mixing with friends, then taking care of these animals should be the last option in the wanted list.

What i'm going to discuss here is NOT how you, the pet owner, can take care of the animals successfully but instead, is how this responsibility would be more of a challenge if you are living in a community living area. For a person who has more then 20 years of experience in taking care of pets, and has lived in landed property as well high rise building, I can say making sure problem-free pets in the latter option is always a very stressful task to handle. Why so, you may ask.

Easy, what do you understand by community living such as apartment or condo? Community living is where you live in a place that you have your neighbours living so close to you as if they are breathing down your neck on every corner that you may turn into. Why not when the property you own is actually a shared property which we called common area. The lifts, corridor, lawn, driveway, common facilities and many more all make up the common stuff all of you share. So, this boils down to a point where your neighbour might not like what you are doing and vice versa. For this point, if your neighbour are ok with you rearing pets then it would be great but the part which is most difficult is the one you need to please all the neighbours around you before you can even think about having pets. For landed property, you might need to please only 2 -3 houses that are nearest to you but imagine, you have more then 100 units to please for a high rise building. Its not an impossible task but I can say its near impossible.

There is a loop hole in the law though. If you manage to persuade 75% of the residents in the same building to change the law from forbidding rearing pets to otherwise, then you should be happy but if you fail then your pet would need to go. Same goes for other stuff as in-house rules can be alter/change as long as you have 75% of the residents approve to it. This is the problem with community living because you need to please not only your closest neighbour but the whole building's neighbour.

Actually in some cases, many neighbour would close one eye to another neighbour rearing pets at their place as long as they don't cross their boundaries. If the owners who rear pets understand about this then they should be grateful and manage their pets diligently so that it would not annoy their neighbour in term or cleanliness, noise pollution and many more. That would be an ideal case but this is not always the case from where I see it. After a while, some of the pet owners, which sometime have their judgement clouded by the love for their pets, they tend to do what they think would make their pet happy. Some even letting their pets stray along the common area and even letting their pets come out with all sort of noises like nobody business. Think about it!!! Do you think you would be making your neighbours happy about this. Seems that some of the pet owners forgot that their pet's future are actually govern by the people who they neglect in the first place.

The law already stated clearly on this matter. You are not allowed to bring in any pets into the building. If you think that this would be a big problem to you then I would say that community living is not your game anymore. Please have a respect for others before you think others should respect you in the same manner.

Speed Bumps

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Learns To Rock) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 02:53:00 +0000

1st October 2011
Road Bumps or some may call it, speed bumps, is it a nuisance or something useful?
It may have a different kind of meaning to different kind of people but one thing it does for sure,
it is to reduce the speed of the vehicle that anyone of you are driving. So, question is, why do we need it in the first place?

To tell you the truth, none of our place need this speed bumps but we as human, we tend to get carried away and forgot that our doings do effect other people's well being.
That is where this speed bump comes in. Its to remind us that we need to drive slow at certain area and
to make sure that we do not cause any harm to anyone that maybe around that place at that point of time.

Initially, the management thought that we can avoid having these speed bumps as we believe people
could change once they are being repreminded but seems that it's a hard thing to do.

Since safety in term of belonging and life are at top priority, we do not hesitate in spending a
small amount of money in doing these speed bumps for the sake of residents' safety. For some, it may seems trivial but since the well being of a person is concern, we don't think this is a risk that we are willing to take.

Apartment Security, Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Learns To Rock) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 02:23:00 +0000

25th September 2011
By far, the most common threat to an apartment unit is burglary. Burglary, by definition, is a non-confrontational crime, but being victimized can leave a family feeling vulnerable and violated. To prevent a burglary, it is important to first gain an understanding of who commits them and why. The majority of apartment burglaries occur during the daytime when most people are away at work or at school. Burglaries also occur at night when there are obvious signs that no one is home. Most apartment burglars are young males looking for things that are small, expensive, and can easily be converted to cash. Items like cash, jewelry, guns, watches, laptop computers, and other small electronic devices are high on the list. Quick cash is needed for living expenses and drugs.

Statistics tell us that more than 30% of all apartment burglars gained access through an open door or window. Ordinary household tools like screwdrivers, channel-lock pliers, small pry bars, and small hammers are most often used by burglars. Although apartment burglaries may seem random in occurrence, they actually involve a selection process.

The burglar's selection process is simple. Choose an unoccupied apartment with the easiest access, the greatest amount of cover, and with the best escape routes. What follows is a list of suggestions to minimize your risk by making your home unattractive to potential burglars.

Apartment managers should use solid core doors and high quality locks on exterior doors that will resist twisting, prying, and lock-picking attempts. A quality Grade-1 or Grade-2 deadbolt lock will have a beveled casing to inhibit the use of channel-lock pliers used for forced entry. A quality door knob-in-lock set will have a 'dead latch' mechanism to prevent slipping the lock with a shim or credit card.

Use a solid core wood or metal door for all entrance points
Doors should fit tightly into the door jamb
Use a quality, heavy-duty, deadbolt lock with a one-inch bolt
Use a quality, heavy-duty, door knob-in-lock set with a dead-latch mechanism
Use a heavy-duty four-screw strike plate installed with 3-inch screws to penetrate into a wooden door frame
Use a wide-angle 160° peephole mounted no higher than 58 inches

Good neighbors should look out for each other. Get to know your neighbors on each side of your apartment and the three directly across from you. Invite them into your apartment, communicate often, and establish trust. Good neighbors will watch out for your apartment and vehicle when you are away, if you ask them. They can report suspicious activity to management, to the police, or to you while you are away. Between them, good neighbors can see to it that normal services continue in your absence by allowing authorized vendors to enter your apartment.

Good neighbors can pick up your mail, newspapers, handbills, and can inspect the inside of your apartment periodically to see that all is well. Allowing a neighbor or management to have a key solves the problem of hiding a key outside the door. Experienced burglars know to look for hidden keys in planter boxes, under doormats, and above the ledge. Requiring a service vendor to contact your neighbor to gain access will send the message that someone is watching. This neighborhood watch technique sets up what is called 'territoriality.' This means that your neighbors will take ownership and responsibility for what occurs in your mini-neighborhood. This concept works great in apartment communities. This practice helps deter burglaries and other crimes in a big way. Of course for this to work, you must reciprocate and offer the same services.

Interior lighting is necessary to show signs of occupancy inside a residence at night. Seeing a dark apartment night-after-night sends a message to burglars that you are away. Light-timers are inexpensive and can be found almost everywhere. They should be used on a daily basis, not just when you’re away. In this way you set up a routine that your neighbors can observe and will allow them to become suspicious when your normally lighted apartment becomes dark.

Typically, you want to use light-timers near the front and back windows with the curtains drawn. The pattern of them clicking on and off simulates actual occupancy. It is also comforting not to have to enter a dark residence. Timers can also be used to turn on the television or radio to simulate occupancy during the daytime. After dark, a bright television can be seen flickering through the curtains and gives the feeling that someone is home. Similarly, the radio or television can be heard through the door if turned on loud enough.

Exterior lighting is also very important. It becomes critical if you must park in a common area parking lot.

The purpose of good lighting is to allow you to see if a threat or suspicious person is lurking in your path. If you can see a potential threat in advance then you at least have the choice and chance to avoid it. Exterior lighting needs to bright enough for you to see 100 feet and it helps if you can identify colors. Good lighting is definitely a deterrent to criminals because they don't want to be seen or identified. Apartment management needs to have a system in place to periodically inspect and replace lighting outages.

Another important area to be well-lighted is the perimeter of your apartment building especially at the entryway. Common area lighting on apartment properties should also be on a timer or photo-cell to turn on at dusk and turn off at dawn. Exterior lighting at the rear of an apartment are usually do not turn on automatically. They require you to turn on the light inside switch. The resident can choose to turn these lights on or off.

This is a program supported by most police agencies. They recommend that you engrave your drivers’ license number (not social security number) on televisions, stereos, computers, and small electronic appliances. They suggest this so they can identify and locate you if your stolen items are recovered. I suggest that you go way beyond this step.

I recommend that you photograph or videotape your home furnishings, electronic devices, and small appliances and make a list of the make, model, and serial numbers. You should keep this list in a safety deposit box or with a relative or neighbor for safe keeping. Beyond that I recommend that you photocopy important documents and the contents of your wallet annually. You will be thankful that you took these steps in case your home is ever destroyed by fire or flood, is ransacked, or if your wallet is lost or stolen.

Identify your valuables by engraving your drivers’ license number (not your SSN)
Photograph, video, or record the description and serial numbers of all valuables
Photocopy the contents of your wallet annually and other important documents
Store the copies off-site in a safe deposit box or with a relative or neighbour

Source: Crime Doctor