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June 23, 2004 People all over the world are moving up in society – literally. As residential buildings head towards the sky, dissatisfied inhabitants move into new homes suspended as high as possible. This is obviously done in the hope of getting the greatest possible access to any kind of open view. Once upon a time, there were full sea views, and then as buildings grew like mushrooms; full has turned to partial. Before you can say ‘love thy neigbour’s…’ the apartment from which you once enjoyed panoramic views, is suddenly surrounded by buildings close enough for you to enjoy fistfights with the residents through your bedroom window. “What are you doing this evening, Sunny?” I asked my cousin, a partygoer, who stays in the mid-level area. “Nothing much, staying home today,” he said. “Are you feeling alright?” It wasn’t normal for him to stay home. “I’m fine; I’m just looking forward to a fight tonight. I have bet a lot of money on it,” he added, with a smile on his face. “Don’t kid around, there is no fight on TV,” I tell him. “No, it’s not on TV, it takes place in the living room of the 20th floor of Scenic Sea: you know, the building right opposite ours. We can see right into people’s apartments – especially at night, the view is great!” he explains grinning from ear to ear. “Who fights whom? I asked him, expecting a really silly answer. “There is a couple who quarrel almost every evening. I have noticed the trend, their quarrel usually gets worse especially after the TV show, the Simpsons,” he continues. “My friends are coming over to watch; I have a feeling the wife will win tonight,” he explains seriously, I got the impression he was discussing the trends of the stock market. There is a quote that I follow: ‘You ask a dumb question; you get a dumb answer.’ I had to ask him the dumb question. “How do you know who won the fight?” I asked. “The spouse who gets the bedroom is the winner, of course,” Of course! Why didn’t I think of that one? Who knows what uncensored drama could be viewed from the various open doors and windows of other apartments. Reality shows for everyone. My apartment-hunting days are just beginning. I miserably recall the times I would so proudly show off, to my friends, the beautiful view from my balcony and the luscious green hills from my bedroom. Now, all I see is concrete. Property agents act like the god-given gift to us home-hunters; claiming to be able to fulfill every demand. They promise you everything, until you see the apartment for yourself. “Where is the sea view?” I asked as I inspected a claustrophobic apartment. “Look there, can’t you see it?” He looks at me incredulously, thinking I needed to wear my specs or something. Yes, sure I could see it; if I craned my neck out of the pathetically small verandah, to my extreme left I caught a glimpse of the sea. In the meantime, a huge block of flats was under construction slap-bang in front of my face. I tried to explain the definition of ‘full sea view’ to my agent. He not only lost the permanent smile on his face but also exclaimed that people like us should migrate to places like Timbuktu or some remote part of the world. I did not give up. I made all the necessary tours of apartments in the various buildings with names ending with garden, heights, villas, court, etc. The names were mind- boggling; at the end of the day, I wasn’t sure if it was Scenic Garden or Scenic Court that I liked. Now don’t get me wrong, I did write everything down clearly, but when you try to visualize which is which, it is not an easy task. Parkway Court and Parkview Court were both noisy, I think. Wealthy Heights and Money Court did not exactly give me the impression of being luxurious. It would be worth considering if the name in any ways implied good fung shui. I did see some very healthy apartments – Valiant Park and Olympian Mansions. My feet were tired and my mind totally baffled. The time had come to make a decision. The next day I called the lucky agent. “Haven’t you heard the Zhuhai Project has been approved?” he asked impatiently. “What has that got to do with the apartment I want?” I retorted. “The property market has shot up after the news of the approval. The value of the apartment you want has gone up by twenty-five percent; I already have an offer for that price. Are you still interested?’ I could almost here the smirk of his face. It had only been two days since I saw the place. How could they do this to me? Forget it; I’m reasonably happy in my old place. Sure, there is a construction site just below my building and one day I would probably be able to share a cigarette with the construction worker across the road. There is no sea view, green view, or mountain view. That does not stop me from enjoying the one view I have left – sky view. I am looking forward to the day when it is advertised on the property page: Tastefully decorated apartment, 3 bedrooms, covered car- park with full sky view (sun, moon, stars clearly visible)! Ends ------------ About the author: Sasha Seth writes short stories, fiction and is working on novel. Email: shobha75@hotmail.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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