Glad to be getting out...

Because Singapore is rushing to reveal its ugly side to me in these last few days. Here are just a few hair-tearing moments my friends and I have been subjected to:

1. Lady at entrance of American Embassy turns me back from the gate because - get this - all my visa application forms have been filled in my hand, and not typed. Of course, when I say 'lady', I only apply the term loosely.

2. Pallavi and Anubhuti had the absolute worst landlord nightmare: the guy was always lounging around in the apartment even though he had sublet the whole place to them. They'd agreed he'd visit twice or thrice a month, but he'd show up every other day. Peeved, the two girls put a new lock on their door, and then the owner kicked up a huge fuss when he couldn't get in.

It turns out - the dude needed money, so he simply gave up his own apartment for rent, and was dividing his time equally between a friend's place and this apt because he had nowhere to stay! Pallavi and Anubhuti were quick to get out of the contract but they forfeited their deposit!

I think somebody ought to be complaining to HDB.

3. I had my own apartment related trouble. Tenants at my apt have been known to call me all the way over to change a tube light. This time they surpassed themselves. I had some stuff to drop off in the room we keep locked in my apt, so I called them up and told them I'd show up the next morning. Could they please not use their additional locks, if they have any, just for that one day? No, apparently, for "security issues" were at stake.

And this, after I've never, *ever* bothered them before, even though it was previously agreed that I'd visit once a month to check the state of all out furniture. I tried to tell them I was leaving in two days, and I didn't have any evenings free so I could come by when there were people at home, but no avail.

In the end, my agent, that divine man, picked up one of the tenants from her workplace during lunchtime so she could come over and unlock the door for me, waited till I finished putting my stuff in order in the room, then drove the woman back to work. Bah, what bratty tenants!

4. Did you know you can't get a cashcard refund if you don't have a bank account? I closed all of mine because I'm leaving, and it turns out I have to forfeit the $20 or so I have among my cashcards. This, despite the fact that they definitely don't tell you you need a bank account to get one - you simply go pay cash at the nearest 7-11 to get it. More than a mite misleading, don't you say? And for POSB/DBS, the account refund itself takes 14 days.

I yelled at the NETS guys a bit, and they fudged for a while and then said I could get a cash refund if I went to their office - "Special exception for you, Madam." Wish I had the time to do that - and to complain to the consumer protection bureau about this stuff, or at least write to Straits Times.

Got any horror stories of your own?