I miss church....

Haven't been attending church svcs and cg for 6 weeks straight already. Sigh....I miss church so much. But what to do. I hope I can go back for svcs (at least) next week onwards. When Far East and Bugis opens, I will be more busy.

Still not sure what are we going to do with Suntec shop. Suntec CEO will be giving my dad a confirmed answer (whether to stay put at our current location with rental rebate or shift out our round circle shop to another shop in front and close our longish shop)) on mon. I see a suntec mgmt staff measuring the length of the back area of MPG (all the way from #03-027F to 027N) and talking another guy who looks like a contractor. It seems that suntec mgmt have come to a decision as to what they are going to do with the back area of MPG. Dunno what they have planned for us. Let's see on mon. If rent after rebate or for the new shop in front is still not sufficient to cover our sales, we are definitely going to shift out of here.

Closed for the day...again...

We closed for the day once again. This time isn't on mon. Coz we realised that from our sales records that though mon sales is bad, another weekday is worse and that is thursday. And so we decided to close on every thursday.

Didn't sleep in this time round. Was up earlier than usual to learn how to use an accounting system which my mum has been using (she upgraded the system to the latest version). A guy from the company came down to give the lesson. He's coming down again next thurs. The 2 lessons are included in the package. From the start of next month, I'll have to start doing the accounts. I've had the system installed on my laptop too for easy access when I am on the run.

Went to watch a movie at vivo with mum and younger sis in the evening. "10 promises to my dog". A japanese drama with chinese and english subtitles. I love it. The dog in the drama is so kawaii and so faithful. Reminds me of Dooby. Dooby is of old age now. If my parents didn't send him to the animal hospital that day his nose was bleeding, he would have been gone by now. Got to cherish him more. And of course lil baby yogi.

Like what I've been blogging in my past entries, suntec crowd in MPG really cannot make it. Even my customers/members say so too. It seems like their plan of demolishing the back area can't come to fusion as there is yet to be any big tenant. Not sure if suntec will still give us rental rebate (without having to sign any personal guarantee). We have decided to shift out in Sept if there is still no rental rebate. Just write to suntec to say we are shifting out then take action to shift out (like what another shop has done). Those tenant who came in later than us and has only signed 1 year contract then were given rental rebates/benefits by suntec so that they will extend their contract. Others who came in earlier than them and signed a longer term contract (like us and a few others) have no such rental rebates/benefits. And when we approached suntec to ask why we were not given such benefits. Suntec say they have never given any tenants in MPG such benefits. Liar! Some shops have extended contract with the new rental rebates/benefits e.g. one of our neighbours.

Sick and tired of being sick and tired

Been so tired these few days. Been down with a bad flu and very itchy throat for the last few days. Every morning will wake up with a headache. Eat pharmacy med still cannot get better. Is it the weather or is it stress? I think it's stress. With suntec business like this, who will not be stress. Our total losses till now is enough to buy a condo or even a mercz. It's as if we are throwing money away just like this. Though it's not my own money but I also heart pain leh.

Suntec CEO mentioned to my dad before that we don't have to sign any personal guarantee. He will try to get the rental rebate for us. But when we ask about our rebate, suntec mgmt says that since we never sign the personal guarantee, there is no rental rebate for us. What the ......toooooooooooooooooo.......!!!!!!! How can they do that. They never mean what they say. Say one thing, do another. I am getting really frustrated with suntec. Don't care already. We will be closing shop every thursday (the worse day of the week). No use, sitting in the shop waiting and waiting. We also most probably will be shifting out in September.

Far east shop is opening in September. The current tenant's contract ends end of this month but they want to rent the unit from us for another month to clear stocks. However, mum says that if they want to rent, they would have to rent for 2 months....if not cannot rent (the main reason for that is coz of 7th month ghost festival....it's not auspicious to start business of a shop in that month). So they will be renting the shop from us for both july and august. And we will take over in September. Do minor renovation then shift in.

When I went to the toilet just now, I overhead that Tay Ping Hui is at the arcade. After I came out from the toilet, I went there to peep for a while before going back to the shop. He was at the entrance of the arcade with another actress (dunno who is she though) and the filming crew. Guess they are filming a show. I just finished watching a rerun of a drama he acted in (honour and passion) and now I see him real life in suntec. He is one of my fav star in mediacorp Channel 8 although I don't watch much of Channel 8 shows (I'm more of a Channel 55 and 56 person).

21st June

Today is the 21st of June. A rather significant day...but that was 2 years ago and 4 years ago. 4 years ago today (21st June 2004) was my graduation day for my bachelor's degree in UQ. And 2 years ago today (21st June 2006) was my graduation day for my master's degree in UQ. My elder sis mentioned b4 at my master's graduation that maybe I should have my wedding on 21st June as well since it is such a significant day. LOL! But that will still be few years down the road.

Suntec has been really quiet as usual. Dunno how long we can tahan in there. Suntec is always saying one thing and doing another. They dun seem to mean what they say. So irritating and frustrating. Sigh....what to do. So confident when we step into Suntec. And now all hopes in suntec are dashed. We are really going to out. Going to talk to Suntec one more time. If still same result, DEFINITELY shifting out. We are going to shift into far east in september anyways. And there is a high possibility that we are also going to have a small unit in Bugis Iluma (the new shopping mall opposite Bugis Junction and beside Bugis Street). I believe there should be crowd there.

Closed for the day....

We told our staff to take the day off today and closed for the day. With us (the biggest tenant in MPG there) + many other shops closed today, the whole MPG will definitely be quiet.

Don't know what suntec has in mind. Whatever they say is so contradicting. Different people in the suntec mgmt tells each tenant different things. We don't know which is the truth and what suntec has planned for for MPG. What are they up to? Why are they so unprofessional? This time really MUST get out of suntec already. You know what...during the weekends...level 3 is so quiet but when we go down to level 1 and 2....there were soooooooooooooooooo many people that it is so difficult to walk. The whole suntec is like an inverted version of heaven and hell. If you know what I mean. Sianz man. Why like that? Why aren't people coming up? Give up on suntec!

Slept in a lil longer today then went to vivocity with mum to catch the fashion show/event there. The clothes there are unique and nice. We managed to get 2-3 contacts from there. We planned to bring in some of their products to sell in San Street. We also bought quite a number of clothes there. Mum wants me to "gai bian xin xiang". LOL! Since we were there, we went to pet safari to look for a companion for our lil puppy, yogi. Found out that there was a puppy (of the same breed as our yogi) available few days ago but as we were uncontactable, the shop sold it to someone else (they placed as on waiting list when we told them to contact us if they have the puppy we were looking for). Sigh. If not, lil yogi will have a companion by now. We are now on the waiting list again. Hope we can find another one soon. After that, went to clementi central for eyebrow treading, hair cut, colour and treatment. That's how I spend my whole day today. Now all charged up again for "battle" tmr. Hopefully it is not another quiet day at MPG tmr. *Fingers crossed*

Going crazy with the MPG crowd

I'm going crazy with the MPG crowd. This can't even be called a crowd. Where is everyone? 1st and 2nd flr of suntec always have a lot of people. But when you come up to 3rd flr. It is just like heaven and hell (3rd flr being hell). Like that how to carry on in suntec. I've always been carrying high hopes here. Keep telling myself that this place will get better. But after 1 year and 3 months, this place has no changes. In fact we feel that it is getting worse. More outlets are shifting out. Just this weeks, 2 shops (side by side) have shifted out. They are already located outside, where the main flow of people are in MPG, yet they are also shifting out. What about us on the inside of MPG? At the end of this month, another 3 shops will be shifting out (1 is also located at the outside where the main flow of MPG is). With so many shops shifting out of MPG, this place is quieter and quieter. Cannot make it man. Even I can't stand the crowd in MPG now. Looking at the crowd like this everyday, can really drive a person crazy. This place is a ghost town. Think the best solution is to get out of MPG and shift somewhere else.

We are getting along with MPG complain queen and her son now. Think they don't want to make things big anymore (they still do complain about other shops though. but not that often now). Heard from them that they are going to shift out too. Suntec has a plan of demolishing all the units at the back (i.e. #03-027F/G/H/J/K/L/M/N, #03-080, #03-082, #03-085) and convert it to a gallery or some sort. In other words, the current tenants of these units would have to shift out to another unit. #03-027F/G will already be shifting out end of this month so it wouldn't affect them. The rest of the tenants affected by this decision will be us (as we are occupying #03-027K/L/M/N & #03-085) and 4 of our neighbours (#03-027J, #03-027H, & #03-082 where there are 2 tenants). Suntec mgmt wants us to stay in MPG and suggest we shift to the outside with the main flow. But even shops at the outside with the main flow have/are shifting out. How good can the units at the main flow be then? The thing is that MPG has a wrong mix of tenants. A lot of people who step in MPG have said so. Why just don't the suntec mgmt get it? All they say is "we're doing sthg about it". But I don't see anything they are doing. They really want us to die here is it? Frustrating!

Bugis Iluma (the new 10-storey mall opposite bugis junction and beside bugis village) that is opening end of this year is offering us a place there. Though the rent there is pretty high, at least bugis already have the crowd. Whenever we go to bugis junction or bugis village, there are always people there. I believe it will be even better than this place they call MPG in suntec.

We're considering closing on Mon to Wed next week. It's so quiet. Open also no use. Sales only just enough to pay our girl. What abt rental, utility and such.

Conclusion....is to shift out, even if suntec sues us for breaking contract. But we can also sue them for the wrong mix of tenants and misrepresentation. This place is not even a tiny bit like what they proposed to us before we sign the rental contract with them. Initially we are told that this will be of a youth concept but it's seems more like a ladies/aunties shopping area or maybe like HK "nu ren jie" (ladies street). When we speak to suntec about it, they say "the youth have no buying power". What the??? How can they just change like that? It's all in the contract. How can they just change their concept for this area just like this? With such a mix of tenants, whenever suntec does promotion to bring the youth up, the shops selling "auntie" clothings complain. This place is supposedly a youth place, what's wrong with doing promotion to bring the youth up? If suntec really wants to make this a youth shopping area, they should "get rid" of all those shops selling "auntie" clothings.

Business better....slightly.....

It's school holidays. Business getting better (slightly) with the GSS going on. Hopefully all the advertisement we have done will pay off. Though business is better, still not enough to pay rent. How about our other costs? Suntec say they will get back to us fast but till now no news. How fast is their fast? Oh...just heard that dad has another meeting with suntec ceo on fri morning. Wonder what do they have to offer us now. If suntec is not reducing our rental (max $6000), we have no choice but to shift out suntec. Even if it means having suntec suing us in court. Not that we don't want to stay, if we stay we will just die (loss more money) here. This place really cannot do. Such high rental yet this kind of crowd. This can't even be called a crowd. Some shops have already close shop and "ja-bo". Others are going to do so too. A couple of shops told us they will be shifting out end of this month. This place is getting quieter and quieter. How to do??? Suntec offer us sthg better or we will shift out too.

Our QW shop was officially closed on 21st May. After mum did the remaining accounts for QW outlet and stock checked all the stocks brought back home from QW, we found: (i) HORRIBLE total monthly sales for the last three months (mar, apr, may) and (ii) 11 missing stocks. What have our QW staff been doing the past three months? After she was told she don't have to come to work already, we heard from the people from the other shops in QW that for these few months our QW staff hasn't been really working. Everyday there is a group of boys (her friends) gathering in the shop. Who will dare go in the shop when they see so many people gathering in the shop. And she say she has tried her best. BULLSHIT! Even when my friends come, they don't gather in the shop. Other shops bosses have told us about the working attitudes of malay staffs. But we still employ them anyways. But after my own experience, I've lost my faith in ALL malay staffs. No matter how good a worker they are, their working attitudes are all the same. Bad working attitude. No longer are we going to employ malay staffs. So far we have had 3 malay staffs and that's enough. No more!

The complain queen of MPG have been smiling and talking to me these few days. Last few months all I hear is her complains and all i see is her long face. Seems like the situation between us and her is getting better. Maybe her partner have received our lawyer letter. A mth or 2 ago, my car was being knocked by another car while parked in suntec's carpark causing our number plate to dropped out. The car just drove away like that without leaving any note. But a witness saw the accident, took the the other car's number plate and left us a note at my car door. He also gave us a description of the driver of the other car. Complain queen's partner matches the description of that person who hit our car in suntec's carpark and drove away. Also she and and her family/friends, etc know what car and the car number plate we drive. After the accident, she dare not even park her car near the lifts which she always did. If it's not them, why do they have to be so afraid that we will do sthg to their car (we know what car she drive and her car's number plate too. But we didn't intend to do anything to her car. We just want the person who knocked our car to pay for the damages).

I have nothing against her. If she don't keep showing people her long face or complaining, I won't mind helping her. I have nothing against her. We are neighbours anyways. We will see each other everyday until one of us shift out of suntec. My parents still don't want to see her face or talk to her. They really can't stand her. They don't let me buy things from her shop either. Others in MPG dislikes her too. To the extent that no matter how much they like the clothes/accessories she sell, none of them will buy from her. Why does she have to make the situation so bad until this extent...that no one in MPG likes her?