My First Apartment

itunes: Radiohead, In Rainbows (2007)

Today is the final day at my apartment of 2 years before I handed over the keys to the new owner tomorrow. It's a relieve to think from tomorrow onwards, I will be financial independent, no more ever-increasing bank interest rates, no more hefty bank loans to repay, no more burden and commitment. Life is free.....

I have taken a couple of pictures of the apartment for memory sake. After all, it is the first property that I owned.

The exterior of the flat. The facade has been designated for conservation as it was built in the per-war 30s. I love the surrounding as it is a quiet neighbourhood in the city.

The hind view of the flat. I have chosen the unit in this area partly because I'm attracted to the nostagic spiral staircase. In fact this kind of old flat always reminds of my childhood in my old grandma's place.

A part of the living room, the windows open to the airwell.

It is this balcony that overlooked the street that makes me buy this unit without a second thought then. My idea was to create a long stretch of flowerbed, full of sunflowers. Anyone who walk past on the street can admire it. It was be talk of the town.


Room with a view.


A glimpse of the kitchen.

View from the kitchen window. This three 70-year-old steel rods, which can be pushed outwards, are meant for hanging clothes to dry under the sun. I really love this wide window and installing window panes will spoil the beauty of it. Should I move in, shall have a table by the window so that I can look out while I eat.


This washing basin, perhaps old enough to make it to the museum here.

Closeup on the spiral staircase, it serves as a fire emergency escape route in the old days. It is the accessible from the hind door from the kitchen. I always like a spiral staircase, dunno why. If I moved in, I will have many potted plants on each step.

This is window at the living room, overlooking the airwell. Airwell is one of the features (besides spiral staircase) of these pre-war houses. It draws wind into the house.


An upward view to the sky of the airwell. The aircon compressor belongs to the unit above.


This passage way is also one of the reasons that I bought the house. It connects the living room to the corridor between the kitchen and the main door. It gives maximum privacy of the house from whoever standing outside the main door looking in.

This is another classic of this house. It is the bathroom, the structure provides a corner to store water and a seat to take a good bath. The place was sparkling clean when I handed over to the tenant, that's the condition that I received after 2 years.

The floor plan of the house.