Time for OBD to get cyber?

Just logged in after a couple of weeks and it was pleasant to read the last few comments to the last post.

One of the commentators had asked if the blog will remain open after this. Sean has also reminded everyone that the facebook platform is also open for residents to interact. In reading some of the comments to the various posts in the blog, I have numerous times wondered to myself if the blog is unwittingly doing a greater disservice to the OBD community as it allows anonymous placement of comments, and with the shroud of anonymity, people are emboldened to say things more harshly than they would face to face or if they were to be attributed to the comment. And we saw a degree of it in some of the comments. That, to me, was the weakness of this blog, and with it, came the question of whether i should moderate the comments, whether i would have time to do it, and if i did moderate, whether it might be construed by some as 'censorship' of certain persons' comments only etc etc etc. This anonymity problem is addressed with the facebook platform. But i think the facebook platform requires residents to be facebook users before they can participate in the OBD group page. If i'm right, then some might say that the platform excludes them or is inconvenient because it requires them to be a fb user when they're not interested in that. Fb has its own security & access issues too so i can understand if some feel they prefer to stay out of it altogether.

Because we are overtaken by our work so much of the time, and have only the odd hour or few minutes to 'check in' with the community or management to get a grip on what's going on in our condo, a web platform like this really helps. Many condos do run their own webpage and allow residents to log in with their passwords. It comes at a financial cost and administrative resource burden but it allows responsible and transparent commenting of issues, info to be disseminated and for applications/formalities/official business to be done between the resident and council/management in a slightly more convenient way. Our council has probably given this some thought already but as things go, the lot of us who don't traipse down to the management office to pour over the minutes of council's monthly deliberations will not have an insight to that. Anyway, that's for council to consider. And for any web platform of this nature to succeed (including facebook), the council needs to engage and be at the forefront of it.

So, to the question of whether this blog will remain open - yes it will, at least until there is a council-run web platform or if people hook on to the facebook platform, why not. Managing the blog is not easy, and at the height of the EGM debate, I was hardly getting any work done at the office!

Lastly, the comments in this blog on the recycling idea were gathering steam before it got eclipsed by the EGM debate. I know a few council members read/follow this blog (judging by the speed of the response to comments), so I'm wondering if council has taken note of the interest to recycle or whether council will insist on someone writing in formally to council to propose the idea.

By way of postscript, someone had posted a comment after Ms Lai had said she will wait for 2010 AGM, asking what the blog administrator's views were on the EGM debate. With things blown over, my views are of academic interest only. But you will see from one the scanned pages that I signed in support of the EGM requisition. In private communications, i have conveyed to a member of council why i supported it. Those communications will stay private and all that remains is for me to wish everyone a happy & restful holiday season, for the Christians in our community, have a meaningful Christmas and may we all have a splendid & successful 2010 ahead.

correspondence preceding EGM requisition

There was a request in one of the comments for the correspondence preceding the EGM to be revealed. Ms Lai has given the attached correspondence.

EGM requisition

My apologies for the extended silence since early October. Deepavali holidays and the subsequent avalanche of work had me buried.

Many of you may know an OBD resident by the name of Ms Lai, our tenacious and tireless animal lover and volunteer. Ms Lai passed me this EGM request to upload to the blog.

**Strata Title Act provides for the council to call for EGM if there is 25% support by the owners.

A Greener OBD

Reproducing a suggestion by anonymous for a greener OBD:


"2. Anyone interested in recycling bins for the condo? We can really get everyone involved, esp. the kids. Maybe the proceeds can go into a special "OBD Kid Fund", funding activities for them. I don't know about you all but my household does churn up a fair bit of recyclable stuff every week.

I think the management has a recycling drive once every 3 - 4 months? Maybe more suitable only for the bigger items. Keeping the recyclable stuff esp. newspapers
till the 3rd Sunday of the month (there is a collection centre at Taman Desa park)gets to be too much.

Anyone for recycling bins???"


I feel a prick of conscience whenever I throw out plastic bottles and then console myself that the rubbish I throw is being separated and recycled anyway at the landfill. Poor excuse, I know.

Couple of years back or so, I read about this Eurasian couple in Malaysia who have a zero-waste household.

http://www.greencrusaders.com/pages/posts/for-this-penang-couple-almost-nothing-goes-to-waste2.php

Zero-waste, wow! That's called commitment to the environment.

Recycling bins are merely small baby steps towards environmentalism. Maybe we can at least commit to that.

OBD Garden facebook group

Ladies and gents,

The OBD Garden facebook group can be accessed at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=16111204157

Broadband ISP

One of the comments to the DBKL assessment post touched on internet broadband service by a non-TM ISP.

I think it's an excellent idea. It could be that council is holding back because of legal/liability issues on allowing the dry riser to be used. It would be good if council participates in these discussions so we understand the reasons for their decisions (at least the non-sensitive decisions). I also received a telephone call from a council member yesterday informing me that there is already a facebook platform on OBD - which is great. I'll post the info if I get further details about it.

These ideas for different facilities and conveniences deserve a post of their own without being relegated to a comment. At the moment, only I am able to make postings and well, I didn't even know about fibre optics. :(

I invite residents and owners (with a bit of time, interest & blogging experience) to join me as administrators to this blog so that more ideas and info may be posted to generate discussions. If there are any takers, please email me.

Is the DBKL assessment rate for OBD Garden Tower Condo reasonable?

• Yes
• 
  No, it is too high


• It is too high because my rental income has dropped over the years
• 
  No, it is lower than other similar properties

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