3. Kitchen Cabinet Design
I use the space between the top of the cabinets and the ceiling, as fluorescent light "boxes". The fluorescent tubes are hidden behind the translucent, perspex panels (see pictures).
This kills several birds with one stone. The height of the cabinets is aesthetically optimised, maintaining the correct proportion relative to the ceiling height. Most importantly, no more exposed dust-collecting cabinet tops! Last but not least, the space is well utilised for lighting. Aesthetics is not only un-compromised - it is in fact enhanced!
Because the fluorescent tubes are well hidden, protected, their lives are prolonged. They last for years; virtually maintenance-free. I am so delighted with this solution, MY solution, …show more content…
Madam Ling was a specialist in local part-time cleaners and Malaysian confinement nannies. I suggested she check to see if any of her confinement ladies might be sick and tired of vagabonding from one family to another, staying only one month with each. On this scheme of things, these Malaysian ladies are actually coming in to work in Singapore on social visit passes. Each social visit pass allows them to stay, not work, for up to 14 days. But each of their confinement assignments requires them to stay for 28 days. This means they have to make a trip at the mid-point of each assignment, to the cross-border Immigration check-point, to get their passports "chopped". This social pass renewal is allowed up to a cumulative total of 60 days, after which they will be barred entry into Singapore for the next 30 days. Theoretically, each lady can work up to eight months in a year without requiring any work permits, just on social passes. However in reality, because babies' arrivals are sometimes unpredictable, there are time-gaps between consecutive assignments. These ladies usually end up working about six to seven months out of twelve per year. Though their confinement assignments usually pay well, but on a time average basis, it …show more content…
It turns out that this idea was readily accepted by a few of these ladies, who had at around the same time been looking out for such employment opportunities. It was a good match. It was click-and-go. Of course, that I offered to compensate them very close to their confinement remuneration helps. If you offer to pay just half of their confinement pay, I'm sure they would certainly prefer to shake legs for the five months they spend back home! The ladies who took well to this idea were those who needed the income. The first lady I had, from Ipoh, needed the income to finance her children through private schools. The second lady, a widow from Batu Pahat, wanted to save money to finance her youngest daughter's tertiary education in the UK. The third lady, a Malaccan, has five kids and needed to supplement the family income during a period when her husband's business was just taking off. That's
I use the space between the top of the cabinets and the ceiling, as fluorescent light "boxes". The fluorescent tubes are hidden behind the translucent, perspex panels (see pictures).
This kills several birds with one stone. The height of the cabinets is aesthetically optimised, maintaining the correct proportion relative to the ceiling height. Most importantly, no more exposed dust-collecting cabinet tops! Last but not least, the space is well utilised for lighting. Aesthetics is not only un-compromised - it is in fact enhanced!
Because the fluorescent tubes are well hidden, protected, their lives are prolonged. They last for years; virtually maintenance-free. I am so delighted with this solution, MY solution, …show more content…
Madam Ling was a specialist in local part-time cleaners and Malaysian confinement nannies. I suggested she check to see if any of her confinement ladies might be sick and tired of vagabonding from one family to another, staying only one month with each. On this scheme of things, these Malaysian ladies are actually coming in to work in Singapore on social visit passes. Each social visit pass allows them to stay, not work, for up to 14 days. But each of their confinement assignments requires them to stay for 28 days. This means they have to make a trip at the mid-point of each assignment, to the cross-border Immigration check-point, to get their passports "chopped". This social pass renewal is allowed up to a cumulative total of 60 days, after which they will be barred entry into Singapore for the next 30 days. Theoretically, each lady can work up to eight months in a year without requiring any work permits, just on social passes. However in reality, because babies' arrivals are sometimes unpredictable, there are time-gaps between consecutive assignments. These ladies usually end up working about six to seven months out of twelve per year. Though their confinement assignments usually pay well, but on a time average basis, it …show more content…
It turns out that this idea was readily accepted by a few of these ladies, who had at around the same time been looking out for such employment opportunities. It was a good match. It was click-and-go. Of course, that I offered to compensate them very close to their confinement remuneration helps. If you offer to pay just half of their confinement pay, I'm sure they would certainly prefer to shake legs for the five months they spend back home! The ladies who took well to this idea were those who needed the income. The first lady I had, from Ipoh, needed the income to finance her children through private schools. The second lady, a widow from Batu Pahat, wanted to save money to finance her youngest daughter's tertiary education in the UK. The third lady, a Malaccan, has five kids and needed to supplement the family income during a period when her husband's business was just taking off. That's