One of the banes of living in HDB flats is that you do not know what kind of neighbours you will get. Some are nice and sweet; most of them are cold and indifferent. But I'm sure there's one type of neighbours we all loathe - inconsiderate neighbours.
Something nasty happened sometime in March this year. One Saturday night, or rather, it was at 2am on a Sunday morning. The neighbourhood was all quiet but was rudely awoken by a consistent banging noise above my unit. I looked out of my bedroom window and saw the lights two floors above mine was on. I assumed it was them making the noise. I tried to go back to sleep for I didn't dare confront them all by myself. But unfortunately, they continued to knock something onto the wall, keeping us awake.
A while later, my neighbour below my unit started banging on my window, demanding that I stopped the banging noise. Without any investigation, she simply decided that since the noise came from upstairs, it must be ME!!! Knowing that it wouldn't help if I raise my voice to defend myself, I calmly told her it wasn't me and that she'd been mistaken. She didn't believe me, of course, but she couldn't do anything either. So grudgingly, she left. After that episode, all was quiet. The culprit did not make any more banging. Understandably, my neighbour's voice must have scared them off and I had become the scapegoat.
Since then, I kind of live in fear whenever my neighbour(s) above my unit started to make noise, eg. skipping rope at 10 or 11 in the evening, shifting and dropping furnitures, cos I'm afraid history repeats itself. What annoys me also is that at times, I suspect they simply hang their still-wet laundry on the pole and let the water drip onto my window panes. To make things worse, someone purposely left a used-detergent bottle outside my door. Even after I'd moved it to the lift lobby, that prankster brought it BACK to my door.
Tonight, it happened again. It was past 11.30pm and all of a sudden, I heard a loud bang, as if something had dropped on the floor. More noise came from shifting of furnitures and knocking on the wall (as if they want to hang something on the wall). I wanted to confront them as I felt terribly uneasy. I quickly changed and walked upstairs. But I was very very scared. I wasn't afraid of telling them off, but I have to consider the repercussions. I've heard of story of nasty neighbour throwing urine into a neighbour's unit because the latter had lodged a complaint against them or a neighbour pouring detergents on her neighbour's plants. No, I don't want to have that happened to me. So I left.
I didn't go back to my flat immediately. I stood outside my corridor for about 10minutes - something which I've never done it - not at 12midnight! I prayed. I asked the Lord to send His angels to encamp around me. I know the Lord will protect me and will never leave me nor forsake me. I needed His wisdom. I know He goes ahead of me and I just need to trace His footsteps and path. Just keep focusing on Him and not be distracted. I asked Him for His peace - peace that is beyond human understanding. I waited.... and finally, I felt calmer.
Was about to go back to my flat but decided to make one last trip upstairs. My neighbour's lights were still on and I heard men's voices. I was trying to make out the content but I decided that they are probably not locals. Strange, I thought it was a family with a very young child living here. Anyway, I thought I should check with the town council on Monday. Meanwhile, I should get some sleep for tomorrow is the Lord's day.
Something nasty happened sometime in March this year. One Saturday night, or rather, it was at 2am on a Sunday morning. The neighbourhood was all quiet but was rudely awoken by a consistent banging noise above my unit. I looked out of my bedroom window and saw the lights two floors above mine was on. I assumed it was them making the noise. I tried to go back to sleep for I didn't dare confront them all by myself. But unfortunately, they continued to knock something onto the wall, keeping us awake.
A while later, my neighbour below my unit started banging on my window, demanding that I stopped the banging noise. Without any investigation, she simply decided that since the noise came from upstairs, it must be ME!!! Knowing that it wouldn't help if I raise my voice to defend myself, I calmly told her it wasn't me and that she'd been mistaken. She didn't believe me, of course, but she couldn't do anything either. So grudgingly, she left. After that episode, all was quiet. The culprit did not make any more banging. Understandably, my neighbour's voice must have scared them off and I had become the scapegoat.
Since then, I kind of live in fear whenever my neighbour(s) above my unit started to make noise, eg. skipping rope at 10 or 11 in the evening, shifting and dropping furnitures, cos I'm afraid history repeats itself. What annoys me also is that at times, I suspect they simply hang their still-wet laundry on the pole and let the water drip onto my window panes. To make things worse, someone purposely left a used-detergent bottle outside my door. Even after I'd moved it to the lift lobby, that prankster brought it BACK to my door.
Tonight, it happened again. It was past 11.30pm and all of a sudden, I heard a loud bang, as if something had dropped on the floor. More noise came from shifting of furnitures and knocking on the wall (as if they want to hang something on the wall). I wanted to confront them as I felt terribly uneasy. I quickly changed and walked upstairs. But I was very very scared. I wasn't afraid of telling them off, but I have to consider the repercussions. I've heard of story of nasty neighbour throwing urine into a neighbour's unit because the latter had lodged a complaint against them or a neighbour pouring detergents on her neighbour's plants. No, I don't want to have that happened to me. So I left.
I didn't go back to my flat immediately. I stood outside my corridor for about 10minutes - something which I've never done it - not at 12midnight! I prayed. I asked the Lord to send His angels to encamp around me. I know the Lord will protect me and will never leave me nor forsake me. I needed His wisdom. I know He goes ahead of me and I just need to trace His footsteps and path. Just keep focusing on Him and not be distracted. I asked Him for His peace - peace that is beyond human understanding. I waited.... and finally, I felt calmer.
Was about to go back to my flat but decided to make one last trip upstairs. My neighbour's lights were still on and I heard men's voices. I was trying to make out the content but I decided that they are probably not locals. Strange, I thought it was a family with a very young child living here. Anyway, I thought I should check with the town council on Monday. Meanwhile, I should get some sleep for tomorrow is the Lord's day.
