KUCHING: Being raised in the city, growing old, people are eager to find a place for them to settle down and move away from the busy streets and fast-paced life.
For this couple from Melbourne, Lawrence and Susie Lim, they chose Kuching as their ideal place. They decided to come back to their roots to experience back the ‘kampung’ lifestyle, and relax.
Lawrence, 68, and Susie, 45, are originally from Perak and Perlis respectively before moving to Melbourne at a young age.
“After one year of living in Kuching, we feel that it is a very welcoming place and we would like to spend many more years here.
“However, because we are Australian citizens, unfortunately, we still need to return one day. But if we are able to, we will reapply to extend our stay here,” they said.
Despite being the heart of Sarawak, compared to other major cities, Kuching tends to stand out as it has everything, including nature that hardly can be found in other big cities.
Complementing their longing for a quiet and ideal home, MetroCity Square offers just that as it is an iconic development that brings Matang into a modern and vibrant metropolis.
With the outstanding view offered by the apartment, the 18-storey mixed development comprises 386 units of serviced apartments including four penthouses.
It is also equipped with a swimming pool, children’s playground, gymnasium, games/pool room, library, and function rooms on Level 5 while the mall on the ground floor offers anchor tenants, boutique shops and commercial shop offices.
Looking at the location of the apartment and Kuching itself, the couple said they immediately fell in love with Kuching and decided to buy the place.
“When we moved in a year ago, May 2021, we immediately fell in love with Kuching and Metrocity Square. The place is just so warm.
“What stands out the most is the friendliness of the people here. “Not to mention the food is so diverse and fantastic. In addition, the quality of the produce is also very good,” Lawrence said.
When asked why they chose MetroCity Square, he said for him, it was conveniently located and the facilities offered along with the maintenance keeps the place nice and clean. “After living here for a year, when I look back, it is indeed the best decision that I have ever made in my life.
“When you move away, no one will know what it will be like and you will not be sure if it is going to be great in a sense of whether choosing the life in Kuala Lumpur is actually better.
“But by far, moving from Melbourne to here, it turns out to be a brilliant and the best decision for us.
“When we first came here, before we opened the door to our place, we went down on our knees, bowed down and prayed many times.
Once we decided to open the door, we were overwhelmed with emotion when we saw the place.” According to him, the penthouse, which is located on the 18th floor, where they are currently residing was bought in 2017.
“Of course we had to wait for it to be completed and furnished before coming here but unfortunately, the pandemic hit. With the addition of the pandemic happening, pretty much most of our plans were gone.
“Not to mention, there are some who did not make it at all due to Covid-19. This is an added fear.
“That is why the feeling of the four long awaited years was very emotional and was a blessing to us when we first opened the door,” he reminisced, adding that back then, he could only look at the plans and the designs of the house through pictures sent by the developer.
Looking at their nature themed home, Susie shared that the decoration of the house complemented her love for nature.
“That is why I requested the interior designer to make the house out of wooden stone and things from nature. Hence, I chose Borneo design.
“Aside from that, we decided to buy this house because from here, we can see Mount Santubong and that the living space is an open space concept.”
While giving a tour of their house, she also stated that she loved that she felt safe living there. “I have a deep love for nature, sometimes, I will sleep with my window open. Getting fresh air in while sleeping is the best kind of pleasure.”
Despite being on the highest floor, it did not stop her from having her own little garden by the side of her house. Looking at her garden filled with all kinds of flowers, she is especially fond of her ‘bunga kertas’.
“When I was very little, in my house in the kampung, we used to have a lot of these ‘bunga kertas’, but when I moved to Melbourne, I could not grow them there.
“That is why this little garden is my labour of love as I planted them all myself and what I grow here is similar to a memory lane to me.”
While the Lims have a breathtaking nature themed concept, their neighbours, David Chong, 46, and Chew Wan, 45, have a whole different concept.
Explaining their home concept, Chew stated that in their unit, they took advantage of the view as people came there for the view.
“With the outstanding view that can be viewed from here, we decided to go for the modern concept for this penthouse with the black and white theme – the simplest that you can get.”
The open space of their house’s features are much similar to that of a minimalist house while others view it as similar to a clubhouse.
Walking in from their door, visitors could directly see a piano placed on the right side while looking at the spacious living room.
Moreover, the black and white theme complements the modern concept that is in trend now.
