Travels etc.

I have just finished reading Alcibiades I , by Plato. In that dialog I found very good part that may illustrate many events that happen constantly when someone deals with people in regards to influence, politics, problem solving, negotiations etc. Here’s the text I’d like to quote: --- SOCRATES: Then let us compare our antecedents with those of the Lacedaemonian and Persian kings; are they inferior to us in descent? Have we not heard that the former are sprung from Heracles, and the latter from Achaemenes, and that the race of Heracles and the race of Achaemenes go back to Perseus, son of Zeus?  ALCIBIADES: Why, so does mine go back to Eurysaces, and he to Zeus!   SOCRATES: And mine, noble Alcibiades, to Daedalus, and he to Hephaestus, son of Zeus. But, for all that, we are far inferior to them. For they are descended 'from Zeus,' … whereas, we and our fathers were but private persons.   How ridiculous would you be thought if you were to make a display of yo...

This post is a follow up on the earlier article  Development Application for Strata Common Wall . Residential owners corporation reached out to surveyor and found out deposited plans that show the boundary is face of the wall on the commercial strata side. That means the applicant (commercial strata) submitted development application without consent from the owners of the wall. This was pointed out to the Council and the applicant as follows: " Section 78A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW) provides for the making of a development application (DA) subject to compliance with the requirements of the regulation.  Clause 49 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000 (NSW) (regulation) mandates that a DA needs to be either made by the ‘owner’ of the land affected by the DA or any other person so long as the owner has provided consent in writing. DA Number was made by Applicant_Name and the owner specified is Proprietors of St...

Yet another important milestone in the long process of fixing the building defects in the strata block - Fair Trading came out for second inspection last Wednesday 30/07/2014. New defects and old defects that were not yet fixed have been on the list. Major defect types are: - Water leakage in bathrooms/showers into bedrooms in 100% of reported units; - Cheap material used for tiling in bathrooms/showers that last only for 6 months and then require re-sealing; - Flooring issues - timber/bamboo laid out incorrectly, color mismatch; - Water leakage from the outside into units; - Efflorescence in tiling work in courtyards and pathways; - Negligent manner of work and absence of quality material and control of work - many defects have been somehow addressed by the sub-contractors sent by the builder, but without proper result. Some units have got tenants so it was not easy to organise for an inspection for them. Here I'd suggest to identify and report all the defects befo...