Okay, here's the quick and dirty on our very Singaporean acroynms, for the benefit of "foreigners"

MC: Medical Certificate, what your doctor gives you to pass to your employer when you need to go on medical Leave

MINDEF: Ministry of Defense

IPPT: Individual Physical Proficiency Test, the annual fitness test that Singaporean males have to take as part of compulsary military service.

Just a little more detail. At the age of 18, all Singaporean males have to serve 2 1/2 years (recently cut to 2 years) of compulsary full time miltary service, or National Service (NS) as it is called here. Thereafter, we have to go for reservist training duties once a year, maximum of 40 days a year (but usually 1-3 weeks) for around 10 years or so, until the age of 40 at maximum. That's a disruption from our civillian lives, and can start as early as the first year after full time military service, when most of us are in university.

As part of the reserve training duties, we have to go for our IPPT tests once a year. Its not a big deal when you're in your early 20s and fresh from full time military service. But into your 30s it just gets harder - our bodies just aren't what they used to be, plus add the fact that a civillian, sedentary lifestyle doesn't exactly do your body any favours - unless of course you exercise regularly, which I don't.

Mine was yesterday and though I managed to pass, it is clear that age is catching up with my body! Had a bad cramps in my legs after that

Thanks!

After several false starts and fortuitous timing I have managed to swing a trip to Frankfurt for the Musikmesse. I will meet Alvin there on Friday 14th March.

After the fair we will travel to Spaichingen on Sunday, and then visit the Sauter factory on Monday. We will be able to watch some of the work being done on my Omega - the outer rim is being mated to the inner rim. We will also choose the instrument's 'birth certificate' number from several that Herr Sauter has offered.

[Edit: We may also be able to choose between at least two strung-backs. So it looks like I get to choose my piano after all, even though I bought it sight unseen.]

My palms are getting sweaty.

geez what took me so long to find this thread?
Digitus, amazing choice that you have made!! I wish i had your kind of courage when splurging out on a piano...
anyway i saw something regarding public housing in singapore somewhere upstream in this thread. i guess i'm quite lucky in this aspect, i live in a HDB flat, but it's a very old "5-room A", which has a large living room and dining area combined. So this means that i can put (more than 1) grand piano in that area! And throw in the fact that my parents don't own a sofa... it's even better!
i currently have a weinberg H-61 (6' 6") grand and it takes up not even a third of my living room space, so no problems there...
Digitus, i suggest you look for the old bukit batok or chua chu kang 5 room A's when you go shopping for a HDB. this way you can definitely fit in your Omega

Digitus,
Wish you all the luck in making your final selection. My trip to Spaichingen was exciting and highly memorable. Making the choice between two excellent, but very different speciments of the same model was not an easy one, but two years on, I believe I made the right choice.
Do keep us updated on your trip, and looking forward to hearing your new piano when it gets delivered!

Regards

eFatz:

I was actually flat-hunting last year, but decided not to commit because the valuations were unrealistically high. The only flats I can consider are the older executive apartments (not maisonettes - I don't like multi-level dwellings), or the larger jumbo flats in Woodlands or Marsiling.

The courage to buy sight unseen was derived from what I've read about the Omega, and from my personal interaction with Alvin and Mr Sauter.

Wzkit:

Thanks for your kind thoughts. Alvin and I have had many discussions about the tonal qualities I like. And now that both of us will be there in Spaichingen at the same time as Herr Sauter, the latter can help us communicate accurately with Master Kaufmann to get the voicing done as much as possible to my taste (after allowing as much as possible for the different acoustics between the factory and my living room).

I am going to leave the touch pretty much 'as is' for the time being. Getting it adjusted now when I am moving from an upright to a grand doesn't make sense.

Sounds great. Do send my regards to Herr Sauter and Alvin. I'm looking forward to my next tuning and servicing...my Delta has seen some heavier use lately

How exciting for you. I spent a long weekend in Spaichingen at the beginning of February (pictures to come). I saw many Omega's in process, perhaps one that you will eventually select. wzkit, I played several Delta's while there. Digitus, haben Sie eine gute Reise!

Thanks Gene! I'm even going to the trouble of lugging my DSLR along to take pictures with. You show me yours and I'll show mine!

Actually, all the business travel that I have done (and loathe so much) paid for this trip in the form of redeemed frequent flyer miles. Unfortunately, in order to secure a seat at short notice, I had to blow a bundle of miles on a first class seat on Singapore Airlines. But its for a good cause, and I won't exactly be suffering on the 11 hour flight.

I also managed to score a room at the Frankfurt Marriott for a fantastic rate. The hotel is right across the street from the Musikmesse!

So, I've got my air tickets, show tickets, and train tickets (from Spaichingen back to Frankfurt), and hotel room. I only hope that no emergencies pop up to de-rail the trip.

My Kawai K-8 has just been sold. The new owner picks it up on Saturday. If the Omega's delivery schedule doesn't change then I now have a 4-week period in which I won't have a piano to play on.

I'll trade your position for mine in a jiffy ..... 4 weeks abstinence and then a foreseeable delightful long time to come ...

Now lets see when will I see my Sauter ..... if ever ....

I spoke to Alvin earlier and he sounded more than delighted to have you camp out in vCH ....

What are you doing up in the wee small hours of the morning?

You actually asked Alvin? I was debating with myself whether I should ask or not. Very paiseh hor, because I sold the K-8 to somebody who was also considering getting a Sauter. So I told him I'd sold the K-8 but not to whom, and how could I then ask to use the Alpha in his showroom?

Feeding the monster.

He understands fully, I hope, why I am in "desperate" need for a quick fix ..... and he did feel quite taken aback at the thought of a Sauter left unattended for such a long period of time .... anyway time for me to hit the sack .... nite

Hmm..interesting..is macdoc another prospective Sauter buyer?

Am I missing something?

WAS a prospective Sauter buyer. He bought my K-8 instead. He and his wife really wanted an M-line upright, but his circumstances are such that it didn't make sense to get one just yet.

Not WAS ...... still AM ......

Woohoo!

Sauter , in mandrin = "Hot-ones"

The piano leaves the factory to be crated for shipping on June 20. With any luck it will arrive in the third week of July.