This made my day: Singaporean couple packs gifts for neighbours to apologise for renovation noise

With a good number of us still working from home, nobody wants to deal with noise from the hacking of tiles and walls from our neighbours' units. 

To appease their new neighbours, a Singaporean couple decided to apologise to their neighbours before commencing renovation works in their new home — with a handwritten note and some gifts. 

The duo recorded themselves leaving the gifts at their neighbours' doors in a TikTok video uploaded last Saturday (March 5). 

@spongliee We’re sorry ?? #marriedlife #renovation #sgtiktok #sgrenovation #resalehdb ♬ She Share Story (for Vlog) - 山口夕依

The gifts included a box of tea and cookies, as well as a handwritten note from the couple, which read: 

"Since we will be doing some renovations for the next two months, here are some cookies and tea for your tea time. Please accept these as a form of apology for any inconvenience caused." 

At the time of writing, the video has gained almost 100,000 views, and several positive comments from netizens, who applauded the couple for their thoughtfulness. Some also remarked that they would take a leaf from the couple's book in the future. 

Speaking to AsiaOne, TikTok user Spongliee, who is in her 20s, said that they had actually begun renovations for their new home in mid-February. The renovation is expected to be completed next month. 

She added that they were inspired to reach out to their neighbours by a friend who received a similar gesture a few years ago. "We made a mental note to do it when it came to our turn," she said. 

In total, the couple handed out five sets of tea and cookies to their neighbours living on the same floor, as well as those in residing in the units directly above and below theirs. 

When asked if any of her neighbours reciprocated, she replied that she had the opportunity to interact with one of her neighbours, who thanked her for the gifts. 

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claudiatan@asiaone.com