We had been sitting on this issue for quite some time due to our workload, our renovation and our procrastination. Our time were stretched quite thinly and the final component compounded the issue. Nevertheless, we still visited the travel fair at Suntec on Friday to have a feel of what the prices are like for the tour packages even though we still yet to have a clear picture of where to go. Surprisingly, the crowd was not as enormous as I expected. Maybe I was disillusioned by all the commercials on the tv. After our first visit down and several queries at a few agencies, we had a clearer picture of what we wanted and eventually we settled for free and easy with a homestay at Taiwan.
On our second visit on Sunday, we had a terrible experience with one agency that had its booths at the first floor, unlike the rest of the agencies. The first staff upon hearing what we wanted refer us to another colleague which we found to be a disgrace for service staffs. She seemed extremely impatient and did not even bother to sit down and listen to us before quoting us a price. Probably because she will not earn any commission from booking our free-and-easy arrangements. My dear was less forgiving and she stormed away from the site soon after. No more A*A for us.
Luckily for us, that was the only unpleasant experience we had that day. The other agencies had staffs who were very polite and kind and willing to quote us their best prices. Well, after a while, we realised that the packages were more or less the same, thus our final decision went out to the one with one of the lowest prices: TransAsia.
Now we have bigger holes in our pockets.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Furniture Shopping Spree 8
After our obligations to our jobs in the morning (coincidentally, we both had it on the same Saturday), we had our lunch at Tampines One's Kim Gary and soon proceeded to Ikea for our furniture shopping. Little did we know that we will be there for the next 6 hours. Time must have flown at light speeds when we were having fun. But before that, let's enjoy the pictures of energy-supplying meal that we had for we only had our next food intake at 10+ pm. Indeed, our jobs had trained us well.
<pictures to be uploaded>
Prior to entering the premises of Ikea at 4+ pm, we relooked at the catalogue and confirmed our shopping list. We were simply looking at those furnitures that we wanted but there were a few items that we had a hard time deciding whether to buy or not as we could not really visualise how it will turn out. Well, us not taking any shortcuts along the route of Ikea shopping also added to the time.
It was almost 9 pm that we proceeded to collect the furnitures from the lower levels. When we finished collecting all the items, we actually had 4 trolleys, with things overflowing out of them. I guess we were really maximising our delivey charge of $55+$15 (weekend charge). If only we had taken a photo of our "entourage" to clearly explain the sheer volume of our purchases, but I guess we were both very tired by then. We had Ikea's hotdogs and I did not know how thristy I was until I finished drinking at least 5 cups of the soft drinks. My dear was not far behind with at least 3 cups. My dear was probably less dehydrated than me and she wanted to avoid going to the toilet as well.
In summary,
Ikea furnitures: $1804
Delivery charges: $70
One step towards completion of our home: Priceless
<pictures to be uploaded>
Prior to entering the premises of Ikea at 4+ pm, we relooked at the catalogue and confirmed our shopping list. We were simply looking at those furnitures that we wanted but there were a few items that we had a hard time deciding whether to buy or not as we could not really visualise how it will turn out. Well, us not taking any shortcuts along the route of Ikea shopping also added to the time.
It was almost 9 pm that we proceeded to collect the furnitures from the lower levels. When we finished collecting all the items, we actually had 4 trolleys, with things overflowing out of them. I guess we were really maximising our delivey charge of $55+$15 (weekend charge). If only we had taken a photo of our "entourage" to clearly explain the sheer volume of our purchases, but I guess we were both very tired by then. We had Ikea's hotdogs and I did not know how thristy I was until I finished drinking at least 5 cups of the soft drinks. My dear was not far behind with at least 3 cups. My dear was probably less dehydrated than me and she wanted to avoid going to the toilet as well.
In summary,
Ikea furnitures: $1804
Delivery charges: $70
One step towards completion of our home: Priceless
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Food Tasting
I just found out that the new features of the blog allow us to insert posts back in time. I guess this is especially useful for those who had extremely bad memory and probably poor time management like yours truly. I had totally forgotten about blogging about this entry until almost two months after the event. Now to look for the photos taken on that day. However, it also means that it is harder to discipline myself to do certain required tasks now that I am not constrained by the time factor. -- 9 May 2012
The day of food tasting was chosen with some effort as we need to coordinate the timings of our parents on both sides. Luckily, my dear's dad's off day occured during the March school holidays, which sort of gave us more leeway in terms of time.
It was rather impressive at the start. We had our own ballroom to ourselves, our event listed on the lcd tv and our own waiter and waitress (though it did not really feel that grand after I realised that this was the norm for food tasting, but credit is still given for the good first impression). However, I did feel that the ballroom was too big and therefore it seemed empty for our families and weird for me.
Anyway, the dishes soon came and we had our fill. We had some changes to the menu items, mainly because they did not taste good. Though the food was alright on the whole, the overall food standard seemed to have dropped since the last time I ate their banquet menu a few years ago and my dear was quite disappointed as she trusted in my sense of taste as that was what we based on to consider this hotel as one of our venue choices. Good food was her top criterium in selecting the place. Hopefully, the food would be better on the actual day. Luckily, the great service was there to redemn the otherwise disappointing stimulation of the taste buds.
Behold the photos: to be uploaded
The day of food tasting was chosen with some effort as we need to coordinate the timings of our parents on both sides. Luckily, my dear's dad's off day occured during the March school holidays, which sort of gave us more leeway in terms of time.
It was rather impressive at the start. We had our own ballroom to ourselves, our event listed on the lcd tv and our own waiter and waitress (though it did not really feel that grand after I realised that this was the norm for food tasting, but credit is still given for the good first impression). However, I did feel that the ballroom was too big and therefore it seemed empty for our families and weird for me.
Anyway, the dishes soon came and we had our fill. We had some changes to the menu items, mainly because they did not taste good. Though the food was alright on the whole, the overall food standard seemed to have dropped since the last time I ate their banquet menu a few years ago and my dear was quite disappointed as she trusted in my sense of taste as that was what we based on to consider this hotel as one of our venue choices. Good food was her top criterium in selecting the place. Hopefully, the food would be better on the actual day. Luckily, the great service was there to redemn the otherwise disappointing stimulation of the taste buds.
Behold the photos: to be uploaded
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Updates on Renovation 14
The plumber came again for the last time to fix up the sink and the shower taps. He also came down to fix up the bathroom accessories. This time round, my dear was the main person supervising and directing the plumber as I was busy in school trying to clear my file checking. Xin ku ni le dear. And as what my dear said, it turned out very nice.
At the same time, another worker was doing the chemical wash of the house. He will be coming in again to patch the grout of the tiles.
Also, the air con pipes finally had its covering, after many repeated reminders to the contractor.
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| The sink reunited with its tap |
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| The washing machine tap |
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| The common toilet view 1 |
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| The common toilet view 2 |
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| The MBR toilet |
At the same time, another worker was doing the chemical wash of the house. He will be coming in again to patch the grout of the tiles.
Also, the air con pipes finally had its covering, after many repeated reminders to the contractor.
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| The not so ugly air con pipes |
Updates on Renovation 13
Actually the installation of the kitchen cabinet started in the middle of the installation of the lights, but I guess it makes more sense to talk about them in their respective categories.
Much of the work was done at the factories out of our sight, where the cabinets and cabinets door were fabricated. This took quite a number of days and added to our frustrations as the progress was not visible and we were irritated by the poor coordination by our contractor. However, once the fabrication was completed, the installation of the cabinets were rather quick. In fact, the carpentry workers only came twice and they needed to come a third time because there was a mistake with the colour of one of the laminate for the worktop. The workers were also very friendly and chatty. My dear was amazed by their skill of cutting the wood without precise measurements and yet that piece of wood was able to fit nicely into its designated place.
Anyway, let the pictures show you the transformation:
Much of the work was done at the factories out of our sight, where the cabinets and cabinets door were fabricated. This took quite a number of days and added to our frustrations as the progress was not visible and we were irritated by the poor coordination by our contractor. However, once the fabrication was completed, the installation of the cabinets were rather quick. In fact, the carpentry workers only came twice and they needed to come a third time because there was a mistake with the colour of one of the laminate for the worktop. The workers were also very friendly and chatty. My dear was amazed by their skill of cutting the wood without precise measurements and yet that piece of wood was able to fit nicely into its designated place.
Anyway, let the pictures show you the transformation:
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| Day 1 of carpentry work (front) |
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| Day 1 of carpentry work (sink) |
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| Day 1 of carpentry work (stove) |
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| The cabinet doors |
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| Unknown wood (later found out to be the extra worktop) |
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| Day 2 of carpentry work (front) |
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| Day 2 of carpentry work (stove) |
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Wedding Card Selection
We were waiting in anticipation for this day to arrive, for it means that our actual day is coming soon.
Well, though the shop was at Peninsula Shopping Centre, I somehow misled my dear into going into Peninsula Plaza and we were quite surprised to see a Myanmarese shop situated at that floor address. My dear soon pointed out my mistake and we were soon at the correct place.
There are a variety of cards to choose from (though the range was not really that wide) and we went for the most basic of the basic package as anything extra costs money. I guess that was to be expected. However, we were quite taken aback when they mentioned that the string need to be manually attached to the card. It would cost extra if they did it for us. Guess nothing can be done for free. However, we did pay for an additional map to be inserted in between the card as the mix up of hotels can be quite common for our hotel.
We chose the one below (not too trendy nor too old fashioned):
The other stuffs will only be available when the cards get printed.
Well, though the shop was at Peninsula Shopping Centre, I somehow misled my dear into going into Peninsula Plaza and we were quite surprised to see a Myanmarese shop situated at that floor address. My dear soon pointed out my mistake and we were soon at the correct place.
There are a variety of cards to choose from (though the range was not really that wide) and we went for the most basic of the basic package as anything extra costs money. I guess that was to be expected. However, we were quite taken aback when they mentioned that the string need to be manually attached to the card. It would cost extra if they did it for us. Guess nothing can be done for free. However, we did pay for an additional map to be inserted in between the card as the mix up of hotels can be quite common for our hotel.
We chose the one below (not too trendy nor too old fashioned):
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| The red bomb |
The other stuffs will only be available when the cards get printed.
Furniture Shopping Spree 7
Part 1 was not so much of a shopping spree because
1. I was alone;
2. I was en route from the place selling tap to our new place.
Nonetheless, I managed to buy two office chairs for our study. Hopefully they work as well as expected.
1. I was alone;
2. I was en route from the place selling tap to our new place.
Nonetheless, I managed to buy two office chairs for our study. Hopefully they work as well as expected.
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| I bought the one in the foreground (Suen Lee Furniture) |
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| The colour template for the chairs |
Part 2 was exploding our holes in our pockets via Giant. Previously we had shortlisted some items to buy but when we were there, we bought more. I guess we had some ideas to DIY our living room curtains and that cost us around $300 more than our original budget. At the same time, the shelves which were advertised were sold out, which was quite disappointing as that was one of the main reasons why we went there to shop in the first place. I guess good stuffs are always sold out quite fast. Forgot to take the photos.
Awaiting the next round of shopping at Ikea.
Updates on Renovation 12
After the painting of the house was done, the next stage was with regards to the installation of the electrical components. This was the electrician's fourth visit to the house: the first was to remove the original casings for the plastering of the walls; while the second and third was to install the electrical casings, sockets and lights. Well, as there were some disputes with regards to his choice of placement of the sockets, his fourth visit would be one when one of the owners was around. This time, he installed all the lights in all rooms and completed the sockets in the kitchen. He also made the changes which I requested to some of the electrical sockets, though quite unwillingly.
Maybe because of the disputes during his third visit, he seemed very aloof and did not want to talk to me when I first saw him during his fourth visit. Perhaps the other workers were too chatty such that in comparison, he seemed so distant. Hmm, maybe that's his personality.
Anyway, the pictures shall speak for themselves:
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| MK brand of switches (the fake Lagrand) |
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| The gap between sockets and OpenNet which I do not want |
Maybe because of the disputes during his third visit, he seemed very aloof and did not want to talk to me when I first saw him during his fourth visit. Perhaps the other workers were too chatty such that in comparison, he seemed so distant. Hmm, maybe that's his personality.
Anyway, the pictures shall speak for themselves:
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| Lights in living room |
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| Lights in study |
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| Lights in other bedroom |
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| Lights in storeroom |
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| Lights in MBR |
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| Lights in MBR toilet |
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| Lights in kitchen |
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| Lights in common toilet |
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| Lights in service balcony |
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| Lights in "balcony" |
The Lock Story Part 2
After settling the locks of the rooms, the next task was to engage a locksmith to remove the existing main door lock and door viewer as I could not remove them as I feared damaging the door. Only when I saw how effortlessly the locksmith removed the main door handle that I realised that all I need was just a screwdriver and some guts to knock out the handle. However, the $60 was indeed worth it because the door viewer was a hard nut to crack and eventually it was removed though with some damages to the door. But the door viewer was not installed until the painting was done.
Well, I must say the locksmith's service was quite good and professional. He was also quite friendly too. His name is Peter Teo and he said that he does renovation too.
The next lock to be installed was the gate lock and even though the original handle was brought to the shop, there was some misalignment and I had to DIY by drilling the aluminium gate. I guess the electric drill from Ikea and the round file from Yiap Heng Cheong were good investments and soon the job was completed.
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| Main door handle (front) |
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| Main door handle (back) |
Well, I must say the locksmith's service was quite good and professional. He was also quite friendly too. His name is Peter Teo and he said that he does renovation too.
The next lock to be installed was the gate lock and even though the original handle was brought to the shop, there was some misalignment and I had to DIY by drilling the aluminium gate. I guess the electric drill from Ikea and the round file from Yiap Heng Cheong were good investments and soon the job was completed.
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| Gate handle (front) |
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| Gate handle (back) |
And that leaves only the mailbox lock to be changed before the conclusion of the lock story.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
The Tap Story
On hindsight, this incident can be quite humourous, though it came as a shock at the start. Well, it began with us naively thinking the shower set had everything inside and thus when it came to the installation of shower set and the plumber asked us for the tap to connect to it, we were stunned that we overlooked the purchase of the shower tap.
As such, we went back to the same store and we chanced upon this tap which we both like, thus we requested for two of it. The ominous sign first came when the salesperson gave us one of the correct brand and another of another brand. Next came the bad news that there was only one tap left and he asked us to wait till next week. We thought nothing of that until the next visit saw me making a futile trip and the salesperson mentioned that it will only arrive two weeks later. Sadly to say, time did nothing to change the unavailability of the tap and in the end, I opted for the display set at a reduced price.
The next tap that we missed out was the washing machine tap, to which the plumber used his own. I was alright with it though my dear prefer a nicer looking one.
Thus, that's the end of my tap story.
As such, we went back to the same store and we chanced upon this tap which we both like, thus we requested for two of it. The ominous sign first came when the salesperson gave us one of the correct brand and another of another brand. Next came the bad news that there was only one tap left and he asked us to wait till next week. We thought nothing of that until the next visit saw me making a futile trip and the salesperson mentioned that it will only arrive two weeks later. Sadly to say, time did nothing to change the unavailability of the tap and in the end, I opted for the display set at a reduced price.
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| The nice two-way tap (Universal Union Enterprise) |
The next tap that we missed out was the washing machine tap, to which the plumber used his own. I was alright with it though my dear prefer a nicer looking one.
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| The simple tap supplied by the plumber |
Thus, that's the end of my tap story.
Monday, March 5, 2012
The Lock Story Part 1
As our contractor had no liaison with any locksmith, we had to look for one ourselves. And so we (at least me) were back to searching the forum for a contact. Luckily for me, the forumers were very helpful and I soon got one contact, which I eventually used, but that shall be said in Part 2.
Prior to meeting the locksmith, we decided to buy the locks ourselves. Once again, we were visiting the forums to see which hardware store offer us the best deal. I detached the handle from the gate so that it was easier to buy a replacement. Only when I reached the first hardware store did I learn from the store employee that they need a picture of the side of the lock in order to recommend a suitable lock. As such, the photos below:
Anyway, we did the locks of the rooms' doors first. The main reason why we need to do that was because one of the locks had a problem with its keys and thus it needed to be changed. And because if one lock was changed, the others need to be changed as well for the uniformity in the look. Anyway, it was an interesting but frustrating DIY experience. For the first door I did, I damaged the top of one of the screws for the second time, just simply because I was stingy enough to reuse the screw when it was already slightly damaged. Lesson learnt: never reuse damaged screws or they will screw you back. Of course, the other lesson learnt was that I need to drill a hole as long as or longer than the screw itself, or else I will end up with a damaged screw.
So what did I do with the damaged screw? As the screw was only halfway in, I had to drill through the screw in order to remove it, which happened to be a slow and excruciating process. Luckily hard work pays off and the offending article was subsequently removed and taken care of. The end result? A nice door knob which my dear likes =)
Prior to meeting the locksmith, we decided to buy the locks ourselves. Once again, we were visiting the forums to see which hardware store offer us the best deal. I detached the handle from the gate so that it was easier to buy a replacement. Only when I reached the first hardware store did I learn from the store employee that they need a picture of the side of the lock in order to recommend a suitable lock. As such, the photos below:
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| The gate before operation |
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| The gate after operation (front) |
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| The gate after operation (side) |
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| The gate after operation (back) |
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| The main door (front) |
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| The main door (side) |
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| The main door (back) |
Anyway, we did the locks of the rooms' doors first. The main reason why we need to do that was because one of the locks had a problem with its keys and thus it needed to be changed. And because if one lock was changed, the others need to be changed as well for the uniformity in the look. Anyway, it was an interesting but frustrating DIY experience. For the first door I did, I damaged the top of one of the screws for the second time, just simply because I was stingy enough to reuse the screw when it was already slightly damaged. Lesson learnt: never reuse damaged screws or they will screw you back. Of course, the other lesson learnt was that I need to drill a hole as long as or longer than the screw itself, or else I will end up with a damaged screw.
So what did I do with the damaged screw? As the screw was only halfway in, I had to drill through the screw in order to remove it, which happened to be a slow and excruciating process. Luckily hard work pays off and the offending article was subsequently removed and taken care of. The end result? A nice door knob which my dear likes =)
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| The door handles (Shanghai Tong Lee Hardware) |
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| The screwed screw |
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| The end result |
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| Bedroom door lock (front) |
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| Bedroom door lock (front) |
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