edenstrauss

what is xia yang teochew? I thought that his teochew was great during the rally yesterday. Take a look at this clip "Low Thia Khiang - Workers' Party's first Hougang rally 2011 (Teochew)" on his teochew speech. That was good! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUxsPCnbouE I also think that Ah Kiang is smart But I still hope to see him contest against PAP during the next election which will come in 5 years' time after this coming one.

If there is alot of noise generated by the school kids & the school, then it'll be an issue. Or u could target at couples who r intending to have kids or parents with young children (in the pre-schooling stage).

I think "Ah-Kiang" (i.e. low thia kiang) is catching up in terms of age and being a politician is no joke. It's very very stressful. And with him alone in Parliament, the bargaining power cannot be that great becox the rest would jux browbeat him (i.e. "bully" him). The more seats granted to opposition, the louder their voices would be & that should shut up those bullies. If WP don't win in Aljunied this year, then *sigh* Becox Ah Kiang is getting older & is looking on to stepping down when the time comes. He is already in his 50s so by the next election, he would probabbly be approaching 60. So he might not have the physical stamina to fight on.

If you are staying in a landed property, the answer is yes. But it'll cost you alot of money becox they would need to do alot of relocation of wiring & pipes; and hacking. As for what to look out for & whether there is a need to obtain approval from BCA, you will need to check with qualified builders/ architects.

I think his business is very good so he couldn't cope. At least, he doesn't outsource or does he? Some contractors would still want to earn the $ even tho' their schedule are too tight to accomodate extras. So they might just accept the assignments & pass on the sewing to other sources. And the product might turn out to be different from the usual standards.

Thanks folks for everybody's advice & suggestions on my IKEA kitchen cabinet. Once we get them installed, I would PM all of u to have a lookie at the photos But not so soon. becox still engaged in getting other things done & only 1 pair of handy hands - i.e. my hubby's.

I share the same sentiments with all of you that any so-called top-notch or best service/ content provider will have their fair share of dissatisfied clients. Part & parcel of running a business as the cliche goes for "it's hard to please everybody". When I was interviewing & shortlisting contractors for reinstating both my mbr & common room to their original layout, I also contacted contractors who had won raving reviews over RT forum. But I didn't engage anyone of them becox they jux weren't the right ones for us for many reasons. (I didn't use any IDs becox all I require is restoration works, not interior designing. Otherwise, I would definitely consider White Space Living becox they are already ahead in the race on my list of IDs.) So the best bet at the end of the day is, depend on your own judgement

The candidate who 未战先退 has brought down the good graces of whichever party he belongs to. That party whom he belonged to previously must be so unlucky. Bad luck! I think it'll be a very interesting and hot fight in Aljunied constituency now that all the big guns are contesting against one another Can't wait to learn of the outcome. Hammer almost won the fight during the last election becox they were just so close to winning!

Hi mae29, this flat has many many many issues. Countless in fact! Terrible place to stay in. Thank goodness your sister had relied on your expertise. Terrible flat. I would drop the flat the minute I reach the door but of course, would still go in for a short tour since I'm already there as a potential buyer.

Hi GrandReno, I was expecting fellow members questioning on the credibility of my review on White Space Living. It's understandable especially when I do not have photographs to substantiate my claims. There are many avenues of learning of their performance as an ID firm even though we are not HOME owners who engage them for renovation. If you are well-acquainted to people who are part of the editorial teams of ID firms, business owners who had engaged them for renovation both at home and in their offices, or even have had relatives and friends who had engaged them for renovation, it wouldn't be difficult to ask them to give an objective view of this reputable ID's workmanship and level of service (while on-going & post-reno). And of course, I do agree with you that not all who bills a hefty price is good as that is not an objective criteria for ascertaining if they are good or not. From my perspective, say if I would like to engage a service/ content-provider, the comfort level between myself (as the user AND the payer of course) and the provider has to be there and they must be able to convince me that they are able to deliver. Not with boasting becox I prefer dealing with those who r big players & humble at the same time. As I'm an outspoken person, I would also see how the provider responds to my concerns and relate to my thoughts when I voice out. If they "talk-big" without credible explanation or say things that didn't make sense to me, or have a nonchalant attitude, then these folks are out for good. Same goes for those who bad-mouth competitors & their clients. And I also like the provider to be frank in highlighting any issues/ problems that we users would be expecting should we engage them - it shows that we are in for an honest bargain, not a roller coaster ride!

Hi mae29, I thought that it's no good to have one's main door placed near the lift? e.g. directly opposite the lift = "sha" qi. well talking about the lift, my unit is alot nearer to the lift although it's still quite a distance away. And lately, the TC programmed the lift such that when it's not in use, it'll stop at our level & the doors would just opened up automatically. The TC officer said that they programmed it at random. So I leave my main door opened since my home is undergoing structural alterations (very small-scale reno works).

Hi jobin, Although I have never engaged Substance Living aka White Space Living as a home owner, my impression of White Space Living is that they are a very reputable and responsible ID firm who works very closely with their partners i.e. a regular team of contractors & vendors. If there are common grounds of understanding between yourself as a home owner & White Space Living's ID, then U are already in good hands. Please allow me to explain that in view of their impressive portfolio & cumulative skill sets in the ID industry, their hands are very full throughout the year. Business has always been good & more than sustainable for this ID firm becox they get plenty of support through referrals and clients who return to them for other renovation assignments. Based on my observation of reputable ID firms, they don't just use any tom dick or harry to take on these renovation jobs. To speak plainly, the reputable ID firms will never risk their own reputation or jeopardise their business in any manner by engaging any unknown contractors & vendors to finish up additional renovation assignments. Doing so might help generate short-term profit margins but on the long run, it hurts their bottom-line as they have already jeopardise their ID business becox of substandards in quality. As such, the ID firms also depend very much on the workmanship of their partners who are very important stake-holders (not shareholders) in their business becox they are part of an equation in delivering a positive outcome during renovations. From a business person's perspective, no business entity, especially an ID firm, would take their own sweet time in getting things done. The longer they delay, they don't get their $$ and u know what happens next if u r a boss yourself. And if an ID firm cannot provide their clients with good workmanship, what's the rationale for rushing through and passing the flat back to you on time?? I'm sure that you wouldn't want a shoddy job or feel disappointed since you're paying for the renovation. If you are still interested in engaging White Space Living, please clear the communication channels in pressing on as to how soon you'll be expecting a completion of your home renovation. Get them to commit an expected date of completion if this is a concern. Never assume that the IDs are able to relate to a client's unspoken thoughts because communication is essential for all business transactions to be successful. Don't you think that White Space Living has already demonstrated their sincerity & honesty in being candid with a potential client like yourself? That's when they told you very frankly that they will be able to take up your renovation assignment if you are not in a great hurry to get it completed. At least, there aren't any surprises! And this probabbly meant that this ID firm has their planning & scheduling well mapped out - chances are the reno process is systematic & unlikely to be chaotic. When I interview ID firms, these are definitely my criteria. So what's yours?

Hi gimz63251073 my hubby will be using a special type of driller which we will need to borrow from people. I will take a snapshot of the type of driller being used. It'll be a special type which is very powerful & for drilling against wall tiles, i.e. without cracking them up. And the huge giantic nail. I thought that plywood is more lasting! becox it's real wood. maybe, nothing lasts forever. My malay neighbour told me that teak cabinets would last a long time like hers. I saw her cabinets. the colour had darken & the funny part is that becox of both expansion & contraction, sometimes, those cabinet doors cannot be closed. They'll open on their own. But the good thing is that I haven't seen any cracks on them.

R u referring to the same Mr Chew who free-lances with a van for curtain & roller blind making? The curtain maker whose highly recommended by forumers? The drawback about free-lancers is that it's based on trust as there is nothing in black and white. No aftersales service is expected too. So u've got to be mentally prepared when u engage free-lancers. I tried calling him a few times myself last month but the odd thing is that there is no ring tone to his mobile. Nothing came on the phone when we dialled his number. So we decided to get our curtains from other ready made sources.

Hi folks, I know that many of you out there have engaged your own painters to give your homes a facelift of colours. But it is definitely useful to acquire more knowledge on DIY painting techniques, which include mending of cracks in walls so that you have a good idea what your painter has offered you or is doing for your homes. There are many great tips which is great to know. e.g. we didn't know anything about the importance of a primer until we started having patches all over our walls after we DIY-ed. My sister inlaw had hers done up by painters a year ago and is seeing the same patchy stains all over her home now. It's definitely good to know what you are paying for even though you engaged painters to do the job. So here goes Nippon Paint's DIY videos... http://www.nipponpaint.com.sg/advice/diy-painting-tips-videos/importance-of-primer-undercoat/ Can't help but like the background music alot and the guy in the video definitely looks and ssounds groovy!

The paint for my home had been done up 10 years ago so the photographs had been very unforgiving especially when mine is not a designer home. Paiseh We would be repainting all our rooms with 3-in-1 medifresh which is our preferred choice of paints, that is when we have done up everything for our flat. The verdict for NIPPON PAINT's plastic drop cloth is: EXCELLENT! And we would be using them again when we paint our home

http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/9353/img0508n.th.jpg http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/2192/protectsheetbedrm.th.jpg The good thing about using these plastic drop sheets from Nippon Paint is that we are still able to have a clear view of where we kept our stuff without having to grope around for it. After the reno is completed with all personal effects of the contractor wheeled out of our home, we simply roll up all these plastic drop cloth; face up. And dump them straight into the rubbish chute - very neat and easy

More snippets of how we used this great helper to keep out the dust coming from renovation. http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/1861/img0455vf.th.jpg http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/2514/img0464zr.th.jpg http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/2104/img0467zq.th.jpg http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/1870/img0507p.th.jpg

Hi folks, I would like to share my first hand experience of staying in the flat while renovation is being carried out. While the renovation works isn't a major one because it involves demolishing of an existing wall and the erection of hollow block walls, it had been a very stressful event for us. And I'm swearing by this one experience that this is the first and the last that I hope we would be going through. The amount of dust; and dismantling and moving of furnitures all over the flat is a nightmare! And I wish to introduce a great helper in protecting our furnishings: NIPPON PAINT's Plastic Drop Cloth http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/1402/img0473os.th.jpg It is supposedly used for protecting furnishing while painting but we have decided to use it to suit our current needs i.e. to keep out dust generated through renovation. Even though it isn't 100% fool-proof but it had helped us a great deal in reducing alot of cleaning that followed with the aftermath of a post-renovation. Those dust would just find their way and enter any gaps so having protection is better than none. I just found this DIY video on Nippon Paint's website that talks about protecting furnishings before painting (or doing any reno works in our case). Disclaimer: Permission has been sought from Nippon Paint for this product (which has been used in my home) to be featured in this thread. Kindly note that this thread is strictly for the purpose of sharing my humble & objective views of works and services provided by the aforesaid company. And not an advertising platform. Reader's discretion is therefore sought when viewing this thread. Thank you for your kind understanding.

I just had 2 walls built back between my MBR & common room. Completed only a couple of days ago by a very good contractor. Still do not have the time to upload photographs on RT. As I am staying in a prefabricated HDB flat, only hollow blocks could be used instead of bricks. Partition boards are a cheaper option but the acoustic properties are poor. Meaning that if all sorts of noises could be heard on either side of the board. As such there is no privacy. The pricing depends on the dimensions of the wall that you would like to have. There isn't such a thing as plucking a figure mid-air. Have u a contractor following up with you already? If u haven't I could recommend you mine because he specialises in cement-related works. U could PM me if u r interested.

My IKEA system had been bought sometime before chinese new year And they r sitting in flat boxes or air-packed in plastic wrappers. Cannot return already lah... Aiya, wait until the cabinets start to disintegrate then see how The 25 years warranty covers only the spare parts, not the doors & the frames ... I think so.. need to go & dig my stuff on IKEA to take a lookie. haiz... *sigh*

Disclaimer: Permission has been sought from Han Fong Aluminium for their installation works at my home to be featured in this thread. Kindly note that this thread is strictly for the purpose of sharing my humble & objective views of works and services provided by the aforesaid company. And not an advertising platform. Reader's discretion is therefore sought when viewing this thread. In view of issues pertaining to every individual's privacy, facial identities are witheld from the photographs featured in this thread. Thank you for your kind understanding.

thanks to everybody's response to my previous comment on IKEA kitchen. plywood is definitely alot more durable, becox it'll withstand heavy duty cooking. If plywood couldn't withstand cooking, then what else will? metal? now I'm sweating in my pants... duno how leh... I don't think I could obtain a refund becox this is a complicated "stunt"... haiz...

Hi mae29, it's been a long long time since I last logged in RT for reading through interesting threads Been busy conducting a mini-reno while we're staying put in the flat - it was quite a challenging experience! And we're keeping our fingers crossed that it's the first & last of such an experience. Yeah, women would normally jux grab those coins & spend them... they are very conveniently squandered away becox of their size & weight. I always notice that those domestic maids would pay their phone cards with tonnes of these coins! aside to bepgof, I noticed that the same applies for the 50-cent coins too! 1 smiley version & the other, sad "ah-pek" face.

Huge mirrors are used to manifest positive energy. U wouldn't want doubling negative energy using those mirrors. If the windows coming from the energy is positive, then I don't think there'll be any harm placing mirrors directly opposite. However, if u are uncomfortable with those mirrors facing the windows, then bring them down. It'll help to dispel such unsettling thoughts involving evil spirits.