Ely1

Heya May, You've gone quiet for weeks - glad you're back Yes, I do spend the bulk of my time (if I'm not cleaning) at the balcony. The resident kingfisher couple are a joy to watch, the flock of parakeets, woodpeckers, spotted doves, pigeons and cockatoos. It's especially lovely sitting out here whilst it is raining. Pretty lucky, I guess, to have found this place Got the same lock locally, we installed the casement wrongly or something so the contact with the cables was what was eating up the batteries daily. We're planning to fit the spare one on the back door. I cannot agree more about the Electrolux WM - was really pleasantly surprised how clean my clothes came out. Guess I shouldn't have bought into that silly "made in Italy" sales pitch and topped up an extra $700 for that omgah. Now, the master bathroom is flooding. Literally. I have no idea why things keep going wrong - ID will come down tomorrow to check and try to rectify it. Hopefully no more re-hacking and re-tiling because my allergies just got better! Unfortunately, ONE tile has got to be replaced as we tried to install a shelf ourselves and broke it >< I wonder why we feel our homes are cookie-cutter, perhaps it's the ol' adage of familiarity breeds contempt?? I look at it everyday and simply find it too cluttered (moved out the couch segment from the common bedroom to the living, so it's 3.2m long..., with a chaise lounge, and 2 Barcelona stools...) Now awaiting some rugs I got online for the wet kitchen, and trinkets for my Hollywood dresser hehe Perhaps, I'll post some Phase 1.75 pics tonight. Phase 2 will see some additions to the WIW - Ely

Heheh - gave up the deer head for the rhino, because there are no more free walls There was also an inflatable tiger head that made me laugh. Um, so there's a chicken (?), puffer fish, owls, giraffe, elephant, cowhide, zebra print, peacock print, sheepskin, snakeskin, faux leather, butterflies, doves, and a rhino! I used to keep Siamese fighting fish (one even committed suicide by jumping out of his bowl) and goldfish and guppies, but they kept dying on me and Dad refused to let me keep anymore after that - apparently, it's bad luck if the fish keeps dying. We do have Koi in our garden pond though. So, I was actually looking at this... If only the home isn't as cluttered as it is already... - Ely

Actually, I wasn't the last to arrive - boyblunder was! Reading statistics from Freakonomics, it seems that one criteria for a child's success in his/her career/adulthood is the mere presence of books, not "Mommy and Me" classes, not Mom taking a hiatus from work to tend to growing infant, not the abstinence of TV and video games, not the importance of having both parents. Odd, but Freakonomics is a good read. I'm an avid reader, inducing in chick lit once in a while for a lighter read but mostly a follower of classics and a huge fan of authors during the surrealism period, ie. Dostoevsky, Gide, Breton, Milton, Miller, Lawrence, Tolstoy, Proust etc. Will PM you a pic of brother and sis-in-law - personally, I find my sister in law very, very pretty so I don't know what they're talking about! Older brother is crazy smart and have excellent people skills. Brother looks more like a nerd hehe Sorry to hear about the long recovery period of your toes I'll be quite pissed if that happened to me during a pedicure. Good reason, though, to wear those summer sandals - Ely

I love how Ikea names their products It actually means "Good morning" so pretty apt for a mirror to greet you after you just rubbed the sleep from your eyes Ikea is one of my Happy Places, I love looking at the product names and having a chuckle to myself. My laundry system is pretty similar to yours, except mine looks bulkier hmm. Can't help with price, Soichiro, sorry - we had it custom made to our wall length and in white/silver to match the laundry. Will have pics of mine soon. Great progress, csingeu! Coming along very nicely indeed. I'm sure whatever your wife picks will be gorgeous - Ely

Oh, my favourite kind of letters ha! I'm a lot more assertive behind the computer, so you should see the email trail to Halia (even managed to "find" the boss's personal email haha). Not the little pushover like irl How odd was it, that as I was walking down the corridor to May's place, I heard people say "that must be Ely" - was it the clicking of the heels or what, or was I just the latest to arrive I think I'm quite normal! (except for the geeky, crazy cat lady part) True, good virtues to nurture. Have no idea about parenting and am worried sick just at the prospect of it. Think I won't be very good at it either >< I'm afraid I might be over-critical like my Mom, striving for perfection, like the Virgo in me. I do hope my kid(s) will love reading though - it would be a major disappointment for me if kid hates books Hate to say this, but my brother and sis-in-law are putting off kids because they're afraid their kids will be ugly *GASP*! When I first heard it, I thought it was outright ridiculous but I don't know anymore - quite a valid concern when you're aware of the harsh realities of the world, and how beautiful people just get it easier/better~ wru meritocracy~ - Ely

Yep, also from eBay keke It suits the balcony. My online shopping is therapeutic - Like Adi who window shops, I like looking at things online. Sometimes I just add stuff to a wishlist that I never ever buy. When the clicking gets frenzied, it usually means I'm stressed/upset - Ely

Don't worry, for being overlooked, I won't give Maxey the death-stare while I clean up his (daily) mess. Grr. P.S. Your place is resort and quite minimalistic (from the home you wanted to model after) so I'm guessing quite a different decor - I'm good at cushions? My home is really too cluttered now, you should see it first! Come end of the year, we can go click crazy! - Ely

OMGAH why so torture the poor boy! It's like setting up a Christmas tree in July and telling him he can only open the presents underneath it on Christmas! - Ely

Send an email to the head office and state your concerns: http://www.blissworld.com/contactus.aspx. I'm sure the GM would step up her lackadaisical attitude and offer some kind of compensation. Can't remember doing a manicure last since fingernails have been too busy scraping off paint/plaster bits off tiles, walls and floors, painting grout with finger tips, etc. At least I'm getting my hair trimmed tomorrow so can feel like normal girl who *kinda* takes care of herself~ - Ely

Do you not spy the not-so-little Chihuahua on the bar stool? P.S. Like I said to Adi, you should really see the place in the flesh before entrusting me to do such a huge job! I get most of the stuff online too Place should be 99% done once I organise a RT gathering - Ely

Not too long now, then there's the shopping for decorating accents etc, the horrible packing/unpacking/cleaning, give yourself a bit of breather space. It is so terribly exhausting I know. It's DAY 114 and I'm STILL fixing up the place. Sigh. Don't worry about KEC, they're pretty flexible with timing and scheduling, and actually do turn up on time (unlike many others). They do all the work while you can continue your cleaning/unpacking. I got the HD Basics disc for them to calibrate the system. Once everything is done, they'll run you through the various remote controls, show you a demo of blu-ray so have 1 handy and they'll teach you how to change the various settings, including using playing music direct from iPod with the USB cable instead of purchasing the Onkyo dock. Whole process about 3-4hrs. - Ely

Ugh, sorry to hear that, Sleek. Lots of places now place their utmost priority with hygiene, with that as their major selling point due to the recent publicity about fungal infections from pedicures. Am surprised the spa hasn't stepped up with their hygiene measures - you would expect any spa affiliated with Sephora to have higher standards. Try Polished - http://www.vivawoman.net/2009/04/14/playing-it-clean-at-polished-hand-foot-spa/ There's another outlet at Raffles Place. I've been to Royale Retreat at Siglap (a tad far for you, I know) but they do offer good service, with OTO massage chairs, aromatherapy, movies to watch, and use the OPI Swiss Clean system. - Ely

Thanks csingeu! How is yours coming along? - Ely

Yeah, it definitely looked bigger once we hacked off the planter boxes since we remembered it with an overflow of plants from the previous owner. Definitely my favourite place Isn't 8 clicks in the span of an hour quite a frenzy (4 blu ray concerts, 1 clothes stand, 1 fire hydrant, 1 lotus incense burner, 1 camera bookends)? Umm, I also got shampoo and conditioner online (ridiculous I know, but it beats going out and looking around at different salons for them), misc. buys like collagen eye masks imported locally, MAC LE blusher, a croc-skin ruffled umbrella, photo paper, beaded bookmarks, 2 more blu-ray movies, 2 more incense holders, a lot of 12 NYC lip glosses, rattan balls on a string lights for the balcony, cardboard rhino... *BLUSH* ... - Ely

Ha! Not like I'm some shopping consultant omg. But have been down to designer.sg - their selection is pretty awesome, especially if you're looking for clocks and mirrors - the mirrors are beautiful replicas but they are flimsy and light to the touch, if you don't mind. Their prices are very reasonable, but you'd need to give them a call before going down as it's not always manned, and you need to go through some strange intercom system. I didn't get anything in the end, though the clocks were tempting, but the dimensions didn't quite fit (as I liked the huge over-sized ones!) and I ended up with a Cupecoy pendulum, a metal art piece, along with the movie clapper clock, all online. Their price range is definitely between $100-$300 but looks like its expensive replicas, as long as no one touches it The only mirror I purchased was the baroque silver one from Living Phenomenon (closest to an Atoll mirror that I really, really wanted, and ended up paying $480 for it - OUCH! ) Hope this helps! - Ely

Thank you Kobelala! It's simple and pet friendly, and that was all we wanted - Ely

Heya JS, Your place is shaping up beautifully too - have been reading your t-blog too! Can't wait to see the final pics! You have impeccable taste Thanks for the compliments - yeah, the balcony does not quite blend in with the other parts of the house but WTH, it suits the surroundings It's a great place for my morning coffee and for reading. We only have one standing lamp (and a small solar lamp) so it can be too dark at night, but I love the coziness it exudes and besides, we have lots of candles! Welcome to OSA! - Ely

Clothes rack: All our clothes are currently dumped on the ottoman - not a pretty sight Vintage camera bookends, for the ultimate Hollywood bedroom haha! Incense burner (for the balcony) - had growing obsession with incense after our trip to Bali and bought an entire carton of incense!

Clicking frenzy continues: Some attractant fire hydrant so that Maxey will hopefully take to Potty Patch (besides, it's pretty cute and matches our red bricks haha!) Blu ray concerts: Realised one of our favourite things to watch are concerts, so here's more: - Ely

LOL! That was one thing that bothered us when we were first viewing some resale HDB flats. We're sticklers for privacy so that was a main concern (besides I never look my best going about the daily chores in the house). At my parents' place where I lived for 25yrs, I strangely enjoyed the view of the road that leads to the ECP. It was oddly calming, just watching the cars, and because there was an overhead bridge, the nosy-parker in me managed to witness some horrible fights between couples. Not sure why the overhead bridge was such a popular spot to argue. I watched a lady hit the guy with her handbag; a guy yelling vulgarities at the girl, and she was begging and holding onto to his feet while he was trying to leave; couples screaming at each other till the girl fled in a taxi, etc. Man, I miss those RL dramas. Now, I watch trees. A lot of trees. And sometimes spot people swimming in the pool. At least the resident parakeets are quite fun to watch, and the kingfisher couple are awfully sweet. Never really showed pics of the balcony in its entirety so took some with my phone (pardon the mess, no editing, and the sprawling creatures~): - Ely

Yeah, footprint, we deliberately replaced the railings with glass and hacked off the planter boxes so that the pets (and us) can have an unobstructed view whilst still keeping them safe. We don't have any apartments facing us so we can afford the lack of privacy - Ely

Not quite yet, Ne0. Remember that it's only about 90% done. There are Phase 2 pics yet! Not so sure if it's free-spirited - too much cleaning to be done daily to be free-spirited!! - Ely

Oh JCase, you're so glass half-empty - Ely

- Ely

LOL yes!! I showed her the pic quite a while ago because I said it was an eerie resemblance to my younger brother's new haircut, and she laughed, so that night we carved a pomelo and tried it on the various pets! They were not pleased. Mom and I had fun though Hmm, not sure how/why but at least it's working now. The electrician said to call him should it happen again and he'll rush down to fix it again - he said it stems from the common bathroom (where the plumbers were drilling into from the kitchen...) Oh well. - Ely