adidaem

Hey my chinese not so good, but some kind soul provided this translation: Episode 1 and original chinese version of Episode 2 can be found here; https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alvin-Yuki/253711181424186 To Yuki: You're an amazing woman, the fact that you're sharing your story with everyone is proof enough. Stay strong, all your supporters including myself, are praying for your happiness. Consider it a blessing that you are not married to him yet. I know of other girls who are more unfortunate, but of course, such matters shouldn't be compared. No matter what happens, I will give you the same advice I give others, do not blame yourself. Accept it, but never blame yourself. You will never be able to move on so long as you blame yourself, don't do that. We will all be more than happy to help you move on. 加油。This translation is yours. 2nd Episode - I met with 'Small 3', 'Small 3' hit my sister. We shall see you in court. < 13.04.2012 > The day after I jumped into the sea, a friend of mine sent me a SMS, showing you with a skinny girl talking & laughing at Dempsey Dome Cafe, sharing a dessert. You clearly had no intention of coming to see how were my injuries, instead, you felt time was better spent on that girl. I immediately rushed out to the living room, and realized that all the windows were shut tight by my family because they know I've been out of control recently and had suicidal thoughts. They told me that they had already sneaked a peek at my phone and love letters during the morning. Being so worried to the point that they were unable to sleep, constantly checking up on me, afraid that I would do anything silly. < 15.04.2012 > For fear of my emotional instability, my family dare not leave me alone at home, and brought me out for breakfast. At one point, my sister parked the car and got off for a moment, strangely, I started to feel an overwhelming sense of fear, I could hear a hysterical roar telling me there were demons surrounding me in the car. I frantically banged on the window, wanting my sister to save me. My family freaked out, and immediately brought me to the nearby Holy Trinity church to see the pastor. He gave me a cross necklace, and then took me to the prayer room to pray. After I finally calmed down, all of a sudden, I heard a whisper by my ear saying, "Jesus is lying to you, He isn't listening to you". In a moment of fury, I threw the cross necklace towards (the image/statue of) Jesus, pointed at Him and scolded, "You're lying to me!" before breaking down & crying for a very long time until I got pacified eventually. < 18.04.2012 > You reminded me that we are to go to China Club together to celebrate your sister Alicia's birthday (it was supposed to be the tasting day for our wedding banquet at the hotel), where I would be eating with your family. My sister Dobby assured me that it'll be fine. When your father asked me about my injuries, I simply said I got injured while chasing after a little girl who almost fell into the sea. That night, you put your arms gently around me, was it to put on a show for your family? Or was it because you truly cared for me? I saw a half-finished can of herbal tea left in your car. I know you don't drink that kind of herbal tea, and it took a while for me to realize that it was deliberately left behind by her. < 23.04.2012 > You took ZR to work this morning, around 12PM she came over to your office's vicinity to have lunch. You asked me out for dinner during the afternoon. (You sure are quick to act, calling me out for a date just after having lunch with her. Is it because you've finished discussing (with her) on how to deal with me, and is now anxious to treat me to one last extravagant dinner in order to bid me farewell?) I'm afraid to see you, so afraid that I'm shivering all over, I need Dobby to bring me to church immediately for me to pray to God to give me the wisdom and courage to face you. Once I got into the car, I saw another remnant of hers, a half-finished can of fruit juice which you've never bought before. We went to my favorite Japanese restaurant for dinner and fetched me home after that. Just before we were about to reach my house, you finally broke the silence saying; you will notify your parents about our decision to cancel the wedding, which is also tantamount to a break up (no room for negotiation). I insisted on meeting your parents for a discussion together. After reaching home, you told your parents; because of many disagreements while planning for the wedding, as well as the many quarrels we had, you do not wish to marry me anymore. (But in actual fact, didn't we only had small arguments every now and then which passed quickly? Didn't you praise me in front of your friends saying that I'm an independent bride who knows how to handle matters by herself?) Your father felt it was natural for a couple to have small arguments while planning for weddings, and that it isn't reason enough for such a serious decision of cancelling the wedding itself. After you and your father had your discussion privately in a room, he came out saying, "My son is no longer the same"... He said that whatever problems between us doesn't matter, what's really important is whether there is any love left between the both of us. Even if the outcome isn't perfect, we must deal with it as thoroughly as possible. (No regrets/lingering affections) Your father wants us to accept counselling and continue trying our best to reconcile, not just giving up so easily. That night, ZR posted on Twitter; "I can finally sleep well. Because Alvin has finally told his parents about his decision of cancelling the wedding." My good friends have also helped me find some evidence of your secret rendevous with her: 04.04.2012 - You went to Abaccus Toastbox near ZR's office to have lunch together. 07.04.2012 - You drove your father's car to fetch ZR and went to the eastern holiday bungalow to celebrate Denson's birthday. 08.04.2012 - You drove your father's car again in the morning to fetch ZR for breakfast, and then fetched me to Momo & Moomoo's Easter family lunch gathering. 11.04.2012 - You brought her to Raffles Starbucks @ Liat Towers early in the morning for breakfast, you even gave her a bouquet of sunflowers which you've never liked from the start. Flower Man : Ginger Bread Man. (?) Alvin... 11.04.2012 is the day you started to become her Ginger Bread Man!!! 19.04.2012 - You took her to Paradise Dynasty @ Ion for dinner. 21.04.2012 - Both of you had steak at Taka's Angus Steak House. 22.04.2012 - You deliberately did not mention to me about cousin Hui Han's afternoon birthday party, yet had the heart to send ZR photos of the dishes your mom cooked. 30.04.2012 - Your parents already know about 'Small 3', everyone has decided not to openly accuse/point fingers at you. That is why you haven't the slightest clue that I've been keeping quiet about it by your side for more than three months; trying hard to restore your heart, while enduring the days you've been cheating on me. < 04.05.2012 > You told me you wanted to meet me and talk things over, I said to meet at your place. I deliberately dressed myself up a little and cooked dinner, awaiting your return. Yuki: I hope you will cherish our 2 years plus relationship, is it because a third party caused our feelings to run aground? (I boldly asked, so that I could forgive you after you confess.) Alvin: No. Our feelings started to become unstable 3 months ago, I then realized that I could lead a very happy life even without you. Yuki: Maybe you don't like the wedding, not because you don't love me? Alvin: I agree that might be the case. I'm a soft-hearted person that is why I didn't say it was my fault back then. (?) Even now, I am still soft-hearted, why don't we try giving ourselves a "trial period" of 1 month? Treat it as me being selfish, to free myself from any possible regrets. Yuki: I do not wish to lose myself in order to appease you, if I do not perform well enough for you within this 1 month period, I risk getting thrown away by you at any time, it's as if you're forcing me onto a tight rope where I could slip and fall at any moment, causing my heart to be shattered into tiny fragments. Would you be afraid of losing me? Alvin: I wouldn't! (My heart already shattered upon hearing this, if that's the case, what more do you want to "try"?) Yuki: Instead of making you unhappy, I decided to give up on that "1 month trial period", I want you to be free and happy... I hope you will be happier than me. Alvin: *Hearing this, he actually jumped out of bed, kneeled down in front of me, held my hands tightly with tears on his face and said; You really don't even want the "1 month trial period" I'm giving you? Are you sure? (I am very disappointed that you actually gave me this kind of answer.) Yuki: If after breaking up, will you easily fall in love with another woman? Alvin: *Shakes his head and in a serious manner, said; No. (My heart is crying, because you're still lying, fool, I already know of her existence.) We then continued chatting til dawn, you hugged me tightly and cried with sadness & pain while we reminisce on our past. At this point, we had actually returned to our former affectionate selves, you just didn't realize it. < 05.05.2012 > All this while, I've always gave you 200% of my trust, this is the first time I couldn't help but check your alternate phone. I was shocked to see you have saved ZR's birthday on 06.06, and also a text from her that read: "Just nice one month!". I came to a sudden realization, so both of you were only trying to use the "1 month trial period" to get rid of me. So you were only trying to create the false impression that: "We've tried to reconcile for a month, but it still didn't work out.", so that you have a good reason to break up with me as well as an excuse to tell your family & friends. Is this the birthday present you're preparing in advance for her? I am requesting for a trial period extending til my birthday at the end of August, even if you go to work they would give you a trial of 3 months. I don't think I'm asking for too much. Last year, I announced on my birthday that 2011 would be the last birthday I would be single on, do you want me to spend my birthday this year alone? In the end, ZR sent you a text at 3:44PM during the afternoon, calling you a big fat liar. In just 1 week of my absence in your car, my seat has been adjusted, and the car is filled of different kinds of snacks you don't usually eat, but what shocked me the most was finding a dress in the boot that belonged to neither me, nor your mother, nor your sister! Is ZR trying to declare war in my territory? Why must she deliberately leave evidence to let me know of her presence? Your father revealed to me that on 03.05.12, your parents actually went to ZR's office demanding to see both of you. They questioned the both of you about the couple tables (?) you two have, and also reminded ZR that we are engaged and to be married in 2 months' time, hoping the both of you would keep a distance. ZR's reply was: "Uncle, Aunty, I already have a very good boyfriend, the watch was given to me by him from Boston as a gift. I cherish our relationship a lot. I know Alvin is getting married, I have also gotten his wedding invitation. We are only good friends.". < 06.05.2012 > Today is our proposal anniversary, while I'm silently counting down, I really wanted to remind you... but at the stroke of midnight, I was interrupted by a phone call from ZR. You panicked in front of me, and quickly tried to shoo her off by telling her you were with your girlfriend, then hung up the phone. I got very disappointed, but still told you: "My love, happy anniversary. I hope you still remember that we're still in love, that you'll remember why you wanted to marry me in the first place. I love you." Just before getting off the bus, I held back my tears to tell you: "I am your fiancee, not your girlfriend. Do take care." < 08.05.2012 > We agreed on celebrating our anniversary. I suggested going to Mount Fable JewelBox for dinner, but in the end you took me to the Katong Shopping Center nearby my house for Shabu-Shabu. I knew you weren't being sincere about it, but I'm very content with just being able to celebrate together. We took some photos which you forbid me from posting to Facebook. You then fetched me home at 10PM. < 11.05.2012 > We went to the hotel with your father to delay the wedding until the end of the year: 07.12.2012. We decided to use your aunt's illness as an excuse, and notified all who were invited. I felt bad to use your aunt's illness as an excuse, what if we really won't get married, wouldn't all responsibilites fall on her then? Why let your dear aunt carry your responsibilities? < 12.05.2012 > Suddenly received a SMS from a friend, telling me she & her boyfriend saw you & ZR having dinner at Mount Fable JewelBox. She didn't want to tell me this initially, because she knew our wedding was just one month away. I was flabbergasted, wasn't that the place I suggested going for our anniversary celebration that day? I couldn't take it anymore and asked you at night: "Is there really no third party?" You said: "No." I asked: "Do you really have the intention to save our relationship?" You told me: "Yes, I still want to try... but on one condition - you are not to spend the night at my place anymore." (You have the nerves to tell me this condition, even an idiot can tell this is a condition you & ZR came up with.) < 13.05.2012 > We celebrated Mothers' Day for your mother at Momo & Moomoo. < 17.05.2012 > My ex-boyfriend Joe asked me out for a cup of coffee, he asked whether there were any problems on our relationship because you sent him an email asking him to introduce the Toyota marketing job to a girl named 'Zonia Raymond'. You actually asked my ex-boyfriend to help find a job for your new lover's sister? Joe scolded me for being foolish and not telling anyone about this matter, suffering silently. I cried in front of him. I felt you've made me so ashamed of myself, so full of grief. To think Joe once blessed me: "I feel very relieved and happy for you for being able to meet such a man who knows how to cherish you!" He tried to console me, saying that you might just be momentarily infatuated with her. Cheering me on. < 18.05.2012 > I disregarded our initial agreed time of 10PM, and waited for you at your house. You went to have dinner with ZR who has just returned from Thailand. You had a shock when you saw me in your room. I said I wanted to have a drink with you. You flustered and impatiently told me to go home quickly after drinking. I said I'll be spending the night here since tomorrow morning we'll be going to Pontian (Malaysia) to visit my mother. All of a sudden, you shouted at me: "Didn't I warn you that you're not to spend the night at my house? I want my privacy, leave immediately or I shall sleep downstairs." (Are you telling your fiancee that she is forbidden to take one step inside the house you once said would bring her fortune & happiness?) Words cannot possibly describe my emotions at that time, my self-esteem has been completely crushed under your feet. My mind went blank. I bitterly uttered to you, "This is your room, I should be the one to sleep downstairs.". Feeling extremely lost & helpless, I called up my sister Dobby who was in Vietnam. She got very worried and immediately informed your parents to take care of me. Just when your father was in the middle of consoling me, you changed your clothes and rushed out of the house. Your father tried to stop you, but not only did you ignore him, you even scolded him not to intervene in your business! I chased after you and asked if you hated me. You said no, you only wanted freedom & privacy, you wanted your personal space! (Which is what I'm trying to ask, are you hating me for standing in-between you and ZR?) I'm tired, both my body & mind are already critically injured. I also can't bear to tell your father about the incident where I jumped into the sea, as well as all the cruel words you've said to me. < 19.05.2012 > I ignored you in the morning, went to the car dealership to sell my car, because I fell apart several times while driving which nearly caused me to have accidents, and this worried my family. After selling the car and reaching back to your house, I saw an unforgettable scene. Your mother's eyes were red and swollen, it was apparent that she had been crying all night. I felt heart-broken. While I was consoling her, she told me your father needs to be consoled more than she does. I really couldn't stand watching this happening. When I went to meet your father, he was in a melancholic mood, writing a letter to his son. He hopes to rekindle the father-son relationship you both once had, and hopes his kind & lovely son would regain consciousness. < 21.05.2012 > You dad handed the letter to you, in order to express his dissatisfaction towards your behaviour he has refused to talk to you. It pains me to know that our marriage is breaking your family bonds apart. < 26.05.2012 > You came to my house early in the morning to fetch me to Pontian, and you suddenly changed your mind, telling me that you will tell my mother that the wedding delay is due to problems in our relationship instead of using your aunt as an excuse. In fact, you are actually quite afraid to face my mother. Strangely, after entering my house, you changed your mind yet again and used your aunt as an excuse afterall. But it went well, and my family were quite supportive of the decision to delay the wedding until 07.12.2012. Although my mother was disappointed, she had no choice but to understand and accept your decision. All of a sudden, mom broke into tears and said to you: "I'm old with heart disease, I have no idea how much longer I have left. If I'm not fortunate enough to see both my daughters' marriage, I just want you to remember you once said you would take care of her (Yuki), love her, and give her happiness.". That night, Dobby sent me a SMS, telling me that mother had long knew about everything. Just that, the rest of the family told her not to lecture you because we are still in the midst of restoring our feelings. So as to avoid giving us unnecessary pressure and increasing the rift between us. Mother was constantly calling up my sisters to check on my status, she longed to come to Singapore in order to see me but was stopped by my sisters because they wanted me to concentrate on restoring our love. Upon hearing this, my heart felt sour. To think my efforts... caused so much grief in the family, especially my elderly mother. I feel very guilty. < 23.05.2012 (?) > We stayed home to celebrate your mother's birthday. < 27.05.2012 > Your father and I had a chat in his study. He told me he already treats me as his future daughter-in-law. Sometimes, even if it's his own son who has done wrong, he will not be biased in favor of him. Your grandfather is also the same. He wishes for us to try our best to maintain our relationship. I feel very touched to know that your father has already wholly accepted me as part of the family. But what about you? My friend once taught me... In order to check if your husband has been unfaithful, check his number of condoms. Sounds a little "aunty", but I went ahead and counted anyway. A while ago I counted 12, now there is only 2 left. < 04.06.2012 > Early in the morning, some foreign friends called to ask why the marriage event on Facebook got suddenly cancelled. Wasn't it only a delay? Aren't the both of you still in the midst of restoration? Why were there no news of this? Why were the invitation pages deleted? I've completely overlooked my friends. Is this the best birthday present for ZR you can come up with through actions? < 05.06.2012 > Your father originally wanted to have a talk with ZR again, but the more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He feels she isn't fit to talk to your parents, and it'd feel demeaning. He said it's okay to let Dobby & Shaun be their representatives. When I asked if it was okay to confront ZR myself, as the fiancee, they assured me I definitely have every rights to do that, but reminded me not to take any physical actions no matter what in order to avoid any possible lawsuits. I was sent home around 11PM.They did not know I've actually took several sleeping pills with red wine, my family got shocked once again. Shaun & Dobby knew I was very saddened by the fact that you're going to celebrate ZR's birthday with her, they angrily decided to go down to ZR's house to tell her parents that she is destroying our marriage. They only managed to relay the message through the intercom in the hall to ZR's parents, they said they will look into the matter by clarifying with their daughter. To be continued

Nice inspiration pics! Unfortunately HDB ceilings tend to be low and pose a challenge to achieving an airy feel. Looking forward to see your end results.

So did you pop by Air Division? How is the stock situation? Updates are dependent on: (i) Workload. (ii) Whether I am busy with some new TV series/book/whatever I am currently obsessed with. (iii) Whether something is really time critical e.g. good sales - for these I'll usually do at least a quick post. Wordpress has an app that facilitates easy uploading of pics. I hardly photoshop so that's the trade-off. My blog readers have to deal with crappy blurry pics.

Nah, I was back home before that. Was only there for a very short while just after lunch. Too dusty as you said. I remember the small tables being available when I was there, so I figured you went after we left. You can actually see the tables and the crater console in this post: http://emrenoblog.wordpress.com/2012/12/15/i-heart-clearance-sales/ I took one shot just of the crater console cos I was like... Too bad you didn't read/subscribe to my blog, I think I published the post at 4.30 pm. It is a very 'masculine' piece, so really not something that would fit in my place, but for the price... super tempting. And yes, the Air items were all in very good condition (unlike the Grafunkt ones). Super love the marble tables on clearance. Was there to look for a small item and didn't see anything. More for window shopping than anything else.

Glad you found something at the clearance sale. We popped by as well but nothing caught our eye at Grafunkt. Air had a black crater console display piece at 2.4k. Uber tempting.

Mine is noisy at speeds 2 and 3, but not sure if it's due to poor installation or poor fan design. Would be interested to hear from others. The fan is really strong though. No problems ventilating the entire room.

Wow, 3 in 6 years is very frequent. But I guess with each move you know better what you need/want. Look forward to the end results. Jia you.

If you want a Scandi theme, then just go for a very clean and simple palette. Light colors, light wood... take your time to buy stuff. New pieces will always come up that you'll love. Speaking from experience since I'm still shopping for minor pieces for my place and it's been more than a year since I loved in. e.g. think I would have gotten the JotterGoods desk if it was launched earlier. Oh well... the perils of shopping too much. I've replied to you via PM using your comments email address btw.

Best price I've seen is at the semi-annual Philips Carnival sale. Think was $90? Not sure but definitely a good buy. The lights are so popular they sell out pretty fast.

Hey, saw that you moved some furniture in? Think best not to as the remaining works could damage the new stuff. E.g. paint marks, workers sitting/standing on them, acid wash. The items will also need to be moved when works progress and damage could happen. Last concern is theft. This was the advise I was given by my contractor which I think makes sense.

I don't know if it's the picture tone, but the color of the Harvey Norman items make them look 'cheap' (sorry if I sound atas). Maybe need to compare with 'beauty shots' like the one you posted of the Matthew Hilton sideboard. For sideboard with legs, think quite a few places have them. Can look around for a cheaper alternative if budget is a constraint. Or wait a bit if it's considered a 'non-essential' item. Btw since you've already bought some teak stuff, do the wood colors go together (ditto if you are using any wood laminates)? Best not to mix light/dark and patterned wood unless there is a particular look you are going for. I've seen some combinations that made me wince.

You can use them in the bedroom or living room if you have some pics or shelves that you want to highlight.

Yes track light is not bright enough. Good to highlight decor or walls for mood lighting but definitely too dark for cooking.

Actually, the GSS sales starts in April btw so if you just move in in March, GSS would be ideal. You'll know by then what you need and how much space to cater for it etc. Having been through a few sales cycles, I think both year-end and GSS are about the same. Really depends on the brand/promo given. E.g. the promo/price for Grafunkt isn't as good as 2011 but the same as GSS 2012. E.g. http://emrenoblog.wordpress.com/2012/05/12/2511/ http://emrenoblog.wordpress.com/2012/04/21/sales-sales-everywhere-and-coming-soon/

Oh you should thank Mrs Loo for the Landex info. As for poisoning you re: furnishing, haha you sure you wanna thank me for making you spend more $$$? Maybe you can consider the more critical furniture now, and the less critical furnishing later if cash-flow is tight? Anyway the major sales period is year-end (now) and GSS, and 6 months later your bank account should have recovered a bit more. Hmm... yeah, unfortunately I still prefer a wall hung version for a cleaner look, else I might have gotten the Line too.

Maybe you can do a mini-MO for Grafunkt items to get $9k in total? Everyone in the MO benefits right? Think just need 2 more homeowners. No harm trying. If you've read my blog, you'll know that I spent quite a bit on my furnishings. But the solid wood items will last so over time I think still worth it. I will rather spend more $ now on something that I love then to live with possible regret and/or throw away in a few years cos I was never happy with the design from the start. But if you buy then must think that 10 years later you will still love it lar. Else quite sayang.

Do keep the marble if the condition is good. Laying new marble is really expensive, so it's quite a waste to hack away and use homogeneous tiles instead. Plus marble has a much smoother and cool feel (which I personally like). Just get your contractor to give the marble a good polish and it'll look much better. Goes with mid century mod too (but perhaps not so much an Industrial theme). But between homo tiles and marble, there is really no fight. P.S. In case your contractor or ID had tried to convince you to get rid of the marble, do re-consider hiring them. No decent ID/contractor should convince their client to get rid of old marble flooring for homo tiles. Even my ID also asked us to retain our original broken marble flooring until they did a site visit and realised how awful it looked with the half parquet in the living room.

Not good for older folks and pregnant ladies as mentioned. The edges of the platform could be a 'small kids' hazard if/when you have young kids. Bad for clumsy people who tend to bump into edges/corners. Mold could grow inside the platform (as with any carpentry or laminate work, but I guess is out of sight, out of mind). Need to comply with HDB regulations re: height to window.

Hi Lazyfaires, 75k COV is a lot of money, so can understand your frustration. Just wondering why the walls cannot be altered though? Unless you got one of those rare EMs with bomb shelters, otherwise most of the EM walls can be hacked, albeit with some hassle getting HDB permission to do so (mine took weeks). How about sharing your floor plan? We have seen quite a few EM reno in this thread and over in T-Blog and may be able to point you to a owner who renovated with similar layout? Just a note out to anyone who is reading this. You can just go to the HDB website and buy the floorplan for $5. No need to be the owner. Just need the address (including unit number). This is useful for house-hunting if you have plans to hack any walls. Apart from support walls (those with thick black lines on the plan), you also need to look out for those units with prefab walls. I've heard of units in Tampines that cannot be hacked cos of prefab walls. Can even call HDB to check before committing to the sale. Always good to do some homework for probably one of the most expensive purchases in your life (most exp in my case anyways). If yours is a usual unit, based on what I know the hackable walls in EMs are: 1. Between study/utility and kitchen 2. Between study/utility and dining (except for support pillar and beam) 3. Between kitchen and living room (except the support pillar and beam) 4. MBR wall adjoining stairs 5. BR wall adjoining stairs 6. BR wall adjoining corridor to shared toilet 7. Shared toilet wall 8. MBR toilet wall 9. Storeroom under stairs (but stairs itself CANNOT be hacked) 10. Kitchen and balcony (to widen the door to the balcony) I speak mostly from personal experience since 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10 in my place are hacked. 4, 8 and 9 I've seen in a few renos on RT and in ads for sales.

Can try Comfort Furniture. They supply to cafes and I recall that they are one of the few stores that have have a good selection of round tables. Some examples online: http://www.comfortfurniture.com.sg/category/products/tables/dining-tables/

Ouch. Feel your pain. Hope to see your home transformed soon. Good luck. Oh ya, and shame on your friend. Not much of a true friend to do this to you guys.

Hi Bread, over in the maisonette owners thread, there was a discussion re: doors and Piggicia shared some photos. Thought you may be interested to see: The newer door does show some wear and tear too (fading). Were also discussing that HDB would install roller blinds FOC at corridors where rain would splash in and badly affected the door. FYI and if your door gets splashed by rain quite badly, could be something to consider. Maintenance of the roller blinds is the owner's responsibility, and not HDB's after installation. Piggicia installed acrylic on her gate to block some of the rain. Thread: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=4853&st=4520

Thanks for sharing news about the sale Mrs Loo. I bought so much the last time I was there, quite scared to go down again. Got most of my tableware last year from Landex with fantasies of having hotel style dining. Unfortunately most of the tableware have not seen the daylight since delivery cos we use disposable plates when we have parties and never found a chance to use the vinegar pots and chopstick holders. Just want to share that 'New Bone' does not contain animal bone ash (usually cow but can be pig bones) unlike 'Fine Bone' chinaware. I am quite glad that I'm not eating off animal bones. The tableware are certified 'halal' too, so it's something that our Muslim friends will appreciate I think.

My concern re: your mum's bdrm is that the design essentially turns what used to be a very spacious and bright bedroom to one that is partitioned into 2 areas. I can appreciate the design concept behind this idea, but I don't like it cos the entire wardrobe passageway is now one long dark corridor and the dry vanity will always require a light. I appreciate that the design is probably to allow the other side of the wardrobe to mount TV, etc, but I would rather use the longer wall near the stairs for slightly more wardrobe space, and have the reading corner near the window instead. The door can then either swing on the other side, and the short wall does not have to be erected. The dry vanity can be shifted to the wall. So basically when you walk into the room you really feel the space. I checked my plan and my counter-top to kitchen cabinet is supposed to be 1.1m: It doesn't feel cramped when I walk thru the 1.1m walkway. But if hubby is standing there, then yeah a bit squeezy to go thru. So imagine if you have stools/chairs around the counter... I'll imagine that it will feel clustered, and probably the stove, etc cannot be used at the same time. Oh, and the sharp corner of the island that is facing the doorway disturbs me. Using my place as a proxy, I stood at the corner (near the wall in the pic above) to gauge the space/view upon entry, and that's my thought. I'll feel very disturbed if that's facing me each time I open the door.

Errr not sure I think so. ID got for us we just pay. Looks like this. Can see it in the corner.