sumobear

I love design books...it keeps my creativity on-going and broaden my design knowledge of the overseas. I think I am able payoff a decent stack of floor tiles with the amount spent on books. Now very broke already, do not know if I have the budget to get a wall-mounted tv. Probably I will put up a sign on my wall stating "Space reserved for TV" until I have the $$$....hehe

Hi Mist, I was surfing your blogspot and spotted a nice fabric that I like, mind to share with me where did you get them? I like the pastel green background with pink butterflies and peacocks. How do you sew your cushions? Handsewn or Machine? I do not know how to use the machine and do not even have one, so I am thinking to handsew some of the things but dunno whether can or not. Afterall I am a guy doing sewing so skill may not be so pro. My sewing method is saddle stitch but dunno whether can be straight. Do you have a pattern to follow?

Hi... Country style is definately a big challenge in Singapore as the decors and furnishings can be expensive and limited. Very curious on what are the accessories that you will get for your home. Check out the ZAKA magazine in Books Kinokuniya, its a japanese magazine that can inspire you further on Country style.

Nothing much to blog about my renovating home...the workers are still doing the floor. From day 1 we got our flat till today, we have been constantly doing plenty of brainstorming and researching of the things that we want to do for our home and in the midst of searching for ideas and solutions, I have realised about currently on-going trend and coming soon trend of home styling. I find that most Singapore modern homes are commercially driven and formulated because many people will want a feature wall for their wall mounted TV console, standard home themes like zen or resort, wall murals and furnitures styling. Even ourselves are being sucked into the commercial ideas whenever we flipped a local interior magazines. Books are piling up in my room and getting messy but they are the source of fresh ideas from overseas. Hopfully that I am able to create a deconstructed style or so called the "Eclectic Style" for my home so that we are not so constraint to the things that we want to get for our home in the future.

Hi chanzone, That is a very cozy looking home...it gives me a feeling of a holiday trip. Your totoro does blend in well with the enviroment...haha

My kitchen setting and my lab sink...

Well...I just hope she likes the idea. It is a nice project to keep all the memories but it is not easy to do as it requires alot of time and a couple has to constantly help to document the process of happenings of each another like the bride trying her gown and the groom trying his suit. Lots of photos have to be compiled. If it is a 1-sided interest then I do not think it is worthwhile.

Hi, Okie thanks for the advice. We wanna go and knock at my neighbour's door to check the status but we are also scared that we will kena scolding. Probably we will pop by over the weekend. Hi, Okie thanks for the advice...

I am very eager to see my finished floor but when I popped by to check on the renovation status, I only see a floor of mushy cement and there is no way that I can walk in to the flat to explore further more. Rang up my contractor to check on the renovation status and I was informed that the resident staying below my unit complained that his ceiling is having some water stain and renovation was suspended for a while by HDB in the afternoon. I am kind of worried with the situation but my contractor told me that the problem will be taken care by helping my neighbour paint the ceiling. Do not know if it is the appropriate way to solve the problem and whether should I pop by my neighbour's place to apologise for the problem caused....what should I do? Is the situation safe?

I can't bear to cut my magazine because they are all overseas magazines that are quite costly. I even plastic wrap my magazines...hehe. Well...my form of clipping will be scanning and will show to my contractor using laptop.

This week is definately a hectic one for me because I am trying very hard to manage my work, going to gym regularly and on site to check on the renovation. Then Mrs SumoBear is sick and very busy at work too. I am so tired that I want to sleep so badly but whenever I am in bed, I feel so awake. My room is equally messy as my life right now, I have piles of interior magazines, design books, my half-done DIY table and bags of stuffs which I cannot remember what is inside. Then Mrs Sumobear's latest craze for "Shopaholics" novels are piling up. Can't wait till the day that I can start moving in to my my new place and hopefully by that time, both homes will be neat and nice again.

Well...probably all this is a passing phase for people like us! The BMT aka Basic Marriage Training period.

Haha...10ys later? Will my kids by then think that I am retro and should be sent to the museum? Yah it is true that wedding is once in a lifetime, the time will not roll back once the time has passed. I love photos alot. So I feel like doing a book as a documentation for the whole preparation. Then this book can be used as a story book for my children in the future....Once upon a time, during your daddy and mummy's time....

Erm...my wedding will be ala carte so I actually went around meeting different people and I have already lock on to the items that I want and paid deposit already. Yah I do agree on the album part, so I am still thinking what to do with it loh. I am thinking whether to do a documentation for my home renovation, wedding preparation and wedding into a book or magazine style then print and give to all my wedding helpers, relatives and closer friends. Still considering because of the cost factor, hopefully can get sponsored printing.

Sigh...where to get $$$ after coughing out the extra $$$ for the floor?

Haha...I think I am. She is still very cool with the whole issue. The feeling right now is like you have completed a painting that you love so much and someone go and spill some paint over it and spoilt the whole painting.

Yah I am aware that hiccups in renovation is unavoidable but the hiccups that I am going through seem very major... Sigh....

I am very worried that my contractor cannot deliver a good job as I have caught him a few times... So now I have keep a very close watch on him...

Now I really start to experience the stress of home renovation and wedding preparation and why some couples actually call off everything during the midst of preparation. Are the things that I am going through right now consider the "BMT aka Basic Military Training" of marriage or probably allow me to rephase it properly as the BMT aka BASIC MARRIAGE TRAINING?

My tears almost roll down when I see my almost completed dream home being smashed up into pieces again. I am feeling so depressed that I am unable to function properly, losing sleep and feel so tired with everything especially with renovation. I am feeling very paranoid. Probably all the pain that I am going through is a recoil of my commitment and passion for this renovation.

Thanks for the encouragement but I just feel very depressed to see my home in such state and I simply cannot pick myself up.

I am a work but my heart at my new home...wondering how is the renovation getting on...:S

I am sure all contractors will have some dirty old tricks to play and they will sure play it well and flawlessly in front of us. So just keep a close watch on whatever they are doing and show proof that they are giving you the right materials and stuffs. Whatever is completed, just have to live on with it. There is alot of things in my new home that are making me very worried but my dear happy-go-lucky wife will always advise me to let it go and live on with it as long the things will not affect us much in the future.

Well...everyone have their 1st time experience in everything, so just learn from your experience. Actually after checking with the paint supplier, I realised that the paint cost is like 15% or 20% of the quoted price for painting job only. Customised color range also have a booklet that will open up like a paper fan that you can choose from but it is only available at the shop and not for distribution. Probably you can bring your colour sample to the shop and compare with the booklet. Among the colours, some of the colours may be considered as premium colours which you have to pay abit more but I do not why are they classified that way. In term of Wash & Wear or other special treatments, you may request and add in to the paint at different rates depending on the treatments. If you are worried that you may get cheated, go and get the paints for your painter or sign up painting package with the direct paint company like Nippon or ICI Dulux but they are more expensive. Everything comes with a price. Nothing comes cheap and good, that is what I have learnt through the renovation.

Hacking work is going to start tomorrow and I am very worried as the hacking may damaged my ready-made things even though my contractor has promised that everything will be intact but then again he has been crying wolf so many times that caused me to have some doubts and confidences in his work. Cupboards were layed around the house to minimise the damages and it looks so scary because it makes me feel that my home is going through a pre-war preparation and the hacking is like the rattling machine guns and bombs exploding. I am really worried and upset that my home have to undergo another round of rough treatment. My poor home...