princessandhergeek

hihi~ they are not available in singapore yet.. i spoke to their US office, who directed me to their Aussie office (partly due to wattage difference) who advised that they do not do overseas shipment.. which means the only way to buy this fan is either to a) buy the fan and pick it up from their US office or b) buy the fan and pick up from their Aussie office.. both of which warranty doesnt extend to overseas installs.. these information came from chatting with their online operator hahaha.. *latest update!! i just went to check my email and searched for the term artemis.. they replied but i didn't see!! apparently elmark marketing (the same ones that are distributing the sycamore fan) will be bringing in the artemis fan too.. *excites* woo hoo!!

ya..i suppose that's the case.. sigh.. i was quite affected by their rude scoldings and all cox i see that as a form of rejection and i'm someone who is really scared of rejection - and that's the main reason y i dun reject others as well hahaha (but my hubby say this means i'm too easy to bully o.o) and sigh.. ya.. y cant they be nicer =( do unto others what you wan them to do unto u.. so treat them nice cox hope they treat us nice.. in the end it just feels like our smiling faces got slapped.. o.o -_-" ya.. actually we found online from renotalk that Chan Huat has quite competitive pricing for their track lights - which was the main reason y we decided to go Chan Huat.. but going there and having these all happen.. and finding that they are charging GST (7% can mean a lot o.o) and yet not CASE certified is just.. scary.. oh no.. looks like we have the same issue o.o our light casing also got some scratches and uneven surfaces.. i wonder if buaing oil on the light casings would help to deter the rust or just cause the lights to "BOOM" and light up in flames hahahaha >.< with Singapore's weather being so hot and humid, i'm wondering how long our light casings can actually last without rusting.. i guess the headache is if the casing rust and replacement is needed... then HOW??? =( in the end did u manage to exchange? someone told me the way to check if things will rust is to use magnet - if it sticks - it will rust, if it doesn't stick, it won't rust - not sure how true... sounds really dubious though.. >.< we went to the 391 branch >.< i think it's not just the branch but also the people who are in it.. the person who served us initially came from another branch to help out for the night.. i think the rest can still be reasonably polite.. but one of the supervisors was the one hurling insults and trying to initiate shouting match =( *faint*

anyway the lights r up.. but according to Roy his electrician didn't fix the wires properly, so the lights can't be lit up fully yet.. o.o so now we r just waiting for the lights to be wired properly~ our cabinetry is due this week~~ but we havent even discussed about the toilet cabinets.. am a bit worried that it wouldn't all come in on time.. our projected handover date is 7th October - duno whether possible a not o.o hope our house will be ready soon!!!

Rawrr.. one week without updates.. and the first update is not a good one =( we went lights shopping over the last week at balestier and jalan besar to purchase the items that we needed..initially we wanted to buy track lights from Chan Huat (they have SOOO many shops! Just realised that a lot of the shops that we walked into in Balestier belonged to them lol) as they told us that they have a casing that can fit LED 8W 35degree bulb (this was the bulb we wanted as we wanted a floodlight effect more than spotlight).. so we were very surprised that when we went into Chan Huat this time round, they told us that it was miscommunication..we had wanted to leave at that point, but the salesman there kept selling to us all the items and speaking in rapid Mandarin until we gave in and bought the tracklights anyway (silly decision -_-) after this buy, we went on to Jalan Besar and walked into Megaman, and found our ideal tracklight (with the bulb specifications of 8W floodlight).. at that point, we decided to call chan huat and request for an exchange and we went back on the same day to exchange to other items, but the shop was closing so we did a very fast exchange of items to some ceiling fixtures.. during the exchange, all the staff looked so unhappy that we requested to change the items, and there was an uncle who kept speaking rudely in hokkien (thinking that we didn't understand) saying things like "*** troublesome, why did we *** sell them the lights, so *** that they want to exchange items".. We were quite shocked cox when coming into the shop, we kept apologizing to them, and explained that it was an impulse purchase so need that exchange, but their attitude was so bad - yes, perhaps our purchase isn't the biggest in the shop (the total amount was 360SGD) and after exchanging, we topped up another 7 bucks >.< - but even if our purchase wasn't big, it doesn't mean that they should be so rude to us, especially when we were smiling and apologetic and all 'paiseh' when we went into the shop - is this customer service? this second exchange was done badly as well.. firstly they gave us casings that would rust easliy (we can't have casings that will rust easily as we are near punggol =( Humidity kills )we needed the casings to have GU10 fittings, and they did not advise us and included in the purchase transformers (which were needed only for MR16 bulbs and not GU10).. in the end this meant that another round of exchange was needed - we were also thinking of returning those that would rust and were prepared to just exchange everything in and buy one single light from them (an expensive light and just top up the remaining since it would make it easier) but at this stage, they were ultra unfriendly even though we were prepared to just buy an expensive light.. and they started arguing and scolding and refused to let us see their higher ups to see if anything can be done.. we are not requesting for a refund, we are just requesting for an exchange - which was something they said was possible when they were selling to us.. but now that we wan to do it, they got so upset.. my hubby was in there talking for an hour plus with them until Roy (our renovator) walked in and told us that our casings should be ok and should not rust.. we left without the exchanging, choosing to believe Roy.. but at that stage, we were more upset that before the purchase was made, they promised so many things and kept hard selling.. when we decided to support them and trust them for what they say and made the purchase, they had a 180 degree change in attitude and became so mean to us even when we were nice and apologetic during the first exchange.. the second exchange they decided to just flare up and hurl insults in hokkien at us (hellooo the customer is always right leh.. and somemore we were nice - why provoke us? if they can't do the exchange, then they can still tell it to us politely, we are not unreasonable people - if they had spoken to us nicely, we would have left the shop happily even if no item exchange was done.. y hurl insults???) now looking back, we are not upset that the exchange wasn't done, but what we are upset at is that the shop people were so rude and unfriendly, not bothering to help or even be polite (why do they always have to raise their voice and hurl insults in hokkien?) don't understand their service attitude.. anyway, this post is not to flame the shop - we still don't know if the items will rust (i guess we will find out with the course of time).. this post is just to rant out frustrations caused by the rude attitudes and the hurling of hokkien insults by the people at the shop..rawrr!!!!!!!

loving the new pictures u posted - the layout is totally fab =D wished i had seen your layout earlier =P den maybe can incorporate into our own as well since we got similar layout haha.. but den again.... it would probably be out of our budget as well =X but loving the look~~ more pictures *drool* anyway - with regards to ur door comment - i think white stripes on the door would be really nice n spcl - esp since ur house seems to have a theme of stripes (metal stripes on white wardrobe?) as well >.< curiously, r u painting the metal door too? hehehe..

ooo wah ur colleague got contact to buy grout? =) so nice! ya.. if need to change grout it's really a headache.. cox got to dig out existing before putting in the new one..but if u dun like it den it's hard if u have to look at it and be upset everytime u see it o.o sounds like a potential dilemma.. but you might end up liking it too! *cross fingers* n thanks~ it's a cosy feeling.. initially we chose contrasting colours.. (ivory + bronze + wooden floor tiles) but in the end chose this instead.. a bit worried that the tiles are a bit too dark.. i guess we will find out when the lights r up o.o and the toilet is small!!! rawrr if only HDB can give us bigger houses o.o =X

oops okok - dun worry - jiayou k? do u wan to call up hafary n see if they can sell the grout in little amounts? then u can mix n test =D

Hi HaiDeChen! excited to see more pictures from u =) sounds like u have a great and unique concept going on =) sarah =D

ooo! i wan to see pictures!!! remember to request for spray paint wor otherwise it will have the paint marks instead of looking like acrylic =D

hi sandrababe! we chose frosted glass panel with white acrylic frame to match the windows in the service yard (unfortunately HDB say the window in the service yard cannot be clear frosted glass (must be green) and the casing of the window cannot be white (must be silver).. in the end the look is still ok haha) pddoor we decided to go through Roy.. reason: i've been reading up a lot on pddoor online (from forums and reviews).. pddoor and swingslide are effectively selling the same items - they had the same boss (not sure if it's still the same boss now) but swingslide's employees have attitude problem and pddoor's after service can be quite problematic.. i've heard of someone liaising with pddoor directly and had so much headache because the staff had attitude problem and wouldn't change a door which have problems for them.. in the end we decided that going with our ID/ contractor is better - even if the door is faulty, it is not our responsibility to get it changed hahahahaa..

oooo *sweat* i tot the metal left behind a scratch o.o hahaha.. am excited to see how the 2141 will turn out >.< sticking with 20mm in the end hahahaha

hi yeocando - pm'ed~! happy renoing and hope to see ur pictures soon!!!

hi kenjo! i checked with Roy yesterday - he said the painter didn't sand the main door o.o but he said that spray paint was used (not the normal 'use brush and paint kind' of paint) - we have also seen the 'evidence' there were spray marks on the walls (to be rectified during the final painting stage haha).. apparently the spray paint he used is a special kind of spray paint that is more lasting - he say is trade secret o.o hahahhaa.. if we knew the secret, we'd probably try it on almost everything - the finish of the door now looks like white matt laminate which is nice~~! hahahaha

hello bread~~ (sounds yummy i havent had my breakfast haha) for us, our tile is beige with greyish grains, using grey grout to match is nice, but to go a step further, Roy and our tiler recommended us to use a mix of grey and beige grout.. so on the day of tiling, my hubby actually went down onsite, and they mixed the two grouts (grey and beige) together to get a mix that is suitable, bearing in mind that the grout will appear darker after setting so we got to choose a lighter grout to begin with.. personally i think the mixing is a good idea (since grey is a cool colour, and beige is a warm colour, which makes our tiles both warm and cool (so mafan lol) so when we mix the two grouts together, we get a grout that is grey but not a very cool grey (appears warmer) so it is suitable to match with our tile more so than if it were just grey alone) we are actually very fortunate that Roy and our tilers are very good - they could have just said grey alone, but they went the extra mile to make sure things are nice =) for your case and your tiles, i think u should do the same, mix grey n beige grout together if possible - and remember that the grout will be darker after setting, so the initial mixture should be lighter to offset the darkening after setting.. y not ask ur tiler for the color grout? =X hehehe if not u might wan t try LSH/ hafary? i think i took the grout picture at hafary hahaha..

jiayou sygnur~! when u visit their showroom u'll be wowed~ haha i was totally floored by silestone showroom >.< caesarstone only have the slabs on display, the kitchen displays are at blum =D (double wow of blum plus quartz! unfortunately no budget, otherwise whole house will be blum hahahhaa).. yesterday we met with Roy.. he also mentioned that our house is taking a bit too long =( but we were overseas for 3 weeks~~ and it took us some time to get back on top of things (since we told Roy to stop while we were gone hahaha) =( so must give leeway hahaha..>.< i wan to move in!

oops missed out on this paiseh! anyway, when u did the metal scratch test, was there a dent/ scratch or it's the 'metal paint' residue left behind on the quartz? >.<

could be really nice to go with ur theme! =D =D we did that for our door too.. and added a silver strip =D

Hi sygnur! i went to google caesarstone, called them up and requested to view their showroom =D then they told me their showrooms only have the pieces in cut out blocks (not the actual kitchen) and that the better way to view their quartz as a top was to go to the blum in ubi (so special o.o).. in that same call, they gave me two other numbers to call should i be interested to buy.. so i called one of the numbers, met up with the representative to see the samples as well as sit through a presentation and mini QnA with the lady haha.. afterwards she lent me her book of samples for a while so that i could show it to Roy =D I've returned the book to her already =D anyway - i've actually been to silestone showroom previously (in changi if my memory serves me right). I was impressed with what they have there (huge selections as well as showcase of how the big piece would look like).. i took the samples that I like, and requested for a quote so that i can discuss it with my hubby - i was also impressed that silestone said that their quartz have anti bacterial quality.. i've confronted the caesarstone representative about silestone having anti-bacterial quality and the lady explained that silestone used some kind of seal to seal the surface so that there is an anti bacterial quality - caesarstone does not see the need for the seal as the quartz is already non-porous and can be used for dough kneading and so on even without the seal.. i guess i don't mind not having that anti-bacterial seal (imagine - what if the seal starts dissolving into the dough u r kneading on the quartz o.o).. another reason is - of all the samples at silestone, we like the blanco zeus and iron ore the best.. and the problem is - the salesperson said that blanco zeus has changed to a new colour even whiter than the previous white - problem is we have warm tiles, so would have prefer the previous white.. and iron ore is just.. too.. expensive...........it's way above the normal pricing....... so we decided to check out caesarstone.. and was pleasantly surprised.. i must say that i personally prefer the look of silestone blanco zeus over caesarstone 1141 or 2141, but in terms of how it matches with our wall tiles, i have to say that caesarstone's better.. maybe next time we'll use the ultra whitewhite tiles for the kitchen so that can use blanco zeus hahahahahahaha

ooo! okok i'll take ur advice! hehe.. hope can save the GST too.. hmmm.. maybe we'll go with the 20mm instead then.. hehehehe.. curiously, r u liasing with the same lady? from garnet? actually, the reason y i dare to take the white was because it is quartz hahaha.. scratch resistant and stain resistant >.< they did a test to leave red wine/ soy sauce and such on the quartz overnight and it didn't stain >.< i guess we will find out how tough it is after we have installed it hahahaha!

ooo.. ya.. actually u gotta be careful with the number of lights u fit on the track.. but since urs is 3W LED bulbs, it's no problem even if u load more - only problem is it might not look too aesthetic.. ya.. we r going to have T5 or LED tubes at the bottom of our top cabinets to help brighten up the area.. another safe measure is we'll just buy the track lights first, install at the kitchen, and if it is really too dim, we'll move the tracks to the bedroom area >.< probably gona install a 2m track too o.o hopefully it doesn't look too long dat it'll make the place look ugly o.o

she quoted me at 180pfr for the 40mm one..she said that the price will drop if we switch to 20mm.. is the price ok? but price not inclusive of cutouts and GST.. anyway, i've requested to keep the cutouts - it will be good to place on table tops/ use as coffee table since the material is so durable =D hmmm i tot the 40mm will look nicer? o.o a bit blur hahaha but i seem like the only one who thinks 40mm is nicer =( even Roy and my geek both like the thinner one better hahaha.. what colour did u choose? 1141? i heard the price for that is much higher around 220 or 230 (cant rmb)

some images of the caesarstone that the lady showed me: we wanted 1141 caesarstone for our countertop, but the lady said tht there was no need for 1141 when 2141 looks so similar to it.. plus our tiles were ivory, so she suggested we take the snow colour =D the colours that caesarstone had were very pretty - their ginger, cashmere, latte, walnut, mink, oyster and shiitake were gorgeous~ but we decided to stick to white this time >.< so perhaps the next time we'll try the other colours >.< check out their gallery! their kitchens are quite inspirational (some) haha.. also loved iron ore from silestone.. but the price.. is WAYYYY beyond our budget o.o

on a previous occasion, we met with the caesarstone official reseller and she let us have a look at the samples =) in the end, we're choosing the 2141 Caesarstone Snow.. what we're considering now is whether to use the 40mm or the 20mm caesarstone surface o.o confusing!! o.o

=D ya~ i think with this first time, the second time will be easier and faster with all the knowledge gained from the brothers and sisters in the forum =D anyway - quick go get ur pre wed shoot done! u need more time than that if u do not want to be too busy in the last two months leading up to ur wedding.. cos the pre-wed shoot is a long process (need to choose gowns/suits - go for shoot - choose the photo - check the album layout - wait for the album layout to print.. n if u haven't chose ur pre wed photographer or bridal studio yet, den u need to get one.. o.o not easy o.o n in the last two months - u'll need to figure out ur timeline for the day/ brother sister briefing/ logistics for the day, actual day photog and videog, photo montage (if u wan), march in music o.o i can go on and on o.o) this list gets even larger if u r a hands on diy bride o.o jiayou itsy~~!! =D

thanks!! hehe.. cant wait to see more reno pictures from u!