Chunky Monkey

I couldn't find the really good ones here in SG and went online to buy from Hammocks.com (yeah!)

I agree 100%. Worklife balance is a real urban myth.

^^ It's probably easier to think that external factors are the cause of an insecure relationship. I am going to sound very philosophical again .... but I think if a couple's expectations of what their marriage should be is in disparity, it is the root of marital problems. To put this simply, and I really hate to flog a dead horse, every couple should talk about their insecurities and iron out any ripples. And both parties must be good listeners, and take note of each other's feelings. Yes, there will always be women who find married men very attractive and scoring with married men may mean triumph in their minds. Married men, on the other hand, may have an ego boost when other women still find them attractive. These are all games. All too fatal, if you ask me. The question is whether if you partake in them or not. The choice is very clear. If either one of you still lust over a bit of thrill here or there, when a marital problem arises, I can only say "you asked for it". Sad, curt ... but very true. And I don't make excuses. I don't, and neither does my husband subject ourselves in precarious situations. You never know what the influence of alcohol can make you do. I respect my husband alot and I keep my distances from men. And I never meet a male friend on my own. All my male friends have become my husband's friends as well. Friendships are important. But the man I married is far more important than any other relationships. And my husband is my best friend. If you think that you need to monitor .... this is an unhealthy sign in your marriage. Undeniably so. The better thing to do, is to find time to talk about your state of your marriage with your husband. Discuss with your husband what matters to you. We have digressed alot from the main topic of this thread. I think if you are not comfortable with your husbands doing too much late night entertainment, you should discuss with him and reveal how that makes you feel. Very delicately. I don't mean you go and scold him. That will only push him away. Husbands hate to be think that they have done wrong. They will work harder if they think they did something right, and that you're proud of them. So on occasions that he does come back home early, don't pass snide remarks like "wah, today the sun came out from the west ah, come back so early". You should say things like "Thanks for making the effort to come back earlier today" Full stop. And let him have his peace at home and come to you to talk. Don't jump on him and on on verbal diarrheoa. He will be scared off and come back later next time. It's completely rubbish that a sales frontline job *must* entertain *all the time*. It's alot of bull****. Frontline jobs are better suited for singles. If your husband's job bothers you and makes you insecure. Talk it out. A responsible husband will change his job to save his marriage. No MCP crap here. My husband has to entertain. But you know what, it's confined to lunches. Period.

"Look out" ... only because you have reason for concern.

LinDa, I'm not going to lecture you all at all. It does sound like you have your reasons for concern, and if this is the way your marriage is going to stay, what else can I as a stranger say? It is just not the way I would want my own marriage to be.

I just found out that the sink of my dreams costs $4500. (shocking). My kitchen is not a showroom kitchen. It's an intensive use kitchen for home parties. So everything has to be "perfect", with lots of work area including a huge sink. I have to think EXTREMELY hard about getting it ... I will see if I can find savings elsewhere, to justify the dream sink.

Cherish your wife, zirhk. There is probably no other like her. And I know you know that. You know, I never have to ask my husband where he has gone. He hardly has time to socialise anyway. But at times when he has an old friend from out of town visiting, he would always ask me if he could meet his friend and then tell me where they went. He explicitly said that by volunteering information, I would not have to worry. Sometimes, I think he is more woman and I am more man!

^^ Only you can answer that question. If you like it so much and will feel that any other sink is never going to be good enough, then get it.

I like this sink because it has a dedicated space to organise your dishwashing sponges and detergent. But my DH doesn't like it because the actual bowl size is rather small. Do you know if you can fit your wok in there to wash?

Air, I am a woman. And I don't live in a glass bowl either. In my life, I'd only 3 boyfriends. I love, and I love deep. First relationship lasted 7 years. Second one lasted 6 years. Both boyfriends cheated on me. And I married my 3rd boyfriend, after I thought I was going to remain unmarried because I couldn't trust men anymore. I made him jump hoops to prove to me he was worth it. And then I married him. I haven't been happier in my life. I chose him with my eyes wide open. I'd nothing to lose. And I am committed to make this marriage work. My husband tells me all the time, that one is proven capable of many good things until proven wrong. For example, in our marriage, he gives me full rein in managing our fiances. And he only needed to tell me this once. If I mess up, then he will take it all back. It takes courage to believe in another person. Most people would not try, in fear of this and that. Luckily we think alike. My husband is away on business trip again. His morning sms to me today was "Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength whilst loving someone deeply gives you courage". Let me repeat myself. Everyone needs to work at your marriage to get your own fulfillment. Some of you have too much baggage and it's harmful to your relationships.

The super single sink that I want is NOT available in SG and I am trying to get creative to have it shipped to SG. If anyone is familiar with Blanco (Germany), it's their finest line called the Steel Art. A professional range. It's $2,500 for the sink and some more for the accessories. My current sink is 17" wide and it's too small. The super single is 30" with a 15" drainboard. Hoe Kee is bringing in an alternative (NEW) super single sink called Blanco Plenta and it's only available after Jun07. Its estimated price is S$500. Cabinet size must be min 90cm.

Oh my goodness!

I know it's a joke but this sort of jokes can put people on the defensive. As a husband, still offer to pay. The "rewards" will come later and may be priceless!

Definitely. Money is the No. 1 marriage binder or breaker, in my opinion. Any resentment is sure to cause alot of marital strain. I file my husband's Tax Assessment year after year. And I am also the one who manages all the bills in the house, and I know where the money is going every month. Sad to say though, I am the spender, and he is the saver! A long time ago ... I was advised that husbands who let their wives manage their salaries are the ones who have a higher chance of family bliss. No quarrels.

I have not been successful in locating a windows supplier who uses a sturdy locking mechanism for casement windows. In high rise buildings and flats, this is usually not a common requirement. I wish to have a bolting mechanism to lock my new windows because it opens up to a high traffic, common area and I want to reduce the risk of a break in. I do not trust the locks used in PVC windows. I have seen the locks used for bay windows in London, whereby a turn of the handle, the window is bolted at the top, bottom and sides of the window frame. Does anyone know what I am talking about?

My husband is British. And he is a traditionist when it comes to the "shrine of marriage". He holds marriage & family life in very high esteem. I don't support women telling their husbands "YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU WANT, DON'T GET CAUGHT BY ME, IF NOT, ITS O-V-E-R". You are only planting ideas in their minds that they can have some dangerous liaisons, just don't get caught. It's like telling a child, "don't touch" and the child touches. "don't climb" and the child tries it. "don't be lazy" and the child wonders what is the meaning of lazy and then be lazy. I think this is a cultural thing, where Asians in general are more negative; more dismissive and reprimand instead of praise; blame instead of reflect, and scold instead of counsel. I married my husband because of his ideals. It's not all talk and no action. He is the sort that walks the talk and means 100% what he says. No lip service. He is my life partner. He works **** hard. Just this week, he covered 2 countries in 3 days, and just so he can get back to us today, before taking off again tomorrow night for another business trip. I know most other guys will take a connecting flight and stay away from family all weekend, and have some booze overseas. Not my husband. He puts us first. He is a faithful husband and a dutiful father to our children. He works with passion and it's a rare trait. We always joked that he's from the dinosaur ages because he gives his all to his office. In this time and day, it's very rare; where youngsters think of job hopping to get their pay rises, and doing very little. By posting this, I mean not to brag about my husband. I post so, that he can be a model that some husbands out there can emulate, and for wives out there to believe in the one they married. If you do not believe and trust your most significant person in your life, then the marriage is already flawed.

^^ Help me out here, LinDA. Your 1st paragraph and 2nd paragraph contradict each other. I am assuming you meant it's not easy to find help to look after your son, so you can spend time with your husband, even though you are living with your parents. What you need to do, is to dedicate time to your parents too (they need their private time as well) where they can be free to do their own things without having to look after your son for you all the time. Similarly speaking, you too need to speak with your parents that you need to spend quiet time with your husband to preserve your marriage. Open up and talk about these things. It makes everyone happy. Otherwise, each and everyone in your own space think the other is selfish.

If you're a parent who believes that a child needs a conducive environment to nurture him/her, then it's enough said that NOT any neighbourhood school will do.

There is NO backdoor to admission at Tao Nan. But all members of the Hokkein Huay Kuan are in Phase 2B, which gives you priority. You can only be a member of this association if you're Hokkien, Hockchia, Hockchew. Send her to Tao Nan only if she is strong in Mandarin or if you, as a parent, is committed to her excelling in Mandarin. I was told that Pri One children start with Higher Mandarin. I could be misinformed here, so it's best you consult the school admin. I think you need to evaluate your child's personality with the school culture of the schools of your choice. I know for a fact that my children cannot survive in a Chinese speaking environment in Tao Nan, so it is not a school of choice for us. I don't have the committment in learning Mandarin. All the best in your choice.

I have used Just Relax (cheesy name though) http://www.justrelax.com.sg/ for almost 1 1/2 years before terminating their services a couple of months ago. They are good and efficient. What I like about their services is that they send in 2 cleaners at a time, and that means that they are out of the house in 2+ hours, as opposed to sending in one cleaner for 4+ hours. With a shorter duration, it means you still can plan our life around this couple of hours and need not be shackled to your home for hours (waste half a day)

Precisely. In all respect to women on this board ... I think you need to change your attitude. Why can't you give your 100%? Because you will be deemed weak for giving your 100%? Silly for giving your heart 100%. What's wrong with being 100% ga ga in love with your husband or BF? I find it even more silly telling your SO that you only love him 80%. What do you expect him to say or react to that? Do you think he will love you 120% so that you will feel more secure? No, he will love you less too. And harbour some escape route in case you too, disappoint him in some way in the future. I think alot has to be said about SG men too (men, don't get defensive yet). SG men can be rather selfish at times. They want to remain in the good books of buddies and sometimes put their friends before their SOs. Why? Because these so called buddies are prone to brand them as being hen-pecked and it's bad for their male egos. I wish these men understand that it's childish. Any man who puts their wives/GFs before themselves are to be cherished. Your friends may never last the lifetime that you are in. Ask yourself who do you want to have by your side when you are 70 years old? Do you want to hold your beloved's hand at 70 years old or do you see yourself huddled at the void decks of HDBs with other old folkies at 70? Air, you will be married soon ... congratulations. But I don't see how retaining 20% is only to save you from any heartbreak. A heart break is a heart break. There is no 80% heartbreak versus a 100% heartbreak. So, in all due respect ... you're only kidding yourself, and giving yourself an illusion of a safety net. The blatant truth in a long lasting and very happy marriage, is when you put your husband before yourself. It's hard to expect the same from your husband but if you show the way, may life reward you with abundance of joy and peace. I think just between the 2 of you ... you still need to talk out your ideology of love and marriage. And your expectations. Seriously.

Food for thought ... What is the point of having a water filter installed to your kitchen tap, if it is the SAME outlet that filtered water and unfiltered water comes out from. Secondly, although DIAMOND is the most preferred brand, I was told that even fluoride and the added minerals good for you are also filtered out?

Has anyone have feedback on the latest Blanco Zeroxline 18/10 Stainless Steel sinks?

Sounds like the insulation is not done properly. It's the condensation water from the compressors. Get your supplier to re-do it. It does not cause harm to your air con unit. But you should feedback to them that your neighbour downstairs is complaining. And see what they can do. When I had a similar problem, my supplier installed a water drainage tray and installed thin drainage pipes to divert the water instead of letting it down straight down. But this may or may not be allowed for HDB.

wookytoo, what you're really looking for is the running tracks and clamp mechanisms for the purpose of installing a sliding panel system. From what I understood, DORMA is your best bet because it is their German technology that makes the system smooth running. Depending on the size of your moveable panels, DORMA has different size clamps to recommend.