The Best Journey Always Leads Us Home

[reglxt 0]

OH MY GAWD, REGLXT! That was EXACTLY the one I was eyeing at Harvey Norman! There would definitely be a dock in the bathroom - just thought I should pick something sleeker if it's going to be placed on the vanity. I can't remember how much it retails here. I was also worried about being too excessive - there's going to be dock on my vanity in the bedroom, a decent sound system in the living room, another dock in the kitchen (or maybe I'll just use the mini speakers~). I just love bobbing to a tune, though The Husband can definitely attest to my crazy dancing around the house!

Did you get yours from Amazon too? The brown one is going for US$149.99 with free US shipping on eBay! I may also use the Logitech Squeezebox for wireless music as another option.

-Ely

ehh i got mine from HN @ 339 (original retail price is 399 + some free gimmick ear phone- if u wanna buy from HN tell them u dont want any free stuff just work out best price for you)

got the white one though .. i tested many docks but this is the best so far (in terms of sound quality)

[Ely1 0]

ehh i got mine from HN @ 339 (original retail price is 399 + some free gimmick ear phone- if u wanna buy from HN tell them u dont want any free stuff just work out best price for you)

got the white one though .. i tested many docks but this is the best so far (in terms of sound quality)

Thanks for the info, reglxt! Will definitely consider. Mmm.

-Ely

[Ely1 0]

DAY 28

All tiling work is done, save for the mosaic in the bathroom, and some rectifications to be made (no fridge allowance ahhh!). Went through the electrical points today over a gruelling 3hr on-site discussion. Head hurtedededed.

Have also planned for roof to be extended next week so we get more shelter from the afternoon sun (that's an additional 2k+ so we're going to leave the water feature till later). Sliding doors being installed tomorrow, so errant aircon trunking will also be dismantled and redone after the sliding doors are up. Have to also plan for day+night curtains for the living room, and two block-out roller blinds for the two bedrooms. Thankfully, that's a small project so we don't have too many windows - leaving the ones in the wet kitchen uncovered to let light through and boxing up another in the master bedroom to make way for my wardrobe, which would all come with built-in lighting! Choosing a black dress among 200 black dresses is tough k.

ELECTRICAL

So, in total:

PLC downlights: 20

Fluro T8 strips: 3

T5 strips: 16

Lamps:

Wet kitchen - 2 ceiling lamps

Dry kitchen - 1 hanging lamp

2nd Bedroom - 1 hanging/ceiling lamp

Master Bedroom - 2 hanging lamps + 2 bedside lamps (or 1 bedside lamp + 1 floor lamp)

Master bathroom - 1 hanging lamp

Walkway - 1 track lighting w/ 3 spotlights

Storeroom - 1 ceiling lamp

Living room - 1 floor lamp

Balcony - 1 cube table light + 1 hanging lamp/1 floor lamp

Everything on schedule, so it's choosing laminates next! Whee! We project moving in by end April so we're counting down! 1 more month to completion and total freedom to dance around house in cute undies (blinds drawn...)!

-Ely

[Ely1 0]

Escalated my claim to PayPal for the wrong steel traps, because not only are they NOT the designs I ordered, but the dimensions were wrong and don't fit into tiles! Have written to the seller twice and nothing, then he simply unregisters himself as a seller!

Ahh!

So, does anyone know where to get these traps locally?

-Ely

[Ely1 0]

Got another piece of art, this time from Jon Allen, called "Cross Currents". Amazing work! This one will go on the corridor with track lights above it, to bring out the depth and movement of the reflective metal. Hoping to create a mirror door at the end for a "cat walk" haha! Like George Sand said, "Vanity is the quicksand of reason"~

-Ely

[El LoCo 3]

Hi..been a silent reader of yr beautiful hse. I so heart the stuffs that u and reglxt been buying online. However I'm a noob in online buying. Care to share yr secret with me, Guru? Many Thanks in advance.

[ne0mesis 0]

That was EXACTLY my main concern, ne0. I chose the deepest of all available in the shapes I wanted (one round, and the other rectangular) but it seems like they make all sinks really shallow nowadays! I predict a lot of pedantic wiping... The deeper ones were all counter-mounted, which wouldn't alleviate the wiping habit so /shrug. Wipe, wipe, wipe.

We're definitely eyeing the kitchen island lamp from Illum Lighting, and the rest from lightings.com.sg, as they are significantly cheaper (quoted $380 after discount for a light we liked but listed on lightings.com at $280). Not sure about downlights and T5 and T8 lights though (we'd need to buy quite a few). Read that it's cheaper in Malaysia? I just don't know where to go though.

Haven't even embarked on fan search yet... sigh. Thanks for the research info! Really saves me some trips! How much was your fan? Think my search would be easier as I'm going for an all-black 56" fan.

is that yr cat? is really a darling!

form 1 function 0.

wipe wipe wipe.

haha

nt sure bout malaysia but forum here does speak about them at length. do check it out.

i like A Lighting Enterprise cause Alex's service is good. since is the norm T5 and T8s u are looking for, why not try A lighting via a call and see if u can get it cheaper.

i bought my living rm fan for $180.

black and 56' is one thing, having good wind is another.

for that many speaks of KDK, but imho no design to talk about.

i only chanced upon this after getting my ceiling fan. i really like its simplicity in shape. performance wise, am not sure. but jus to share, the haiku ceiling fan;

Went through the electrical points today over a gruelling 3hr on-site discussion. Head hurtedededed.

total freedom to dance around house in cute undies (blinds drawn...)!

3hr discussion. been there, done that. largely, we were talking how to create those two-way lightings for easy access.

btw, pse have dimmer function for chandelier, i find my a bit too bright for comfort.

time to hunt your flat and install pin hole camera. WAHAHAHA

Got another piece of art, this time from Jon Allen, called "Cross Currents". Amazing work! This one will go on the corridor with track lights above it, to bring out the depth and movement of the reflective metal. Hoping to create a mirror door at the end for a "cat walk" haha! Like George Sand said, "Vanity is the quicksand of reason"~

am really interested in these art pieces but wondering how's the texture like? smooth? rough? shimmering?

i think any one will go very very well behind my kitchen island which i'm finding it too bare.

[Ely1 0]

Hi..been a silent reader of yr beautiful hse. I so heart the stuffs that u and reglxt been buying online. However I'm a noob in online buying. Care to share yr secret with me, Guru? Many Thanks in advance.

Hi El LoCo,

There is no secret really - just some sites I visit on a regular basis, then google the rest. eBay, obviously, is one, Amazon.com is another (super fast shipping and very reliable), etsy.com for handmade items, kenko for Japanese products. I always check eBay prices against Amazon's, which really saves the hassle of bidding. Sometimes it may take me months to win an item at a price I want to pay, but still, it can be worth it.

As long as you have a PayPal account for eBay (Amazon uses credit card and allows international shipping for selected products), a consignment merchant like vPost or Borderlinx (both free to register), then you're on your way! If there isn't an exact brand you're looking for, try using different search terms on eBay. People list their items different so search terms like "kitchen tap" and "kitchen faucet" and "kitchen mixer" might all give different results. Narrow your search by listing Price lowest, or Ending Soonest; if clothing etc, narrow under size and condition:new etc. This would help going through thousands of results.

Sometimes, I go on both eBay.com.sg and eBay.com to look for the same items as there might be local products or Asian ones, which gives better shipping rates. Also try changing postal location from United States to SGP and check rates that way. If the seller allows worldwide shipping, ask them, on the item's page, how much shipping would cost and how they charge for combined shipping. You may find it more worthwhile to buy several items from one seller instead with combined shipping.

Always leave (truthful) feedback so that sellers will be inclined to leave feedback for you. This will give you certain standing among sellers (some sellers will not sell to those with 0 rating, or less than 10 transactions - it differs with everyone - so read carefully and email them first). The same goes for eBay sellers - if their rating is poor (anything less than 99% is a warning sign to me), read their feedback before deciding if you want to go ahead. I've found that avoiding those with poor feedback really helps. That said, if you find the product unsatisfactory, contact the seller first - they normally will accomodate all requests for exchange/refund because they cannot afford negative feedback. Negative feedback will hinder your account's limitations so pay on time.

Many sellers also provide tracking, so you can simply track your item via "Won/Purchased" tab.

PayPal insures your transactions, so if there's a dispute that the seller won't take responsibility for even after opening a case on eBay, escalate the case to a claim - PayPal will investigate the matter and refund your purchase if it's in your favour.

For Amazon, always read the reviews and scroll through what other people buy instead - sometimes you find something better. Amazon also records what you're searching and would give recommendations. Set up an account with them (it's all free) and you can have as many shipping addresses as you like - use your consignment address, home address and office address and you can simply select which address you want your items shipped to. Everything gets calculated at the end, after you select the credit card you want to use, so you can review the shipping and total cost before confirming the order.

I, then, compare the item with Lowest Price + shipping on eBay, with that on Amazon.com, and Borderlinx's cost calculator, and decide which to go for. Amazon lists product weight and dimensions so you can use that to calculator shipping charges on Borderlinx.

I have the eBay app on my iPhone so I know when I'm outbid and can bid and pay wherever I have connection!

Hope this helps!

-Ely

[Ely1 0]

is that yr cat? is really a darling!

Yep, he has the best nature in the world! Coming home 21 April so am very, very excited! Flight's all booked for him so we're now counting down!

form 1 function 0.

wipe wipe wipe.

haha

What to do~ Wipe, wipe, wipe. Sigh.

nt sure bout malaysia but forum here does speak about them at length. do check it out.

i like A Lighting Enterprise cause Alex's service is good. since is the norm T5 and T8s u are looking for, why not try A lighting via a call and see if u can get it cheaper.

i bought my living rm fan for $180.

black and 56' is one thing, having good wind is another.

for that many speaks of KDK, but imho no design to talk about.

i only chanced upon this after getting my ceiling fan. i really like its simplicity in shape. performance wise, am not sure. but jus to share, the haiku ceiling fan;

Have already planned to go to JB this Saturday so will hunt about - will need to go through this forum again to see if there's any mention of certain shops.

I love the name of the fan! How whimiscial! I'm looking for a fan like this for the balcony:

3hr discussion. been there, done that. largely, we were talking how to create those two-way lightings for easy access.

btw, pse have dimmer function for chandelier, i find my a bit too bright for comfort.

time to hunt your flat and install pin hole camera. WAHAHAHA

Ooh, thanks for pointing that out. Must inform ID again and that would require another switch. Sigh.

Btw, you really don't want to spy - you may run away crying and that would scar you for life.

am really interested in these art pieces but wondering how's the texture like? smooth? rough? shimmering?

i think any one will go very very well behind my kitchen island which i'm finding it too bare.

This artist provides close-ups and actually makes videos, so here's a good way to see the texture:

The texture is smooth as they're all hand-grinded and polished to create the patterns. I say, go for it, ne0!

-Ely

[El LoCo 3]

Thanks for the detailed explaination! Hope I wun be poison too deep as well! Hope yr reno be a breezy one!

Loco

[Ely1 0]

Thanks for the detailed explaination! Hope I wun be poison too deep as well! Hope yr reno be a breezy one!

Loco

Np, Loco - let me know if you need more help. I'll be happy to guide you through it.

Thanks, I hope so too - I wish the same for you!

-Ely

[reglxt 0]

Escalated my claim to PayPal for the wrong steel traps, because not only are they NOT the designs I ordered, but the dimensions were wrong and don't fit into tiles! Have written to the seller twice and nothing, then he simply unregisters himself as a seller!

Ahh!

So, does anyone know where to get these traps locally?

-Ely

ehh ely, have you try alibaba?

these traps normally comes from china...

hmm i wanted to have SS traps as well but my tiler said it will get rusty gradually.. pohjoo sells metal traps as well but not as nice

[Ely1 0]

Guess what The Husband dragged in today:

A Dared MP-5 Vacuum Tube Amplifier! I think he caught the audiophile bug - will have to find vaccination soon. Not even sure where this is going to go, but it's a beauty. Hooked it up to my computer, and female vocals are a true stand-out. Lovely to look at - but just another shiny precioussss. Was thrilled to find that it was packed with gloves and brushes to clean it!

May use it in the vanity I guess~

-Ely

[Ely1 0]

ehh ely, have you try alibaba?

these traps normally comes from china...

hmm i wanted to have SS traps as well but my tiler said it will get rusty gradually.. pohjoo sells metal traps as well but not as nice

Thanks reglxt - will see if Poh Joo has anything similiar, if not I'll order from the same seller again so they'll all be uniform. Sigh.

-Ely

[reglxt 0]

Thanks reglxt - will see if Poh Joo has anything similiar, if not I'll order from the same seller again so they'll all be uniform. Sigh.

-Ely

hey ely its ok

poh joo dont have what you want.. not that fantastic i must say..

i saw afew from alibaba.. seems not bad.. maybe u wanna take a look?