And so Hb and I busied ourselves trying to complete the works in our study room. We bought additional inserts for the bookshelf as well as the side shelves! Here's the final outcome which we're so happy about! :)

Ohhh I also had this "brilliant" idea of creating a so-called 3D art using the various magnets we collected each time we travelled overseas. Some of them were souvenirs from friends too. 

And tadahhh... our study room's complete now! Well maybe we need proper chairs. Currently just using 2 of the chairs from our dining set. Hehehe... 

Hb and I finally decided to do up our study room after over 8 months of moving in. Hehehehe... So on 5-August-2013, we went to Ikea to get the following items:

Shelving unit from the Expedit series to store books, magazines and files. We initially wanted to get the 5x5 one but that only comes in normal paint and not high gloss. Fearing that it may turn yellowish over time, we decided to get the 4x4 one instead in high gloss White. Oh for a moment, we were even considering the high gloss Red one given that our study room is located in the South sector i.e. Fire element. But then we thought it was a tad too outstanding and may look overbearing once we put in our red carpet. So in the end, we went back to our initial choice.

We also bought the matching table from the same series. Colour wise it was either White or Black-Brown. We have a corner showcase unit in our study room that houses paraphernalias that we bought back overseas or collected over the years and that showcase is in Black-Brown. Therefore, Black-Brown it is for the attaching table.

Next, we also bought the 2x4 shelving unit to be placed horizontally for our printer and audio system.

Carpet wise, we took the carpet from our master bedroom; also from Ikea cos my mom gave us several larger carpets and one of them matches our master bedroom. Not forgetting, red's the colour we need for the study room in the South sector.

We could've paid Ikea for the delivery and installation / assembly but HB insisted that it will be a piece of cake (wife is skeptical of course, hahaha) and proceeded to try and load all the above into our car. Thank goodness they all fit.

Next up... how they all fit together in the study room... :)

Several things about moving to a new house...

Switches
Not entirely sure which switch is tied to which lighting or fan or aircond... That often all the lights and fans in the house is on... hehe...

Keys
While it's easy to figure out the main keys of the house, the sub keys are the hardest to figure out cos they all look the same.

New Hob
Everyone seemed to be able to on my new hob except me. Hmmm...

Sweeping & Cleaning
After renovation, the entire place is full of dusts! Even after mopping numerous rounds, it still felt powdery!!!

Nevertheless, slowly figuring them out with Hb... :))
Here's a snapshot of our house. Several pending items still:

TV Panel

• Doors not fitted yet
• Surface to be polished
• Missing drawer to be installed
• Holes to hide home theater wires
• Astro installation
• Fan & middle row of downlights seemed connected to the same switch!

Dining Room

• Painting to be installed

Dry Kitchen

• Missing door to be installed
• Fridge to be delivered

Wet Kitchen

• Grills to be installed
• Additional partition for tall cabinet

Study Room

• Not a single item done yet!

Family Hall

• TV, home theatre & DVD player to be connected
• Astro to be installed

Master Bedroom

• Wardrobe clothes rail, 2 missing
• Toilet flush not working

As you can see, there are still tonnes to be done! :)

Prior to moving in, Hb and I got the move in date selected by Kok.Chong.Ming. There were several dates provided. However not all suited our renovation schedule / leave plans so we were left with only 1 choice i.e. 31-December-2012 (Monday) which also coincides with my parents & brother's move in date to their unit! Lucky thing their timing was earlier i.e. between 5am-7am and ours was between 9am-11am. Which meant that I was able to help out at my parents' house first before moving in to my own house. Lucky thing both our units are on the same row!!!

Here are the list to-dos that we were told to follow for the move in ceremony:

• Before time to move in, hang red cloth at the entrance

• Auspicious time, at the car porch, light pot of charcoal

• Make sure it's burning red (pili palak)

• Patriarch to shout: "San Ook Yup For", "Tai Kat Tai Lei", "Heng Ah", "Huat Ah"!!!
• Patriarch while holding pot of burning charcoal step into the house with LEFT leg NOISILY!
• Take the charcoal pot straight into the kitchen! Don't stop, don't turn back
• Then patriarch to get god statues from the car and tell the gods (facing the sky) - Today we "sun ook yup for, cheng (god's name) into our new home" then put god statues on altar
• Patriarch to add 'ang pow' of RM12 at the bottom of the rice urn. Rice to be 80% full. Carry into the kitchen

• Sequence: > Patriarch: S&P, bank books, cash, jewelry, marriage certificates in pockets > Matriarch: Pillow, cash, jewelry & oil, salt, sauce, vinegar & tea leaves > Son: Marriage cert, bank book, cash, jewelry

• Open all the windows and doors. Switch on lights, on taps!
• Boil sweet dessert. After eating, everybody to say "hou tim"!!!
• All to take bath and change into new clothes!
• Start praying!
• Change bed sheet
• Sprinkle tea leaves, salt and rice and leave for 3 days!
• Move old furniture in!

More on this later as it was an important day for us all! :)
In the meantime, read about how we got the dates in the first place here.

Happy to say that at the eleventh hour i.e. 7-ish, place was thoroughly cleaned! Thank gawd my father managed to get the painter to drive our rubbish away (the stupid garbage man collected the giant garbage bin a day ahead of schedule)!

Update as at 11pm:

Living Room

• TV panel doors not installed yet
• TV!!! Have not purchased a TV yet!!!
• Sofa was delivered at 10pm!!!
• Need to get an additional 1-seater!
• Curtains tracks up
• To hang curtains before moving in
• Windows cleaned
• To put in plug points

Dining Room

• Crystal lighting bought & installed!
• Dining set to be delivered by movers
• Feature mirror! To buy!!!

Dry Kitchen

• Sink & taps installed
• To install pendant lights
• To install drawers
• To install backsplash mirror!
• Fridge to come on Mon / Tue

Wet Kitchen

• Sink & taps installed
• To install handles
• To complete door installation
• To put on hob
• Hood to come on Wed / Thu

Altar Hall

• Lights bought and installed!
• Wall painted!
• Pending altar delivery
• Pending god statue purchase & activation

Master Bedroom

• Bed & mattress delivered
• Side table delivered
• Pending bedsheet set!

Toilets

• Lights installed
• To buy mirrors for toilets

Staircase

• Lights bought and installed!

OK OK, breathe, breathe... still got time...

On the final renovation day (workers can't work on Saturday), everything single corner is still work-in-progress!!! Update as at 12.11pm:

Living Room

• TV panel not polished yet
• Doors not fitted yet
• LED lights not installed

Dining Room

• Lighting not up yet

Dry Kitchen

• Middle backsplash mirror not up yet
• Breakfast bar mirror not up yet
• Cabinet doors not installed yet
• Bar lighting not installed yet

Wet Kitchen

• Still installing the cabinets frame
• Doors not up yet

Altar Wall

• Still painting

Rooms

• Pending colour change

Stress level is extremely high for everyone involved. I am so worried that the place will not be ready for our move in day!!!

Here's an update on our renovation as of 15-December-2012 (Saturday). Renovation is in high gear now as we approach the last 2 weeks of reno.

Car Porch:

• [Done] Down lights installed
• [Done] Prayers wall erected and skim-coated
• In Progress: Skirting around the car porch
• In Progress: Painting works
• Pending: Gate change & auto-gate installation
• Pending: Gate post lamps installation
• Pending: Plugs x 2 to conceal the wires (to display firecrackers ornaments during CNY)

Living, Dining and Dry Kitchen:

• In Progress: TV feature wall for living room
• In Progress: Dry kitchen installation
• Pending: Granite installation for kitchen counter top
• Pending: Sink installation
• Pending: High gloss spray paint works for cabinets
• Pending: Doors change and installation
• Urgent: Plaster ceiling cracked, gotto ask the plaster ceiling guy to come and fix them
• Urgent: Dimensions for the fridge area incorrect, to resize the cabinets accordingly

Wet Kitchen:

• Pending: Tiles for walls, flooring and kitchen counter
• Pending: Granite installation for counter top
• Pending: Sink installation
• Pending: Hood installation
• Urgent: Relocate Unifi box a little for it to be within the kitchen cabinets

Lighting & Fans:

• [Done] Down lights installed
• Pending: Living and dining room T-5 cove lights concealed around the plaster ceilings
• Pending: Feature lighting for dining room
• Pending: Pendant light for breakfast bar & altar area
• Pending: Fans and toilet lights

Master Bedroom

• In progress: Wardrobe installation 
• In progress: Headboard installation

Other pending items:

• Grills
• Paint works
• Plaster ceiling touch ups
• Air-cond installation
• Electrical items to be purchases

More on this...

Finally decided to have an altar at home! Cos only Hb and I will occupy the entire house. Plus Hb has his own business. Best to have our own altar at home. We have decided to pray to Guan Yin Goddess and thus the hunt for an altar began. Actually it wasn't much of a hunt cos' we spotted something that we liked at the first shop we visited via the catalogue that they showed us. Then at the 2nd shop they have the actual unit on display. So on the spot we said OK.

There are however, 2 options. Without a top (as per photo above) or with a top (as per photo below). Personally, I felt that since our altar isn't very huge (think it's 3ft in width), we can have the top. That way, our goddess will have its own background (no need to share the same colour as the wall behind it) and that there will be a light shining on the god statue always. Plus, smoke from the incense won't reached the plaster ceiling so quickly. So ya, that was how we decided to get the one with a top.

 

Price was RM1,088.00 at first but because my parents also bought a different altar from them, they reduced the price to RM988.00. Hb paid a deposit of RM300.00 on 15-December-2012. Delivery date is set on 26-December-2012 and day to "On San" will be on 7-January-2013. A week after we move in on 31-December-2012. Now the next urgent thing to do is to get a Guan Yin Goddess statue that we both like!

These days everything can be done online. Called up Kok Chong Ming to select an auspicious date to move house. Information required are pretty standard for occupants occupying the house. In this case, Hb and I la:

• Name
• DOB
• Time of Birth
• Gender
• Address

Then proceed to bank in RM85 to their account number online, mail them the transaction slip and follow up via phone call to determine if they've gotten the details. That's all. Kok Chong Ming said they will be reverting back tomorrow. :)

Oh, the period we've given them was any day between 22-December-2012 and 6-January-2013. Coinciding with my 2 weeks leave. :)

UPDATE:
We were given 3 sets of dates to move:

• 31-December-2012 (Mon) between 9AM and 11AM
• 2-January-2013 (Wed) between 9AM and 11AM
• 7-January-2013 (Mon) between 9AM and 11AM

Of the 3 dates, think we will most likely move on 31-December-2012 cos the 2nd date wasn't reflected as  a good date to move house according to Lillian Too Almanac and the 3rd date, well I have started work di. Took 2 weeks off work to facilitate the move between 24-December-2012 and 6-January-2013.

We needed to buy 2 sinks. 1 for the dry kitchen and the other for the wet kitchen. The one for the dry kitchen will mostly just be for light washing so that means that the one at the back will need to be the main one Hb and I use daily for whatever it is that we do in the kitchen!

The decision was a simple one! Get a double bowl sink!!! Why? Cos we are always fighting to use the sink with one another. Say if Hb is washing dishes, I will suddenly see the need to wash something too at that precise moment! Similarly when I am busy washing, Hb will often "excuse me excuse me" and wash his hands or whatever he has to wash at that precise moment!

So ya. To solve this issue, we shall just get a double bowl! Hehe... Besides, we don't do heavy cooking so no issue like difficulty in washing big ass wok!

Hb got this for RM495.00 on 26-Nov-2012. :))

First thing this morning, I sent these references (and more) to Hb to gauge his interest level on the usage of grey for our interiors. Surprisingly he was OK with it! Coupled with the fact that it represents the Metal element that we both need, he was SOLD! Teehee...

But then now, we have to look at the various shades of grey to ensure that the house does not look too sanitized and industrial... Come to think of it, wonder if there are really 50 Shades of Grey aside from the book... hahahaha...

 

Will pour over the various materials and shades available over the next few days. Fingers crossed that the outcome will be something that both Hb and I like!!!

Yesterday we had to begin deciding on the materials and colours of:

• Wall paints
• Wet kitchen tiles
• Kitchen cabinets
• Counter tops
• TV feature wall
• Grills

When we first started thinking about colour schemes, we looked at numerous photos on the Internet. And somehow we were both okay with earthly tones... the safe neutral colour-combo of white, brown and black. However, there was also this naggy little voice within me that occasionally says "What about grey? Grey is also easy to match and is pleasing to the eyes... Plus, it is of Metal element, something that both Hb and I need!"

The thing is, I signed up for L.i.l.l.i.a.n T.o.o's O.n.l.i.n.e P.a.h.t C.h.e.e C.o.u.r.s.e and have officially graduated (have even gotten my certificate). And during the course, I realized that both Hb and I lack the Metal element and that as much as possible we should try to have the element present in our lives. So now that we are renovating our place from scratch, it is the perfect occasion to inject the Metal element...

But because we both have not had the experience of 'playing' with grey, we kept pushing the idea... Until yesterday, when my brother (an architect) suggested it. So that got us thinking... We are renovating 2 units; our unit and my brother/parents' unit (both on the same row, only 6 units apart). The drawings and designs are done by my brother. And while there are slight customizations here and there, both units are similar in terms of major reno works. Probable differences are on furniture, colour-schemes and material. My parents like earthly tones and so when we too like earthly tones, our selections were pretty similar. So similar that we had to spend a lot time trying to make them different. A different shade, a different texture, a different placement etc.

So when he casually brought up the "grey" idea, that got us thinking harder this time... as in "Why not?". So yesterday night, I went around the net to look for numerous references on usage of grey in interiors so that Hb and I can see clearly if it's something that we can accept...  

To be continued...

One of the toughest things about renovation is colour-scheme selection. Initially, both Hb and I thought we like earthly tones... i.e. brown, black and white which is also the colour scheme for our KS weekend home now. So when we went to shop for downlights, we immediately picked the only dark colour available; 4-inch glossy chrome casing with frosted glass.

The rationale was simple (or so we thought at that point in time):

• White may turn yellowish over time
• Chrome will make an interesting contrast to the white plaster ceiling
• Wires are visible if glass panel is non frosted
• 4-inch is just nice, any larger, very "cho lor"
• Warm light cos white light is harsh
• Energy saving bulb for obvious reasons
• Fans; we're likely getting chrome ones vs. the white ones...

And so we proceed to buy 56 units! Why 56?

• 4 x Living Room
• 6 x Dry Kitchen
• 8 x Wet Kitchen
• 2 x Toilet 3
• 4 x Room 4
• 6 x Master Bedroom
• 4 x Walk In Wardrobe
• 4 x Family Hall
• 4 x Corridor Upstairs
• 4 x Room 2
• 4 x Room 3
• 6 x Porch

Note that for Living and Dining area, there will be ceiling mounted fluorescent lights concealed along the plaster ceilings. Hence the minimum number of downlights required in these areas.

The chrome coloured downlight that we selected was slightly more expensive than the plain coloured ones. But then because this guy is my bro's wife's friend's husband, the discount was better than other shops we surveyed:

• RM14.00 Casing
• RM13.00 Energy Saving Bulb
• RM27.00 Each

Grand Total = RM1,500.00 (Paid in Cash on 27-Oct-2012)


So we happily bought them all and loaded them onto our car. 6 full boxes of them! End of story? No! Cos ONE MONTH LATER... we began to doubt our selection. Why?

• The ID we consulted said any colour is fine... as long as it's not the glossy finish type cos any imperfections, dent etc will be super visible...
• Google said... stay away from chrome, it may rusts...
• Family said... the contrast is so weird... the chrome coloured downlights will be jarring...

In actual fact, one man's meat is another man's poison i.e. doesn't matter what others say, so long as we like them, different people has different taste and preference. However, the part where it may rusts and that dents are super visible... made us think twice. Afterall, we are not exactly experts in lighting. So we decided to heed the advise from the experts (the ID we consulted and my brother; an architect). We went back to the shop and asked if we could change the casing. Lucky thing, they said OK... So this time round, after much deliberations, we said OK let's go with the white one... But then even with white, there are 2 options:

• White with opening in the middle (top row, 3rd from left but in matt white)
• White border without opening (top row, 2nd from left)

After another round of discussion; with opening (where dusts tend to gather around the opening gaps) vs. without opening (we felt that it's not exactly hard to pry the casing from the plaster ceiling), we went with the 2nd option i.e. white border without opening. Oh and the part about it turning yellowish, we said, we will not smoke in the house, so it should be fine!

So OK, happily thought there will be sufficient balance for us to get other lighting from the same shop since we still need:

• 1 x Pendant Light for the Altar Area
• 1 x Pendant Light for Dining Area
• 1 x Pendant Light for Breakfast Table
• 6 x Wall Light for Toilet
• 2 x Outdoor Light for Porch Pillar

But when the recalculations were made, to our disappointment, there isn't much difference cos apparently, the one we selected earlier were on promotion, the one we are selecting now is not:

• RM12.50 Casing
• RM13.00 Energy Saving Bulb
• RM25.50 Each

Grand Total = RM1,428.00 (Exchanged on 25-Nov-2012)
Balance = RM84.00

Nevertheless, we have returned the chrome casings and will collect the new ones once they are ready (need to order it seemed). Honestly, the entire experience made us felt so 'bodoh'. Like we can't even decide on such a simple item! But then Hb said because the stakes are so high i.e. this entire renovation will cost us a bomb, we can't afford to make mistakes so it is only natural that we are unsure or maybe even afraid to make our choices. I say, we're indecisive, hehe. The only consolation is perhaps we're both in this together!

Moving forward, we will make sure we weigh the pros and cons properly before making our final decision.

OMG, so stressful!!!

Well... it's been awhile since I last posted anything here. And yup it was because I had been extremely busy with both my personal and work life. Today's topic will be on my personal life.

Hb and I, we rarely have arguments. Friends told us that when they were planning for their weddings, they had the most disagreements and fights. But when Hb and I looked back at our wedding planning, it was one of the happiest moments of our lives. We didn't argue a single bit. Every single decision was made collectively either through consensus or compromises. It was simple, enjoyable n pleasant.

However things changed when we started renovating our house! We argued day and night and quarrel about anything and everything. From the type and brand of appliances to buy to the layout of rooms to lightings to furniture to reno details. Basically every damn thing!

It has been truly exhausting and tiring. One day we decided that we need to stop getting on each other's nerves or at the very least try to consciously steer away from arguing. The rationale was a simple and straightforward one. In future when we look back at the memories of building our dream home together, would we want to remember all the fights, arguments, irritations and annoyance with one another or would we rather have a great pleasant memory like our wedding planning before?

You don't need to be a rocket scientist to know which one we opted for. It is true that marriage needs compromise and lots of work from both parties in order to keep it healthy. Am glad we somewhat came to our senses early enough before it leaves a dent in our marriage.

These days we learn to hear each other out first and to discuss every single detail calmly without being overly emo over our personal preferences. So far, it has been working for us. Fingers crossed that we will be able to complete building our dream home peacefully! :))

Remembered when I bought my first property, there wasn't a stress test with any electrician or plumber. So when we were told that we need to make appointments to go through the stress test, we were pretty amused.

My appointment date was on 13-Aug-2012; Monday at 11am. Instead of going straight to our house, we detoured to get McD to "tapau" breakfast. When we reached our house at 11.05am, there was already a group of people in front of our house!
... 1 x Site Supervisor
... 2 x Electrician
... 1 x Alarm Guy
... 1 x Plumber
... 1 x Cleaner

• The Site Supervisor first took us through the long list of 'inventories' in the house e.g. number of electric points, taps, trap holes etc...
• Then the Electrician took over and tested every single plug point in the house including lights and fans wiring for electricity flow. Lucky thing of all, only 1 point was faulty but that too they fixed it on the spot immediately
• Then the Plumber also tested every single basin and toilet bowl in the house to check for leakages. Again, the leakages were also fixed on the spot. Just some loose bolts and nuts somewhere.
• Then the Alarm guy thought us how to use the alarm system
• Finally, they opened up the manhole; located at the backyard and told us to see if water comes out freely while they pour a bucket of water each down every traphole in the house
• Subsequently, the Cleaner that came along mopped the floor before they left

The entire joint inspection took approximately 2 hours. All in all it was pretty impressive how the unit was handed over to us. We were then asked to submit our defects upon inspecting the house... most of the defects we submitted revolve around:
... Crack lines
... Uneven wall / surface
... Stains on tiles

Submitted our defects form on the day itself, although we were told that work will only begin after Raya... Next step, the design part from my bro... :)

And so keys were collected on 04-Aug-2012 after 2 long years of waiting. The whole family went together! Hb and I to collect keys for our unit, parents, brother and his wife for their unit! So happy!!!

3 sets of keys here... :D



Me at our gate... :)



Hb opening the door to our house officially for the 1st time!



My parents at their unit... :)

Such a happy day for us all... our dream homes are finally ready!!! And to think that we are on the same row, only 6 units apart makes me feel OH SO HAPPY!!! YIPPIEEEEEEEEEEE!!!