Home : Legally ours!

Proud owners  28.11.13

Home : Interior designers or contractors?

31 October 2013

The search for an interior designer was much trickier than I envisaged. We took almost a month and one full circle to decide on using one. 

We started off certain that we needed an ID, for that collective, complete kind of look we wanted for our home. The husband shortlisted a couple of IDs based on the designs they showcased online. Out of the few that we consulted (or many - depending on your standard), some were really nice but so high end that their quote was way above our budget, some simply unreliable that you wouldn't dare take the chance with, and some who could promise us everything in terms of timing and budget but who we were either not comfortable with (read: gangsterish) or who didn't give us the comfort and assurance that they could deliver the style that we wanted.

You see, the husband and I both had a very strong idea of how we wanted our home to be like. Down to the kind of sofa we wanted, the clean lines of the feature wall we liked, to the color scheme, theme and more. And we both were not the super-easy-going-anything-is-fine kind so we had to make sure that we communicated our ideas across and have at least some assurance that the ID could pull off the look we wanted. We certainly could not afford a major FAIL here. 

So after about 3 weeks of scouting and finding no one close to what we wanted, that's where it led us to think.. MAYBE just maybe we could pull this whole thing off by ourselves using a contractor. So we started a concurrent search for contractors, tilers and carpenters. Major underestimation of the work and details this would entail, by us. On hindsight, I'm sure it would have failed miserably if we had undertaken the whole project ourselves. Just the time factor alone would have killed us. 

Thankfully, somewhere towards the end of the third week,  I remembered Russ. I recalled his home many years back and liked his style and so we quickly called and met up with him. And voila, end of story! We finally had a designer. Yay!

It was still somewhat a leap of faith, how do people actually decide on an ID? You would never really know if both parties were totally aligned in terms of taste and style and so there is some element of instincts and gut feel that you just have to .. trust. And of course there were all the budget hiccups, problem lying mainly with us, perhaps a bit unrealistic, plucking a number from the air and wanting to do so many things with the house. But we move on.. hehe, by increasing our budget. 

So it took us almost a month and one whole round, but yeah finally we have Russ to call our ID! 

To the movies, Wayne goes

Wayne looking smart, all excited to be heading out for a movie! 

"I am Uncle J" he always says, whenever he slings his bag across his shoulder

His second movie and both times to catch Thomas on the big screens. This time, for the King of the Railways movie (which btw is available on YouTube as well, hehe). 

We had initially wanted to both accompany him for the movie, just like the previous time, but considering how little time we have had with the children the past weeks (and to lessen the load on our parents!) because of our renovation works, we decided that one of us would take care of Amanda while the other accompany Wayne for his movie. 

So the morning of the show I asked Wayne who he would like bring him to the movie. And, he chose ...... daddy! (Daddy was pleased as punch). He ran up to daddy all excited and told daddy he wanted him to go to the movies with him. But not before he quickly ran back to me and asked if I would be sad by his choice. Awww... my sweet boy, he even considered my feelings. He really is my little loving boy.  No sweetie, I'm not sad...mommy's happy that you want daddy to accompany you! My precious boy!!!!

Looking handsome

Supermarket charmer

The little charmer spent her Sunday morning waving, smiling and playing with strangers at the supermarket as mommy settled the groceries. 

Sunday mornings are usually spent at home with the kids as the husband goes for his soccer session and the helper comes for four hours to help with the household chores. Today was different though, the husband was home so Amanda and myself took the opportunity to do some grocery shopping, and how I love these unexpected, unplanned time out with my little bub, short as it may be.  

She constantly surprises me with all her funny antics - she is at this stage were she loves to copy whatever you do - making me feel I'm getting to know her that bit more each day, understanding what makes her tick. I love how these set of photos really bring out who she is, ever playful and ready to charm mommy off my feet. 

I love you, my little happy darling! 

A meal simply satisfying

I seldom gush nor blog about food, but that's what a really good meal does to you. Two Saturdays back, the husband and I went on a date night. With two young children at home (as lovable and angelic as they may be!), date nights are totally essential - it keeps your sanity in check (Mich, I don't know how you survive in Japan!).  I am a strong believer that a happy family begins with loving parents. So while it is important to spend quality time with the kids, I need my one-on-one time with my husband too! And besides... with two kids to fuss over, enjoying a slow, relaxing dinner is really a rarity these days!

So back to our dinner, it was our first time to Gordon's Grill and oh my, by the end of our dinner, full and satisfied, we were both exclaiming that it was one of the best meals we have had. 

I went for the seafood (totally me) while the husband went for the steak (totally him). Both mains turned out simply delectable. To share, we had the pan fried scallops and lobster bisque, which didn't disappoint as well. It was a combination of both the yummy food and the good service that made the whole dinner so enjoyable (Increasingly, good service is hard to come by!). The service staff were friendly and thoughtful, we actually enjoyed them being there. It was the simple touches, like the handshake at the end of the meal and the friendly, almost jokey way they talked to you, that made you feel totally at ease. It was fine dining but not overly formal. It was no wonders that many of the patrons there were regulars.  Likewise for us, we'll definitely be back.

Slabs of meat.... you get to see what you will be eating before being brought to the kitchen

Cutting the meat to the size of your liking

Precision.. 230 grams for the husband!

Courtesy of the house - Chilled angel hair pasta with crab meat and caviar

Some good bread

Scallops with ham

Lobster bisque, thoughtfully separated into two smaller bowls for sharing

This was my main - a combination of juicy lobster with foie gras and tenderloin. Never knew foie gras could taste sooooo good!

And the husband's ribeye with a slice of beef cheek at the side

And us. I am blessed. 

What's your favorite number?

Wayne's.

Home : The Beginnings

I remember one of the first few show flats the husband and I visited years back, was Merasprings a development near Novena. While we did not purchase a unit in that project, it sparked off our excitement and eagerness in searching for that place we'd call home. Since day one I toyed with the idea of blogging on our home hunting journey. It was a blessing in disguise that I was too lazy to start a blog back then because little did I know it would take us 1,361 units and many years later to finally find that perfect home. But find that home, we finally did. 

From new launches to resale units, condominiums to landed properties, we have seen so many projects and units that we have lost count. From the initial euphoria of finding that supposedly ideal home, writing that cheque for our potentially biggest purchase ever, to the disappointment of having our offer rejected.. we have experienced it all. It was truly a journey of countless ups and downs, but we have no regrets. We look back at where the journey has brought us to, and it has been worthwhile.  For if we had bought a place any earlier, the dynamics would have been very different. 

So, the journey while seemingly has ended with us finally (omg finally!!!) purchasing a place, it really is just the start of us building our very own home. And so.......

....... our home blog begins!!!! *squeals*

Headache!

Our perfect kind of a weekend

A hearty breakfast to start the weekend never fails! Love the brekkie at Toby's - favorite.

Love how Amanda looks so cheery in this set of photos with the sunshine casting a warm glow on her lovely face.

And how could I miss out, our precious boy who always loves a pose!

   

The yummy crispy croissant, absolutely scrumptious!

A Halloweeny Nite

If there was a prize for best dressed this Halloween (I should have!), it would definitely have gone to grandma. Well, yiyi was supposed to turn up as a pumpkin and give grandma a run for best dressed, but.. she did not. Hehe. Anyway, it was a simple Halloween activity we had, which involved the kids dressing up a lil and the family taking a stroll at the sky terrace. 

It was for Wayne more than anything. I bought him a cute little pumpkin basket and he was delighted to fill it with m&m's, Yakult and sweets. I'm not surprised if it was the chance to eat all these snacks that got him excited - too much chocolate this boy have been having of late! I should stop stocking up our drawer with milo and koko crunch.

Mei Mei had this ultra cute orange tutu skirt which her perky butt did much justice to. She looked adorable. She of course didn't really know what the hype was about and why grandma looked a bit scarier than normal that night (hehe), she was visibly fearful of grandma's long black witch hat, for the first few minutes at least. Kudos to grandma for coming up with that hat in such short notice, handmade no less. Quite a witch, isn't she? I personally loved her blouse which complemented her entire get up that night perfectly.  San-yi, where were you??

 

Emo

It's been really hectic the past week trying my utmost to juggle work and a 101 other things, I was exhausted. So yesterday the moment I stepped into home, I threw myself on the bed and exclaimed to nobody actually (it was only Wayne and myself at home)  "I'm so tired i'm going to die!"

I closed my eyes trying to get some rest before we had to go out again later. In my exhaustion, I didn't realise what effect all these little actions of mine the past few minutes had on Wayne. I did realise him creeping up beside me lying down beside me, I thought he was tired and wanted to nap too. But I heard sniffling sounds and when I opened my eyes I realized he was sobbing. Just tiny sobs. In between his sobbing, he told me he didn't want me to die. My little emo boy!!!! He had heard me exclaiming that I was so tired I was going to die and he took it literally. He is really such a sweetie. 

Sometimes I really do forget he is just a 4 year old child. 

Down I

Wayne was repeatedly asking me what the down I was. It took me a while to figure out what he was trying to ask, much to his frustration. Turned out he was referring to the exclamation mark! Haha - the way he described it.

Sleeping beauty

Baby, you really got momma cracking up with this sleeping position!