Ely1

I think so. The excel sheet really is so scary, I keep wishing the auto-sum is wrong! Mine seems way more than you, Martin /cry. Too scary to breakdown and list on blog methinks. -Ely

Wah, I want to feeeeeel! -Ely

Hi footprint, He's 2yrs 3months. I agree that they're both affectionate and independent, which is something I like about them. Less fuss than dogs which require a lot more attention. Bondi is also quite a sedentary breed unlike a Bengal and very quiet compared to a Siamese. He's happy to follow you around the house and sit in your lap (till it gets too warm for him). Currently, at my parents', we have 4 dogs, 2 cats (excluding Bondi), 1 parrot and fish. Quite a zoo. -Ely

Thanks! I think so too *no shame* Here's a couple more: -Ely

Thankfully I visited your t-blog, valerie and eggroe. That's a very comprehensive lighting plan. I wish I had done the same. Basically pointed and pondered on-site with my ID. Gawd, now cannot even remember what was agreed on!! I'm so retarded. Was just wondering where to go in JB for the lights. We have a Malaysian friend who would take us so no need to rely on GPS (hopefully)! I hear that lights are so much cheaper there, but if I can't find the feature lamps I saw and love, I'll come back and just get them here, and buy all the T5/T8/downlights in JB. So Tampoi, here we come! My apartment is also old (25yrs old!), in original condition, and needed a major rehaul but my reno costs are a lot more than yours. I have the same Samsung TV too at the same price (not at IT show)! I wonder why condo threads have poor response... -Ely

Hi Mae, Your ID goes shopping with you?! Wah! So far, I've been trusting nothing but intuition haha. Have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. My taps were not expensive - about $238 for one and $278 for another, chosen just to match the basins. Let's hope they all go together like yours. Sometimes it's very hard to imagine, so you're lucky your ID guides you through your purchases. -Ely

Maybe better to go down, just to get my pick of the right wallpaper. I'm worried the samples might not be enough (I'm picky)! So far, I only have plans to wallpaper one wall in the Master Bedroom (like yours, against the bed), but now wondering if I should wallpaper the strange beam right smack in the middle of the house - make it a feature instead of odd beam. Hmm. -Ely

Welcome to RT, CutieCat! Nice squarish layout - I like! -Ely

Hi reglxt, Went to alibaba, but don't they mostly cater to wholesale enquiries (bulk orders)? Couldn't find the exact same one either, so I'll just go back to the reliable shop~ At least I'm being refunded by PayPal -Ely

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

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

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

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

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

Ooh, I was told to go to Goodrich by my ID too (looking for damask, and bold striped prints) but will visit Summer Interior instead. Thanks!! -Ely

Oooh, very nice progress, friends78! I got poisoned after clicking on the simplehuman link - AHHH! Next time will refrain from clicking on all links. TV console looks really nice lit, and such a cozy shoe cabinet nook! -Ely

Hi Summer Rain, Welcome to RT! What do you mean the installation wasn't done properly? Tiles are not levelled? The grouting too thick? Not sure what you mean by "blinking floor" either! Definitely need pics! Create an account with Photobucket, or Flickr - then Upload photos. I'll use Flickr as an example because that's what I use. Pick the files you want, can choose multiple, just hold down ctrl and click selections. Click Upload. Go to the picture you want or select from your Photostream anytime clicking on "You" tab. Click on the image you want to host: Click "Share This": You can choose sizes under "Actions" drop down menu beside "Share This". Select "View All Sizes", pick the size - "Square", "Thumbnail", "Small", "Medium 500", "Medium 640", "Original", "Large". Right-click on the sized image and select "Properties". Copy URL. On the forum, simply click on the icon above the text box that has a picture on it: - A pop up will appear, then just paste the link in it. Easy-peasy! -Ely

Hi Mae, I love your taps too! They go very well with your sinks! Have no idea what kind of flow my taps would have since I didn't test - do you usually test before buying, or do the salespeople tell you what kind of flow? It never occured to us - guess it's going to be another surprise! -Ely

We wanted the Chengal wood too, but changed our minds due to the cost - it would be about 6k just to deck our balcony! We ended up using those wood-grain tiles you mentioned. Our ID didn't mention the colour will fade though... he said it's fine as long as we like the "feel" (so I took off my shoes at Hafary...). The grain can definitely be felt, and while it does not have the same feel as wood, we also felt it might be easier to maintain because of our pets. This is what it looks like: Hopefully the newly extended roof will provide more shelter and prevent the fading, especially when our balcony is going to be dining area. Love the look of those wooden multiple-fold doors too, but they're pricey when we need 6 panes at least - so chucked the idea too As a consolation, we tell ourselves it would blend better with the "modern look" of the rest of the apartment. Sigh. -Ely

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

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

Hi May, While I was in Australia, I grew a mini herb garden, even some broccoli - Chives, English parsley, flat-leaf parsley, Thai curry leaves, rosemary, corriander, red lettuce, mint, and even catnip and cat grass for the kitties! The climate there is different but it was definitely easy to keep (I bought them in small pots, then replanted in garden) and they strived! Rosemary eventually became a huge bush, and it always smells great everytime you walk past. So handy for cooking! Other common ones that friends had were lemon trees and chilli padi. Try the nurseries for small potted herbs -Ely

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

I love this one, for the lighting effect and privacy if there's a light source there. And: for its unique look and practical storage. I've also shelved (pun intended) the idea of building shoe cabinet/divider so am planning to use an open shelf for the "foyer" area. Where do you find these great designs! Let us know which one you choose in the end -Ely

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