Throwback : Assembly R Us

Remember this?

How do you buy this from Ikea? Well not whole like what you see. You have to buy the parts. YES THE PARTS. How do you know what parts is what? This is how you do it

1. Measure area where rack needs to go in.
2. Go to ikea to see the display. A few times. Bring measuring tape
3. Take the brochure home and spend a few days understanding the parts. Trust me, you need a few days.
4. When you have calculated all the parts that you need, go to Ikea and get the parts. Remember to buy the mounting rail. Very important. 

The parts that I bought.

I doubt myself initially if both of us who have no skills can assemble this but after conversation with the Ikea people who kept telling us, that it's easy to self assemble, we decided to give it ago. Papa Bit who is a retired tradie sponsored a lot of the equipment. Mama Bits sponsored food. Thanks to Papa and Mama Bits. 

After 5 hours, lots of swear words and pencil markings not to mention a wrong drill hole it is finally up! We were so happy we took a lot of stupid photos which will never be posted up here or anywhere else. It does look a bit off as I can't find the perfect measurement. Unless you build your house around Ikea measurements it's not that easy to find a perfect fit. Maybe Ikea will come out with assemble-your-own-house kit in the near future. 

The good thing about self assembly from Ikea. Add-ons

Bits parents are also super impressed with what their son did. I told him he cant't say no to house repair next time. LOL

Throwback : Missing utensils

In preparation of moving out, I bought these utensils at Ikea when they are dirt cheap. I don't remember the price now but it is a good 'steel'.

I packed it so well I can't even find where I packed it. My original intention was to pack all my stuff according to location but I realize it made some boxes too heavy and other too light. So I ended up mixing things up so that each box has the same average weight. Easier to carry as I am not hiring movers. It also mess up my box labeling.

For the first few weeks I can't find my utensils. Only found a few chopsticks so I eat with them and my measuring spoon. A measuring spoon is still a spoon right and the best thing is you can measure what you eat LOL.

Bits was horrified naturally and told his mum. His whole family rallied and gave me some pre-loved cutlery. So sweet of them but as you can see in angmo household, spoon is not a popular item so I got like 4 sets of knives,forks and one big ass spoon. Still beats eating from measuring spoon.

My plan is to tough it out and buy another set of utensils during Christmas sale. But thank God utensils were found eventually. Where? Still in my uncle's house safe and snug under the table. Don't ask how I can miss a freaking set of utensils behind.

Throwback : The greatest frustration

Is seeing all the unpack stuff lying around. As I was telling Nite - tak aman. Can't sleep in peace and misplaced things. 2 days after I moved in I lost my balcony keys ( I eventually found back the keys at the bottom of my clothes peg basket after a few weeks - don't ask). Luckily it can still lock without keys but I feel so insecure. Keep feeling someone is going to break in via the balcony doors.

This is just some of the stuff lying around

While the head understands all this unpacking is a feat of 100 days, the heart cannot settle down until everything is packed away neatly. The idea was for Bits to come over the weekends to help assemble the remaining furniture (remember handicapped hand). But a couple of days after moving in I fell sick with a secondary nasal infection. Dr gave me 3 days of medical leave with some strong knock you out meds. Instead of resting, because no matter what I can't, I spent my MC putting furniture together. The whole world frowns and I have dents on my furniture.

Bits did this

Luckily I still have all my fingers. So happy once all the furniture are done cause that means I can finally unpack and unpacking sooth my soul much better than medicine. Best sleep ever after this.

It was therapeutic and I can finally locate some of the stuff that I had no idea where I packed it. So happy to see my totoros too!

My stash from Japan. Finally able to display them in full glory.

It finally started to look like a home.

Electricity Connection

I think this is the first time I ever connected electricity to a home. It was easier than I thought. The hardest bit was to determine the right provider. Electricity provider here has been privatised hence there are many competitions out there. Luckily I did my initial survey and pretty much leaning into AGL. First I ask around who is using what, then I hop onto those compare market websites like Meerkat and iSelect. OMG the iSelect is super fast, the minute I click 'Send' phone rings and they are already proposing the perfect plan.

While on the front the options that they proposed are really good i.e. discount as high as 38%, on closer scrutiny you will find the base rate is also much higher. AGL has a lower discount but their base rate is lower as well. They also verify that I am on a dual meter system which means anything thermal generating like water heater or heater goes on a lower wattage! This might be something common here but for the kampung girl aka me - I was impressed.

Not to mention as partners of Flybuys, they are going to credit me 10,000 Flybuys points. That means $50.00 for groceries. Nite, grab your recycle bag, let's do some grocery shopping.

I told them I need to electricity connect in 2 days. They didn't even blink and it's done in 2 days. I thought it will take at lest 15 days to do it but I might be jaded by house purchase process and try not to set too high expectation. Maybe this is the standard SLA - I don't know but I am pretty sure they don't do it that fast in Boleh land. Anyway super impressed.

Thanks to the efficient electric people I can do my house inspection right on time. Also it feels right to subscribe to this provider as I own a small piece of the business. Better pay my own company then a competitor!

Go AGL and fingers crossed the settlement will go smoothly as well.

The Inspection 2

Is this a ploy to generate more post? This is absolutely a ploy to generate more posts. Read on.....
So it took me an hour to complete the inspection and the results was 0 defects. I am pretty sure I wasn't wearing any rose colored glasses and tried very very hard to find even 1 defect. There was NONE. Absolutely mind boggling. However there are 2 findings that I must report.

The stove
As it turns out, it is not induction after all. It's halogen. Usually this is a cause for celebration but Bits just bought me a set of induction cookery worth $250.00! I gave the Agent a dirty look. He reminded me the Developer has a right to change. I told him I don't mind changing to halogen, in fact I love that it is non induction but he could have told me earlier so that I don't have to spend so much on just cookery. $250.00 could have bought me a whole kitchen starter kit from Kmart with money to spare! Gr....

The Exhaust Fan
It's working perfectly fine but it is a bit optic illusion. There are exhaust vent from the bath, toilet and laundry but during testing we found out there is just one fan with 3 vents, so no matter which switch you turn on, you activate the fan. My helpful colleague ask me to test the fan sucking power by bringing a scented candle. I got a joss stick as it has more smoke. You should see the Agent. He almost died trying to hold his laughter in. He said there is a faster method which is to lay a piece of paper over the vent, if it holds, then it's sucking fine. He did it for us as me and Bits are much shorter LOL.

We even tested out the keys and I flash my puppy eyes at the agent to see if I can get more than 1 security token. I told him there are 4 people living with me so I do need that many. He said he will try to get 2 free ones for me and the rest I will have to pay.

See already future proofing house for guest. You folks that said wanna come and visit me, better make sure you make plans to come visit me. Extra tokens cost me $20.00 per token leh.

The Inspection Part 1

Actually the Dr said I am not suppose to use the laptop after work but I can't stand it. Must record this moment as it's part of house countdown.

The agent called me to arrange for a house inspection which is really weird as I thought house inspection is usually the day you got your key. Regardless of the time I am pretty excited. Asked if Uncle and Aunt are ok to tag along, they decline politely. So I ask Bits whom readily accepted the opportunity to show what a thoughtful boyfriend he is. LOL - I don't think I gave him any choice.

The first person I reached out was my dear Pig sister. She gave me a list of items to look out for and reassure me that the workmanship here will be much more superb than Bolehland. I am now enclosing this list for all my readers and for my future self should I be fortunate to buy another property.

• All doors - scratches, hinges and fit-frame (open and close properly).
• All locks 
• All windows - closing and opening properly, locking properly. cracks/chips, window seal.
• Wall - uneven patches, crack (need natural light to see this)
• Floor - uneven floor and if carpet - edges and joining.
• Floor trap - water flow and no water pooling.
• Cabinet - hinges, handles, shelving is balance and all screws present
• All water taps working
• Water flow and pressure - simultaneously turning on all faucets to see if any decrease in pressure.
• Power outlet - all functional 
• Oven and stove - workable
• Toilet - flushing
• hot water/cold water working
• Air conditioning/ heater working
• Exhaust fan working
• Smoke alarm present.

Needless to say I impressed the hell out of the real estate agent by turning up with my own muscle man and a pail with a hair dryer, post it notes, checklist and marker.

To be continue....

Settlement in 2 weeks

29 Sept 2015, Mark the calendar! I am getting my key on this day or earlier. This day will rate as one of the most memorable days of my life and the start of more debts. As uncle said, 'Stop fixating on that fact. It's just transforming one asset form to another.' Oh well... I will try uncle.

So first thing in thing in the morning, I am on fire calling both solicitor and lender to make sure there is nothing holding up the process.

Solicitor's assistant said, all documents forwarded to the lender and lender said we are verifying it. Not too sure what to verify but they said as soon as it is sorted out they will release the fund and they should be able to meet the deadline.

Really feel like telling them, the deadline is not a target ler. Should try and aim for earlier, c'mon!

Praying very hard that all goes well from here. If past performance is indicator of future performance I will be in another nail biting ride.

A nice sofa

Look at this sofa. I can totally imagine it in my apartment.... until I see the price. it's more than $1k. What the hell? $1k can buy 1/2 of what I need in Ikea. And no I did not dedicate a precious Sunday to window shop furniture.

I passed by a row of furniture shops on my way to foot reflexology + massage in Nunawading. Got curious and went in to check out some prices. All it does was just to reaffirm my decision to buy it all in Ikea...or second hand from Gum tree.

I wonder how Ikea can price it so low? Are they using really crap material? Do I expect my furniture to break after 5 years? Told Aunty about my encounter and she immediately know what shop I am talking about. Is there anything that she doesn't know? Or is it the number of years she's been staying here? Comparatively I feel like I don't know anything besides the obvious.

At least I know I don't need to visit any furniture shop. Nothing beats Ikea.

Alarming Alarms

Did 3 quotes for house alarm and one came back saying they only quote for back to base. The other 2 quote around the same price which is $1,200.00. One was just standard motion sensor alarm that will shout the neighborhood down. The other one is more sophisticated and takes photo of the intruder and send it to my phone.

Now the second one seems more desirable but I was worried what if the webcam got hacked? Having a camera in my home sounds dangerous and scary too. Anyone who can access the mainframes of the security firm can see what I do at home. So looks like I am going with RACV though their quote is slightly higher than the camera totting one.

Sigh, alarms so expensive but necessary. Ok back to happy thoughts. Am gonna get this dinning table with extendable leaves that can accommodate up to 8 people.

At its present state, it will fit just nicely in the nook next to the kitchen. Also wondered when would I ever entertain 8 people in my house. Maybe only house warming and family invasions. But the difference between a 6 seater and 8 seater is $100.00. So going to bite the bullet and get the 8 seater one.

Testing chair was hilarious. Bits wanted the sturdier white one on the left but it cost $75/piece. I want the cheapest one. Unfortunately the cheap one has a small butt space and quite wobbly. So Bits sat on it and demonstrate how uncomfortable it was. In the end, decided the chair on the right will suit just fine. It cost $100 for 4 pieces. Not too bad. Additional guest can sit on stools haha.

White or light wood color?

2.5k to furnish my home

Confirmed I am getting that armchair. Go three times also three times sit and don't want to get up. In the end Bits said, if you want it just get it. Last Saturday visited Ikea again because I thought I can get the latest catalog. Turns out I was a month too early.

Anyway, always happy to be in Ikea. This wall racks looks right at home in my European laundry. You ask what's that?

It's not as posh as it sounds. It just means instead of a proper laundry room, I have a cupboard that contains pace for my washing machine and a deep sink for cleaning. Hence the racks will work very nicely - can already imagine washing pails, clothes pegs, rags, this and that. I also plan to put a drying rack on top of the deep sink so that I can maybe dry some stuff like my CPAP mask.

I also thought this bench will complete the living room furniture (on the other side of the wall under the window) but Bits totally rejects it. So after debating it for awhile, I decided to hold the bench idea. At least it is not a big furniture, I can get it another time without incurring delivery costs.

So I made a tally of Ikea furniture that I need to buy - about 25 items, it costs $2,500. My jaw dropped a bit. It sounded quite pricey until I remember the sofas I saw in other furniture shops. A simple leather 3 seater is like $1,000. So in comparison $2.5k to cover the whole house seems pretty reasonable. Of course that excludes electric appliances.

I do hope everything can be covered under my budget.

Certificate of Occupany

Will be ready soon. Got an email from my conveyancer that the strata titled was spilt. I now own a small space between the basement car park and first floor.

I am ecstatic and over the moon about it - again. Once the Certificate of Occupancy is done I get 2 weeks to make the payment and get the key. Won't be too long now. The wait is making me constipated. Updated Uncle and family and they are happy for me. We discuss about priorities and first thing that I need to do is secure the perimeter. Both Uncle and Great grand aunt is very insistent I must have security alarm. I agree. Secondly need fly screen as I hate creepy crawlies of any sort in the house. 

Had a quick check over the internet and a decent set of passive alarm cost at least $900.00. Sigh... Luckily a set of fly screens around the house cost less and if my calculations are correct, maybe $500.00 will cover it. They are a lot of different build and materials to choose from, my mind tuned off and eyes start to glaze over after 5 mouse scrolls. No one told me there are so many goddam features to a simple fly screen. I remember when I was young, my dad made our own fly screen with green nets. No Fuss. None removable but made the house hot as hell. Nite suggested a sturdy fly screen door that can double up as a extra security door for the balcony. Told Uncle that and he immediately cautioned against it as I don't have many escape route and it's actually a fire hazard. Apparently Great Grand aunt had it done for her house 30 years ago and the fire brigade came over and asked her to remove 50% of it. Since I have an alarm I will settle for a simpler fly screen door.

On the same day I got the news, Nite gave me a boutique tart from the famous T by Luxbite. Confirmed she has a crystal ball hidden somewhere. The tarts from this place are superb and it has to be given that they specializes in tarts. Aunt gave her stamp of approval too. In fact she is going to to suggest tea at this place to her Joy Luck Club ladies.

Thank God I am not a fan of Rilakuma or else this will look too cute to be eaten. Yum!

Themes and designs

I was suppose to get my shoe rack/bench but passed by this poster and thought it will look really well on my wall together with some photos I plan to hang. Also passed by the garden bunny and thought it will look great on my little pebble garden hahaha... Tribute to Churro. Ended up with impromptu purchase again. Not the frist time I have lost focus. Maybe I shouldn't shop alone.

This is what I actually came for. A multi purpose bench for the entrance. Can wear shoe as well as hold some shoes. I have a proper coat cupboard that I am not certain yet how I am going to design it. The dish rack at the back was a sale item I picked up. It's only $9.00 for a 2 tier dish rack. I think it's a good deal and I do need one. Just never though I'd get it so soon but you don't say no to a good sale.

This is the last inpromptu purchase. This is a take on the Ikea one that I wanted. It's not exactly the Ikea one but it has good size compartments and it is only $12.00. I am already using it at my desk.

Totally hopeless hahaha.....

Pots and pans again....

The other day Aldi got sale and I went slightly crazy as they have Japanese theme dishes at affordable prices. Look at the tea towels! I bought so many and gave one to Nite, Aunt and Bit's mum.

Then I got 6 rice bowls, 4 noodle bowl and 8 dipping bowls. Yea maybe a little overboard.

Don't even know I got that claypot, haha - not even induction but it is oven usable. I also got 2 cooking utensils. I think I am sub consciously trying to stock up my kitchen like Aunty's masterchef kitchen. Gotta take a step back and think logically. Need to focus on necessity first.

Also collected my mini microwave. I said mini because it's a smaller size one. I consciously choose a smaller one as it is more energy efficient and I am after all only using this for heating mostly.

Bits approved of this. He said Panasonic is a good brand. And he hasn't pay me yet for the Circulon set.

House Check on 01/08/2015

MY UNIT IS READY!

If I can blow this font up I will. When I saw this I am very very very excited to extent I have shifted this post up in the schedule. THIS IS REAL NOW! Agent said the roller door will be installed this week itself but the builder had technically hand over the building to the developer. They have started the Certificate of Occupancy procedure.

Fortunately or unfortunately it was raining that day I went so there wasn't any prospect buyers at all. Hence the agent decided to accompany me to my unit. Maybe he just want to make sure I don't do anything dodgy. Words can't describe how I feel when I look at my own complete unit. I guess I miss this when I got my first unit 8 years ago. I was busy earning enough money to renovate it hence I delegated all the duties to my dear sister. Maybe she felt what I am feeling right now at the prospect of moving into your very own home. Yes there is the loan to service but nothing beats having your own home where no one can evict you except the bank (of course).

The dishwasher was installed and this view finally looks complete.

The other side. I noticed one problem. I was thinking of installing the eyelet curtains with escreen like Uncle's house but see how there is no boundaries whatsoever? So I can't really install any rod-type design. Agent said all my windows are double glaze (2 layers of glass) so I don't really need double layer of curtains. Anything I do, it would have to fit in the frame.

Aunt was pretty excited herself, she said I can get the curtain people over here to recommend and quote but uncle, as usual being more conservative asked me to move in first and gauge the lights before deciding what to do. Meanwhile bed sheets will be my temporary drapes.I also wanted to install a fly screen but I am not sure if it is possible as the heater was very close to the sliding doors. Regardless I am still very excited. Also notice the aluminium awning on my windows. That is the privacy screen.

This is my balcony also with privacy screen. I am quite happy to see they did some minor landscape for me, see the nice rocky bed? Pots with soil ready for planting. I am already imagining my garden herb. On the bright side, no one will see my drying laundy.

This is where my future TV will be as you can see from the power outlet. The only grief I have on this setup is all power outlet is on this wall. I wanted a table lamp near the sliding doors and now I have to pull the cable over from this wall.

And I have 5 new neighbors! I hope they are good people and easy to live with.

House check on 27/06/2015

Finally a view with blue skies. This is taken from the same window on a foggy day some weeks past.  I really love the view, if only there will be no privacy screens. So gonna miss this when I move in. But then again, I can't see out and they can't see me - total privacy.

On a happier note, dish washer is here and just waiting for installation. Infuriating that they start the installation from upper units. The way I see it, there is no motivation to complete this unit first as it's already bought. If I am the developer I would ask the builders to do the other units first as they have yet to be sold. Oh well, as long as no one skimp on workmanship I am not too fussed.

This weekend I wanted to do another review but caught up with blood test so gotta be next week. Hopefully I will see dish washer already installed and carpet laid out.

Fingers crossed!

I want a mandolin

Was suppose to do some work but what the heck, it's 10.00pm and by the time I logged onto the office network, it will be time to roll on bed. Anyway, I am quite pissed with him (my Project Manager) hence decided to do a bit of blogging to cheer self up.

Back when I first got my unit, Rain asked me what do I want for house warming, I told her I want a food cutter and I show her the below video. Now I know the actual name is a mandolin and this particular brand is Tupperware's Mandochef. Aunt has a less sophisticated one.



I can tell you I am a real sucker for adverts like this. Looked up for the product review and what it said was the usual mandolin limitations so nothing really stood out as bad design etc.. So the next I do was to check the price. Unfortunately the local Koala branch does not carry this range but the US one does and it's selling at Amazon for $89.99. Given the current exchange rate I can expect probably > $100.00.

Now it seems pretty pricey for a fancy mandolin and given the current weak RM we are talking about easily RM400? I hesitant to get Rain to buy me something that pricey. I won't buy me something that pricey. The last house warming gift that she bought for me was a set of Yogyakarta wooden statues that she bargained like crazy and manage to get it at a steal.

So I guess I'd better find a cheaper local option that can do basic slice and julienne. That should suffice for my cooking skills.

Compartment and more compartments

I love compartments. I love to put things in compartments and  I love getting them out of compartments. I never realize I have this charateristic until it was pointed out by Rain when she was staying with me in Kimchi Land. She said I don't even realize it but I have an order in the way I put things. It's like there is a place for everything. It stresses her out as she never pegged me for having this characteristic. Nothing like third party feedback to shed enlightenment. Since then I observed this quirk of mine. It is so funny to see myself in action sometimes. I put it down to OCD.

Anything that can compartment things attracts me. And this little thing in Ikea tick some of my boxes. Like any other thing, I am trying to justify getting it at $40.00 - what can I put in it? The wood finish is messing with my rationale and I just want to get it home, price be damn. 

Who knows I might....

The Perfect Armchair

Whatever marketing mumbo jumbo that Ikea employs from the artistic suggestive furniture display to the deceptively cheap meatballs, it works on me. In fact Ikea store is like walking into a catalog. I love it. I even dragged Bits dating with me there a few times. He suck it up manfully and even helped testing the furniture.

First let's pay homage to the meatballs. Not the famous beef one but the unknown brother - CHICKEN MEATBALLS! They have chicken meatballs here which is awesome. Finally I get to taste the Swedish meatballs.

As mentioned earlier I wanted a few moving pieces of furniture that I can play around - a 2 seater sofa, an armchair and an ottoman or several poofs (haven't decided yet). After sitting on a number of arm chairs, this is an all time favorite for me and Bits - the STRANDMON series. From neck support to arm rest, it is perfect! However the price is also a shocking $399.00. The footstool - $149.00. Combined, it cost almost 2 Klippan Sofa.

There is a cheaper option in the below one. We tried it but it just feels different. No neck support and the seat area is a bit small for my and Bit's bum. We both have fleshy bums.

There is also the cheapest version which is the POANG series. It is comfortable has a good neck support just not aligned with my neck though it aligns with Bits. The arm rest is ok so it's a good contender with the favorite armchair.

So hard to justify investing so much in an armchair but I really like it! ARGH! 

The sofa bed or sofa?

I always thought I would get a sofa bed when I got a house. It is the practical choice as I surely will get visitors now and then. When I am sofa shopping, I asked myself these questions :-

1. How many visitors will I get at anytime?
2. Do I have a spare bedroom for them?
3. Does my living room have space for it?

The answer is at most maybe 3 visitors at a go? I think the biggest crowd I will ever get is when the whole family descend on me. When that happens, there is still my own room on top of the spare room. Of course I would put my guests there first. Hence the sofa bed which cost definitely almost twice a normal sofa might not have as much usage as I expect. Not to mention living room is just not that big.

Hence all arguments point to a normal sofa and a 2 seater due to size of living room. The Klippan is particularly attractive in terms of price, size and the removable seat cover. Bits and I tried it a couple of times and it works well for us. I also like this design and it will go well with my theme of yellow, green and grey design. Not to mention just $299.00.

What I have in mind is several moving pieces of furniture in my house that I can arrange depending on the size of crowd that I am entertaining. I can tell this is going to work with my concept. SO EXCITED!

Does your unit need an airbrush?

This might sound creepy but every week I will go and check the adv on my apartment units through Domain webpage. I don't know what I except to see, maybe just hoping to see a notice to say, you can move in now.

Today is like any other day except I saw this! They've done up one of the big upper units for show unit! Coincidentally I briefly saw this unit last week in its naked splendour.

This is not the actual carpet color. Actual color see below. I was initially very excited to see they used earth tones as it was my initial preference. But since the floor is just endless brown, it will make the unit look dull. So I was a bit surprise with this to be honest. But then I remembered the carpet isn't that bright to begin with.

Nevertheless airbrushing rocks. The blue theme looks good as well. Wanted to go with green theme but sister mentioned it look like forest. Maybe blue grey isn't that bad after all.

The bedroom looks good size though mine is smaller. This one can fit a queen size bed which is what I am hoping to buy for my own.

I told uncle I was quite envious of this bigger unit and uncle immediately admonished me. One must be grateful with what one have. AIYO, I am not saying my little unit is not good la. Anyway I love my unit just the way it is. This unit as great but it is has one flaw - the TV console area. What a shame.

My unit although smaller, has the best portioned space in my opinion. I especially like how my dinning area is in a little nook next to kitchen. My unit rocks!