More damage to the bank...

With Bailey's uncertain health situation this week, I've not been in much of a mood to keep tabs on the possible changes going on over at our new place. I did stop over in the early afternoon yesterday to drop off the kitchen wire basket I bought off Carousell cuz the carpenters needed it for installation.

Afterwards, I hopped over to Selfix DIY @ Jurong Point to collect these small stackable storage boxes I bought on Qoo10. Loved the pretty pastels so I ordered 1 of each, except for blue which was out of stock. Made in China so the quality is a little questionable. One of the white covers I got was a tad bit faulty (the plastic hinges seems to be slightly off-kilter and creaks really loudly each time you flip it up/down) so I brought it in again on the same day (before going downtown) to request for an exchange.

Damage: $12.90 each

They're going into either the kitchen, in the tall cabinet next to the washer or the bathroom, between the wall and the WC. Will see how it works out after we move in... Love organised storage. :)

Then I chanced upon Japan Home having a 50% GSS clearance sale. Grabbed 3 of these solid wood stools. I wanted 4 but I couldn't find a 4th one that was stable enough, from the remaining stock in the shop. IKEA has similar plywood ones going for $11.90 each, but the make of this is so much better for the same price. 3 baskets + 3 solid wood stools = too heavy for the feeder bus home, so I had to hail a cab for it. $5 added to the cost but still a steal in my opinion. :P

Damage: $11.45 each (after discount)

After bringing the stash back to my parents', I headed over to Plaza Singapura in the evening to meet the bf for dinner and buy that Monza sliding door wardrobe I was eyeing over at V.Hive. Was told I had to pay in full for the item and not a deposit like I was expecting, so there goes my furnishing budget for the month. :( Good thing was, they've agreed to keep the item for me till end August (our move is scheduled for the 3rd week of September, after the Lunar 7th month). I'm expecting handover to be some time close to end July, so I'll have at least a month and a half to slowly clean up and decorate to my heart's content.

The Tropez ottoman stool I bought off Rakuten a few weeks back to pair with my single-seater sofa also arrived mid-week. I haven't unwrapped it but it looks like this.

Damage: $61.60 (after 30% discount)

Also added this slim dish drainer rack into the same order, to sit next to my double-bowl kitchen sink since I don't have a dish rack above it. Should be enough for me, myself & Bailey. :)

Damage: $14 (after 30% discount)

Anyways, after such a long worrisome week, all I wanted to do was take a breather and spend a quiet day at home today. According to the ID, the foyer and bathroom cabinets should have been remedied yesterday and he wanted me to go check it out today, but I didn't want to cut short my R&R time so I'm gonna head over tomorrow night after work instead.

Hopefully, everything will be spot-on!

Off to the vet for Miss Bailey

After a long week of not seeing/touching my 宝贝, I put myself out of my misery by rushing Bailey to The Joyous Vet after work tonight (or last night, technically speaking). She was lethargic and barely struggled when I put her into her carrier. Definitely not in good shape even after a week of 'rest'. :(

We didn't have a prior appointment as her regular vet is super popular - she's not on duty daily and you need to book her at least a month or two in advance. We got there at 7.30pm and was advised to expect a 2-3 hours wait. True enough, we only got to see her at 10pm, 2.5 hours later. (The clinic's official hours is till 9pm btw.)

After 30 minutes of talking/probing/pulling/stretching/testing, Dr. Heng says it's likely her lower right back/hip area giving her problems. Bailey had a more marked reaction when pressed on her right. Also, that her right leg is slightly stiff (ie. can't stretch as well as her left, which she's obviously more confident with). The good doctor prescribed Bailey a daily dose of painkiller for the 1st week, followed by a dose every other day for the 2nd and 3rd week. Plus a nerve supplement every other day for a month. 

We're due back for a follow-up in 3-4 weeks' time but just as expected, she had no free slots until 5 weeks later. Boo. Dr. Heng also said to be prepared that Bailey will need to be sedated for an X-ray, if there's no improvement by then. I hope there won't be a real need to! :( 

Get well soon, darling! 
Mummy needs you to be healthy and happy when we move into our new home!  

Gimme my Bailey back!

The 大小姐 is not well. :(

She has been hiding from the entire family since last Friday. Her appetite has gone down and she doesn't want any of us to touch her, even me. (Cue heartbreak, sob!) This is a complete 360° behaviourial change. She's permanently parked under my bed and only comes out for water/food/pee/poo. Obviously, she has also stopped sleeping next to me in bed at night. I'm so worried... I miss my Bailey-wailey and I dunno what I can do for her to make her feel better.

I've been freaking myself out, reading up on all sorts of possible, morbid feline health issues and hearing other fur mummies talk about how sick their cats are/were.

Going to give her a week to recover. If she doesn't, I'm bringing her to the doctor this weekend, even if I have to drag her out from under the bed!

The only way is up...

For my carpentry, that is.

After the many downs in the carpentry stage of our renovation, I'm so glad that things are finally looking up.

Was over at our place just now after a pretty eventful weekend (BBQ in the evening yesterday + the Minions movie in the afternoon today). My self-designed Blum larder is done! :)

So excited to see it. Can't wait to stock it up!

The original intention for the larder was for sauces, condiments and other random dry goods which I'll need for my baking but I do worry that I'll slip into the junk food cesspool and stuff it full with potato chips lol.

Besides the larder, my KompacPlus Boston Cherry counter is in too. Adore how well it complements the tiled backsplash. Not so in love with the Light Brazilian Walnut laminate (way too noisy for me) but oh well, maybe I'll stick a plain coloured cabinet wall sticker on it after I move in. Or maybe it'll grow on me. We'll see...

Our storage platform has also been fixed! Perfectly-aligned this time round. Check out the before (left) and after (right) below. SOOOOO DELIRIOUSLY HAPPY! :D It finally looks close to perfect...

Except for a minor crack in the laminate which I spotted above the first white door on the right. :P I wouldn't have seen it if I was just glancing at it, but when one is looking for defects, one finds them haha. They tried to cover it up with glue but hey, I'm not a designer for nothing. (We are known for our OCD.) This is unacceptable.

Will have to find an appropriate time to let the ID down softly lol. It's not a major defect and there are still things that need fixing, so the carpenters will be around for a bit more yet.

Wish me luck. :)

Post ID WWII

Surprise surprise~

The ID gave me a call this afternoon to apologise for his attitude last week. (Apparently, he had a lot going on that day so he lost his cool) No problem - that's all well and good for me - I'm not too concerned about it as long as the storage platform gets corrected really. Which was the gist of what I said to him too, haha. :P

So yes, the carpenters have owned up to their mistake. The problem was that they didn't cater a space from the wall to the start (left) of the steps for the front row, like they did for the 2 rows behind - which was what caused the misalignment. I kinda knew that already when I spotted the issue previously, but it's nice to be told I'm right lol. Which of course, means that they've agreed to fix it for me and it'll be done in the later part of this week.

Made my day, it did. Such good news for an otherwise blue Monday. :)

ID WWII + a little bit more

Dropped by our place on Tuesday night after work and the storage platform in our bedroom is almost completed! At first glance, I was ecstatic - I absolutely loved the look of that laminate (so much better than what I chose for the kitchen, haha) and it was exactly as what I'd visualised when I was designing it...

...until I spotted this on closer inspection. This would be what I consider a major defect in my eyes. >:( The vertical line for the front row near the steps is seriously misaligned! Can't believe the carpenters are still giving me such shoddy work after all the fuss I threw up with the bathroom and foyer cabinets.

So I sent the ID a WhatsApp message on Wednesday morning with the above photos and asked him what his thoughts were. He called me back almost immediately (the one good thing with him is that he's very very prompt with his responses) to ask me what the problem was. When I told him the issue, he didn't seemed to get it. Once again, the old and much-abused excuse that they've done everything based on the dimensions or drawings that I've given. He started ranting that they just can't please me - the exact quote would be:

"We don't follow your dimensions, you say wrong.
Now we follow your dimensions, you still say wrong."

MY POINT WAS... I'm not fussing about the dimensions now! I'm talking about the alignment and I'm 100% certain that NOBODY told me that it would not be. My drawings definitely have straight lines. So I sat thru his rant and then ended the call by telling him that I will send him an illustration of what I meant via email, which looked like this (forgive the low res version of the original platform drawing - I did this in a hurry in the office with limited resources at hand): 

Did I also mention that he asked me to get the bf give him a call? When the bf called him up at lunch, he complained to told the bf that this was the first time he has had a client like me (read: I was the most difficult and/or fussy client he has ever had to date). And then repeated the same set of excuses he gave me in the morning about everything being done per agreed dimensions etc. The bf told him straight-up to show us the black and white, and not what he/she/they said. So the ID had no choice but to agree to check on this and get back to us. I didn't get off completely scot-free tho - was told off by the bf for not having black and white communications with the ID. X[

After sharing my frustrations with a couple of my friends, we all agreed that it was the carpenters performing below par in this case, cuz misalignment should be something the professionals should be watching out for. If there was going to be any possible pitfalls, these purported experts should be the ones to highlight to the homeowner so that we can all align on how to resolve the issue.

Of course, this is just our opinion but it is still up in the air as to whether it will be fixed. It's all going to boil down to the integrity of the carpenters - whether they'll admit their mistake (or not). Or the relationship of the ID with his subcons - if he can cajole them into fixing it. It looks like a lot of work if they were to do it tho, so I do not have high hopes. In the meantime, I'm going to try to figure out how to cover up this defect if they don't...

In happier news, Rany from Doctor Doors followed through with his promise to resolve my bathroom door issue! His guys came over to switch out the entire vertical strip of aluminium and printing defect no more, YAY! :D Kudos to the folks at Doctor Doors! Glad I decided to give them another chance by getting my other bathroom door replaced by them too. It's not the cheapest bifold door out there but good customer service is worth a whole lot more. :)

Furniture Front Runners - Wardrobe

I figured it was about time to start looking for a wardrobe when I realised that the pole system I have over at my parents' right now won't work in our new place, cuz 1 - my ceiling fan will get in the way of the vertical pole (doh!) and 2 - it's not tall enough for our new place which has a 2.8m ceiling (my parents' ceiling is only 2.65m and the pole is already maxed out) so I'm not going to be able to reuse it. Bye-bye to my open-concept IKEA Stolmen dreams... (no thanks to my ceiling fan lol)

Anyways, a couple of wardrobes that I've looked at in recent days and quite fancy. :)

Selena 2 Door Wardrobe (x2)

L79.5 x D50 x H199.6 cm

$399 (x2 = $798) @ Courts

ASKVOLL Wardrobe (x2)

L80 x D52 x H189 cm

$199 (x2 = $398) @ IKEA

Lisa 4 Door Wardrobe

L160 x D53 x H183 cm

$499 @ V.Hive ($449 after additional 10% discount till 28th June)

Monza Mirror Sliding Wardrobe (Hettich fittings)

L202 x D66 x H207 cm

$1199 @ V.Hive ($1079 after additional 10% discount till 28th June)

Turin Sliding Wardrobe (Hettich fittings)

L202 x D66 x H207 cm

$999 @ V.Hive ($899 after additional 10% discount till 28th June)

Almost certain I'm gonna go for the V.Hive Monza/Turin. The oak colour is a close match to what I have on my platform bed and the Hettich hardware definitely gives them an edge - the sliding door was smooth and quiet. I also loved the internal laminate, which was a pleasant surprise when you open up your wardrobe. Simply love the cool, understated stripes. :3

Unfortunately, V.Hive only keeps items up to a month max so I'll have to order it at the end of this month (to take advantage of the additional GSS discount) and hope that my renovation completes before it gets delivered!

Fingers crossed...

ID WWI

I've hit my first major spot of trouble with my ID.

Our carpentry finally started on Thursday, so I dropped by that very night after work to check on the work progress. (Yes, I simply couldn't stop worrying that something would go wrong.) True enough, things did go wrong with the foyer cabinet (wrong laminate) and bathroom cabinet (wrong laminate and dimension). Is this Murphy's Law or what!?

I called the ID immediately to tell him about it and admittedly, I was a tad harsh with my words when his first response was to deny all wrongdoings. He insisted that all the carpentry was done based on the latest set of 3D drawings, but I distinctly remember him asking me if changes were really necessary when I asked to revise the first round of them (quote: "大概对就可以了，不会100%准的"). So when the second round of drawings came in and there were still mistakes, I decided to close one eye and not ask for more changes. Unfortunately, it doesn't pay to be kind. When shit hits the fan, nobody wants to bear the responsibility.

Foyer Cabinet 3D v1

Requested changes for Foyer Cabinet 3D v1

Foyer Cabinet 3D v2

Foyer Cabinet now (white body)

As you can see, the laminate for the foyer cabinet was STILL wrong in 3D v2! (I'd asked for the body to be in Beige Cinnamon Wood and the doors to remain white) If ​carpentry was really based on the latest set of 3Ds per what my ID claimed, then it should have been in complete Beige Cinnamon Wood rather than complete white now - that's the end to your bloody skewed excuse!

Bathroom Cabinet 3D v1

Requested changes for Bathroom Cabinet 3D v1

Bathroom Cabinet 3D v2

Bathroom Cabinet now (glossy white! body)

The bathroom cabinet was in light brown wood laminate from the very beginning and no changes were ever made to it throughout, so I don't understand how it turned into glossy white (have I mentioned that I absolutely detest gloss laminates!?). Plus the fact that I specifically stated an internal depth of 6 inches in those 2D drawings that I drew for them and now they're only a miserable 4, which means I can't even put a single roll of toilet paper! Also, the verbal agreement was for 3 shelves but they ended up doing 4.

So... We only have 5 sets of cabinets in our place and 2 out of 5 (gee, an amazing 40%!) is wrong. Can you blame me for getting upset!? Especially with the ID insisting that they've done no wrong and everything is based on the latest 3Ds. When I blurted out that I don't want to pay $700 for a useless bathroom cabinet, he got all riled up, turning on me and accusing me of having a bad attitude instead! And then he started on how he didn't say he wouldn't correct the mistakes for me. Roti prata man! When the first thing you did was to deny everything! He also kept going on about how he called me one weekend to check the colour of the laminate for the foyer cabinet (WRONG! He called to check for the storage cabinet!) and tried to blame it all on my own forgetfulness. GRR!

Anyways, with all the 'evidence' I gathered above, I sent him an email that very night, plugging up all the loopholes in his lame excuses and he has now agreed to fix the wrongs. 真的是(母)老虎不发威, 当我是病猫!

But boy, that fight sure left me with a bad taste in my mouth... I hope I never have to go through that again. :(

Furniture Front Runners (& Subsequent Winner) - 1 Seater Armchair

These were my 2 favourites out of everything I've seen so far.

I've been eyeing this one on Rakuten for the longest time (6 months at the very least)... The only thing stopping me was the fact that the cushion covers are neither removable nor washable. I worry about Bailey having accidents on it, but I have tons of love for this cute, compact armchair despite that minor shortcoming.

Moti Series Sofa

W61 x D66 x H72 cm

$237.31 @ Rakuten (on discount till 5th June)

The next one is available at Picket & Rail for $600+ (after 30% anniversary discount) with no fabric/colour options, at Lush for $900+ (after GSS discount) and at Mula Mu for $499 with 40 colours to choose from. Removable and washable covers. Highly comfortable too - tried and tested at both P&R and Lush lol.

(Photo taken at P&R City Square)

What prompted my final decision was the Vesak Day coupon code over at Rakuten today. Which should tell you which one I bought lol. Final price (after $15 discount for purchases over $200 and Rakuten Super points) = $205.31 (with free shipping) :D At that price, I figured I can deal with the risk of possible feline accidents by having a waterproof or water-resistant throw over it. Would probably give it some character too.

My furniture shopping is coming along slowly but steadily...