Killer windows

Windows cleaning is no joke. I kid you not.

Spent the entire Sunday before last, washing and cleaning the many windows in our house. Between my good friend and I, we covered 4 that day (ie. 2 each). There were 3 more to get done... Foyer windows, which I've cleaned thoroughly once (after wet works) so I may just give those a wipe-down before we move in. Living room windows, which the bf did once (but he only cleaned the glass, not the frames - doh!). Yesterday was spent doing the one set of windows that's the hardest of all to clean - the bay window in the bedroom. But boy, what a sense of accomplishment it gave me seeing the end product once it's done.

Nice clear view from the platform bed. Not much to see but it's windy at least. :P And no more blotches of dust and dirt on the glass~ 3 pails of water it took me before the water turned a murky grey. (Needless to say - the first 2 were almost black.) I had to stick the fully-extended window sponge/squeegee cleaner out thru the tiny casement on top (while standing) to be able to reach the bottom of the bay window glass panel on the outside. 4 hours of hard work to get it sparkling clean!

The intention is to turn this area into a cosy reading nook - lay a fluffy carpet on the ledge, throw in a couple of different-sized cushions and we'll be all set!

Painting has been completed. Mr Leong was not a happy bunny and complained that I took too long to get back to them for touch-ups, so I had to top up an additional $100 for them to come back. Pfft.

Also had our 'new' TV wall-mounted this weekend. The bf's friend recommended the full-motion Sanus VMF220-B1 so that was what we went with. Love how it swivels left and right. I can watch TV while doing the dishes in the kitchen now! :D

The ID is arranging for the final round of cleaning this week. Have some slight defects on the platform that I need him to fix but he said the carpenters are already complaining at the number of trips they've made back to our place. Hope they can fix it - I don't think I can live with cracked laminate and broken silicon edges.

This Friday is polling day. My colleague and her husband will be coming over after voting to help me with the installation of our IKEA curtain rods. Wardrobe and fridge will be delivered on Saturday and I aim to get some diy wallpaper in the foyer. If time is on my side, I also hope to get enough packed on Sunday to start moving some of the smaller stuff over from my parents' to ours, with a driver friend's help.

In other news, Bailey's condition is deteriorating... :( She seemed to be improving slowly 2 weekends ago, so I actually called to cancel the appointment with Cat Clinic the following Monday and just retain her existing review appointment with Joyous Vet. But since she got back from her review last Thursday, she looks to be having difficulty lifting her hind legs in the litter box to poo even! Not good. Dr Heng is only at the clinic this Saturday and her appointment slots are full. So I may have to bring her in for the cartrophen jab as a walk-in patient.

Bailey's health issue is the only glitch in my happy moving plans right now. I might have to leave her with my parents if she doesn't get well anytime soon, cuz a move (ie. a change of environment) may prove too stressful for her. (Not sure if my prolonged absence will be any better tho.)

Seesawing between depression and anticipation...

Off to IKEA I went again

Spent the entire Saturday last weekend at IKEA Tampines shopping by myself (the bf got his knickers in a twist at lunch and stomped off -that's a story for another day- but pffft, who needs men!?). This trip was mostly to get wall fixtures initially - towel rack, kitchen hangers, curtain rods etc and I thought I could bring it home by myself in a cab but I actually got told off by the cabbie when I tried to board cuz my rods were too long (2.1m in length) and they couldn't fit.

Uncle: It's too long! Cannot fit across the back seat!

Me: Ohh. How about we put it between the front seats so it goes across from the front to the back?  

Uncle: No no no! What if it goes thru the glass behind my back seat!?

Me: ...

Uncle: Or later the rod whack me in the face how!? Who's going to be responsible!?

Me: ..........

Uncle: Cannot cannot cannot! I cannot take you! You go find those 9-seater cab!

All these complete with agitated hand gestures. Not sure what I owed him previously. :P Oh well, after that episode, I decided to go back upstairs to arrange for delivery rather than to waste time trying and risk getting blistered by yet another angry you-owe-me-money-in-your-past-life cabbie.

Some of the things I bought in the 1st round:

1) UTRUSTA Pull-out waste sorting tray

2) ENUDDEN Wall shelf with 4 knobs, white

3) GRUNDTAL Rail, stainless steel

4) RÄCKA / HUGAD Double curtain rod combination, white

5) RINGBLOMMA Roman blind, white

6) FIXA Screwdriver, li-ion

After queueing a good 30-45 minutes to arrange for my stuff to be delivered and then finding out that (besides having to pay a good $55 to send those few miserable items) I had to hand carry the smaller pieces home cuz the delivery guys were afraid they might lose them, I figured I might as well check if I can add more items to my delivery order should I buy more. It actually costs $5 per add-on item after you've made arrangements, but I appealed to the kind lady handling my order by telling her how the cab driver didn't want to take me and I really only had a few items, so she took pity on me and told me they will let me do it as long as it was by that night. YES! Back into IKEA I went...

More things I ended up with in the 2nd round:

1) MOLGER Bench, birch

2) ALGOT Storage bag with stand, white

3) FILUR Bin with lid, white

Also wanted this mirror but it was out of stock when I got to the aisle. Added to my shopping list for the next IKEA trip!

Sunday saw me joining the ranks of the 月光族 handing over the final cheque to the ID... 

Monday had me rushing Bailey to the vet cuz she's not well again... She was hiding under our bed the entire Sunday and looking giddy on Monday morning. Her historical imbalance problem seems to be back. :( Dr Heng prescribed daily painkillers and nerve support supps. Not sure if that's going to help much... Will be getting a second opinion from Dr Geetha next Monday at Cat Clinic.

Wednesday was me looking for that industrial sealant at Selfix Jurong Point for my shoji door tracks in vain - they only had the rubbery finish type. Also found out that I can't vote in the area where our new place is at (gotta register with your latest address by Feb 2015) so I guess I'll just continue to vote at my parents' area, boo~

Today scored me a good deal off someone from Carousell. Bought and picked up a used (1 month+ old) 49" LG UHD TV. The size seems a bit much for my tiny living room and it was $200 past my original budget for a TV, but it was too sweet an offer at $1K with almost 5 years warranty so I ran with it. Looking forward to my couch potato days! :D

Tomorrow is family dinner.

Saturday is windows-cleaning + mattress delivery.

Sunday is painting touch-ups (postponed from tomorrow) + IKEA delivery...

Busy busy week!

Improving by leaps (literally) and bounds

Mid of this week, 2-3 days into her initial jab of cartrophen, you could already tell Bailey was feeling much better. She's hanging out with the family in the living room, spending most of the nights in bed with me and running around the house like she used to. Also jumping up to bed with no apparent difficulty. And waking me up at godforsaken hours in the morning to let her out of the bedroom - my morning call today was at 5:36 am lol.

Here she is right now, just chilling out in her designated sofa seat. Brought her in for her 2nd jab last night and met a friendly guinea pig owner who lived about 2 streets away from my parents' place. A very nice lady who struck up a conversation with me while waiting for her pet to be injected. He has pneumonia and needs a daily jab. Pretty tough for the both of them. We ended up chitchatting for a fair bit and sharing a cab home together. But she insisted on paying for the cab so it was more of her giving Bailey and I a free lift! Positive thoughts for a warm, kind soul - hope her pet gets well real soon.

Have also been playing with the little comm kitten who just appeared on the scene (our block) a few weeks ago. She's super manja and likes to follow me home and sit in front of our door lol. She's very curious about Bailey, but knowing Bailey (who's not so friendly with other cats) I try not to let them come into too much contact. Thinking of sterilizing and then rehoming her but not sure if I want to stress Bailey out by introducing a strange cat into her territory (cuz the kitten would need a place to recuperate from her sterilization which could take anything from 1-2 weeks for female cats)... Gonna sit on it for a bit.

Just look at how adorable she is. Pure white with a pink nose, pink paws and a perfectly straight tail too! :)

New senior citizen in the house

It's official. Bailey has just attained senior citizenship. :(

We went to the vet this afternoon (had to wait 2 hours even WITH an appointment, doh!) and she has been diagnosed with arthritic changes in both her left hip and knee.

I was told to fast her 12 hours before her appointment so that she can be sedated for her x-ray. But Bailey (being the scaredy cat she is) was paralyzed with fear and got through the entire x-ray without it! 

Paralyzed old lady little girl in her carrier while waiting for the doctor

Unfortunately, there is no cure for arthritis. All we can do is give her health supplements to slow down and help her manage these joint changes... For now, she's on bone/joint (glucosamine) and nerve (neuroforte) supplements, painkiller (meloxicam) as well as a weekly jab (cartrophen) for the next month which (according to Dr. Heng) binds to cartilage and will hopefully improve her condition. 

The good doctor has also advised to start her back on fish oil... I stopped giving it to her for the time being cuz the one we have is huge. We have to cut it open and squeeze it into her food each time, which she doesn't like - turns her nose up at her food, this diva. So I may have to look around for smaller ones that I can just feed to her directly (ie. throw into her mouth), rather than these giant human-sized soft capsules at the moment.

We are due back for a review at the end of August, when we ascertain whether to continue those cartrophen jabs and the interval between them, should we do so.

Hope we see some significant improvements by then!

Slow return for Bailey

A little slow for my liking but very surely, my manja little girl is coming back to me! Bit by bit! :)

She has already spent most of the last 3 nights in bed with me. Now for her to stop being afraid and jumping at the slightest movement. (Might need Feliway's help for that... if I can just remember where I kept it, doh!) She complains a fair bit when I make her take her painkillers but it's a necessary evil, unfortunately.

In any case, she's due back at the vet in 2 weeks' time and I'll probably still have her x-rayed just to know for certain her body's condition.

Her Royal Highness from about 2 weeks ago, when she was feeling better of late. (Please ignore the many carton boxes in the background - those are the stuff I bought for our place that I'm keeping at my parents' for now haha.) You can tell she's in a better mood when she chooses to bestow you with her royal presence lol. Else, she's usually under the bed.

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!

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...

Victim of Beauty

Yes. That would be me. :P

I have fallen. Hard.

For this absolutely gorgeous TV console in oak that I saw at Grafunkt yesterday. I couldn't get it out of my head last night and it was the first thing on my mind today. (Don't tell the bf lol)

It was like our sofa all over again...

I had to have it. Or risk losing sleep over it. (And lack of sleep makes a grumpy Mummy.)

It's all kinda strange... Things you say may come back to haunt you. It was only a few days ago when I said I wouldn't be buying a TV console that soon. The shopping intended yesterday was for a 1-seater armchair. There were only 2 stops on my original route - the Grafunkt showroom was never on it. But my friend's bf (the designated driver) suggested it since we were in the area, so I figured why not. And boy, was that an expensive why-not indeed, haha.

It was love at first sight. I could just see it in our living room. The right corner where the back board ends is right where the electricity plugs are on my wall. The asymmetrical shelves would be the perfect playground for Bailey (pretty sure she would love the little nooks close to the floor below the shelves too). I gushed over it for a whole 30 minutes. But the price was a huge deterrent even with the 5th anniversary 15% discount. We had to hussle since we had other places to go and a movie to watch. But unfortunately for my bank account, I left my heart there.

This afternoon, after checking with my ID on the possibility of having it done with carpentry (yes, it would be cheaper but still a no-go cuz there are too many edges and laminate won't look good like solid wood does) and then told to can wallpaper plans till carpentry is done, I made a beeline for the Grafunkt showroom instead. The anniversary discount is for May, so technically today was the last day.

My friend and I sat and stared at admired the console for another 30? 40? minutes again (sitting exactly where the photo was taken) before I finally managed to convince myself to put good money down on it. $1637.10 to be exact. Original price was $1926! And it was already on pre-order (eta August/September), mind you. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect to spend such an amount on a TV console. But I'm a sucker for aesthetics and this was simply a thing of beauty.

I'm sorry, Mr Wallet. Please trust me when I say... I feel your pain. But still, I can't wait for it to be delivered. Love is a wonderful thing! :)

Hello long weekend!

Gonna take full advantage of Vesak Day so this weekend will be a busy busy one... 

Early morning will have me calling Starhub to postpone my fibre installation appointment. Would have been nice to receive a reminder sms/call (no thanks, Starhub!) and I was too caught up at work the last couple of days to remember to. When it finally occurred to me to do so after dinner just now, it was too late and the general customer service hotline was already closed for the day. The helpful CSO on another team told me my appointment was scheduled after 12pm, so I'll need to call first thing in the morning at 8:30am.

After breakfast, I'll be heading over to Choo Chiang Marketing (which has a branch just across the road from our new place) to check out Legrand Mallia switches which comes in matt classic white. Seriously contemplating changing all the glossy white ones from my ID's electrician. Besides a personal preference for matt over glossy any day, I really do not like how the switches feel when you press on them. My ID has agreed to change them for me, if I provide all the switches (at my own cost, obviously). Need to watch my budget though so still mulling over it...

Following switch shopping @ Pioneer Junction, I'll hop back to our place to meet with a sales representative from MagicSeal for a no-obligations quotation. Saw a group discount thingie going on on Qanvast a week or two back, so I sent in an email to register my interest. We don't have grilles on our windows (asked my ID to remove them since I prefer an unhindered view and having one less thing to clean) but I need it to be cat-proof for Bailey's sake so will need insect screens for her safety. Not that she jumps much - she's more of a bush dweller (ie. prefers low-level hideouts, namely under the bed) plus the fact that she's been a little unwell from what I suspect is the onset of arthritis. She's getting on in age just like her Mummy. :(

From our place, it's directly off to Lush & Mula Mu to shop for a wooden frame + fabric 1-seater sofa/armchair followed by Pitch Perfect 2 in the evening and then dinner with a couple of friends.

Sunday will see me back at our place for DIY wallpapering in the foyer, with a friend's help. Fingers crossed that it'll all go well and easy! Hoping to get some cleaning in too, if we can manage it - since carpentry will be going in the coming week. Finally. :P

Monday is chores (laundry) day back at my parents' place and also Bailey's monthly shower time. Poor girl needs a shower really badly, with clumpy fur that she hasn't had the mood to maintain these few days.

Busy indeed but hopefully, a fruitful weekend!

When can we go to bed, Mummy?

...says Bailey at 4 in the morning, blatantly making her unhappiness apparent by lying over our floor plan and disrupting my work lol.

Oh well. Guess it's time for bed after all since I did spend a large part of Sunday mopping and cleaning over at our new place.

Oh WC WC, where shalt thou sit?

Was over at our new place in the afternoon to meet the plumbers. After much discussion with the friendly, young plumber (Malaysian Chinese who looks to be in his 20s), we agreed to install only the following:

1) Toilet bowl (WC)

2) Bidet valve - position based on his recommendation - slightly above WC seat height

3) Bidet spray - position based on his recommendation - same height as WC tank

4) Instant water heater - position based on my mark-up - slightly below standard height (to make up for my height, or lack thereof)

5) 2-way tap - position based on my mark-up - but he recommended that we move it slightly outwards from the wall for ease of repair / maintenance in the future 

The basin will wait till after carpentry is done since I prefer to have it aligned exactly to the mirror cabinet above it. Likewise with the toilet accessories (toilet roll holder, robe hook). Plus I'm still missing a line of hooks for the bathroom door to replace the ugly, existing one left behind by the ex-owners, which is already missing 3 out of 6 hooks. :P

The bathroom door that bashed my right toe in, has also gone back up again in the connecting doorway to our bedroom. With both bathroom doors in place, we finally have complete privacy once again in our bathroom lol. 

Also done today - bathroom glass panel, bathroom swing door and glass for the cut-out wall in our kitchen.

Doesn't feel much different from when it was an open air cut-out. Phew! Need to stay in the house a little longer to be able to know whether it'll be stuffy though. Didn't managed to get shots of the bathroom cuz the plumbers were already in there by the time I got there, so I didn't want to get in their way.

Finally went thru my VO (variation order) today and my total renovation shortfall is about 10k. :( Stressed out about where to find 10k. Grow on trees? Fall from the sky? Kill myself and fulfill it from my life insurance payout? (Not sure if it applies for suicide, haha.)

In feline news, Bailey had her monthly shower tonight and she is definitely not a happy kitty. Just look at her grumpy face, half-mast ears and still damp fur. I'm a horrid mummy for laughing at her now lol. As usual, she ran away to hide the minute she realised it was bathing time - I had to drag her out (whining and all) from under the bed, after I've closed off all but one of her escape routes. And then she complained the entire time, throughout her shower. 5 years of monthly showers later and still, she hates it. Poor darling...

Bedtime for (wet) Bailey & Mummy...zzz... Goodnight!