RIP Aniki Chia Liang Che

I blog this with a heavy heart. It has been a long time since I last contacted my friend. All of a sudden, he unfriend both me and my husband on Facebook. I do not know the reason, neither does he wish to speak about it. The first time and sadly, also the last time, that I have met him in person, after chatting via Wechat for a year in 2015. We planned to meet together in Langkawi for the whole year in 2014. We finally get to meet each other in Langkawi in 2015, together with my husband.

He was my husband's close friend in culinary school. We became close friends because of Wechat, that we chat with each other almost daily for 2 years. When we finally saw each other in person in Langkawi, he said he was very happy to have finally see me in person. He said it was like he knew me for a very long time. Probably it was because we chat with each other so often, we don't feel any awkwardness between us. I always used to joked that if I had an elder brother like him...blah blah blah..while he joked back too, that if I were his younger sister, he would have been very protective of whom I am seeing blah blah blah..all the good times.

He has since kicked me out of Plamo group in Facebook. A group that he set up on his own. I used to managed his Facebook page for him as an Admin. I did not blame him, as I understand that due to my busy and lazy lifestyle, I hardly manage his page for him anymore. But he refuse to tell me the reason of unfriending me. But I still respects his wishes.

We had not contact each other for about a year? Victor message me out of the blue in Facebook to ask me to check my Wechat. It was then he broke the news to me this afternoon, that Aniki has passed away. I was shock and speechless. Part of me kept hoping that this is all a sick joke! Some July fool joke or whatsoever! I message him back,"Tell me that you're lying. Tell me that this is all a joke! You're not serious right?" He ask me to see Aniki's Facebook.

True enough, I search for his name. Even though he has unfriended me, but I thank God that he has not block me. I manage to see his posts etc. I saw two condolences messages from his cousin and one of the Plamo group member. I cried silently for his departure. It was all too sudden.

Before all these, he was a chain smoker. I was the one who advice him to stop smoking. He did, since last year, shortly after our Langkawi trip. He told me that he decided to quit smoking totally. He even went to the gym at least twice a week and he even post photos of himself gaining muscles and even boast to me about it. I was happy for him then. All before he decided to unfriend me from Facebook.

If he were still alive, it would be 7 months since he last cigarette. Somehow, a part of me felt responsible towards his death. I heard from some smoker friends of mine, that a person, if they are a chain smoker or heavy smoker, it is advisable not to stop smoking completely. They can cut down on the number of cigarettes gradually and then stop smoking altogether. But not suddenly. As the body is unable to adjust the sudden lack of nicotine. I do not know how true is that?

Luckily, for me, even though I did not know what did I do to have made him unfriended me, I still apologized to him via Wechat if I ever offended him of anything. He did not respond to my messages.

Aniki, Thanks for your host during our time in Langkawi. We were very happy. It was a regret that we did not take a group picture for memory keepsake. Thank you for your friendship these two years. It was a pleasure and fun knowing you. I pray for your soul to rest in peace, and pray that you're in a better place now, wherever you are. Say Hi to my late Mum for me if you ever see her. Tell her I miss her so. But I miss you too.

27 February 1981 - 30 July 2016

Rest in Peace my Dear friend. I'll miss you always...

My first BTO HDB

This is way throwback. I got my keys early this year. Sometime around April? I am sorry because I have not been updating my blog for a very long time, and I almost forgot my password for it.

Most of the experienced HDB owners would advice you the throughly check your HDB upon obtaining the keys. I didn't. Thus, I only spot some faults months after moving in.

I got very different advice from both sides. HDB actually required you to check & report the faults within 14 days (or I read it somewhere like that?) But your home has a 1 year warrenty. Meaning that, during this one year duration, if you spot any defects on the HDB, you have to report immediately to BCA and they can retify it for you free of charge!

So when we first got our keys, being kiasu, I checked the tiles FIRST. Because that is what we will be using often (stepping on it). I had a very bad habit of dragging my feet as I walked. Thus, it was how I spot some uneven tiles, mostly in my living room.

I had to rectify as I felt myself tripping while I drag my feet across the floors. I know some previous HDB owners (as I read from other blogs), this is how they measure: they bought a ruler, lay the ruler flat across the tiles. See if it aligns or pops out? This is how they measure for unevenness.

Oh! I forgot to tell you, bring a chair (I'll tell you why later. I forgot to take a picture! Argh!) And some marbles. The marbles is to check for hollows in your tiles. The chair, is for you to climb up to check the window ledge. I did not do this pior to moving in. Thus, I only saw defects on the windows when I was doing house cleaning one day. Luckily, it's still be able to rectify as I am still on the one year warrenty.

There are dents on my window ledge (I did not take pictures of this) so do check for these as well. One in the master bedroom and one in the living room.

Please pray for rain when you are getting your keys and especially on the day when you do the checks. Why? It is to check for any leaks to your home. I was lucky that it consistently rained throughout the 2 or 3 days when we first check our home. There are no leaks so far. (Thank God!)

After the rectification, I thought that was the end. But no. This was what I found out after the rectification:

The tiles here sank!

But hubby was lazy to rectify it. He says that a shelf will be placed over anyway, so he don't bother to rectify.

Other than these, the rest are okay.  No hollow tiles, no water leakage. Then it was time to source for different contractors.

We had ask for about five different contractors and ask for their quotes. Most of them are over 10k!!! But I heard that it's the market price for it. The cheapest quote we were quoted was about 9K and the most expensive quote was $13,210! We did not engage any I.D (Interior Designers) as we don't see the necessary of it. However, if you are the kind of person who has money to splurge on a good I.D or you want a different concept to your home, you can try engaging them. 

You may want to read up on the different types of services offers by I.Ds, contractors and Design-and-build here

After some time of discussion with hubby and the different quotes and services they provided, we decided to engaged "Pagoda Building Contractor". They have over 30 years of experience in renovation. I personally do not take any contractors with less than 10 years of experience in the market. Because I have heard of cases whereby either they do a sloppy work for you, or worst, they did your project halfway and run away. I also notice a trend of them closing and re-opening another contractor company. So, no. I personally do not want to take such risks after I had spent so much CPF money to buy a house.  

That's being said, you have to do your own research online to check on their background, whether there has been any complaints on the one you're going to engaged? Are the complaints high? Or just a few complains? 

You can read on 2014 Today's newspaper article on them here

After paying the initial deposit, their staff came to our place to take the actual measurements and to discuss the height of the kitchen cabinet. The Father & Son did met my husband before but not me. So I only liaise with the son through whatsapp. He's so young! (Way younger than we are) but rest assured, under his father's guidance, his work is as good as his Dad. (I believe?)

They were quite fast with their work! Our home was complete in a month's time!!! Below are some pictures of the progress:

Day 0 (or Day 1) the contractor draw where the sink would be, the kitchen cabinet would be and how high we want the stove area to be

We went back on the 1st week, I think on the 3rd day that they have already done up the sink? I don't really remember but anyway, it was fast. Within a week!

These was what greet our eyes after I remembered about 3 days? Notice the round corner at the sink? They are creative and flexible to design with that in mind. 

One of the other contractors we consulted, he was not flexible to think out of the box to design that way. What he told us was the edge would stand out and will block the doorway a little. But Pagoda was considerate enough to think of that design. To others, it may be minor details like that and they don't bother to custom design it (same goes to the rest of the contractors we source their quoted and asked their design for)

I belive that these are done on the 2nd week. Hubby did rush them on the kitchen part. I don't know why. But since he's the one that uses the kitchen, I let him handle it.

The before (refer to the picture before these) and after. It looks ordinary. Nothing fanciful. He chose the colours.  

 Glass cabinet for our Gundam model kits

Kitchen windows and grills installed. We have a little one and I read about newspaper on very young toddlers falling down from high floors. This was actually an open space but we fence up for her safety.

This was the before look and above is the after

 Living room

 Master bedroom

Little one's room 

The options of window grills that was given us to choose. I actually can't decide between JS1 and JS3 but we took JS1 later on

And...that's it! All these are done up within a month.  It was time to source for air-conditions and furniture's

Mitsubitshi system 2

The little one's room

Our master bedroom

Table mirror for our master bed room

Our wardrobe

That is it for now. Just remember to thoroughly check your home for any defects before you moved in. I had neighbours who complaint about choking toilet bowls and the piping problems. But Thank God that so far, nothing happens for us. Except for the dented window ledge, everything else was okay. Till then, congratulations for those of you who just got your BTO keys to your flats! Remember to do your research and ask for your friends recommendations of their I.D or contractors to do a comparison on what you are looking for and the prices. Good luck!

Life?

I think we have moments or life time where we do not know where should we go, or what do we really want? Recently, I have been thinking if I should re-blog again? I know that there was a period of time, blogging was so "in" thing. Everyone wants to have a blog for the sake of blogging. Of course, some people, manage to do it as their full time blogging job (aka Bloggers). Case in point, Xiaxue.

I do not know since when I started to read her blog. But it was so long ago as far as I could remember. I think when she was still very young? I did stop reading her blog after some incidents. Which I no longer remember what it was about? But I do command her and respect that she is still one of the most influential bloggers around.

I have been thinking of becoming a writer. But that path itself is not an easy path. I think? I do not know what to write about too. Except maybe food? Since I love to eat and always Instagram about food in most, if not all of my photos.

I am trying to revive my blog. But I do not know how to go on about it. Hopefully, one day, I could make it alive it like it used to be.

Till then...cheers!