Not Living UP Yet

So I posted previously that my husband, sister and I each bought a Jawbone UP to track our activities, sleeping patterns, meal intake and mood. I was quite excited to be an early adopter of the technology and was quite diligent at first about updating my information and syncing my data. But the constancy of the feel of the device was a bit off-putting for me. I took it off for a few days and felt freer. I told my husband I was too busy to keep tracking these things but actually it wasn't serving its purpose for me. I knew I wasn't moving enough, doing enough and it just seemed like maybe I shouldn't wear this band until I was really committed to have a more active lifestyle.

In any case, there's been a lot of interest in the Jawbone UP I've noticed since it's probably one of my top five posts in terms of reach and here I thought it was just one of those factual posts you publish very quickly.

I know there are some of you who are committed to making this work. My husband and sister for example, still wear theirs quite diligently. In fact it's so much a part of my sister's life now that she's going into withdrawal since she's not wearing her band currently (i.e. her band stopped charging properly and she had to contact Jawbone UP in the US for support so they could give her a replacement band) and she's more active than ever. She's drunk the Kool-Aid obviously and is truly disappointed that she's currently not living UP. Like me, she's also gone out and recommended it to at least 10 people.

I just really think it's one of those things that can change your life...but only when you're ready to make that change.

Kids and Movies

My kids are at that age where they're starting to appreciate full-length animation movies. It's quite fun to watch. They'd be glued to their seats and then start laughing hysterically at something or other. It all started interestingly enough with a bunch of clearance sale DVDs I bought from the closeout sale of VideoEzy Novena. I should probably have bought more, but I carefully handpicked the ones that I wanted to watch as well. I chose the Toy Story series, a whole bunch of Charlie Brown DVDs, Winnie the Pooh, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Lilo & Stitch and the odd Mickey Mouse Clubhouse DVD. 

 

Lexi and Andi started with Toy Story first and not even in sequence. Rule breakers that they were, they chose to watch Toy Story 2 first. This made me a bit crazy because of course shouldn't kids learn the Toy Story storyline in proper sequence? As it happens, they ended up watching Toy Story 2 a gazillion times before deciding they've memorized it enough and it was now time to move on to Toy Story 1. That in turn took another gazillion viewings before they were ready for Toy Story 3 and by then they just plonked in whichever one they felt like watching. I loved the Toy Story series. I think it's quite an appropriate movie for kids just starting to appreciate movies in general. 

 

After that, it was Jake and the Neverland Pirates, which then turned us onto the series and all things pirate-related. For awhile there, I got a bit carried away and seriously thought of doing pirate-themed décor for my girls' bedroom but kids being kids I'm sure they'll latch onto another favourite thing in a couple weeks' or months' time.

 

Winnie the Pooh was also a hit especially with my younger daughter Andi. Charlie Brown as well, though I realize the Charlie Brown series has themes that younger children might not easily grasp - like faith (Linus waiting in the pumpkin patch every year for the Great Pumpkin who never appears), unrequited love (Charlie Brown pining for the little redhead girl), disappointment (Charlie Brown bringing a suitcase to school to fit in all the potential valentines he was expecting to get and not getting a single one) and so on. But they seem to like it so I let them watch. Maybe they're still trying to grasp the story. In a way it also feels more realistic and relevant I suppose especially for Lexi since it's about kids going to school and about friends.

 

Lilo & Stitch was quickly forgotten while Mickey Mouse is always a favourite they'll keep coming back to since we also have other DVDs and recorded episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on our video recorder.

 

Recently, we thought maybe it's time to introduce the fairy tale classics to them as well. We started out with books but thought it might be more entertaining to watch the Disney fairy tale classics. So my husband trooped off to Mustafa on a mission to find these DVDs. He first got Snow White and eventually found Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. Meanwhile, I tried the free trial at hollywoodclicks.com so I can borrow Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin among other DVDs.

 

Well, as I was watching them again with my kids I realized there were quite a few violent and possibly scary scenes in there. But they seem to take it in stride and dutifully laughed at the funny scenes.

 

In fact, Lexi is so protective of her favourite DVDs that we aren't allowed to touch them and only she can handle them so she knows exactly where they are. We had a problem before with some of the DVDs gone missing so I think this time she's decided to be systematic about it and appointed herself sole guardian and protector of the DVDs. In fact, we can't even throw out the box the DVDs came in. We tried to do that once and she looked at us accusingly as she digged them out of the garbage.

 

I'm looking forward to sharing more movie moments with both of them and still have a long list to go.   

 

Minnie: Why do we get stuck in the back? Bunny: Yeah, I can't see a thing!

Minnie: Now this is much better. Bunny: True that.

Minnie (seen sitting on corner of sofa): Hey where'd those two go? And why don't we get snacks? Bunny: At least you're still in the frame. I'm totally out of shot.

Andi: Is this what's called a captive audience? Lexi: Shhh. I'm trying to read to you....I can't quite read yet so I'll just try to make something up. 

Andi: I'm so tired from running around all day it's nice to just lie down and watch TV. Lexi: Yes especially when you can rest your head on a pillow as comfy as this.

Minnie: Oooommmpphhhfff.

Extra Virgin Pizza

My first thoughts upon hearing that Extra Virgin Pizza was opening in United Square was 'Ugh, extra virgin doesn't sound very appetizing, it's probably one of those organic, healthy eating kind of places'. And since I tend to want my pizzas, quite meaty and tasty, I wasn't that interested in trying out a place that would serve bland food. But then my sister told me the food was quite good and to go try it out. Well, I did and this is now one of my go-to places for casual lunch or dinner.  

 

I get the 'extra virgin' concept and the thrust for pure ingredients and it really shows in the food. The first time I had the meatball spaghetti, I was overwhelmed by how pure the tomato sauce tasted. And my kids loved it too. My daughter Lexi who is at that stage where she's a picky eater more than anything actually ate both the spaghetti and the pizza we ordered. Normally, she would just eat white rice and egg. But here she was eating everything in sight. At SGD20-24 for each whole pizza, it was quite reasonable. So far we've tasted the meatball, pepperoni, spotted pig (their version of a meaty pizza) and four cheese pizza. We keep coming back to the meatball pizza though and the spaghetti & meatballs. That tomato sauce is to die for. And I've never said that about any pizza or spaghetti before but this one's love. If you check their promo materials, it says that 'Extra Virgin pizzas are handmade with premium ingredients and baked to order in twin brick ovens. Extra Virgin uses Italian double-zero flour, California organic Saporito tomatoes and imported cheeses and toppings.'

 

In any case, it's still quite easy to get a table there, mainly because there's still less foot traffic where they're located but just wait until Wee Nam Kee opens and more people find out about the pizza place next door. So go now! 



The main counter

 

The menu. Not a lot of items but most of the items are quite good anyway.

 

Lexi posing while waiting for the yummy food 

                                           

Andi also quite cheerfully waiting for the food 

Meatball pizza! Yum! With the famous 'leopard spots' that Extra Virgin pizza is known for.

Pepperoni pizza. Good but I would still go for meatball pizza any day.

 

 



Random Shots



Things have been pretty quiet as we settle in our new apartment. We'll go out to hit the playgrounds or the mall but otherwise it's quite nice just watching DVDs or downloads at home while sipping chococinno made from our new coffeemaker. Here are some random shots of our recent trip with the kids.

 

Yes I know it's a safety violation but Lexi wouldn't take off her sunglasses while balancing on this beam. At IMM playground.

 

Lexi and Andi cooling off at IMM playground

 

Andi at the coloring table at Art Garden, Singapore Art Museum

Andi exploring at Art Garden, Singapore Art Museum

Andi loved sitting on this 'broken chair'

Lexi and Andi with Walter the (giant) bunny. Lexi didn't want to pose for any pictures inside the museum but specifically asked to see Walter and to have a picture with him.

 

I loved this room which was plastered all over (floor, ceiling and walls) with illustrations of fairy tales. It had a mirror on one area where you could project messages, a tree, a bridge and of course a coloring area.

Dada and the kids

 

Our New Home Part 2

Next up in our house tour is the kitchen. As you can see, the flooring was very simple and the cabinets quite dingy. We tore everything down and replaced it with a more modern kitchen following a classic palette of black, white and light wood.

The old kitchen with dingy cabinets

Entrance to the kitchen. We thought of putting in a door but the entrance was quite wide and it was more convenient to keep it open. It also meant the nannies could easily see our children in the living room even if they were doing something in the kitchen.

  

LG Refrigerator to the left. Dark gray tiles. Light wood laminate. Quartz countertop and and high gloss white  cabinets.

Built-in Turbo Incanto oven and right on top is our microwave oven.

The old kitchen had a simple two-burner hob with no hood. 

Black tempered glass 3-burner Turbo Incanto hob and matching hood (hood in picture below).

Deep sink to the right with a very high tap.

Closer view of the sink and tap and cutlery and dish drainer behind the cabinet with the translucent glass door.

It's a very compact kitchen which is also the laundry area. That's our washer and dryer combo over there which gets used quite a lot since it's too inconvenient to hang our clothes outside the building and no space to dry inside the house.

This is a shot of the old kitchen and that raised platform was meant for a washer.

Another view of the washer and dryer.

The old hallway with marble flooring and dilapidated doors.

The new hallway with light wood laminate and white bedroom doors from the center to the right, and white folding doors for the shower and toilet, to the left.

Our New Home Part 1

Well it's been a week and we're settling nicely in our home. I waited until all the unpacked boxes and various items had been put away and curtains are up before I started taking pictures. I've put the pictures of our new home side-by-side with how it used to look like so you can see the improvements.

 

The living room is my favorite area and the coziest part of the house, it's a rectangular layout with the play space near the window, the actual living room in the middle and the dining area near the entrance of the apartment.

 

The flooring for the living room was the old type of marble and towards where the play area is now, it was a different flooring, more linoleum. The play area used to be partitioned off by an arch and columns and was painted black. The mood of the room was a bit dark. What we've done was to take away the arch and the columns and have the same flooring all throughout the living room - a light wood laminate together with white walls so we could keep the area as light and airy as possible.

 

I took inspiration from boards I found on Pinterest which is where I got the idea for the book ledges drilled onto one wall so the kids could have a reading corner. I had another ledge drilled onto the opposite wall so we could display the kids' photos against the wall and just update them as often as we wanted without sticking the frames onto the wall (which we used to do with blu tack - quite messy though and doesn't hold strongly). Then my husband and I chose the BESTA storage system with movable partitions so we could keep the kids' toys accessible. We bought a new rug as well then brought over the pink table with chairs and the drawing board / chalk board easel from our old apartment (all from IKEA).

 

For the actual living room, the old owners painted the wall and dark pink (almost purple) which wasn't really doing anything for the room. Meanwhile, I've always wanted a brick wall in my home and I've seen one in all the home decor magazines I've flipped through. It makes me think New York loft. But putting one up was an added expense we almost decided to do without. I kept thinking I could give it up but decided I couldn't and I'm so happy we kept it in the final design. I think it gives a warmth to the room. The only change we made was to keep the original color of the brick instead of painting it white, which we've seen done as well and thought was also interesting. But this one was better.

I've also stuck very closely to the design pegs which I posted previously. I have the brick wall (red not white though), the structured couch, and parquet-looking floors. I even have the ceiling fan pictured here and I've followed through on the pictures on a ledge idea.

Meanwhile, if my dream was to have a brick wall, my husband's wish was more functional, i.e. to have a built-in TV console. We chose a simple dark brown laminate and black glass compartments which slide out and which houses our Starhub box, DVD player and Kinect console. It's so easy to use, my kids already know how to open and close the compartments so they can watch their cartoons in the morning. The console did end up being a bit thick so the designer told us he built some DVD compartments on the side as well and we mainly keep our kids' DVDs in there. Right beside the console is my husband's Father's Day gift which is a 6-layer steel compartment box for tools, gadgets and electronics. I knew I picked the right gift when the taxi driver asked me how much it was and whether there was still stock left. It was a steal since I found it in the AS-IS section at IKEA and no there were no other stocks left since I hadn't seen it anywhere and I would know since I've been to IKEA 4 times in the past 2 weeks already. Beside the tool compartment box meanwhile are two of our beloved paintings - one was a painting I bought in Guangzhou and another was a painting I made with my daughter Lexi. We have a lot of white walls and there should be room for more art but for now we're starting with these two.

Then there's the dining room. It's still very bare except for a dining set and again I found the exact chairs I wanted and we changed over our table to a light wood surface this time around. We also changed the overhead light to a pendant lamp which looking now at the picture feels a bit small against the space, but we'll see. We're also still using shoe racks but come the weekend, we might start looking at larger shoe cabinets which can serve as a long console table. I initially wanted to do a chalkboard wall but trying to figure out where to put it. It may or may not happen. We'll see. For now, the apartment already feels like home and we'll change and adapt as time passes.

More pictures in the next few posts of the other areas of the house.

 

What Can Go Wrong Will Go Wrong

Well it was time to move and though we dreaded the packing and subsequent unpacking of boxes, the discovering you have too many stuff and too little storage, and the adjusting to new spaces and new routes -we were thrilled we were finally moving to a space we could really fix up and call home. Unfortunately, since we were moving to a new house there were a lot of kinks.

- The contractor couldn't get their people to drill our IKEA-bought curtain rods and so we moved to the new house, without curtain rods and curtains. I initially checked for quotes on getting everything done with a place that specializes in curtains but almost fell off my chair when they quoted me SGD1,000 for 3 sets of curtains. So I trooped off to IKEA for aforementioned curtain rods and starter curtains which were SGD20 a set, had them fixed to proper length for SGD16 a set which is also expensive but still way cheaper than customized curtains. Problem fixed, curtains up next Monday.    

- The contractor somehow designed the kitchen cabinets so that they partially concealed the gas point, which we only realized when City Gas came to turn on the gas. It took 3 online appointment requests, 3 visits from City Gas, 1 visit from the carpenter, countless hours spent calling the City Gas hotline (which I am sure is a hoax since I've never been able to talk to a City Gas Officer directly through their contact numbers) and 7 days exactly before we could get the gas turned on. I was so desperate to get the gas turned on that when I finally got the carpenter to saw off a part of the kitchen cabinets I started madly calling City Gas and realized the only way to contact City Gas was if you requested an online appointment (they would then call you to confirm the appointment). The moment I got hold of a City Gas Officer, which was the next day, I mentally tried to figure out whether to berate them or just beg for an appointment - I ended up doing the latter and I thankfully got my appointment and my gas turned on. Goodbye hawker food. Though the porridge was the best and some of the other items tasty, nothing could compare to home cooked food.

- The kitchen backsplash isn't finished and so is the bathroom mirror, which makes me think there's something wrong with the mirror place our contractor coordinated with.

- The room and kitchen lights seem faulty and flicker a little before turning on. In fact, technically, our bedroom light is broken. Will have to get that fixed.

As with all problems though they eventually get fixed and now 1 week after moving we are slowly settling into the new place and loving it to bits.