Sketches of Life

Look what has become of the bench that the men made. It has evolved into a small low table!

In order not to waste the other half of the trunk and also the left over trunk, the men make use of them and built a table with the other trunk as benches!

MIL and the maid weaved the young coconut leaves into the Ketupat casing. We are going to have Ketupat and Kuah Kacang soon, minus the Satay.

And the best part of the coconut tree is the shoots. We ate it raw; sorry, I dunno how to describe the taste.

Our neighbour told MIL that we are not to eat the coconut shoots because the coconut tree was truck by lightning. I do not know what’s the rational behind it. The tree looks fine to us…no sign of it being struck by lightning. It is it, sure die already. Anyway, I hope I won’t be needing any medigap when I grow old. You’ll never know the side effects that will emerge once our body grew old.

One of the disadvantage of living in a kampung is you have grasses and weeds to tend. Not a small portion like those living in terrace house but they are everywhere, all around your house!

After painstakingly cutting the grass on the front lawn (it took me 3 evenings and one morning to complete it!), hubby to bought the real grass cutter. He bought the imitation ones; only RM325. The original cost RM800!

I told hubby that I wanna try to use it. It looks fun seeing him cut the tall grass away. So the day after that, I got my hand on it; backache put aside! Yes, I was having backache that day but I am not going to miss this chance of a lifetime.

Look at me go! It was really fun until the maid appeared telling me, “Sir, suruh saya belajar potong rumput.” Alamak! Orang tengah syiok, syiok ni, kacau saja. But I can’t say “No” right? Furthermore, I won’t have the time to cut the grasses around the house. So, I taught her. That was my first and hope not the last time holding that cool grass cutting machine!

Hubby has an apartment that is rented out to the MMU student. His tenants are moving out end of this month. Another 2 students want to see the apartment. So I tag along to see the condition of the apartment.

I was shock to find a bed in the living room! There are 3 rooms in the apartment and 3 tenants. It seems that they converted one of the rooms to TV and Computer room. The floor…I was speechless…Just take a look at the photo below:

Even in the other 2 rooms, rubbish are all over the floor. I think Cockroaches are their best friend. Rubbish in the toilet and balcony too. The toilet/bathroom wall and sink are full of spots.

Only one room and one toilet is clean which is being used by the tenant that liase with hubby.

After they leave this Friday, I think I would go there to do some scrubbing.

Filthy!

Are you all for blinds? Well, honestly only the windows in the living hall are covered with Wood Blinds, the rest of the windows my house is naked except the windows in the bedrooms which are covered with curtains.

It is quite costly to have our window clothe with blinds but they are very durable. When we started our Internet Café business, we were not allowed to tint the glass and our other option was to use the Vinyl Shutter for the main entrance and the Mini Blinds for hubby’s office.

So we waited for good bargain to come by.

If ShadesShuttersBlinds.com is here, I would have ordered my blinds from them. They are having Sale now!!!

A chandelier is not like those normal lighting fixtures that we can just unscrew, bring it down and wipe them clean. You have to clean it right where it is hanging down. Want to have nice house, got to make extra effort to maintain it. Anyway, those who can afford to have chandeliers in their home, I am sure you will have at least 2 house keepers/maids/servants.

When asking them to clean your chandelier, make sure you tell them to do the following:

1. Make a diagram to guide them to where any removable parts go after cleaning is completed. Better still if you can take photo of it.

2. Switch off the light first! Never clean the chandelier with the lights on.

3. Place a thick comforter or drop cloth on the ground directly below to catch any possible falling pieces.

4. While cleaning the fixture make sure to keep it stationary. Do not turn or twist it.

5. Use a light cleaning mixture (like mild dish soap and water) or special chandelier cleaning solution.

6. Use warm water; the warmer the water the less spots that will be left.

7. Let the chandelier dry overnight to insure it is fully dried before turning its power back on.

If we were to build an attached bathroom in our bedroom, I would want a vessel sink to be the center piece in my bathroom instead of the normal traditional sink. Unlike the conventional sink, vessel sinks adds the touch of luxury even though it look simple. Many are going for vessel sinks nowadays. Almost every newly renovated restaurant and hotels are using the vessel sinks now.

For luxurious unique vessel sinks, you can visit Trade Winds Imports. They have a wide variety of unique vanities including unique sinks are perfect upgrade for your bathroom. They have so many types of material for you to choose from; Granite, Marble, Onyx, Travertine, Glass, Wood and Metal. As for me, I would definitely choose the Marble sink. It shines!

Now I got to work harder to save more so that my dream of having our very own bathroom will come true.

“Welcome to the Hotel of California”. The famous lyric from the song “Hotel California”. Personally, I like the tune and rhythm of that song but I don’t like the message that the song is trying to put forward. Sounds eerie to stay in Hotel California. However, accomodation should not be a problem if you want to stay in California. There are many beautiful homes that are worth buying. Just find the house that you like and check out the California Mortgage Rates that suits your needs. Don’t forget to look at California Jumbo Loan or even San Francisco Home Loans and compare the rates.

It is easy if you know where to look for when you need to finance your real estate purchase. Just make sure that you don’t rush into any loans but consider carefully the rates and long term payments that you have to pay. It is always wise to be prudent in financial matters. Having said that, I wonder whether the Hotel California mentioned in the song still exist. I don’t think I want to stay in it if ever I got the opportunity to visit California. Maybe I’ll just enjoy myself at the beautiful sandy beaches.

With a maid around, our compound is super clean. Ok lar I am exaggerating a lil bit. But it is much cleaner than before, not much leaves and weeds on the ground. Our compound looks much bigger when it is free from weeds. It would be nice if we can afford to build a small hut and place a nice outdoor furniture like below.

With the evening breeze, I think I could nap for hours on that soft cushion. I just hope that the chicken, the dogs and the squirrels don’t join me. Hmmm…sounds like I am living in the jungle like that! hahahaha.

The above outdoor furniture is from a high end line of All Weather Outdoor Wicker Furniture from PatioProductions.com. It is Woven from top quality UV treated PE resin strands around weather proof aluminum frames, so you can be assure of it’s durability. Wanna buy it for me??? Visit the website puhlease.

I like the sound of rushing waters. Especially the sound of the water fall. If I have a bungalow, I would love to have a mini water fall in my study room. If not, water fountains would be great too. Besides cooling down the room, the sounds of flowing water would definitely soothe down my soul after a tough day at work.

In the office that I am working at, we have wall fountain too. A huge one behind the reception table. Since the company is producing lubricants, instead of water, they replaced it with base oil. It is a very beautiful sight. Anyway that is too cost for our home.

If you are interested to own one, at Discount Fountains you will find everything from large indoor fountains to small decorative waterfalls for your desk or bedside tables. All their products come from the top indoor fountain suppliers around the world and are made of the highest grade materials on earth. You will surely be satisfied by their guaranteed quality.

Most of us will have our own home one day. I am waiting for my turn. Can’t wait to decorate my own home with my kind furniture. I am currently living with my MIL so there is a mixture of all kinds of furniture in this house. If I have my own house I would love to decorate it with one theme like Asian style furniture, Oriental furniture or Japanese furniture.

I like wood furniture because it looks sturdy and definitely it will last longer if you get the teak wood furniture.

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Why Foam Mattress?

I chose foam mattress because it is affordable, comfortable, not as stiff as fibre mattress and cooling too. I myself has been sleeping on foam mattress for years until recently I bought 2 single fibre mattress which is abandon now coz my girls is sleeping in their own room which the existing bed there is queen size.

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My eldest has been sleeping on an old spring mattress. When I lay down on her bed, I can feel the spring on my body but she did not complaint about the same. Could be that she is lighter. Since we have a few idle mattresses, I placed an old foam mattress on top of the spring mattress to cover up the spring.

To my regret, she woke up scratching her back the next morning. She has been attacked by bed bugs!!! Poor girl. I cannot be a miser anymore; call up the furniture shop and get the boss to send a new 5″ foam mattress the next day. Earlier I wanted to buy the fibre mattress but it is too costly for me since I am only on half pay.

Thinking of ripping of your old curtains and replace them with roller shades? I would suggest you to head to Payless Decor for up to 40% discount for all their blinds, shades and rug.

Talking about curtains, I think I have not washed the curtain in my room for months already. No wonder I am still sneezy even after I got my maid to dust my room. I shall and must wash the curtain by tomorrow. If I am still sneezy, maybe I am having a sinus! No more blaming the dust or the weather.

Finally I got the chance of visiting Ikea which I heard a lot from people living in KL. I was wondering why they like shopping at Ikea so much. After all, they just sell furniture and household items.

I am very impressed by the way they sell their furniture by placing them in a home setting. There’s the bedroom, living hall, study room and kitchen too.

Of all the beds there, I am kinda attracted to the platform bed. Being a simple person, I love simple and practical thing and platform bed is one of them.

It looks very sturdy to me and it creates that romantic atmosphere in the room. I love keeping some stuff under my bed to save space but with platform beds they do not have to collect dust under the bed because the bed’s platform may be filled with drawers. Very practical, I should say.

The above is the Japanese style platform bed that is handmade in Indonesia from sustainable plantation teak. It has a natural rustic finish and has been constructed with mortise and tenon joinery for long lasting durability. Take a look closely at the lines and curves on this bed and marvel at the illusions they create.

Do you know that in Genting Highland movie theater, they have special front row seat?

Besides the theme park, my ex-colleague suggested that I go for a movie there. They have special seat on the front row; massage chair. I think, I will fall asleep on the massage chair rather than enjoying the movie.

If you want to fall asleep watching movie in the comfort of your own home theater, why not get a massage chair since you can afford a home theater. I would if I have extra income.

If you wanna get the Shiatsu Massage Chairs at the lowest prices, personalized customer service throughout your purchase and into the future, No Tax, No added shipping fees and 30 days trial, be sure to get it from Working-Well.com. They offer the best Shiatsu Massage Chairs from top name brands such as Premier Health Products, Sanyo and Panasonic massage chairs.

Here are better reasons to get a Daily Massage other than sleeping while watching movie!

Reduce your tension
Relieve your back pain
Increase mobility
Increase your circulation and oxygen flow
Improve your alertness
Aid in the removal of impurities from your blood stream
Speed the recovery of your injured joints

So, wanna get one???

When my BIL came back to stay with us, a few of my husband’s other brothers and sisters inquired about us. They are wondering whether we would be moving out from the house or build our own home. You might be wondering why this is so.

Well, when I got married, that BIL is still not yet married and he stays in the house together with my MIL and hubby. As we were newly married, we have our ideas of building a family. We have plans to have our own house and like others, build our own family on our own. It was expected that BIL will get married and would stay in the house together with MIL to look after MIL. When that happens, we can then move out. However, things took a different direction when BIL got married and his wife does not want to stay with MIL. So we ended up staying with MIL until now.

Now that BIL is back here staying at the house, we have the options to move out from the house or continue staying there. If we are moving out, I am thinking of buying a house like the one shown in St Thomas Real Estate. Then I can arrange my furniture and things according to my own preferences and paint the house in my own choice of colors.

We finally shifted our girls to their own room and they are very happy about it. And since we have more space in our room, we shifted our computers back to the room. We have more privacy now and hubby said, maybe we should have our own theater seating and watch movies from our PC. Spend money some more??? Not now please. No money coming in, none can go out!

Since I will be working from home starting March. My room will be my office too. Yippee, I have a home office now or should I say, Room Office!

Before the Tsunami hits this part of the country, many dream of building their dream home by the beach. Now I doubt many would want that. Most are going for the hills. By the way, haven’t they heard of land slide?

If you are planning to make a home in South Carolina by the beach which I think it is Tsunami free zone, then Wilmington NC real estate agent might be of help to you.

I live in a simple kampong house. No paintings or decorations hanging on the wall and no carpet or rugs on the floor. Hubby likes the house to be simple and empty. Only the necessity is allowed like tables, chairs, sofa, TV, beds and cupboards. It is not that we cannot afford to spend to beautify our home. All these extra things tend to collect dust easily and we do not have the extra hand to do the dusting and cleaning.

Since we have a maid now, we can afford to add some decoration to our home. She is the extra hands that we have been waiting for. Furthermore she did mention to me that the work that I gave her is too few; she has a lot of idle time. Well, she is still new and temporary; I do not want to scare her away. I think the previous maid “ran away” because there was too much for her to do!

I am thinking to give a touch of Mexico to our living room. I noticed that the Southwest Area Rugs does give that desert tones into a room and will give me that perfect New Mexico style home. Now I must find out whether I can get it here. It comes with free shipping if you are living in US.

The brother in law that used to stay here with hubby and MIL before he got married is returning to live together with us. All this while he is living in his wife’s family house and it seems that they had a few “encounters” during that few years of living there. I heard that the wife was possessed a few times and they decided to sell the house.

This same brother loves too. Not drink water but liquor. If he sees any liquor in this house, when no one is around, he will call his friends over and had a drinking party. I do not know whether this habit of his has changed since he got married. I heard his wife has quite a lot of liquor collection.

Maybe she will ask brother in law to build a mini bar for her to display all her liquor. I am sure she would need bar stools. If we are living in US, I would suggest her to buy them from Quality Bar Stools. They offer a wide variety of Metal Bar Stools, Wood Bar Stools, Aluminum Bar Stools, Wood/Metal Combo Bar Stools, Indoor/Outdoor Bar Stools and even Contemporary Barstools. Their bar stools are from the nation’s top manufacturer’s at discount pricing plus free shipping via UPS and FedEx for purchase over $500.00.

Yesterday, hubby’s brother that used to stay here that moved out from this house to stay in his wife’s family house decided to move back in here. The wife has sold the house. According to them, the house is haunted. I hope the spirit won’t haunt the new owner and the evil spirit won’t follow them here. He asked permission from hubby whether he can bring his altar here but hubby said no. We are a Christian family, as much as possible, we do not want any alter to rest in this house. The Christians would understand why I said this.

We are quite “disappointed” that he returned because we have already set our mind that this house will be ours. On well, it is still the family house, we just “tumpang” here. If we really need to have a home to call our own, maybe we will look for Real Estate company like CityCribs. They provide quick and easy tools to finding the best available homes and services. I am sure in no time we will be able to find a house to call our own. If we used their services, it also means that we will be shifting to New York. Hehe.