Pre-CNY cleanup

30 Jan 2022 

I managed to clear most of my urgent work before the Lunar New Year this year, so I managed to have a bit more time to clean the house. Even though we know that we won't be expecting any guests for LNY visitation.

I FINALLY got down to accumulating all the soft toys and packing them in airtight bags. they used to be just loosely packed (after I confiscated them from all over the house, esp Y's bedroom, where they would be on her bed, floor, wardrobe, chair etc). I just found the largest plastic bag I could find then (big yellow LEGO carrier bags from Hubby's buys at Legoland many years back) and made sure they were covered so that they would attract even more dust INSIDE our household shelter. 

However, due to the humongous size, it could only be stacked atop out many other boxes. Which was a pain to move out of the way/avoid getting hit by it whenever I wanted to retrieve something underneath. 

I got myself one of those plastic vacumn bags for blankets and stuffed them, very roughly and squashed them flat before removing all the air with my vacumn cleaner. 

The result. I feel much happier.... 

Cushions and DIY cushion covers for MBR Bay Window

For years, we have left the Bay Window unused as it was quite exposed (without the DIY sheer curtains and blinds shown in the picture below). Preparing some padding for the space was on my "To Do" list for a while. 

So I bought some high density sponge cushions online during the 9.9 offers (it was too expensive to make to order in SG). The original seller couldnt fulfil the order, so I had to re-order from someone else and it took another 2 weeks to arrive. The cushions did not fit the space perfectly as the cushions were 50cm squares whereas the entire length was 158cm. I padded the end of the space (8cm) by folding a cardboard box. It cannot be seen in the picture as it was below the triangular pillow. 

The triangular support 'pillow cover' is actually just some scraps from previous projects, encasing an air pillow. I used a large plastic ziplock (i think it was those blankets storage bags from Daiso).  

To keep dust out and make it easier to clean, I machine-sewed a long cushion case to keep dust out of the crevices in-between the three cushions. Again, the fabric was from my stash, and I was so happy with the result of the first (the Christmas red) that I could not resist when I saw this cute cartoon print on sale at People's Park. So Taa-dah! I have two interchangeable covers.  

So on windy mornings or overcast afternoons, this is my little reading-cum-entertainment corner. 

Fabrics for DIY cushion covers

Bought these fabrics at $6.50/m from Malin Textiles at People's Park Complex. 

Will follow up on completed project pictures when I have the time to finish sewing, wash and take photos. Haha. 

I think I just found a new way to de-stress (i.e. run away from other real life responsibilities). A way that doesn't involve anyone else. 

New gas water heater (Bye Rinnai, Hello Macro)

Our existing gas-powered water heater had been serving us well since 2010, but it started malfunctioning last week. It just didn't start up, despite me changing the batteries (that served to start the ignition). 

I called Rinnai Service Centre, but the lady advised that the model we had was very old and it was probably not worthwhile to request a Service visit (i.e. pay their service personnel to come take a look and tell us that it was not serviceable anymore) cos they themselves do not have the spare parts anymore. I was advised to contact City Gas at 1800-555-1661 (my Town Gas service provider) for options instead, as they would probably have suitable models that are cheaper than us buying from any other retailer or direct from Rinnai. 

The lady, Connie from City Gas requested that I email them a photo of the existing space where the heater is located, so that she could forward to their technician to determine if the newer (and larger) model could fit. 

We arranged for the delivery and installation this morning. The dimensions of the new heater were slightly bigger, so it had to be shifted slightly as the water pipes at the top were in the way. After drilling holes in the wall for the support, he proceeded to extend the water and gas pipes to bridge the gap.

Tadah! Our new water heater! Hubby is gonna feel the pinch as the cost of the heater (SGD180) will be billed to our next gas utilities bill. 

Reno Blog #02 - Initial Visit(s) and Defects

Just a sampling of the various defects we discovered in the flat. 

Defect: water seepage at MBR Toilet

Defect: room door lock area not sealed properly

Defect: Water seepage at common toilet

Defect: long stretch of gaps in plastering on walls.

Reno Blog #02 - First visit to ID

It was our first visit to any ID, and I hadn't done any 'homework' nor read up on forums on ID selection. We had some brief info compiled from a friend who had shopped around at various IDs before making her decision. However, our ID was not on her list. This was recommended by KK's brother as he had worked on their renovation of their existing flat.

Reno Blog #01 - Introduction

Location: Pinnacle@Duxton, Cantonment Road.

Floor Area: 108 sqm (internal 101 sqm)

Flat Application: June 2004
Queue Number: 1,965
Flat selection and Option to Purchase: 2 Sept 2004
Signed Agreement for Lease: 24 Jan 2005 (Pay 10% of Purchase Price as deposit + Lease Stamp Fee + Conveyancing Fee)

HDB's Handing over ceremony: 13 Dec 2009

Keys Collection: 18 Dec 2009

Renovation commenced: 2nd week of April 2010