Finally signed on the dotted line to confirm our ID - Russell from Inspire by D'trenzo! :) Went down to their showroom last Sunday and finalized the details. They should be able to rush out the 3D drawings before CNY, and we're going shopping for tiles and whatnot this Sunday. 

The deciding factor was that we felt pretty comfortable with the ID, reviews not bad and his price reasonable - not my cheapest quote, definitely, but I appreciated that fact that my quotation was very detailed. We went slightly over-budget, in fact, hopefully it'll be worth it.

And the fun part begins. *yay*

Russell had already applied for the HDB permit to hack, and it was approved (SO FAST!). They will do the hacking of floors from 5th to 7th Jan (3 days) - before CNY to save some time. Estimated time taken for my renovation works - 6 to 8 weeks. 

Kent from Wood Culture, our laminates supplier, brought us to one of his customer's house (WIP) to take a look at how our future flooring will look like.

NICE. As pretty as we expected.

I started agonising over the type of heaters we are buying because... I was smacked with a rude realisation that most instant heaters cannot go with rain showers. ZOMG. But I reaaaaaaaally wanted a rain shower so I explored the option of storage heater tanks and CityGas heaters.

There are definitely pros and cons to this, and I guess it's okay if you have a bigger bathroom (which I don't), but it's really huge! Plus I wake up late like, every morning so I don't have time to wait for the water to heat up, lol.

It's supposed to be more energy-saving (bills-saving too!), and solves my problem of needingwanting a rain shower as well, but... there's a zillion pipes running up the wall! I don't like. I'm over-dramatising the situation yeah, but still. And it sounds like a pain to figure out how to use it. D: It will still work for some people though, if they're smart to figure it out but I'm not one of them. XD Oh, the biggest advantage is that you can still have a hot shower in the case of a power failure.

Chio indeed. BUT MY RAIN SHOWER HOW? I googled intensively and had my "Aha!" moment when I found this.

Alpha Smart 18 that comes with a rain shower set. MOST instant heaters don't go with rain shower settings, but not ALL, see. *yay* If I remember correctly, Revive Wellness (my brazilian place, if that matters) uses this in their bathrooms too! 

A list of shops to KIV for bathroom accessories shopping. Not sure about the opening hours for some of 'em; time to do some calling!

We're heading to Bali next month for our mini-moon! (the husband insists that it's just Part 1 of a honeymoon series but this term is more convenient and easy-to-understand LOL)

The timing was right - there was a promo by SQ and we bought tickets at like $260 per pax (whee!). Then I found a deal from Deal.com for a lovely resort called Puri Bagus Candidasa for $370 for two pax (including their sky high taxes of 21%) for three nights and so I booked it too. Being the miser I am, I booked an additional night through Agoda.com because it's cheaper than direct booking. 

The deal also includes a 1-hour Balinese massage and a lomantic candlelight dinner. Very honeymoon-y indeed!

I was told that now is not a good time for that particular mid-career switch, markets and the economy being unstable and all, but on the contrary... I think now's the BEST time, really. I guess the opportunist in me just happened. I don't know why, but I just have a good feeling. Over-optimistic? Maybe, maybe not. 

Anyway, Ox will have a pretty good year in 2013!

(Reference)

The Ox will have found 2012 quite fast moving and a little unsettling! But they should be very proud of all accomplishments that they have achieved. The final couple of months will leave most Oxen feeling a little pressurised, especially at work, but by remaining adaptable they will sail through this period.

The Year of the Snake will be an outstanding one for most Oxen and their outlook, for all parts of their life, is bright and shining! They need to leave the difficulties of 2012 behind and make the most of all opportunities and situations that present themselves to the Ox.

On the work side of life, some Oxen will be considering changing their job or indeed, their career. They must carefully consider what they actually want to do and then go for it! This is not a time to hang back and see what develops. February, March and June and August will all be auspicious periods for the Ox’s career, presenting positive changes and chances for advancement in their field.

On the social side, 2013 will be very agreeable with many opportunities to socialise. The Ox can find it difficult to bond with new friends or romantic partners, but the Year of the Snake will change all that! July to September and November will be particularly successful social times. In addition, many Oxen will decide to marry or make a serious commitment this year to someone special.

Financially, this would be a great year for Oxen to take advantage of putting away extra savings, making use of tax incentives and generally being wise about their money. This will reward them tenfold in years to come. For those Oxen who feel disappointed or weary after 2012, it’s very important to leave those feelings behind as they enter the Year of the Snake. This can be an outstanding year for the Ox and they should be feeling optimistic and energised as they start 2013.

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Good changes beckon. :) Okay, there's actually mixed forecasts for some odd reason... it's either very good or very bad, but at least 1985 babies have pretty good career luck this year (just that there'll be super alot of 小人!). 

The designs were really pretty! And could feel that the quality was really good too. Nice and sturdy. The salesperson, Kent, set the sample on fire which shocked the shit out of the kids standing next to us lol. We were only semi-impressed because they weren't the first flooring exhibits we went to, and every person did that fire-setting stunt. XD Before Wood Culture, we went to Kronotex (nice lady!) and Oriqin (never hear before). Both weren't bad actually. The prices were pretty close and the laminate quality weren't very much different too (I'm not an expert la). I guess I'm a sucker because the 'Hafary' name subconsciously won me over plus I already fell in love with one of the planks (hehe). The laminate manufacturer is Berry Floor from Belgium, and it's water-resistant, scratch-proof, and fire-resistant.

The colour is Arctic Walnut, and the photo doesn't do justice to the colour. This is from the more expensive range, so I'm only using this range for the living/dining/foyer area. Will pick a different range for bedrooms!