See Her Dance!

It's a shame my hp could not catch the music playing on the TV Radio.
This is Kyra dancing to Madonna's very hip dance song (sorry, dunno the title).
I watched her dance in SHOCK coz I only knew she could dance slow motion dances, little did I know she could break it like the dance floor is hers!!!

THE big "LIST" :P

It's been 11 months since we moved into this new home.......the 1st 7 months of it were spent without a proper kitchen, and many others to be accurate...LOL! Just know that it's really NOT easy to furnish a double storey semi-detached home, especially if you're one (or two in our case) who have not saved $ for it :P, and by saying we have not a house fund, that's pretty clear how un-loaded we are lah....ok..hehehehe...... (coz if we were to have extra moolahs....I'm quite sure we'd have some kind of savings).

So, today.....I took time looking around the home......and managed to 'list down' in my mind the things I would love to have to make the home more complete......(reads: want DOES NOT = NEED, meaning, our lives are not affected by the non-existence of these things ok..hehe, but would be nice to the eyes to have lah)

1) COFFEE TABLE
a gorgeous low coffee table (I spotted one that I lurveeee already....damn!
It's over RM1k++, so that's why it's still NOT in my home) LOL!
***eh, I think this item is not a 'WANT' item, it's a 'NEED' item esp with CNY around the corner......well, worse come to worst, we could settle for IKEA's Expedit coffee table @RM259 (below). FYI, it looks NOTHING like the one I fell in love with:P....make do, what to do......

Then I saw this cute coffee table on wheels (below) retailing @USD699 :O @PB, how adorable and fun....I imagine if I really had this at home, it'd be a toy cart in the babes' eyes :P



2) TEAK BEDSIDE TABLES
It gotta be teak coz otherwise, they won't match our solid teak 4poster bed, so this is why we are still bedside-table-less till today... LOL!



3) TV CONSOLE
This is another 'difficult' item.....reason is, i have the design in my mind since the day we moved in...and it is a very long, simple & chic TEAK tv console. Ok, it does not have to be solid wood.....but the wall measures 13.5' wide.....and I need a pretty long console to hold the area together, if u get what I mean.....
LONG = more $$$, so there goes.....
But good thing the Astro decoder can sit on the floor for the time being... Hehehe...

Well, simply love the simplicity and solidity of this one here....yeah, this is the kind I am dreaming about, but of course, it has got to be longer......just look at the thick thick thick body.......ahemmm.....LOL!



4) DECORATIVE BOX SHELVES for living room
I had this in mind....see below...but of course, it would be made of wood to complement the whole living room theme. Since this is definitely not a NEED item, I do wonder sometimes when will we ever set a budget to custom make them! :P




5) STAINLESS STEEL OVENS RACK
This, is a NEED item, but due to some 'unforeseen' reasons....ahemmmmmm......we have yet to get it customized. In case you are wondering what this is....it's just a simple chic rack (or so I imagined in my mind), that lets my Panasonic Multipurpose Oven 'sit' atop my Sharp Healsio Water Oven so that they take up less space on the kitchen counter. Both are not built-in oven units, thus, the reason they were NOT built-into the cabinet in the 1st place. So, this is definitely a NEED item.


6) IKEA STOLMEN WARDROBE SYSTEM for our walk in wardrobe
gettin this....gettin this soon.....good thing I did not cancel my Ikea Friends credit card...hehehehe...



7) SHELF for DRYER
so the dryer can sit atop my huge Bosch 10.5kg washing machine....this giant really took up a big area in my tiny laundry room, thus, a few MANY weeks ago, I got this idea to stack my dryer on top of it....but because these 2 were not of the same breed, thus I need to custom make a 'shelf' or rack to sit the dryer 6" to 8" above the washer. Will definitely post up photos of the "AFTER" job.....coz i think it will make a huge difference.....in terms of neatness and space....
This is doable (budget wise), just that we never found the time to find a welder to make it. What an excuse....sigh.... :D


8) 2 BEDSIDE LAMPS
and because we do not have bedside tables, thus we won't be gettin this yet...
another excuse....haha.....well, mind you, once you add everything up, even a pair of bedside lamps would pinch your pocket a lot......and I hope to find a nice spectacular pair......coz I have to look at it every day......and on a more serious note, I've always felt that our bedroom NOW is very incomplete coz it lacks a certain pair of spectacular lamps......TO ME, these are the 'accents' of the room u know....
Well, if you have seen Nate Berkus (on Oprah)'s room transformations, you'd agree!

Seen here is Cortena Mica Mood Lamp by POTTERY BARN, on sale @USD102.99, how nice and simple!!!



9) STRETCHER FRAMED CANVASes
Well, ahemmm..... Sista#2 ahemm!!!!! Hehehehe, I wanted to have a few extra large canvases on stretcher frames to be painted myself to decorate bare walls of the home.....but due to a super hectic schedule of the big-shot framing guy AH YEO, I guess my mini order is just not crucial to be fulfilled.... SAD.......
Else, I could have rushed a few 'artworks' for CNY... :P

Very long list huh?
I thought so too....What to do......Hopefully by CNY 2011, I won't be repeating anything from this list, k... :P


Well, this room (below) used to be our dining 'hall', but because the 2 babes always messed up my entire living room with their books and toys, and I ended up being the one who cleared those up every day....tiring, I tell you! So, out of desperation, I moved out my entire dining and merge it into the spacious enough (tho I hope it's slightly bigger....) living room, and turned this ex-dining into a PLAY ROOM! YAY!!! And until they can keep their own toys, they are not allowed to bring out their toys to the living room! hahahaha.....*evil laugh* :P



Pretty cosy, ain't it? :)

Happiness is....

"The happiest people in the world are not those who have no problems, but those who learn to live with things that are less than perfect."

Got this from a cousin's FB status.....I think it is sooo sooo true :)
Still learning....still learning to do just that.....at least, I have started :P

8 days and counting.......

counting down to my 1st ever trip to KL with the 2 babes on my own!!! (yeah, that's a 1st,....and a scary thought too! Simply coz you won't know if Maia will cooperate and not make a fuss with her loud volume, or whether Kyra would puke or cry or wanna be carried...yeah, she has this tendency to puke on long trips or equivalent, she also has the tendency to chicken out for the slightest reasons and thus will demand to be carried...and mind you, she's 19kg!!!



To make matters worse, I have this '3 feet long friend' of Maia's to carry as well!

In case you wonder why MUST we bring POPO (yeah, this orange red animal), Maia cannot sleep without him, so there's a super solid reason , ain't it? :P

The only consolation to traveling with both of them by myself is, PHEW!!! We are flying by MAS, not Airasia....heck, i have nothing against Airasia most definitely, but the thought of having to climb down and up the staircase into the airplane, carrying 1x 12kg Maia + 3' POPO, while the 19kg Kyra tails along....is just plain horrifying...
:O

And what if it rains??? Right? Then I'll have to carry umbrella as well????
*FAINTS*

Another less-worrying thought is that both of them are pretty familiar with traveling by plane, so they definitely know what to do once seated...."BUCKLE UP SEATBELT!!!" Maia will tell u! Then when they see the stewardess pushing the trolley pass, Kyra would ask: "I want orange juice?" Maia: "Eating time!"
:D

Well, i'm just gonna hope it'll be a fun and smooth experience....nothing more.

It's Lemon Bar again, Improved!

Previously here, the lemon bar was a tad too sweet, so this round, I cut down the sugar by 1/2 cup, added a tiny wee bit of ground cinnamon, and we have a yummy yet not too sweet dessert! :D Goes well with earl grey or any english tea btw!

***The common practice is to sprinkle confectioner's sugar onto the top after it's baked and cooled, but I prefer to skip this coz I think too much sugar is not good for us anyway.

The Lady In Green!

Familiar????
hehehehe.....It's just life imitating art! Yeah rite! It's just ME imitating the katun lady in green here in my new blog template! (Look LEFT!)

And NO, in case you're thinking:"So free to play dress up!", strangely and coincidentally I found this green template today, and at the same time I was wearing my only green dress too!!!! I guess it's meant to be? LOL! (Too bad it does not have 2 katun babes next to her leh!!!)

Heh!!! I just realized my pose is not really directionally correct....see her hands and mine???

My 1st DIY Nail 'Art'

I got myself another few nail polishes last weekend....so here's the current 'look' on my talons!!!


I named it "B&W Flora and NO Fauna" series....lol....
If I show you the 'art' on my right hand more closely, you will see how imperfect it is! Well, I have very lousy left hand, blame it on that..hehe....

*Top & Base coat: REVLON's
*White polish: BLOOP DE PARIS
*Black polish: IN2IT

I need to get a nail file & cuticle lotion soon.....I got the orange sticks already.....and in case some of you may wonder how come I am so into manicures of late???? Well, my stove is broken since 3 weeks ago, still awaiting replacement, and I haven't been cooking since then.....that explains why I can keep my nails!!! Else, my nails are always super short....not by choice btw :(

The Leaf by HSL: An Upgrade Of Housing Projects in Kuching!

We dropped by HSL's newly launched housing project aptly named 'The Leaf' after lunch coz it's rather near our house, and also to check out the interior decor of the show house.....Verdict? Kyra loves it, I do too...LOL!

Prices range from RM700k++ to over RM1million++, and I overheard the saleslady telling an uncle that all the semi-detached units are taken :O (I didn't know Kuchingnites are this loaded..hehe)

Come, check out the 'stolen' photos....

This (below) is the show unit, a semi-detached with a built up area of approx 1800sq ft ++ (according to the saleslady). I am in lurvveeee with the landscape, truly! Truth is, the facade shares some resemblance to our home, only their windows are nicer... :P


MASTER BEDROOM: Bright and airy, spacious too...slightly wider than ours :P I simply love the rectangular ottoman in weird green!


This was shot when I was standing at the hallway, from the staircase leading towards the rooms. That's MY Kyra there.....admiring 'her' dream room.....LOL! Those who know me would know I have used pink+green combo extensively (even for my wedding theme)...so this room below is my favourite really....though not really pink, it's fuchsia+moss green (the same green i used for the girls' room). I hate the hi-gloss timber flooring.


Notice the drawers under the bed platform? That's one nice idea there, combining additional storage into a seamless modern design. The shared platform concept for both single 'beds' is cool, somehow, it makes me feel not so 'distanced' from my sibling if i was a little young kid sharing this room with a sista! Feels close and secure... :D (well, that's me)


This is the 1st room you'll see upon walking up the stairs, i felt nothing towards this room...LOL!


Love all the bathrooms. They are equipped with extra large mirrors making the space feels larger, blurred tempered glass partition for the shower area, with classy mosaic tiles running along the wall.





PERKS? This residential area is gated&guarded (G&G), and if you try to climb over their perimeter fencing? You'll end up a BBQ chicken without wings! That sure will ensure I have a stress-free super good nite's sleep every nite when hubby is outstation, won't it? hehe....I crave!


Too bad we can't possibly install this type of 'Electrified Perimeter Fencing'! We might accidentally electrocute the nosy uncle next door's nose, coz he has this penchant of peeking over our fence when we are not looking! :D


NOTE: FYI, the living room, kitchen and dining are very nicely decorated as well, you don't see photos here coz there were too many people around for me to snap photos...HEHE!

Hepi Birddaaayyyy to Er Su! :D

With loads of love and hugs from Ahbe & Saybe:
Here's wishing Er Su a very Happy 36th Birthday, and may you and Ivy Shen Shen have a loving happy life together :D, of course, on top of having all your birthday wishes come true too! LOL!

NOTE: saybe was actually asking the cheche to lower down her voice when they were singing the mandarin version....coz cheche was too loud! haha...

And, Happy Housemoving too! May the new home brings you two even more love, joy and blessings *winkzzzz*

Suggestions or Solutions?

Sometimes, when we ask for suggestions of solutions, are we really asking for just suggestions? Or are we expecting just the solid solutions to appear before us by asking it in the first place, and not just suggestions? Coz if we truly want just suggestions, when given, why is that we still think those suggestions are USELESS, and of no substance?

I guess it's the same as when we ask our most trusted other half or friend or sister whether we still look as good, have we gained weight, do we look okay.......deep down inside, yeah, part of us NEED to know the truth so we won't go out looking silly, but the other part actually just wants to hear something good from them.......it's called surreal expectation.

So if they tell you "i think this dress suits you better than the one you selected earlier on", are you gonna be happy and accept their opinion? Or are you gonna stick to your own choice in the end, still!??? When that happens, you can't say nobody paid attention, you can't say nobody listened or bothered.....they listened, paid attention, suggested......but I guess it's just not what you'd hoped for......

So, in the end, it's your own life, your own choice, pride and regrets.....of course we always hope that the latter seldom happens, if at all! And because this is your own life, you hold the steering wheel, even if your GPS system tells you to go East, you can still choose West of course!

But if u get lost, all is not lost, you still have your GPS system, right? Unless of course, the battery ran out on you too, then that will probably give you time to sit down in the loss of nowhere and review your own choices, choices of actions and words....... and if you are lucky, you'll be able to get back to location safely.....

Do you know cardboxes are to be recycled?

DIY Manicure

You know you do a lot of house chores and washings when your manicure doesn't last over 3 days! I used to be someone who loves having polished nails.....until i became a wife+mum :( and nowadays, if you ask me to pay RM60 for a manicure that looks good for just 3 days, i'd definitely pass.......(unless you pay for it, or there's a special occasion). To me, i don't feel good washing away $$$ that way.......I'd feel guilty.....hehe....

So, today I tried doing DIY manicure, with a fancier touch...LOL! Yeah, I actually had this 'look' professionally done in Singapore for my bro-in-law's wedding, it was my own customized design...hehe.....I like it, coz I think it adds shimmers without actually using the faux crystals which cost a bomb on a pair of hands!!!

I found a pretty decent silver shimmery polish today, by Bloop de Paris, and what surprised me was its price....@RM10.90 only, it's really not bad, coz the silvery thingies inside the bottle are densely packed! So that's what you see here......



I only 'decorated' the finger tips with the silver shimmers, and I believe they call it 'tapping'??? Well, that's what I heard them call it when I did mine in Singapore the other day.......me not sure, don't care...as long as it's easily DIY-able....hehe...

Hmmm...I think I'm gonna go get some basic 'manicuring' tools from Guardians this weekend....

GUARDIANS BigHeadz Redemption: WE ARE RALLYING!!!!

THESE are the animalias that made sis#2 and I find reasons to go buy things @Guardians lately! But because of her bestie, she now has 12 stamps FOC :P.....on top of that, she also designed her own RALLY BANNER in her blog!


Aren't they uber cute????? With oversized headz and big round innnocent eyes.....but they cost 40 stamps each *%($&*($&)(#*(#&(%&$*Q@, and to get ONE stamp, you need to spend RM15 @Guardians, but if you are truly crazy enough, you can half-redeem it too, with 20 stamps + RM18.90. Altogether, EIGHT animalias, cute cute onessssss..... sigh!!! This is too much...LOL!


ABOVE: This is Sis#2's 'RALLY BANNER', she's targeting FIVE ekor Bigheadz.... :O
But before you feel KOH LIAN for her, and starts sending her your stamps, please take a moment to look at ANOTHER 'rally banner' below:


Yesh...that's her own niece, fighting for the UBER CUTE Animalias.....may the cutest redeems the 1st plush toy the fastest!!! LOL!!!

When I feel bored......

I look around me for things to change....u know, makeovers....
I must admit I haven't been to the hairstylist for more than long! :P Simply because I 'left' my super favourite hairstylist in KL when I moved back here... :(

So, 2 days ago, I went to buy a DIY hair dye, Loreal Casting Creme to be exact in Dark Chocolate, snip snipped my long front fringe that I kept telling myself NOT TO CUT till CNY 10, coloured my hair dark rich brown.....and woah lah!!!! I feel like somebody clicked the 'REFRESH' button on ME page! hehe.....

So this is how I look like today...





No, I am not specky, happened to find sis#2's new glasses in her room, so thought I might as well play dress up post halloween...LOL! Yeah, I played the sexy librarian.....but sis said I looked more like a teacher :P......well, whichever that is, I think the glasses are cute.....
(Tho I am not sure I would really love being stuck with a pair on the bridge of my nose on a daily basis!)

So, what do you do when you feel bored and in need of a change for yourself? Do you:
a) pick up the scissors and cut your own hair, like me?
b) whine and feel bitter about yourself deep down inside? (but do nothing?)
c) do something NEW, eg: joining a gym, a dance class, buy a new set of clothings......?
d) OR do you pay RM120 for a makeover, A4 print out photo and get vouchers at the malls? (speaking of which, I haven't done that kinda thing in ages......LOL!)

Whatever it is, I do think that feeling good about yourself is seriously important....same goes for looking good FOR YOURSELF too! Not sure about you, but if I feel good about myself, it's easier to be happy and look at things more positively.... :D

Now...if only I could find that pair of dumb bells of mine..........

Halloween Birthdaysss x 3

Every year, these trio celebrate their birthdays togeder geder....
This year, i made em chocolate cuppies with melted chocolate topping with a Halloween theme!
Mobby our cousin's bday is on 29th, Godma (also Mobby's mummy) has her bday on 30th while my sis#2 Pei Ling's bday is on Halloween day!