Hello Aug 2017

Hello friends, it had been soommeeeetime, I know.  This morning, I tried to log into this blog using the main account, but failed, because I changed computer, and the main account's email is no longer functioning.  So I am typing this using the secondary account, which has some limits in functions.  Someone left a comment on my previous post, and I can't delete it.  Please don't click on it, it's advertising/click bait.

So, I decided that it is time to move on!  I have so much to update, to give an account of the missing time, from Feb till now.  I have been up to something, but had been very silent.  It's apt, to start Millidream3 for this little journey and thereon.

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I tried, for the past 20mins to get onto to blogger mobile app on Iphone, to add a picture to this post, but failed..  So, is my next blog going to be Wordpress?

Pokefloral trail

Ever since we started playing Pokémon go, my mobile album is full of photos of places we visited.  To put it more precise, they are mainly photos of plants/flowers, and a small number of scenery and buildings of these places.  In other to house keep my phone, I want to post them, so that I can start deleting them.  So here's the compilation:

 

 

ECP - we went there multiple times, to catch Voltorb, Magnemite, and Pikachu.  (This flower is really very special, I shall post one more picture of it individually after writing this post)

 

 

 

It rained very heavily on 17th Sep night, so the park is full of fallen branches on the 18th morning.  The middle picture is a tree that had fallen previously and had grew new roots. 

 

ECP again on a weekday after I drove WK to the airport and was on leave.. 

 

 

Bishan park was nest for several items in the past, such as Geodude, Machop, and most recently Jynx.

We went MBS very often, to catch Dratini and other rarer stuff.  Once we were there for Kabutos.

Here's a random photo in my phone of this flower at TPY Lor 3 market place.

We sometimes go to Garden's by the bay from MBS area.

Here's another weekday, when Lynn's holiday started, that WK and I took her to ECP.  I remember it was this day that we first caught a Ditto (at Liang Court before we came here).

Other than ECP, Bishan park, and MBS, we went to new places too. 

This day, we came here for Omanyte

This day we went Bedok reservoir for something (a nest), but I can't remember what. 

At the beginning of Dec, we have visited a lot of nests, and it was the first time that went after rare pokemon.  We use SGpokemap.  That morning, we went after a Aerodactyl at Woodlands but miss it by a few minutes.  Then we spotted a newly spawned Hitmonchan at Senoko, drove there and successfully caught it.  Afterwards, we drove to Sengkang park for Jynx (nest).  It was my first time at Sengkang.  This new town gave me a rather deserted feeling.
 

And this morning, we we visited MBSS again, I took pictures of the rarer white and yellow lotus flowers. 

OK, here's the picture of that very special flower at ECP.  So now, I can start deleting a lot of pictures from my mobile liao...

Update 2

Decided to do a post about our new car. 

Our Honda was 8 years old at the beginning of this year. We went car window-shopping (didn't really meant to buy) during CNY.  Then when I was in Vietnam in end February, WK went to Subaru and liked the outback. So we got it and it was delivered in May. 

It has it's pros and cons of course. It is bigger than the Honda so parking is a problem. Soon it has quite a lot of scratches.  

It is nice to drive, feels very much like the Honda in terms of turning.  It's fuel consumption is very similar to the Honda too.  

The hatch back is both an advantage and disadvantage.  It cannot be opened in the mutistorey car park.  But when opened fully, putting in and taking things out is very convenient and easy.  It can fit Lynn's bike with one back seat lowered and still can take 2 passengers.  Posted some pictures below.  

When all 3 back seats are lowered:

 

When only one back seat is lowered:

Update 1

Nowadays as I blog lesser, I tend to scroll through my photos to determine how much behind I am, and on what topic I want to catch up on.  This time round I am going to catch up on some pictures from April and May.  I want to post them on my blog so that next time I can still search for them if I want to. 

Went to Vietnam for a second time in April.  The grass jelly ice coffee was great and the difficult to find Secret Garden restaurant has a nice roof top deco.

Bought souvenirs for Lynn:

 

In May, we celebrated Jocelyn's birthday. We bought her Kim Joong Ki cushion cover, hah!

In May, Lynn and WK sent me to the airport (biz trip) as we wanted try the hello kitty cafe.  But there was a long long q...

 

Went into the departure area early, so took a stroll in the butterfly garden

 

Saw this plane with Singapore flag on its body:

 

Shanghai office and airport:

 

Saw this beautiful flower outside the canteen of Tianjin office. But I was told this is a 野花，dah!

 

 

Home sweet home at Changi airport:

Renovation! Her new room and the other rooms

Ok, so here's her new built in cabinet and study desk! 

I had a hard time drawing the designs for the carpenter.  For the first set of drawings that I gave him, I actually drew the height of the room at 105 inches.  Then he came for discussions and measurements, and I vaguely remember that he said the height is shorter.  So I measured again, updated my drawings (because I made some changes too) to 103inches.  But when he came for the final measurement he said that he would it is only about 101.5 inches.  So it is actually quite challenging doing the design and direct communication with carpenter. 

It mostly turn out as expected.  There were 2 surprises, and here's how they were resolved.  Firstly, the trimmings of the desk, which look slightly pinkish in the photo above, is indeed pinkish/lilac, and not the dark purple that I requested.  The carpenter explained that the trimming is not laminate, but is PVC, which is the usual material for trimming for table, as it can bend for the round corners (which I requested), safer for bodily contact, and does not scratch easily.  So I have came to accept it, and it blends in quite well with light and dark purple.  BTW, the colours were chosen by Lynn, highly sanctioned by me of course. 

Secondly, see the frosted glass with interior-orange cabinet, it has dark purple thick exterior trimmings in the picture here, but it wasn't when it first came.  What came at first was with orange thick exterior trimmings, same colour as the interior.  What I drew/expected was frosted glass doors only with no trimmings at all, and behind the frosted glass is the bright orange interior.  The idea is that the orange will not be on the outside, but will be seen through the frosted glass.  The carpenter explained that it is not quite possible to have no trimming (anyway he thought I wanted exterior orange trimming).  Thus I decided if it is changed to dark purple, then I can accept.  So, he took the doors (there is another one on the other side) back, change the exterior laminate, and came back to fix them the following week. 

The work was completed 2 Saturdays back (2nd Jan), and I took the whole of last weekend (9 and 10th Jan) setting back the items and making protective covers for table top, for both Lynn's room and the study room. 

Here's a close up shot of what Lynn places in the orange cabinet behind the frosted glass, and on the open shelf behind the bed.  There is a power point and a drop down storage space behind the bed and beneath the open shelf, thus hiding wires from view. 

The compliment for my efforts came unexpectedly from Lynn yesterday, when she commented that she likes her new room!  I felt so happy.  My vision of her having her own study desk, like her older cousins, finally came true.  Thus, when I saw her at her desk doing her homework (周记), I took a picture of it.  And the 2 pictures below of her arranging aqua beads were taken on Saturday. 

 

(The lights is a led-strip-light, lined along a U-turn shaped grove built underneath the overhead-L- shaped-open shelf)

 

Here are the populated overhead open shelves.  The room and the house need a new coat of paint (that will be for this year!)

 

This is the white board cum pin board that she requested for.  She asked her daddy to print a copy of her school time table and place it on the board.  We highlighted 3 items- art on Monday (bring art supplies), CCA on Thursday morning (bring apron), and music on Friday last period (bring recorder). 

The purple flower is actually a scotch tape dispenser (new).  The scissor is also a new addition specially for her new study table.  And she actually placed her 2 perfumes in this stationery box on her desk too.  I wonder where's her diary (see first picture on top) when I took this close up picture of her stationery box. 

Here's the other side of the room.  I was not sure if I should put up this set of hanging cabinet, because that would mean 3 sets of cabinet (there is already a 5 doors built-in wardrobe for clothes) in this room.  I was afraid that it will look overwhelming.  It turned out ok, due to good positioning of the furniture and bed.  Now there is ample storage space for Lynn and WK's mum.  There is a rather adequate "open space" in the middle.  Also, finally I can access the window without climbing onto the bed! 

 

See this picture taken on 2nd Jan, when the hooks are still  unoccupied.  See the pictures further down, which show Lynn's other bags (such as tuition and piano) hanging pretty and neatly on the hooks.

 

Here's a final photo of her reading her story book yesterday before bedtime.  This coming weekend, we should get her a chair, and she wants a diffuser too. 

An unexpected pleasant outcome of this renovation is that my mum's room is also revamped!  It suddenly occurred to me that instead of throwing out the 2 pieces of furniture from Lynn's room, I should throw out the bulky and rather useless dressing table set from my old home. 

 

After rearranging the furniture, now this room is not only roomier, my mum has more storage space, the triangle table can be move around easily (next to the bed for example), and (again) we can access the windows!

I put up some 3M hooks for her clothes and bags (next to the window).  There is an empty photo frame (red), which I intend to put this year's Chinese new year photo of my mum with her children and grandchildren. 

Finally, here's the study room.  It was WK who wanted to make this built-in book cabinet.  Again I designed it, to mirror the cabinet which was already there.  It was a bold decision to make light colour; hopefully it will not turn out to be a decision that I will regret!

There are 4 power points on the wall of this open shelf.

This display cabinet has glass door, to keep out dust.

Medal display, purchased from overseas.

Spent $6k ($3.8 for Lynn's and $2.2 for study) on this renovation, actually really heart pain.  I think I will not want to spend large sums on the home again for the next few years. 

This weekend, I will put up the CNY deco, and rearrange some stuff in the living room.  Looking forward to weekend at the start of the week, haha!!

Hopefully, the painting materialize this year, and my house will look like new again!