We are The Ongies

Getaway trip - Batam

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 05:01:00 +0000

June, the holiday for the kids. This means the parents have to find time to entertain them during this 1 month period.

Do not expect them to take their books out and start revising for the next term. If they do that daily, congrats that your kids are definitely a bookworm, or really the studious type.

Most of us have the no low-energy kiddos, they are out to play and watch TV for the holiday season!

Today is their first day of school after a long break. (Finally it is over!)

All photos are taken using only mobile phone: Sony Z5P and LG V20.

I did not bring the DSLR to this trip so that I can enjoy to the max.

Upcoming video for the holiday

I have 2 videos coming out to share with you - 1 is during the March holiday on Royal Caribbean Cruise Line - Mariner of the Seas and another is a trip to Pulau Ubin - Survivor School.
Because the videos have a lot of footage to put in, I will require a bit of time to take out most of the unimportant part (to ensure the video will not be too long that bored you)

Weekend getaway

Compared to the previous I went to Batam, this is the first time I really enjoy the stay there. All thanks to wifey who make it happen.

This getaway trip is not about The-Ongies, but with a group of close parents from the same kiddos Primary School.

All thanks to one of the parent's hubby are working there, so it makes things easier for us to travel and communication.

We totally enjoyed the whole trip despite it is only 2 days 1 Night. This trip is not as tiring as the cruise because the entertainment on the ship is non stop. We hardly stay in the room. I will share more on the next blog once the video is completed.

Now for the most important part, you want to where do we go and what to look for, right?

Location of food and fun

This is the list we did.

Boarding of Sindo Ferry from SG to Batam - 1hr

Buddhist Temple - Maha Vihara Duta Maitreya Monastery

I am glad to pay a visit here because this is the first time I see such a big statue of Buddha.
For peace and safety.

Go-Kart - Bengkong SGD50 for 10min

The first time I took Go-Kart and with Cait. Much as she like cars, she does not dare to step on it and drive faster.
(The speed for this Go-kart is not as fast you thought. So, it is generally slower, but for twin seat (adult and child), the speed is much faster.)

Belalang Adventure - Few min drives from Go-Karting

The place where you enjoy ATV, Flying fox, obstacle course, air rifle, archery and paintball shooting range (just shooting the target).

Please expect the items are in well-maintained condition.

This is considered very fun for the kids.

Riverside Live Seafood

As this is the season of durian, expect to have a lot of houseflies flying over you non stop.
Just enjoy the food while working out (moving ur hand to chase the flies away).

If you are seafood lover, do not forget to try the steam fish as well. They are great.

The journey from the adventure to Riverside restaurant will take approximately 30min to reach.

Note: do not leave your belonging in the car for safety cautious - as a reminder by the driver.

Radisson Golf & Convention Center

About 15min drive from the ferry point to this grand hotel.

I will rate this hotel full mark because of the cleanliness and atmosphere. For golf lovers, you will know this place well.

As we have to take the connecting room, it is only available at 3rd, 5th and 9th floor. And, at the same time, the 3rd and 5th are the smoking floor. We can accept it because the smoke isn't that bad at all.

For the connecting room, one of the bedroom bathrooms does not have a shower door, everything is exposed unless you draw the curtain.

This is mainly for a wheelchair-bound client, so do not be alarmed.

There is plenty of areas where you can sit and relax during a cup of water. Because I am an audio person, I appreciate good sound system with pleasant music selection - chillout/ lounge.

Not to forget there is a sauna, adult only swimming pool on 10th floor, and ground floor swimming pool. The environment is perfect to me.

I did not explore the gold area because there is no time and I have to start picking up gold despite having a set now.

There is archery as well, but it is not free - located on the ground floor near the swimming pool.

If you have not been there, go book it.

(based on experience)

The dinner at Mickey Mouse - Zi Char

All ladies went for a good spa massage, the daddies are the nanny for the few hours.
The swimming pool itself is already good for them to be entertained.

As the time is getting late for dinner, everyone was famished and we forgot to take a group photo!

So we arrive earlier than the rest.

Worth to eat - Four heavenly, Bak Kut Teh, fried chicken with sweet and sour sauce and many more.

Based on my memory, this should be the exact location because I remember the wall and the zinc roof colour. Ask the driver, he will know. A great place for food.

After our dinner, it is time for bowling at BCS mall.

We did not walk longer in the mall as it is late at night and shops are all closing.

This bowling alley resembles the early 90s because of the layout and computer. It is a memory you will not forget because of the technology and the badly used bowling ball. Apparently, the kids are not bothered and have great fun with it.

Live Seafood at Kopak Jaya Kelong 007

This is our last day on the 2 Day 1 Night staycation.
From the hotel, it will take about 35min drive to the Kelong. It is located at the end of the island.

Here is the map.

There is 2 live seafoods resturants at the bottom. We opt for 007 because of the pricing.

We also get to sit on top of the floating platform - we will get the aftermath movement whenever a boat passed us. It is an interesting experience, especially with your kids.

They get to see how Kelong look like the live seafood, and village with zinc roof with minimal furniture in the house.

They do not have the nice concrete floor like we do. All they feel is mud whenever it rain.

This experience, I hope will broaden their knowledge and feel appreciated.

This is a rollercoaster drive. Driving up high before you descend, the view is terrific.

To have the experience of what I had, I included the Google Map location.

Note: this is the 2-way traffic, they must be very careful when heading up!

This is the start of the rollercoaster - going up.

This is the location where the view is terrific.

The staircase to walk down to the floating platform. It works according to the tide.

Recommended by the driver. Coconut with orange. Taste weird like drinking chilli. You get used to it.

Famished parents. Must not forget to take a photo together.

All thanks to the driver, Joni, who fetch us thru and fro for the 2 days trip.

If you are looking for a nice Chinese driver in Batam, look for him.

And we end off with A&W. Curly fries with Root Beer Float.

A photo that I bomb in suddenly.

Till the next holiday trip!

How to make full use of your new prepaid Malaysia sim card

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 02 Jun 2018 02:46:00 +0000

Today I would like to introduce you something benefit for people that frequent to Malaysia.

This is the digital stage and we always wanted to get connected to the world. But the main usage is to get connected and look for place easier if you are lost and wanted to get more information via WhatsApps. We cannot deny how much we wanted to get connected.

The first thing you enter Johor, most of us would want to buy a prepaid sim card and get connected, or at least find a place with Wi-Fi.

Most of the prepaid card allow you to use up to 50 days, and without top up, it will be terminated and it is very frustrating.

Ever since I am using this XOX mobile, I find it so easy to use.

This prepaid card allow me to use 28months! Yes, no expiry after 50day. This is a season pass.

All thanks to my friend who introduce this.

I decided to meet this seller in person and he explained to me with clear instruction. Providing details to him is a must because he will help to register.

If I remember correctly, the cost is S$35 (with 10Gb data)

The day you enter Malaysia, you must set this up in order to enjoy the first month 10Gb free, thereafter you will then use your own 10Gb data.

Explanation:
Buy $35 season pass during March (10Gb) + free 10Gb *Activated*
March using free 10Gb.

April using own 10Gb you purchased -
you can set 500mb, 1Gb, 2Gb, 5Gb or 10Gb (It will last only 30days)

You can choose to auto renew if you frequent to JB. If you go in every few months, remember to set that off - it is a must.

Activation for the first time:
Once you enter Malaysia after you purchase the card, key in this:

SMS:
SP FAT10 to 23388

It will be activated after a while. In order not to use up your next 10Gb in your account, do this,

SMS:
DATA AR OFF to 23388

This will set auto renewal off until you withdraw the next data capacity.

This what you may get after activation.

This is for after 30days of your free 10Gb.

Time to use your own data.

Key in *150#
You will get this.
Choose 3, then 2.
How much data you want to withdraw from your 10Gb depend on your usage.
After selecting the Gb/30days, remember to SMS DATA AR OFF to 23388

Remember you can use this up to 28months. You can top up your balance from the website if you require more data.

Website:

www.E-pay.com.my

Example of top up

You can email me to ask for seller phone number.

Which Marvel movie should you start first.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 02 May 2018 05:06:00 +0000

Credit to friend: Yukun

There are a lot of talking about the infinity war and they totally love it.

So I guess that you have not watch the movie, right?

Do not worry, we have not watch either one of it and seriously speaking, we are totally lost.

There are so many of them and I know that they are linked together - more or less.

We have Iron man, hulk, those avengers etc.

Gosh, if you are the person who prefer to watch the story in line, it is better for you to pick up a comic as they based from it.

Apparently, I am not a comic fan, so I have no source where to find them.

I prefer movie due to the CGI, sound effect and surround.

Alright, let's cut the post even shorter.

This is shared by a friend and I will watch all of them based on this sequence.

There is an article about it too, but half way through, I am lost. Too much information.

This is it.

Watch the movie in sequence for better understanding.

1.1 Iron Man (2008)
1.2 The Incredible Hulk (2008)
1.3 Iron Man 2 (2010)
1.4 Thor (2011)
1.5 Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
1.6 Marvel's The Avengers (2012)

2.1 Iron Man 3 (2013)
2.2 Thor: The Dark World (2013)
2.3 Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
2.4 Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
2.5 Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
2.6 Ant-Man (2015)

3.1 Captain America: Civil War (2016)
3.2 Doctor Strange (2016)
3.3 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
3.4 Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
3.5 Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
3.6 Black Panther (2018)
3.7 Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Have fun!

Why I go to wet market?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 26 Apr 2018 03:29:00 +0000

Location: Yuhua Place, Jurong East Ave 1, BLk 347

I have not been here for more than 10 times despite coming here during my school days after my Saturday ECA session.

(Forgotten to take photo)

Good food that I ate:
Sungei laksa - Top Singapore food - If you love light gravy, this is it. If not, this is not for you.
Carrot cake/ Chee Cheong Fun - I like hot food, yummy.
Peng Kuey - If you like Soon Kuey and Peng Kuey, this is the place you should try it.

It is a pity that wet market is not as popular as like before. Despite there are a number of empty stalls, you will still be able to get what you want.

They look more fresh than those pack in the packet in the supermarket.

As you are buying grocery from wet market, please remember to bring a long your cash, they do not accept paywave or give you link point.

This is so old days that has never change before. I love it!

Health is number one concern in our country, so people will tend to look out for healthier choice than get themselves into kitchen mess - hot and oily feeling!

But, if you care more for your family eating habit, you will start to cook on your own by ensuring there are no overload of sugar, salt, oil and etc. You are in your own control!

This is one of the reason why I enjoy marketing with my wife.

Youngsters, you should start to go to market and get more fresh vegetable and cook your own meal, at least once or twice a week.

While cooking is tiring, you will smile when everyone is enjoying their meal happily.

Even though I see a number of older stall holders, I do notice there are quite a number of young stall holder coming out and do as well. I often see it at Bukit Batok area.

This is how a typical wet market look like in the past - Old Tiong Bahru market.

Everywhere is wet and the pavement is dirty....we have a lot of wet market all over the place, but are you still the one who frequent to wet market and cook a meal for family?

Take a look of this link provided by Mothership

Image credit: mothership

I will not forget this scenario. I remember buying chew kuey during raining season and the road are so wet and slippery! This is the kind of memory I will never forget and how things has change over the time.

For this weekend onward, go to wet market and buy some grocery from the stall holders. Let your kids have the experience as well.

Where did the post go?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 13:37:00 +0000

Oh man, just a few blogs away, I (the daddy) mentioned that there will be a frequent update on the blog, but sadly, this turns out to be 'empty talks'.

It is sad that things turn out this way, but this time around, I will start blogging a bit here and there.

Just stay tuned for more tho (if there are any active readers).

I cannot be bothered with how many views or any traffic to this blog. If you happened to drop by here, hey, don't be shy. Just drop a little hello, Okie?

If I did not reply to you, it can only mean: I am super 'dao'. Haha.

Fret not, just blame on the email system, it did not reach out to be at all.

Alright alright.

The first thing I would like to share with you will be......

Flickr!

Cut the story short.

The era of business is about buying each other now. They will eventually be bigger or the weaker company will just... becoming weaker. You cannot blame them. They are not weak in terms of their system, it is just financial or they prefer to have bigger and stronger boss to take over and make the site better.

So, if you are holding Flickr account, it is time for you to back them up! IF, you do not wish to port over to SmugMug. If you do not mind, just wait like me, go to SmugMug.

I have no idea how is the plan is going to be like because I like to put the photos on Flickr and linked back to my blog.

It will be a waiting game, so stay tuned, yeah.

SmugMug has been in this industry for many years, launched in 2002. And Flickr, 2004. Just 2 years away. I have been their member for many years until I decided to stay put as a free member instead.

They have a lot of up and downs tho. But I will have my faith with SmugMug soon.

Oh yeah, just remember to download or backup the photos IF you have never backed them up before. Here is how. They also tell you the story of Flickr background.

Okie, adios and remember to check this blog out.

Lifehack - Pick a lock for your home

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 03:28:00 +0000

Just a few days ago, I had learned something new in my life.

This is a good hack, especially for the home.

Consider this is illegal, but if I can save a life, why not?

My daughter accidentally locked the door from inside, thinking someone is in the room. The aircon and air diffuser are running in there because wifey is sick and needed to rest. Therefore, I decided to make the room cosy for her first.

I decided not to blame her for a long period of time as I am trying to keep myself cool - of course, she was reprimanded for a short while.

We cannot find the keys because I remembered that I accidentally place it in the cupboard inside the room.

Knowing that the door was locked, there are 2 options for me.
- call my locksmith friend
- or pick a lock myself.

Understand that this is not a difficult lock, I decided to do it myself so I can save some buck.

Since I watched such video before, this is the time to get into practice.

The initial stage:
Tried using a credit card or a thin card is useless because the door is shut tightly, therefore, there is no gap to push it in.

I decided to get 2 paper clips to do it, as I was taught from the video before.

Refrain using a paper clip that was coated with colour because the metal is too soft to handle it.

Luckily I have a metal small paper clip that is commonly used in school. The metal is tougher.

Follow the video segment closely and you be through.

The reason I took a long time because I did not use more strength to turn the key insert after all the teeth in the keyhole is set in. There should not be any bouncing sound when they are in place.

And there, I saved my money by calling a locksmith.

Do not attempt to use this method by entering a prohibited place, forcefully entry to commit a crime.

This is purely my own home.

The video for you:

How lock work:

Long long time

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 17 Feb 2018 13:43:00 +0000

Hello there!

It had been exactly 2 years since I last update this blog.

I have thought this blog may go into a stage of no return, but I am afraid not.

This area is going to be updated, as soon as I am free.

I will be sharing more and more stuff if I manage to see something interesting.

These 2 years have been very tough.

The two monsters are now in Primary school and they are coping very well.

As a parent, I must be careful on my writing because too much information may bring danger to the kids.

Ever since my last blog features my renovation, I happened to notice that there are quite a number of picture frame being build up for their lovely home nest.

If this idea came from my blog, I really appreciate that. Give credit lah, if there is.

Since this is 2018 and now it is the year of the dog, I would like to say a big Gong Xi Fa Cai to everyone.

The most important is kinship and health.

Without these two, everything is nothing at all.

Let me share my health situation with you.

I am diagnosed with diabetic last year; type 2. I fully agreed with PM Lee sentences during his rally speech in 2017.

Please, for god sake, eat more healthy food and cut down as much sugar as possible.

I like sweet stuff but limited to certain range only. One of my favourite drink is 100 Plus!

Because I am a heavy drinker - one day 1 bottle, I suddenly feel lethargic and always sleepy.

I frequent to the toilet a lot of times uncontrollably and sudden loss of weight drastically, I decided to see a doc.

Turn out the sugar level exceeded way a lot. For the HBA1C (3-month average check), I hit the range of 20. It is supposed to low.

I took medicine immediately and I felt very uncomfortable.

There is strict diet and exercising as well.

I dropped from 105kg to 95kg in 2 weeks.

To my disbelief, I went to Raffles Hospital full body check-up. My sugar for that day is 4.5 only.

Since then, I stopped my medicine and control all my food intake. I do check my blood sugar daily.

Right now, as it is under control, I am not taking any medicine at all. Medicine deteriorate my body well being.

If you are diagnosed, remember to go on a strict diet. Make sure you check you blood daily before consulting another doctor for a checkup.

I only have a drink that is non-sugar so that I compensate for 1 or 2 chocolate.

As I am controlling well, everyone in the house followed as well.

We have regular salad, a lot of lesser sugar content drinks, and less white rice. We switched to brown rice to balmastic rice (I can get to enjoy my curry rice!)

Even though I have put on 5kg now, my sugar level is well controlled. The happiness of losing weight is when you get to wear clothes you cannot wear before.

Health is the top priority, without that, we have no wealth.

Keep a healthy lifestyle!

Contractor and supplier for sharing

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 14:12:00 +0000

On the previous post, hubby had mentioned that he will share all the information that The Ongies had engaged the services for house renovation. That goes as well as for the items they had bought from.

Disclaimer:
The Ongies is only sharing the information they engaged before. So far, there is no big issue during the period of renovation till moving. Everything went very smooth. The cost may fluctuate, hence, it may not be the cheapest, so you have to do your own research as well.

Interior Designer house:

Charrisa from Hottoh Design

( A friendly and nice designer who will help you all the way during the renovation. She loves owner to be involved too )

Services:
The design of the kitchen.
Coordinate the entire project that includes kitchen cabinets, plastering, hacking, tiling, windows, top hung windows, sliding door for kitchen/ toilets, vinyl flooring, and plumber.
They have efficient contractors to work with them.

Curtain and blinds:

Desmond from Brix and Junior
https://www.facebook.com/Brix-Junior-1526312747639601/

(He is a young chap who is very helpful. If you want nice curtain and blind for your home, he is the person you should look out for. He can help to provide electrical and painting services as well)

Services:
Supply of blinds for all rooms and living room. As well as coordinating with electrical and painting.

Staircase railing:

LeHome

Services:
Installing of 1 side railing in black.

Doors and gate:

My Digital Lock

(Ron is a person who is very upfront. He will ensure that you know your stuff before getting it from him. Need not worry if there is problem with your lock, he is just a message away)

Services:
Installing for all 3 bedrooms doors, fire rated the main door and beautiful gate.

Kitchen and bathroom:

Hoe Kee

(Despite some negative reviews read from online. The Ongies are fortunate to solve the problem without going through so many trouble. The Ongies prefer to buy the stuff from Katong because one of the lady boss is station there.

Service:
Bought Fujioh stove and hood, Bosch oven, Inhouse toilet washing basin, Roz WC and Grohe taps.

Lighting for entire house:

Yako Lighting
399A, Jalan Tebrau Batu 3 1/2, 80250 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Bought the beautiful 3 colors LED lighting for the room.

VIP lighting
57,59, Jalan Meranti Merah, Melodies Garden, 80250 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Bought outdoor lighting for the balcony.

YES electrical supply
22, Jalan Serampang, Taman Pelangi, 80050 Johor Baru, Johor, Malaysia

Bought standing and ceiling fans, T5 lighting, LED down light and LED ceiling light.

Chelsea lighting
353 Jurong East Street 31, Singapore 600353

Bought track light for the balcony

Radson lighting
137 Jln Besar, Singapore 208855

Bought staircase well wall lighting feature and bar counter top lighting

Recolor Interior
515 Sims Avenue Singapore 387575

Bought dining tablAvenhting

Furniture:

Star Living
50 Sungei Kadut Avenue
Star Building II
Singapore 729674

Bought kids bedroom set that comes with bed, cupboard and study table, wardrobe and bed for parents; dining table and leather sofa, storage bench

TheFurniture.com.sg Pte Ltd
Chevalier House #06-01, 23 Genting Road S349481

Semi-custom made wardrobe for the master bedroom.

Household appliances:

Gain City Lot One

Bought LG front load washing machine, Samsung fridge and Toshiba system 5 aircon.

Moving company:

TMS Movers (Trusted Moving Services)
trustedmovingservices@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/trustedmovingservices/

Looking for professional and trusted movers? They are the one for you. Friendly and efficient! Please don't mind their tattoo, they work seriously and careful.

Renovating the home Part 11 - The final completion

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 04 Feb 2016 09:55:00 +0000

Ah... neck long and everyone is wondering whether the renovation had been completed. There is no update from The Ongies!

Fret not....

Just because the elder is currently in Primary 1... which explain the slow syndrome happened.

However... yes.. proud to tell you that the whole renovation is completed! Everything will be moved during the end of the month.

After a long period of waiting time, lots of unexpected additional work to add in and unforeseen circumstances that made them push back the closing ceremony for few times. The Ongies is glad that to announce the renovation is completed over the weekend.

Was there any hiccup during the renovation?

You bet! Of course!

Was it the annoying type?

No matter how annoying the situation is, you still got to solve it amicably. If you are the hot-headed person, you will be slamming each and every contractor via social media and making everyone famous overnight.

Fortunately, every defect had been solved with an unexpected great result. As the owner of the house, they solve the problem immediately and not letting the problem keep on going. It doesn't do anyone good.

Enjoy the renovation journey

Alright, here's the update of the completed stuff and The Ongies hope you enjoy it and experience with them together.

On the next post, hubby will be sharing the before and after photo, as well as the list of where they got the items from.

May you have a nice renovation journey as well. =)

Starting the vinyl flooring

The completion

Making sure the plumber did not make a mistake. hence putting them according to room

Welding for the staircase grill

Hardworking plumber

Basin with cupboard

Before the basin is on it

The completion work of vinyl flooring with the paint

Blue for parents

Sweety pink and purple for daughters

After final coating on purple

Overall look of the vinyl floor look for the house

Cupboards arrival

Installation of heavy load top hung window for balcony

Wrapping up and make sure it will not be stained

Parents cupboard and bed

Sweet pink for the kids

Picture frame window

The light for the staircase landing. Electrician had the LED tube face down so that it is brighter

Beautiful curtain for MBR

Curtain for Kids

Overall look for the kitchen and balcony

All ready!

Nice spot light

Toilet for level 1

Clean look of the cooking area

Level 2 common toilet

Level 2 MBR toilet

The feature tiles is very pretty

Partial custom made wardrobe

The light for common walk way. There are 3 way of shining. This is border

This is center with border

LED Strip for cooking area

Dining area light

Beautiful wooden blind

It is ready!

As most of the things are in, it is time to do the closing ceremony as instructed by the FS master.
And, they have to check the calender to do invitation of deity to new house.

What come next for headache?

Moving!

There are so many things to look after it, and it is not easy at all!

Check out the next posts for moving house!

Renovating the home Part 10

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 03:48:00 +0000

More photos to share!

As most of the dirty and noisy works had been completed, it is time to get low profile in case the neighbour still start screaming! (alright, let's be fair, you can't escape with loud noise because of renovation period, and let alone it is a maisonette!)

It was a busy day because there are a lot of people in the house doing their part - electricians, air con and plastering guys.

Electricians of 4 completed their task by 5 pm, while the plumber just came in at 3 pm to start their work.

Fortunately, the air con guys from Gain City had reinforcement by 4 pm because they cannot finish it on time as it is a system 5. Meaning to say, there are a lot of hacking and trunking to mount involved which take up a lot of times. It was 5.15pm when the compressor is up, and they required more people to help out from bottom. (It is not light at all)

Even though the day was chaotic, everyone managed to complete their work by 7 pm (light works)

On the other days, electrician came over and finished up some of the points after confirmation, while the tiler continued to finish up some of the small works.

Kitchen cabinets had also arrived at the same time. (Hurray)

Plaster guys did a fantastic job, especially the ceiling level.

Last look belfore the plaster wall is up.

Master bedroom toilet

Plastering wall

Air con unit

Fridge area

The big system 5 compressor

Let the drilling start!

There are a lot of drilling involved for the air con

Electrician at work

Cutting to allow air con trunking to pass through

MBR unit is up

Laying of trunking

Working hard to put trunking

Study room unit is up

Messy area

Pipes for the air con to flow out

Drill drill drill

When more contractor gather, they make friends.

Plumber working hard and very fast!

Electrician is about to complete their task

Bracket that came very late

Air con guys from other teams working hard together

After the busy day

After the busy day, the house is extremely quiet because contractors came in at different day and time.

Plumber managed to finish up the pipes in the house.

At the same day, AOSmith is here to install the water heater tank.

The weather roller blind contractor also came in to fix up at the highest level of the house. Bear in mind, you will not want to stand there and look down because there are no window or any grip at all.
Just a concrete slab that you can hold on to it.

Faint hearted personnel should not even see what they are doing on site!

Everyone did a fantastic job!

The next 2 day, vinyl flooring contractor had to cement screed the floor before laying because they have to make sure the floor is even and flat.

They also have move the obstructive object away before doing that. It is not easy for them because some of the items are not light at all.

On the next post, you will be shown on the 'almost' finished project.
(There are still some minor touch up to be completed as for now)

Stay tuned.

Completed job by the plumber

Awesome unit is up.

Kitchen sink

Common toilet pipes

Painter uncle putting coats after coats

AOSmith water heater

Blue for parents room!

Ready for kitchen cabinet!

Water heater tank is up!

Furniture arrived!

Fixing the sink

Guess what it will be?

Holes been cut for...

Covering the pipes

Talking and chit chatting.

Finishing up!

Cut for this standing!

Ta dah! Kitchen is up!

The tiles is up!

Required wooden frame at the side

Guess what is going on

Cementing screed the floor

Measurement. You won't want to look down.

Look so high up!

Transferring of weather roller blind to the balcony

Drilling

Done for the room before vinyl flooring

Daughter room

Swee bo?

Beautiful flooring

Expert

Clearing up the ends

Help to clear up some stuff

Before they start polishing off the cement hill on floor

last fixing

Putting some chemical for the cement to stand on it

Sticky sticky

Screed

It have to put for a day to let it dried up

Everywhere in the house.. Plaster wall covered

See you the next day!

Renovating the home Part 9

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 30 Dec 2015 15:15:00 +0000

The process of this renovation seem a bit slow, right?

Now, let's buckle up and move forward the renovation stage.

After the hacking and demolition, things will go very fast.

After purchasing the items for the house, a good shopping trip thou, put on hold for all delivery first until it is time for them to deliver it over. You wouldn't want everything to come in at the wrong time because there is no where you to put your items safely!

The priority is getting the level one and wet area to be completed as soon as possible. So that, the rest of the contractor can move in without delaying the project.

Enjoy the photos for The Ongies reno process!

Final hacking stage

Kitchen area where the wall need to be hack off due to weak blocks

Constructing of picture frame window

To be hacked off for more kitchen space

Removal of lights.

Cementing work

Starting of cementing in wet area

The super nice tiler uncle - ah peng!

Vinyl flooring for selection

Aftermath after cementing in common toilet. Everything is raw and dark

Water proofing

Does it look dark and narrow? light color will help alot

Dirty works

Cement dried up and time for tiling phase

Toilet view

Window and kitchen

Constructing of top down sliding window

The empty look of the house

View from bottom

Tiler ah peng did a great work for making area nicer

Part of the windows lying around. They managed to finish up within a day

Picture frame look

The washing area

Corner that had been plaster properly

Completing of window

Look pretty, right?

Bedroom window done up

All panels able to slide all to a corner

Constructing of wall to break the flow of angry element

Repair works for broken tiles on stairs

Cementing the core wall

The cooking area

Cementing the wall properly

Overall look for the toilet area

Another tiler fixing the tiles in the toilet

Placement of tiles confirmed

Hardworking tiler uncle cementing the floor

Completion of plastering work for the whole house

Tiles for the balcony area

Toilet look

Completion of the balcony area

Level 1 toilet completion!

Plastering work by others

Parts of kitchen items delivered

Plastering of ceiling

Once the plastering is up, next come the painting, plumbing, false ceiling and electrician.

Coordinating different contractors are a big challenge, especially when you engage other party and not your designer side. Hiccups are bound to have, it is important the overall renovation completed with happiness and not anger against one another.

If there is unhappiness, it is a must to sound out because being able to communicate will make everyone communicate better.

Because hubby work as commercial photographer, he have more free time to check on the progress and making the workers feel comfortable so that it is easy to communicate with them in good terms.

So far, everyone are working fine and get along very well. It is a blessing for all.

More photos coming up on next blog!

Renovating the home Part 8

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 23 Dec 2015 13:59:00 +0000

The renovation is getting faster after the hacking.

Everyone is rushing to complete the job as The Ongies does have tight schedule to meet because the FS Master Jet Li, had given them a timeline to complete the project. That will fall under closing ceremony and inviting of god to the new house.

For house renovation, there is no theme for The Ongies. Because they firmly believe that theme will go out of trend, or you get sick and tired of the look. Renovation cost is not small, so it is advisable for home owner to confirm before proceeding.

Other than that, as hubby had mentioned before, FS is your technical designer. Arrangement and color suitable for the house is all depend on FS master because he have to ensure the house energy flow is good.

The unit they got is suitable for black and white. As much as possible, try avoiding the silver as much as possible; so long the house is not covered with silver (because window itself is aluminum)

Tiles selection

It is fun to choose tiles that you like. But it is a headache if you have to match living room vinyl flooring, balcony flooring and wall tiles.

Hubby have strong visualisation, so it is not a big problem for him to imagine the layout.

After going through the entire kitchen tiles, next come with bathroom. By then, hubby was drained by visualising the whole look.

It is still interesting for selection, but after a while, you get more and more annoyed because every tiles are just too pretty to choose!

You will not believe that The Ongies visited the tiles shop again and again. Because there are unexpected last minute decision for changes.

(Just as hubby intend to show the tiles, he realised that he did not snap the photo of the tiles. Nevertheless, you will soon see the final product of the tiles)

Aftermath of hacking

Everything had been deposed and now this is final look before the real work start.

The wet work area will be the first to start - level 1 kitchen, toilet and balcony.

They must first hack off, water proof it before laying the cement with tiles. These will require few days.

The Ongies respect the tiler uncle a lot. He did a fantastic job and advise along the way. With his 20 years of experience, hubby take his hat off!

On the next post... toilet will be up and ready!

Notice the old aircon?

Bedroom 1

Bedroom 2

Toilet that ahad been hacked

Nicely hacked

Unexpected hole after hacking off the sealed area

All cement in and ready to work on it

They are ready

Cleaner look under the stair

Nice hacking

Renovating the home Part 7

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 19 Dec 2015 13:40:00 +0000

Disclaimer:

The Ongies feel comfortable and reasonable to purchase the items from the selected store they visited. For pricing, they may not be the cheapest, so if you are looking for cheapest deal, this is not the article you are looking for. The Ongies only share their happy experience. Please do homework by visiting more stores. End of the day, you must be happy with the purchase!

From the last blog post, hubby had mentioned that they went to JB to purchase some electrical items based on good reviews which wifey had researched via forum and internet information.

Bear in mind, you bear all responsible by purchasing items from JB, and each person in the car can buy up to S$150, so the more people in car the merrier. (Do look out for space to put your things also!)

It is not difficult to drive to JB and buy the things you need for your new home.

Before purchasing your items, do remember to fill up your tummy first! Food at there is marvelous! Hubby love the wanton mee there a lot!

Alright, let's show you the map to get to the shop and as well as the makan place! (Need visualisation? You need GOOGLE STREET VIEW!)

Straight after chopping your passport in car lane, stick to the right when going up the slope and then keep to the middle lane before going down the fly over to make a right turn.

After turning right, go straight all the way by keeping right. After Pelangi mall, you will see diagonally on your right, there is a Good Year tyre shop. Turn right in (as shown below)

After turning in go straight and make a U turn. Once after U turn, keep left and enter the small lane, which you will be able to see Lavender bakery (a big chocolate color building). Drive further down, you will see YES Electrical Supply. (For red line)

If you intend to find Adelco bathroom accessories, locate the blue arrow on the map instead.

Once you see Bak Kut Teh and after crossing the big canal, you are just 100m away from the store. You can park in front of the shop by removing the stand yourself. If it is occupied, then you got to park somewhere before the canal. Hubby often park near the massage area because that small lane allow him to drive back to the entry of the road.

Notice the green circle area where hubby indicated the good makan area?

That is the coffee shop you can pay a visit!

There are 2 of them just beside one and another, and opposite another Good Year car servicing center.

The food are marvelous. There are delicious XO bee hoon chicken or pork meat etc... and beside the coffee shop, there are nice char kway teow, you tiao, wan tan mee porridge and curry chicken noodle.

Fill up your tummy before heading to buy your items.

VIP lighting is consider like Singapore pricing, which is slightly expensive but still reasonable to buy from there. They have a lot of nice downlight, weather proof lighting, hanging light.. all kind of beautiful lights you looking for, they should have it.

There is another shop further down, near to another Giant supermarket, named Yako. That is the store that The Ongies didn not head there at all.

Since most of the items can be bought from this 2 stores, why travel all the way down further? If you have time and wanted to explore more, do scout around the area.

YES Electrical Supply

Above photos are the surrounding of YES electrical supply.

The Ongies love to pay a visit to YES because the boss is very friendly. They are the main supplier, therefore there isn't anything for you to see as if you are in the show room.

So hubby encourage you to go there and ask the boss for downlights, T5, ceiling fan and a lot more.

You will be surprise that the ceiling fan they bought, along with the recess and surface mounted lights, are not even a cost of the ceiling fan in Singapore. And that is KDK brand hubby is talking about.

Do some research, you be able to find their Facebook page and ask them via Whatsapps. (Great service, huh)

If you are looking for typical downlight, surface or recessed, they are the one for you. Only if you are not particular about the look. It just look neat and simple for hubby, because he dislike complicated design.

Do not worry about buying KDK fan in JB

Wifey did some research about buying fan from JB.

You bear the consequences for buying things from JB (isn't that the same you buy from Taobao?)

Singapore KDK installer will not install JB fan for you. (YES will provide you the installer for installing the fan in Singapore. *Only when you ask for it*)

This installer, Ah Zhi, is popular in reno forum but he only response if you are client of YES. He is very good at balancing the fan, so rest assured your fan is on his hand. Cost is less than $100.

Adelco Living

Due to high traffic, parking before the canal is recommended.

Adelco is on the left ahead

You will see Bak Kut Teh before reaching Adelco Living

Notice the stand on the left? Remove that, you can park at this lot. Meant for Adelco Living customer

Main door

Look from the main road

Do some homework if you are looking for nice larder and corner rack. Adelco items are from Spain and the base seem quite solid as compared to SG. Cost is about the same but the material differ a lot. If you are into corner rack, make a trip down and do some comparison before committing.

This is the corner rack they purchase. Quite sturdy tho.

The larder they bought to put the sauces

The next purchase

Upon buying these stuff, The Ongies were entitled to get free dish rack from Adelco! In total till date, they have 3 dish rack free from Adelco!

As the items are very bulky, make sure your car boot is empty! If not MY custom officer will be saying hello to you.

Make sure you glance through the entire Adelco before committing, unless you are tight for timing. The Ongies also purchase toilet mirror rack from Adelco as well. Due to high cost for fabrication, they decided to buy off shelve. So there is little carpentry work.

Tadah... the entire things they bought over few trips in JB. There are more items now, of course.

Impressed by season fan installer

Because the current house ceiling fan is dead, they had called the installer, Ah Zhi, over to install the new KDK fan they just purchased. That's how they know this installer is very good.

The Ongies had bought Regal ceiling fan 2 years back and it just went dead suddenly. They were told that this fan cannot be turn on for more than 45min, because capacitor will burn off very fast. (duh duh duh.. google Regal... and you know who is selling it)

When Ah Zhi was installing the JB KDK fan, he found out that the cable used by the previous installer are super poor quality electrical cable. It was aluminium that is coated with copper color! You can pull it break by using your hand.

The entire cable was burned, and that is the reason why the fan is not working at all! Ah Zhi have to rectify and find out the original cable and change it with the same cost they engaged him. Fast and super good at electrical and balancing.

If you need electrician, you know who to look for.

Because of his tight schedule, The Ongies cannot engage him to do up the electricity for their house. With friend's help, they were very happy to locate another electrician who are able to match their budget! (Will explain in next few posts)

Conclusion

If you are able to visit JB by car, it will be a lot easier for you. Just stay safe and blend in with the crowds.

Always do research before committing, unless you are very busy and tight timing for renovation.

The Ongies find it less tiring to purchase most items when they found the nice shop. They want to save the timing and get the job completed due to rush renovation timeline.

Check out the next post on the renovation in house!

Renovating the home Part 6

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 14 Dec 2015 12:31:00 +0000

When the messy get messier, it is time for the clean up.

The Ongies was very astonished that the worker took 2 days to hack off almost all the majority stuff, and cleared it the following weekend where they are only allowed for light sound works.

The entire place is easier to walk than before and with all the hacking done, everyone felt so at ease because light is shining through and the most important once the wall had been hacked off - the wind.

Immediately, the suffocating stale corner had allow wind to pass through and yes, it is a breeze.

With the clearing up of the place, the next stage that The Ongies had to decide will be the tiles for toilets and kitchen.

Presentation of the house

The most important part for the house will be level one.

So they have to make sure that kitchen and living room must be presentable. Hubby wanted to retain as clean and neat as possible.

Kitchen is the heaven space for women, so most of the idea will come from wifey side and the designer will help to fine tune the design.

There are quite a lot of changes for kitchen until the day they met the furniture maker for final decision.

Buying items from Johor Bahru

While all these things are progressing, The Ongies spare no effort to slow down but to do a lot of research on where to buy the items from JB.

With the exchange rate of 3.x, it is the best time to head in and buy your electrical items.

Wifey did a lot of research and she finalised with few places which were highly recommended by users in forum and online blog.

They had selected 3 electrical shops to go to in JB, but in order to save some time and effort, they decided to drop out the furthest - which is in Tampoi and Yako Electrical store.

The nearest they went to is VIP and Yes Electrical Store, which were highest recommneded by Singaporean. (Will post more on next post)

Remember, exchange rate is already very low, and they had saved quite a lot. Thus, they have no intention to go in further.

If they ever wanted even lower cost, Taobao is another source of shopping platform. But who can guarantee the items to arrive safely and on time?

To eliminate the hassle, they go direct to JB and buy the items every few days; at least the items are on your hand immediately. Remember, if you are purchasing items from JB, the max value per person is S$150. If there are people stopping you because you bring out too many things, you know how to handle it.

Here's the updated images for the final demolishing.

As everything had been hacked off, the whole house look duller and boring because there is not enough reflective light at all. So everything seem dirty and smaller.

Once the house nicely furnished with tiles and paint, it will be another thought from hubby.

Hacking of wall tiles at balcony

Debris been moved to one side

Debris for the balcony on floor

Hacking off the window and door

Demolishing part of the wall with a hole

The overall look at kitchen

Another view at the hole

The 'shiok' feeling of seeing things been tore down

Debris all over but the workers had created a path for everyone to walk

The false ceiling been tore down.

During the weekend, the workers had cleared up the entire space

The after math

Look at how neat the space is now

Spacious and airy

Look at the kitchen when everything is bare

Tiles had arrived!

Room is cleared as well

That hole gotta be seal up later on

Renovating the home Part 5

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 00:01:00 +0000

Why does people love renovation?

Because renovation is all about redesigning the house and it will look beautiful and cosy than before. As such, shopping center have always been re-designing and restructuring to make mall fantastic to draw more crowds in. As for residential, it is all about being home and relax.

Patience is the keyword during renovation period. If you don't, just prepare to suck your thumb.

You have to wait till the final project is completed for those who can't really visualise. People who are in the art will have stronger visualisation and it works easier and better for them because the final look is already saved in their mind.

Before the home is renovated beautifully, there will be lots of dust and debris. The nosiest stage is when they are hacking the wall.

Here's the most extensive hacking stage.

Debris may be all over, but it look good when everything had been tore down for new tiles to be up later.

The master bedroom toilet

Let's the drill start!

The final look of the kitchen when it is nude

Amount of debris on floor

The so-called Harry Potter room which had been hacked

Kitchen floor that had been hacked

Overview for the aftermath

Looking from stair case landing

The unexpected hole during hacking stage. Previous owner literally covered up nicely

The toilet

More debris

Looking from 2nd floor

The reason of hacking is to allow more lights to come through

Machine is taking a rest

War zone look

Let's the fight goes on

Overview of the kitchen

Take break. Have a kitkat

Kitchen area - those solid top need to be hack off soon

The aftermath for the staircase look

Look at the amount of debris that had been hacked off.

Master bedroom

Wall tiles that had been hacked off

The look when the kitchen solid top been hacked off

Goodbye old sink and stove

Everything had been tear down

Clearing the debris

The coming stage for the house will be slightly slower because of the touch up like waterproofing the floor and plastering the wall which required more time to smooth it.

Stay tuned for more updated works.

Renovating the home Part 4

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 30 Nov 2015 15:16:00 +0000

Welcome to part 4 of the home renovation and thank you for following The Ongies.

Now, let's get little dirty now by showing you some of the dismantling works by the trusted worker.

Most of the light work like dismantling carpentry and cornice are done on day 1 before the hacking start.

Removal of carpentry seem like an easy job for the worker because he is very quick and he is seasoned by his everyday work.

As the house was renovated during the 90s, the material used and how they mounted to the wall is very strong and sturdy, therefore the worker took a lot of effort to remove most of the cornice from the ceiling.

As there are a lot of unnecessary covered up, The Ongies had to spent extra effort to make the whole house look better and cosy.

Stay tuned for more demolishing parts and purchasing of items!

Removal of partition curve

Carpentry that had been removed and placed there

Top hung cabinet that had been removed

Worker is trying to remove the top

Removal of the sliding door

Another curve partition

So many partition again!

Removed everything off

Half way done by removing the cornice

Solid structure for the cornice

It took him so much strength to remove that area

Aftermath of the area which is done half

Goodbye to the glass sliding door

Solid kitchen top

Removal of the cornice

Look like warzone

Looking through from the future study room

Top ceiling initially was to cover that natural ventilation

The previous owner had this cover up before. Look at how low the ceiling was before

There you go! Good bye

Hacking that is done the day after - toilet

Hacking hacking hacking

Hacking off the old tiles

Old tiles hacking off

Good bye bathtub

Renovating the home Part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 08:58:00 +0000

It is time to 'showcase' some of the photos that hubby had last promised.

This is just the messy stage that every home owner will get, especially the hacking part.

While going through the design stage, it is also the time to take a look at the newspaper - discount!

Newspaper is your good friend if you are looking for discount for toiletries, electronic, air con etc...

If you do not subscribe to Strait Times, ask your friend for help, or the best part: make full use of your company newspaper.

Get the measure right

While renovation is starting, it is the time you make a trip to purchase the items. If you are uncertain of the size, take a photo and measure it first. You won't want to buy the wrong items with deep regret.

Having the mindset of what to get in the shop save everyone's trouble. The main focus is to get the correct item for your house. So far, The Ongies did not received any bad attitude service from the store.

If you are not going to purchase from them, just ask for pricing and walk away. It is important you save all your time. And also remember to do research online because you have the idea of what you want right from the start - that again, save you a lot of trouble, unless you are uncertain.

Beside getting discounted items here, you can opt to go Johor Bahru to seek for the items you wanted.

Given the short renovation timing, and worried for the big items to arrive in good condition, they decided not to ship in bulk items from Taobao. Of course, you can opt for that if you do not mind waiting and always remember to get a good forwarder to help you inspect the items.

Before hack moment

Now, let's see some photos before the start of hacking and the on going process (which, everyone is waiting till your neck is long!)

After seeing the photo, some of you might have the "WOW" feeling.

Basically, hubby also have the feeling too.... (renovation cost is totally.... *wow*)

Well, let's go into the concept that The Ongies is thinking when they wanted to renovate the house.

One of the worst headache for this area is the air flow and brightness. Therefore, the old style fashion hard wall must be hacked off.

The previous owner had made this area open concept. But part of that area is going to be study room, so they have to seal it up and redo the entrance to the kitchen. (which is the original layout)

Another look from the future study room. The current position is suitable for dining area.

Another view. Yeah, the 90s fashion (semi circle with down light) It is so retro

Wall need to be hack as wifey call this: Harry Potter house. They prefer open concept for storing some stuff.

The nice and cosy area in future. (Stay tuned - Hubby wanted to keep it suspend. So do check this blog out)

Another view from living room.

Balcony area. One of the great place to hang your laundry because of the SUN!

Morning sun is good. It does not matter whether if it is West Shine. Light to the house mean brightness.

The aircon to be take down.

The kitchen area.

The old ways of kitchen - solid top all the way.

Even the sink is also solid top

The ugly toilet

Nice concept, but this will be the overall change soon.

The wall that hubby had mentioned - hack off to have more air and light into this area.

Another view to the stair case

To the common toilet

Common toilet

Common toilet (everyone say it is big and long)

Bedroom 1

Another view of bedroom 1

Bedroom 2

Another view of bedroom2

Masterbedroom toilet - everything go away

Masterbedroom toilet - solid toop again

Spoil window

The old design for the tiles

The MBR

There you go.

These are the before hacking and dismantling of items.

The ideas

As feng shui master had told them, the kitchen consists of fire element and it is required to blocked off. Hence, the ongies had been thinking of ways to stop the fire going round.

The new layout -
kitchen entrance to the balcony is like a cycle going in circle. It must be stop by using something solid.
Therefore, they had thought of an incredible ideas which will be unleash in the later part of the renovation.

One of the greatest headache for this house is the wall - rock stone effect done by previous owner.
And the only way to deal - plastering the entire house!

If you can live with it, why not?

But remember, most of the cornice for this house have to be taken down, and those wall behind the cornice will be smooth wall because it is hidden.

The priority to be done will be the tiles and walls.

All wet areas (toilets and balcony), inclusive the kitchen had to be hack off and lay over new tiles.

The Ongies decided not to hack off the floor tiles in the living room and bedroom because the cost is one big factor. After considering, they decided to go for vinyl tiles.

Hacking is not the one that cost you a lot, but the tiles. As the area is big, the cost of material on tiles will eventually go very high. Furthermore, the existing tiles condition is very good, so relaying the vinyl tiles will not be a big problem.

If you bought a resale flat and wanted to relay the tiles, make sure it had not been done before. Because HDB only allow re laying ONCE.

Check out the next post on the aftermath - dismantling stage!

Stay tuned!

Renovating the home Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 08 Nov 2015 14:37:00 +0000

Running out of ideas?

Google is one of your best friends if you search correctly using proper keyword like what wifey did to find related information for Singapore home design.

It is not suppose to be so difficult if you know how to do it.

One of the most easiest way to get the information you wanted via Google is to look at images first.

The ideas will keep on coming as days goes by, it is natural for everyone having different thoughts and wanted to be greedy. When that happens, it is better to improvise all the ideas into one. You can't have best of many world.

The Ongies have an interesting concept when they were told that they have to break one of the element as it is running in circle which might cause some bad harmony for the house.

They had a lot of ideas running in their mind on how to break that flow.

Wifey suggested something very interesting, so hubby decided to add on the design to make the whole the corner even nicer.

While the design and concept is out, it is time to look out for the pros and cons.

It did not take too long for them to decide on how the final concept should look out.

As time is running out, they went ahead and look for designers and contractor about their ideas so they are able to quote properly.

Even when they decided on the design and concept, they have heed the advise from the FS master for approval.

After several round of text exchange, the FS gave a go head! And that is a relieve!

Do your research properly

When you are buying an items or engaging someone services, it is very important you do your own research for feedback and reviews.

Internet information will not go away unless they clear off everything.

Pay a visit to forum and get your information updated even though sometimes it may backdated till 2001.

When you entered a store, do not commit to buy immediately. Always make sure you do your homework by finding out which shop will give you better price.

Not necessary all neighborhood shops are the cheapest because with big stores giving you package deal, it is more worth it.

Try not be lazy or feel tired when you know you have look for the similar items at different locations. It is important that the things you bought must be long lasting and never feel regret afterwards.

There are a lot of people love to buy items overseas and ship everything in. That is one of the risk you have to take if the items arrive in broken pieces.

Sometimes, it is not about the cost, but the time and effort spent.

Read the comments and make sure the seller is trustworthy with good quality.

Even the items might cost lower by many folds, hubby does not want to take chance by ordering items without touching it physically, especially the measurement.

Exciting journey

This is an exciting journey for Ongies because the kids will have their own room and the space is bigger than ever!

Even though the cost is going to be very tough, they felt that all these are worth it because it is their nest!

Fortunately, the parents are moving in as well, so they can save some money on things like fridge, washing machine, pots, study tables, bed and bed frame etc....

While this journey contain lots of fun and debates, it is best to log all of them down on your blog and share with many new and existing home owners who intend to renovate their house.

Hubby will be posting the renovation photos real soon. So, check it out soon!!!

Renovating the home Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 01 Nov 2015 11:45:00 +0000

On the previous post regarding contractor or ID, there are a lot of head scratching which one do you want or prefer.

One of the most important will be the TRUST.

Whether you are engaging a contractor or designer,you must have trust. Having a designer will help oversee the entire project. But as a house owner, being very nervous, it is advisable you make a trip down too.

If you are not the color oriented person, it is best to let the expert handle the job (same goes if you are not a project person) You wouldn't want to get color crashing end of the day.

ID is usually costly, but there are some parts that you can go without them if you know some contractor closely. If the ID is nice, they will help you to coordinate too.

For instance, if the ID find that the contractor you engaged has a good workmanship with reasonable pricing, you are also helping each other out! That is a good thing to begin with.

Energy of the house

Alright, let's go into deeper now.

Every house has a unique flow of energy, which subject to the environment as well.
In order to know where is the best place to store your items, it is advisable for you to engage a FengShui master to check out your house.

There are many FengShui masters in Singapore with different cost. If you had seen one before, and it is generally improving, it is best to go back to the same Feng Shui master.

For The Ongies, they decided to get back to the same FengShui master whom they had engaged last year. Things are improving and they feel more comfortable with him.

He is Master Jet Lee from Yi Culture, located at 101 Upper Cross Street, # B1-29 Peoples Park Centre, S058357.

Beside checking the house energy, he also provide individual eight character consutlancy.

He can be connected via phone WhatsApp - but expect some delay communication as he is always busy! Do not expect immediate answer until he is free.

With Fengshui master draw the energy flow, he will tell you where should the hot stove, bed will be facing at. That indeed give you and the designer less headache where to face to.

As FS had helped you to plan some stuff out, it is time to squeeze your creative juice! Certain items have to be on the spot as told, therefore you can start doing researching via Google or even on Pinterest.

With all the position been confirmed, it is time to meet up with your ID or contractor for further discussion.

To be fair for everyone, it is important you state your budget first! If the budget blown by 2 times, it is either you try to locate another one who can match, or try to reduce the stuff you want. It will make a lot of different.

All contractors and IDs know that client have their own budget. So they will understand that they are NOT the only one you approached. Just shun away those who are clinging on you. Service is one of the factor that you may want to look at it.

Fortunately, hubby's friend is a contractor who can help out with most of the major stuff as painting being one of them.

As Ongies had confirmed everyone, they had already been looking for sales items from toilets, lightings, furniture warehouse etc.

It will be tiring because you will definitely go back to the store more than 1 time. Wifey had been researching whether the thing they wanted worth the cost they are paying for. As well as other user experience too.

to be continued...

image credit: bovidiva, ancientfengshui, , encrypted-tbn2.gstatic

For contractor or interior designer?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 29 Oct 2015 15:06:00 +0000

It is about time to rev up this blog post after a long rest. Just trying to keep low profile (chuckles)

To share with everyone, it is official now.

The Ongies is MOVING!

After staying so long at the current place, they decided to move on to another and bigger space!

For a heads up, the house is resale and the entire house is 90s designed. Just imagine the olden days, you get the right picture in your mind.

In order to move in, it is a must to renovate the entire house.

So, this is where the headache comes in.

Contractor or interior designer?

For most people, they would rather choose contractor because cost is the most important among all.
When you decided to engage a contractor, make sure you know who you are dealing with and also do some background check.

If you are looking for one, ask your friend. Because among your 100 friends, there will at least 2 friends know a contractor. Another best bet - facebook is your ally.

It is the same thing when you are engaging an interior designer.
Who are they, their part work experience and also background check on the company as well.

There are black sheeps in a company, so make sure you know the name of the interior designer even when you want to check out the 'complained' shop.

Always have open heart by asking and get more informations.

Compare price, and also try to mix and match that they can offer.

It is not an easy journey, but it does contain lots of happiness in your mind.

So what is the decision from The Ongies?

They decided both contractor and ID.

First and foremost, contractor are the one who do most of the tough job, while the ID is in charge of certain work scope.

They had compared quite a few shops before deciding what they want.

If you are overhualing the entire house, it is very important you engage an experience contractor or a good ID firm.

Because it involved lots of operations, and the amount is not a joke at all.

If you gotten yourself a BTO or condo, congrats to you.

Your entire renovation cost will be much lower because most of the items had been installed, example:
toilet WC
windows
door
flooring

As there are a lot of cost saving from you, splurge a bit more on your furniture.

If you got a resale old flat, be prepared to change everything in the house.

Better be safe than sorry, so electrical wiring and pipes are one of the priority things that need to be change during renovation (for house that is more than 6 years and yet to change the cables.)

As hubby said, this is an exciting journey, so it is important to jot everything down and keep it as memory.

Share your excitement with The Ongies if you are renovating as well!

Hubby will start sharing more and more. Keep the blog noticed! =)

Parents should go on holiday because you deserve a break

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 02:04:00 +0000

It is good to take a break - a getaway - once a while for all parents who are 'burnt-out' taking care of kids or work.

It is not necessary to go on holiday with your spouse, but with your close friends because all of you deserve a break.

There are a lot of pressure looking after the kids, work and family. Some times, you have no idea why would you want to flare up because the inner self just want to burst out for no reason. When that happens, that is the time to go on for a holiday trip.

Everyone have to learn to let go especially the work and kids.

Wifey enjoyed her Korea holiday trip with her friends and it lighten up her mood ever since she came back.

Although the holiday is all about walking non stop and feeling tired, but the feeling of - do not need to look after your spouse and kids, are the most comfortable moment.

You might not get used to it for just the first few minute, but soon, you are just like a bird flying happily outside of the cage.

The trust is needed

Entrust your spouse or family to take care of the kids because they know what to do.

Just like how hubby managed to take care of the kids for 4 days while wifey is away in Korea trip and in order not to spoil her mood, he rather keep quiet about Clar falling sick and staying at home resting.

Hubby love Korean food a lot and love to watch "3 Meals A Day" TV show, so he attempt to try cooking pasta and burgers for the kids to eat on different days. - And he made it! Proud moment

An effort to think

While wifey is away for holiday trip, Cait remembered to countdown the days till wifey is back, and she missed her mom a lot.

But they soon forget about the 'missing her' part when the TV is turned on (practical indeed)

Hubby told wifey that he is alright even she go for 1 more week of holiday because there is no hassle taking care of the kids after all. The 'me' time is only when the kids are asleep, that is when hubby will finish up his work as soon as possible.

Nothing is impossible and everything is doable if you put in effort to try.

No matter what, a break is needed

Wifey took a huge step by getting out of the house and go on for a holiday without any worries, while hubby had faith taking care of the kids - although partly with parent's help too.

Go on for a short trip if you are feeling burnt out and wanted a good rest from the family. Let go of everything and learn to relax.

If you are having dilemma whether you should go, write down a list what your spouse should do and give trust to them. Plan everything first is a must. Be responsible even when you are going for a short trip.

When anyone of you is back, the feeling is totally awesome.

Have a thought on that.

The roller blade Ongies team

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 11 Sep 2015 04:39:00 +0000

Time to update some interesting stuff.

2 months ago, wifey had signed up the kids to free rollerblading lesson which is partly given by the govt. if you remembered, there are thousands over courses for all Singaporean and most of the popular courses had been filled up quickly.

The kids, along with their friends had attended the first lesson at Bishan community center. Everyone of them were very excited after attending the first trial lesson, and they are so looking forward to the 2nd session after a week of holiday.

The thought of purchasing the roller blades did came into hubby's mind which was abolished when he felt that cycling will be a lot better. But Cait still preferred to blade more than cycling.

Cait's swimming instructor - Coach Spencer, shared his view that rollerblading for kids is a good idea because it will help train their thigh muscle.

And, that goes the search of getting roller-blades!

(Since the fundamental had been taught well - hubby shall continue to brush up their training.)

After researching the site for some times, hubby decided to go for K2 and blade runner instead of china brand blade. The main reason is because of the attractive offer by Inlinex!

These are the blades that The Ongies got it for!

Hubby skate

Cait's skate- shared with wifey

Clar's skate

Clar surprised everyone because of her determination towards roller-balding.

She had never once cried for help or feeling scared - her face is full of confidence and it showed that she really love this sport a lot.

It is a blessing that everyone including hubby love to skate.

Wifey will be sharing the skate with Cait because their foot size is nearly the same.

Once everyone is getting better, hubby would like to bring the kids to ECP and skate together. Of course, hubby had to make sure he got his protective gear first. It had been ages since he was on roller-blade.

One of the most important during skating is to learn how to brake during emergency.

Cheerios!

Primary 1 registration secured

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 01 Aug 2015 05:15:00 +0000

Primary 1 school registration has finally ended, except for those who have to go through the balloting for Phase 2C.

All the best to you.

The Ongies also would like to congrats Cait's friends who gotten into the school they wanted under before Phase 2C!

Cait has secured her seat in the new school at Bukit Panjang for Phase 2C. All 180 students had got in without fierce fight, there still 14 seats left for the school as MOE site has shown.

The Ongies chose the school not only because it is new, but because of the principal as well. She had great track records whom hubby 2 friends had worked along with the lady principal before.

she is willing to take up new challenge and a person with no nonsense attitude show her high level of discipline is top notch.

And also, because the school is the 'play based' learning, The Ongies have confident that Cait will definitely like the school very much as she is very much into this type of learning style. It will eventually be more and more popular, so do look out for it.

The next step ahead

Caitlyne is very happy when she found out that she is going for WSPS (West Spring Primary School) because 2 of her childcare center friends were studying there as well.

In few months time, she has to bid farewell to the childcare center and proceeding to another level of her education.

Clar will definitely miss her sister, but at least it is confirm that Clar will be joining the same Primary School in future

The Ongies are excited, looking forward to her new school uniform, new books and new stationary set. Isn't it so exciting? It is as if the parents are the one going schooling instead!

It is going to be exciting that Cait is going to know more friends in the school, same goes for the parents too! It will be a lot interesting if the parents join the PSG (Parent Support Group).

If your kid is registering this year, how excited are you? =)

Image credit: hypixel

Trip to Forest Adventure - Good and bad thoughts.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 03:04:00 +0000

Recently The Ongies, along with their friends had brought the kids down for outdoor fun activities at Bedok Reservoir. If you are able to guess the super fun outdoor activities, then you are right.

The area is The Forest Adventure.

Well, this post is not about praising but the review on what the kids had gone through.

No further instruction

Wifey was told that everyone will get a briefing before the start the of the obstacle course for the age of 6, and there are 3 of them in total.

Apparently, there are a lot of people queuing up, but they seem to neglect the priority customer who had signed up and awaiting to do the payment.

After that, there is no further instruction given, and the kids all went and queued up to put on their safety harness.

What was the let down?

The kids were left to climb up on their own and not knowing where they are supposed to go because there are no instructors on top to help out.

The parents seem helpless on ground after seeing the kids seem to have fear on top.

It's very disappointing not seeing the instructor helping the 6 years old kids. In the end, its the parents who are doing the job to guide the fearful kids to move step by step.

It was about nearly 50% completion of the whole obstacle course, the instructor appeared.

As a parent, all of them felt the relieved because at least someone is at the top advising the kids. (Hubby noticed that the instructor went on helping other group which are older)

Poor advise

Even though the instructor maybe there to advise and helping the kids, but the tone and advising is nearly a turned off.

Kids required more encouraging and as an instructor, they need to have the patience instead of treating them like an upper primary student.

All of the parents on ground rolled their eyes when the instructor spoke up:"Move, what are you waiting for? Until tomorrow is it?"

Instead of finding it funny, most of them were literally felt pissed with the sentences. This is the first time the kids are there for fun, and they love it so much. But the instructor just switched off everything. How will the kids feel?

Hubby felt annoyed because of the instructor trying to be friendly in the wrong way. Those sentences are well suitable for army personnel while doing training.

Whats the result?

Wifey had written the feedback to Forest Adventure regarding the instructor poor attitude and handling the kids. Till date, for a month, nothing come back. Wondering why and why and why...

Any hoo... perhaps instructor should be given a course on how to handle the kids well, or rather, with better communicating skill.

While they can understand that the instructors will be tired after a long working day, but it may be unfair for the kids who are literally new and they are 6 year old only.

The kids even though did not have the assistance on top, but they were strongly encouraged by the parents on ground. Great work for the kids who completed the entire obstacle course!

Image credit: pinterest, dangerous-business, davefarmersblog, delhiboard

Preparation to primary school

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 03:19:00 +0000

Visit to Primary School

The visit to the Primary School recently resemble the days when the parents were the students before.

Caitlyne child care center, MFS, and along with other child care center were invited by Yew Tee Primary School for their open house last week.

It was an eye opener for the K2 students to see how big and lots of activities the school have.

While the kids were brought to library for story telling session, the parents went up for briefing about the primary school information.

Primary school now is very different from the past. They have a lot of facilities better than before, and also the space is pretty big too.

Much as YTPS looks good, but it is not one of their choice due to the 2km radius rules.

Which school?

The Ongies is figuring which school is more suitable for Caitlyne - academic or learn through play (which consists of different teaching ways for the student to understand better and easier)

Each have their own benefits, but the main point is to let the kids study happily and not so stress out from school. Parents want the kids to study hard and be at their best, but, let's not forget to let them play hard too.

Popular sales!

While preparing for their school selection, The Ongies also head down to expo last week for popular sales, and also - food (which is part of the main agenda)

Now now, it is wrong to have your breakfast at fast food when you know there's food fair beside you!

Oh yeah, you should at least head in to see whether if there's any nice food before getting your breakfast filled up with fast food first. Not to disappoint himself, hubby had a go for laksa before hunting down for food - and more purchase with wife too.

The popular, is just 1 hall down from the food fair.

So The Ongies had purchased quite a few reading books, assessment books, magnetic games (which allow to train their imagination) and lots of stationery.

Apart from the assessment book, hubby had bought the digital copy for Cait to try too. Other than focusing on book only, hubby would like her to try the digital assessment book which may benefit her in future.

But sad to say, while using digital have lots of benefits, but it will make Cait start wearing spectacle if she do not take care of her eyes well. Therefore, it is advisable to have both written digital books for the kids. Hubby does not want the kids to lost touch of the book in future.

Missed the sales? Fret not!

Fret not if you missed the sales last week. Popular big sales will be back next month as told by the customer service.

So, if you still have the discount coupon from previous purchase, be sure to use it and not to throw it away.

image credit:
swimmingworldmagazine