#ProjectFunHouse is finally ooooooover!

Woahhh. Did not expect everything to come to an end this soon. Seems like only yesterday right, Right, RIGHT?

Time to be emotional a bit here so please bear with me. But hey, give me a bit of face, can? Moving process *is* always a very emotional process because it is not simply the moving of furniture and boxes, or changing of address. It is more than that;  it involves us starting afresh, it involves moving to a whole new level, it is the beginning of a new chapter in life, and yes, new memories are waiting to be made too. Tell me how to not be emotional about letting go of something that I was so attached to? I grew up in that house, spent my teenage life there, got engaged there, got married there, and became a mummy of three there too.

So when we finally had to handover the keys to the new owner, I could not help but to get a bit teary. Just a bit teary, not that much. There were so many people there, so I had to retain my cool and act like I was all okay.

Hahaha. I even forced the new owners to pose for me.

I went,

“Please pose for me. I want this as memory. You better take good care of the house okay?”

So cute of them. The husband is Korean and the wife is Japanese. Or is it the other way round? :S

Such a sweet and nice couple.

Okay moving on, are you ready?

YES?

ARE YOU LIKE, REALLY SURE?

Do not expect too much, okay?

Hokayyyy.

PRESENTING TO YOU…

#PROJECTFUNHOUSE!

*throws confetti*

Special thanks to our one and only project manager, Shafee from Classic Ideas Design & Build Pte Ltd for the inspiration, ideas, dedication and friendship to make this entire #ProjectFunHouse a success. Alhamdullilah.

BEST PROJECT MANAGER EVERRRR, AS CERTIFIED BY TATEK & ME.

Will talk more about Shafee in the later part of this blog post.

Meanwhile, the tour begins now.

First, let us take a stroll in the living room. I was really pleased with the outcome of the living room because it is exactly like how I had envisioned it to be. I wanted a simple, classy yet cosy look. Nothing too over the top. Nothing too noisy looking, if you get what I mean.

The end result? AWESOME!

[Credits: Design & Reno by Shafee of Classic Ideas & Design Pte Ltd / Ceiling Fan by Crestar / Dining & Downlights by Lite Lab / Curtains by 99 Interior / Wallpaper by 99 Curtains / Paint by Dulux (Colour used: Picket White )]

One of my most favourite spots in the house has to be the dining area! Eating has never taken this long to finish. It’s not helping that there is a full length tinted mirror right opposite the dining table, so I have no choice but to check how I look every second or so.

[Credits: Design & Reno by:  Shafee of Classic Ideas Design & Build Pte Ltd / Welcome & Dining Lights & Downlights by Lite Lab  / Wallpaper by 99 Interior]

The kitchen is another favourite spot of mine in the house because…

IT IS WHERE THE FOOD IS. IT IS WHERE THE HEART IS. IT IS ALSO WHERE THE TUMMY IS. HE HE.

See the counter top right outside the kitchen? Well, that’s where the Nadyas will be doing their baking in future with me!

What I especially love about the kitchen cabinets is the slow motion cabinet hinges! No slamming sound at all anymore. Closing the cabinets now is so effortless and silent.

[Credits: Design & Reno by Shafee of Classic Ideas Design & Build Pte Ltd / Ceiling Light by Lite Lab / Blind by 99 Interior /]

Okay, let us now attack the rooms! This walkway will actually lead to…

THE NADYAS’ ROOM!

Now, I believe I have told you before that the real challenge for #ProjectFunHouse was the girls’ room. Why, it is not even a bedroom to begin with, but a study room interconnected to the master bedroom! We had no confidence initially that it could be transformed into a room decent enough for three little girls. But Shafee was ever so confident when he saw the floorplan and calmly told us that it could be done.

A lot of planning was involved, without a doubt. Shafee was really thorough throughout the planning process, and made sure that everything was made to fit.

Let me first show you how the study room looked like when we purchased the property.

SO SMALL AND CRAMPY RIGHT? SO SAD RIGHT?

Want to see how it looks like now?

THIS.

During the planning process, I told Shafee that no matter what, the room must have three beds, one big wardrobe, lots of storage space, one study table for three girls, a tv area, and a little floor space for the girls.Shafee kept on laughing and laughing when he saw my persistence to try to fit everything inside the small and crampy room, but despite his laughter, he also made sure that he was able to fulfill my wishes.

TRUE ENOUGH.

So, during the daytime, if the Nadyas need to do their school work or some writing/drawing, all they need to do is push in the lower bunk bed, and they will have this!

Hahaha okay, I am *finally* going to reveal this part of the Nadyas’ room which many of you have been dying to know the moment I posted the following picture in my Instagram.

The cute comments I received which made me giggle like a little girl.

Okay okay, let me reveal.

Siti Haniza, this is especially for you. So cute to see how curious you were!

The stairs actually lead to…

THE TOPMOST BUNK BED! HAHA!

[Credits: Design & Reno by Shafee of Classic Ideas Design & Build Pte Ltd / Paint by Dulux (Colours used: Candy Pink & Blue Topaz) / Wall Lights by Lite Lab / Blinds by 99 Curtains / Wall Decals by Decorette Wall Decals / HERF Flooring by: Evorich Flooring]

Since storage is an issue and we need all the storage space possible, the stairs also serve as drawers.

HEHE.

So you see, we have learnt from #ProjectFunHouse that it is not the size of the space but the space planning that matters the most. Thank you Shafee  for always brainstorming with us, and for not giving us an immediate YES to our all suggestions just for the sake of pleasing us. By doing that, it actually allowed us to brainstorm even further for more practical ideas. Shafee believes in practicality more than anything else.

Of course, if we were given the choice, we would love for the Nadyas to have a much bigger space because they are after all, kids. But the Nadyas are really pleased with the outcome of their room, and cannot stop thanking me even till today.

“This is the best room ever, Mummy! Thank you, I love you so much.”

PHEW.

Like I mentioned, the Nadyas’ room leads to the master bedroom. But since the master bedroom is quite a private space, I intend to show you only err… 2 pictures? Sorry about that. HA HA.

And next to my bed is a little walk-in area for our wardrobe.

[Credits: Design & Reno by Shafee of Classic Ideas Design & Build Pte Ltd / Ceiling Fan by Crestar / Wall Lights & Downlights by Lite Lab / Curtains by 99 Curtains/ Paint by Dulux (colour used: Bisque) Wallpaper by 99 Interior/ HERF Flooring by: Evorich Flooring]

See those mirrors? Well, they serve a gooood purpose besides simply asking me to look at myself in the mirror every single day; that’s where I am going to teach my personal makeup classes too very soooon! Excited much.

And see the door? That leads to my master bathroom which I am going to show you right about now!

We wanted a resort style bathroom because well, it is just so relaxing. If I used to take thirty mins to shower, I now take forty minutes. O-O

And here is the common bathroom!

We go grey, baby.

Don’t you just LOVE the mosaic tiles?

I DO, SO MUCH!

Let’s take a quick peek at the other two bedrooms too, shall we?

My parents’ room is really beautiful because everything is either white or cream in colour. Everything looks so calm and peaceful.

The wall decals really bring out the serenity in the room, ideal for my parents!

Again, Shafee maximized the storage space because my parents have quite a bit of stuff to keep and store, including their ‘treasure’.

It is so convenient to use blinds nowadays. If the sun is too bright and you need to block it out, or you need a little bit of privacy, just pull down the blinds!

Credits: Design & Reno: Shafee of Classic Ideas Design & Build Pte Ltd. / HERF Flooring: Evorich Flooring /  Blinds: 99Interior / Wall Decals: Decorette Wall Decals/ Paint: Dulux (colour used: Sea Shell)

Ili’s room is simple too, but she plays around with colours like off white, black, and tiffany blue.

And I really like her wall decals because I love Paris. Irony is, I have never been there before.

[Credits: Design & Reno: Shafee of Classic Ideas Design & Build Pte Ltd. / HERF Flooring: Evorich Flooring / Wall Decals: Decorette Wall Decals/ Paint: Dulux (colour used: Pentalite Black & Barely White)]

Seriously, #ProjectFunHouse would not be possible without these wonderful people/companies.

Once again, let me thank them all from the very bottom of my heart, in alphabetical order.

99 CURTAINS

Thank you for the following:

• Living Room Curtains
• Master Bedroom Curtains
• Nadyas’ blinds
• My parents’ blinds
• The kitchen blinds
• Master Bedroom Wallpaper
• Living Room Wallpaper

CRESTAR FANS

Thank you so much for the Aircraft Alumni Acrylic Series ceiling fans for our entire house!

The ceiling fans are really powerful, everyday feels like a day at the beach! We no longer use the aircon, and no longer get sinus! I am so thankful that my life no longer depends on the aircon, and I am serious here. When was the last time I had a bad sinus? I think that would be at the previous house, when we were still depending on zircon day in and day out.

You can visit Crestar HERE.

Alternatively, you can give them a call at 6254 9483 and look for Jerald!

Or, visit them at:

Blk 164 Kallang Way

#05-21/25

Kolam Ayer Industrial Estate
Singapore 349248

DECORETTE WALL DECALS

Thank you for the beautiful wall decals!

And I didn’t know it was that easy to install the decals! Hehehe.

You can view their very beautiful and unique collection HERE. 

But a little warning from me; YOU WILL GET VERY CONFUSED AND END UP WANTING TO CHOOSE EVERYTHING YOU SEE…

just like what happened to me.

OH, ONLY FOR MY BLOG READERS, DO NOT FORGET TO QUOTE ETRANGLE WHEN YOU ORDER TO ENJOY 10% DISCOUNT! VALID TILL END OF DECEMBER 2012!

DULUX 

Thank you for painting my house beautifully! I love all the colours so much, especially my girls’ room! and the best thing about Dulux paint is, there is absolutely no smell at all!

For a FREE Colour Consultation, visit Dulux HERE.

EVORICH FLOORING 

I am just so glad we listened to Alex from Evorich and decided on the HERF flooring! I actually really tried to walk like a buffalo to see whether it would produce any thumping sound.

Hardly any sound at all! It’s like walking on air. And best thing is, it is not hollow.

If you want to sneak out at night, you should have HERF flooring in your house!

OKAY SORRY. THIS IS A PARENTING BLOG.

Sorry for that.

To find out more about HERF flooring, you can read THIS, or visit them HERE, or contact Alex Aw directly at 97775055

KWERKEE

Thank you KWERKEE for making our house more interesting! What can I say, they have really unique stuff. They believe in selling only the unique and hard to find design pieces. And who stands to benefit? People like YOU and ME! It is really no wonder why my sister loves KWERKEE so much.

We already have the Popcorn machine at home.

 

The cute toaster.

And some other cool stuff too, which I will blog about soooon!

Meanwhile, you can visit them HERE.

LITELAB 

Thank you so much for lighting up our house, and chasing away the darkness.

This is yet another company with tip top customer service! We had such a wonderful time choosing the lights because they were always there to guide us, and provide recommendations based on how energy saving the light is and all.

Sometimes, choosing of lights is not just about the design or how grand it will look. We need to be aware also of other more important factors like creating the right ambience, the energy consumption, the colour of the light, and the lifespan of the light bulb.

You can visit Lite Lab Private Ltd at:
No. 33, Ubi Ave 3, #01-13  Singapore 408868

They are open from MON to SUN: 10am – 8pm, so you can always drop by right after work too!

Alternatively, their hotline is 6483 7181

Email them at:

Email:  sales@litelab.com.sg
Customer Feedback: feedback@litelab.com.sg

And of course, our project manager himself…

SHAFEE FROM CLASSIC IDEAS DESIGN & BUILD PTE LTD

Now, this man, together with his assistant Amran, did prove to us that renovation CAN be a very pleasant experience after all. No need to fight or argue, even!

Actually, renovation is a very straightforward affair. You pay, the renovation works will be carried out. You refuse to pay, the reno works will have to stop because the contractors have to earn a living daily too.

I get it, there are a lot of you out there who strongly believe that you do not need to pay until a job is done and until you are satisfied with the outcome. But in the renovation industry, it is quite difficult to apply the same principle because all these subcontractors are usually paid daily. I really pity them because I have actually gotten to know the contractors involved in #ProjectFunHouse, and realized they are all a bunch of very nice and simple-minded guys.

If really there is something that you are not happy with during or after the renovation works in terms of the workmanship, just inform your project manager directly. He will definitely attend to it because he is in charge of the project. Well, he should attend to it. If he doesn’t, you tell me. But in all seriousness, in every renovation work, there is bound to be a spot or two with defects, so instead of barking at the contractors or project manager to get it fixed immediately, tell them nicely, and oh, give them some time.

When you are nice to people and treat them with respect, they will always be more than happy to return you the favour and help you in whichever way they can. They can even become your good friend as a result of everything. But when you are nasty to them, how do you expect them to be nice to you and deliver only the best to you? Most likely they would only give you false promises, keep prolonging everything, or just ignore you for the rest of their lives. They might even curse you everyday for causing them so much distress and unhappiness. I truly believe in this because it has been tested and proven. See, we are still very close to our property agent Bryan. And now, we are good friends with our project manager Shafee too. Nice to know, isn’t it?

We have no regrets at all engaging Shafee from Classic Ideas Design & Build Pte Ltd as our project manager. On days when he could not drop by due to family commitments for instance, he would always ensure that Amran would be there instead to help us monitor and supervise everything. All we needed to do when something needed attention was to call either of them up, and they would take the necessary actions immediately. You know, during the entire moving process the other time, Shafee also arranged for the cleaners to clean up the then newly renovated house of ours so that the house was free from dust and debris. Mind you, he was leaving for KL for a little break at that point of time. We truly appreciate his thoughtfulness up till today.

Told you my renovation process was going to be a super memorable one.

So okay, you want to renovate your house but you have yet to receive your cash proceeds?

DO NOT WORRY A THING ABOUT IT.

You might want to consider the BUY & SELL SCHEME BY CLASSIC IDEAS DESIGN & BUILD PTE LTD. 

To put it in simple terms, BUY & SELL SCHEME means renovate first, pay later.

Thank goodness Shafee introduced this scheme to Tatek and I because well, we were in a rush to renovate our house. The only problem we had at that point of time was, we would receive our cash proceeds a week after the expected starting date of renovation works. We thought initially there was no way we could get the renovation works to start as planned, but hey hey, the BUY & SELL SCHEME was truly godsend.

Oh, Classic Ideas Design & Build Pte Ltd has several awesome home renovation packages for you to choose from too!

For example, they have packages for:

• Kitchen & 2 Bathrooms

• Kitchen only

• 2 Bathrooms only

• Whole House

• Condominiums

• BTO flats

Besides the interesting and super reasonable package prices that you can enjoy, you will also receive FREE GIFTS like:

• Hood & hub

• Oven

• Aircon or other electrical appliances

Before I forget, there is one more thing I would like to talk about; STARBUY 20 FT KITCHEN CABINET PROMOTION, which is going at…

$1688 ONLY!

This also includes free design and consultation by Mr Shafee himself, you know?

SAY WHUUUTTTT?

 

Did you know we actually took up the STARBUY PROMOTION for our kitchen cabinet?

Yes, our kitchen cabinet!

THIS ONE!

WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. SO CHEAP RIGHT?

Shafee also asked me to stress on this:

NO GIMMICKS AND NO CONDITIONS. 

So thank you so much Shafee! You are indeed a man with no gimmicks too. Whatever that you provided in our quotation was indeed the final cost with no additional cost. You know how some contractors will give you a certain quotation, and then when the actual renovation takes place, they will tell you that using this material or that material will be an additional cost? With Shafee, you can rest assure that what you see in the quotation is what you will really pay for, and nothing more…

UNLESS YOU REALLY WANT TO ADD MORE ITEMS AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION. DUH.

So, what are you waiting for?

CONTACT SHAFEE AT 9431 4921 NOW.

You can even email him at lucky_ed10@yahoo.com.sg

Alternatively, make an appointment to meet him at:

CLASSIC IDEAS DESIGN & BUILD PTE LTD

178 PAYA LEBAR ROAD

#01-05 

SINGAPORE 409030

SAY CHEESE, SHAFEE.

 

This picture was taken by Sharleez at Swensen’s the other day. HAHAHA! Shafee is a very shy person. He told me not to put any more of his pictures in my blog, but he told me that after this picture was taken. So since this picture was taken before he told me, I guess it is alright to put it up.

Anyway…

Trust me, you REALLY need someone reliable to handle your renovation. Do not even take the chances because it is a house we are talking about here.

I really appreciate the hard work each and every one of these awesome companies put in, and how they ensured that I was getting only the best. I can never thank them enough no matter how long my blog post is, or how many times I blog about them.

And for that, if you were to ask me whether I will recommend every one of them, my answer is…

A BIG  F A T  YES!

All you need to do when you approach or contact them is to mention ETRANGLE to receive special treatment from them. Reallly, I am not kidding you. Do not forget to say PLEASE. But regardless of whether you mention me or not, they are all naturally nice people. Of course, you should mention me if you want special discounts. I am just saying here.

Thank you so much for being so involved with #ProjectFunHouse everyone. You have no idea how much it means to me.  Hope you got several useful tips along the way.

And that’s a wrap, everyone!

Right now, I just feel like shouting this out loud.

“MUMMYYYYYYYYYY, IT’S OVEEEEEEEEEEEER.”

Yup. Time to make this little frown go away.

SMILE NOW, MYREEN BABY.

VERY DRAMA RIGHT?  

SO 600 1000 LIKES PRETTY PLEASE?

I KNOW WE CAN DO IT. <3

On the third day of Hari Raya, my firstborn went rushed to me and said,

“Mummy, I just checked my wardrobe. We still have one more baju kurung to wear, you know? Can still celebrate Happy Raya. You don’t know arh, Mummy?”

Well, I didn’t know that kind of rule existed, Sharleez.

So yup, my Nadyas actually had the inkling that they should and must wear a brand new outfit for every raya outing. Cannot repeat the same outfit. Wah? So rich ah? Of course I corrected them and told them that it is more than okay to repeat the same outfit for another raya outing on another day. For goodness sake, it is not Fashion Week Month, Nadyas! It is not a crime to wear the same outfit again and again as long as it is still clean. Nadyas need to know that their mummy does not own a textile company. Mummy only owns an online boutique called  STUDIOFROST lor.

OOOPS.

Sorry for sidetracking.

I like how this year’s raya has actually brought us cousins closer than ever. I actually do have awesome cousins both on the maternal and paternal side, and I am just so proud of their achievements so far be it academically, career wise, or family life. Every visit to my cousins’ did inspire me in more ways than one. I am truly proud of myself too for feeling so happy for others’ achievements because let’s face it, it is not that easy sometimes to be truly happy for others. We are only human. You know, I know. But I also truly believe that when we practice blessing others consistently, we will end up getting blessed too. Isn’t it true? When we give what Allah requires of us, we always get something in return.

So here it is; our Hari Raya so far, as captured by my faithful Nikon D60 and iPhone 4S.

The beautiful family. Cannot wait for my niece to be born! Few more months to go! <3

I like this picture below too despite the fact that Mysha and I were not ready for the camera yet.

How is it that my fraternal twins are looking more and MORE alike the bigger they get? This picture especially did freak me out a bit because the similarity is just too uncanny. I had to spend slightly longer to figure out who is who.

But can YOU guess who is who?

On my left is Mysha. Right is Myreen.

Guessed it right? Well that’s because I told you!

Best friends are forever. This Shan Ehan and his Papak (Papa Yat) are inseparable.

So nice of Bertram to actually prepare his raya outfits beforehand, and to be excited to join us for our raya outings. He even went to Woodlands Bazaar Ramadhan on his own just to buy the buttons for his baju melayu. We really appreciate it Bert, if you are reading this! Hope that we will get to celebrate hari raya with you every single year, with God’s will. Don’t break Myreen’s heart, okay? (Myreen adores Bert so much, you see?) Haha!

Sharleez and Shan. Gosh. I hope they will stay this close forever.

Cik Arah with her girls, Natasha and Natalia, and of course Ili and the Nadyas.

Pak Nasir was not in the picture because he was busy taking a video of us, as usual.

This picture below was taken at his house. I had to force him so many times to change to his baju melayu so that I could take a picture of him together with his siblings; Mak and Cik Pau. Obviously I failed.

You know, when I was smaller and Cik Arah was still flying, I always looked forward to her off days because she would always bring Ian and me out to Parkway Parade. Cik Arah and Pak Nasir were also the ones who made my costumes, dressed me up, and choreographed my dance moves for various costume competitions like Singa The Courtesy Lion costume competition and all. And for all those competitions that they made me enter, I actually won! So yeah, there’s just something special about this couple, and how they will always try their very best not only for their daughters, but for the ones they around them.  I guess it is absolutely not a surprise then why their daughters are such high achievers too. They must have learnt a lot from their exemplary parents.

Here’s a picture of me without eyeliner. I don’t know, I just feel so weird without the eyeliner on.

Mak and my auntie, Cik Pau. They are inseparable, by the way.

Best Friends Forever by default. Hahahah, Estee and Aton have only each other so no choice but to be BFF right? Hahaha!

Celebrated Sharinna’s belated birthday at Nurul’s house too! And we are just super glad she is so in love with the gift we got her.

Dearest Sabariyah actually prepared steamboat for us when we came over her place. It was really so sweet of her to do that because she was still at work when we gave her a ring.

Besides Sabariyah’s steamboat dinner for us, this year’s highlight has got to be my cousin’s (Kak Tini) Fried Udon!

You have no idea how SEDAP it is, puan puan! So sedap that we begged Kak Tini for the recipe. All of us had more than just one serving, and Mak ate quite a bit too. Mak is such a fussy eater, so to have her eating that and having a second serving must really mean something. Thank you Kak Tini & Abang Fazil for the awesome food!

Love it when there’s great food and even greater company during raya visits.

I have come to the realization that Hari Raya is no longer about looking extra good in that brand new outfit or bag. Hari Raya is more about starting afresh with the ones who matter, and about seeking forgiveness from each other.

It is a bit challenging though to be serious and ask for Daddy’s forgiveness because he is always cracking something up to make us burst out laughing. Heheh.

Like what Mak said to us the other day during the forgiving session (lol!),

“It does not mean that I am always correct just because I am older. Sometimes, I may be wrong too without realizing it.”

Forgiving may be a notoriously difficult thing to do. Forgetting is even tougher.

But we have got to start somewhere somehow, right?

I think I have a lot to learn from Mak because she is the kind who easily forgives and forget, no matter how small or big the matter is, or who started it. She has taught me that forgiving someone does not necessarily mean whatever that person did or said to you is acceptable or okay. It just means we learn to forget no matter how big the scar. Just as long as the same injury does not happen again, then the scar will not do us much harm, won’t it?

OR WILL IT?

I like to think that when I forgive and forget, it does not imply that I have wiped it totally out of my memory but rather, I have wiped it out of my arsenal to use it as a weapon against the very same person who hurt me.

Sometimes, when conflicts arise between me and Mak for example, Mak will always take the first move to talk to me and pretend as if nothing happened. Blame it on my ego, but at least I always SMS her to say I am sorry, or give her a card occasionally.

A bit paisey to say it verbally la!

So maybe that’s why my parents and us siblings are super close. We fight, we argue, we get angry, we get REALLY angry on days, but at the end of the day, we will always come back to each other to work things out. One thing for sure, I know I will never remain angry with my children for more than 10 minutes. I am just super glad too that we do not practise cold treatments because seriously, nothing will ever get solved if you choose to do so.

At the end of the day, the rule of the thumb is,

“If we expect forgiveness, we must forgive.”

How’s your Hari Raya so far? Are there houses that you have yet to visit? We have yet to finish our visiting too, but I think the Nadyas are pretty exhausted (and bored!)already from all the visiting this far.

Overheard this conversation between Mysha and Myreen the other day just as we were about to go out for raya visiting.

Mysha: “I don’t like Happy Raya anymore. So tired you know everytime do the same thing?”

Myreen: “Ya la. Later there’s no more space in the house for green packets because everytime people give us. Then how?”

Mysha (as a matter of factly): “Then you don’t take anymore la.”

Myreen: “You are so busuk, Mysha!”

Mysha: “MUMMMMMMMY…MYREEN CALLS ME BUSUK!”

HAHAHA. NEVER ENDING.

Do not forget to donate me a LIKE at the end of this post because I spent 3 looooooooooong and cold nights preparing for this post, you know?

I exaggerated a bit there, but LIKE it anyway!

When I asked both Mysha & Myreen what they would like for their 3^rd Birthday, they both answered almost together “We want to go to the hotel!”

Yup, they meant a staycation…AGAIN! Was there some kind of a conspiracy going on, Nadyas?!! But of course I was more than overjoyed to have another staycation. I badly needed another short break from work AGAIN. If given the choice, I know my girls would want to stay forever and a day at the hotel. So I have made it a point – if we were to get a new place, it *must* look as good as a hotel if not better, so that our staycations can just be errr..at home? Nah, staycations at home would be really boring. But that point to have a hotel-looking house still stays.

For the record, we have been to Festive Hotel 3 times, and Shangri La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort once. Shangri La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort was awesome and we enjoyed our staycation there, but of course when it comes to choice, my girls still prefer Festive Hotel. I figured it must be due to the fun, colourful and vibrant ambience of the hotel. Let’s not also forget Universal Studios, and the awesome powsome swimming pool.

But the number 1 reason why they chose Festive Hotel was because they wanted to visit the ELEPHANT MOSQUITO again!

Yup yup, they came up with the name and I know why.

Do YOU know why? Hehehe.

Since they chose Festive Hotel again, I figured why not make it extra special for them, give them more space to play and get a slightly different & bigger room? If you remember, I blogged about one of staycations at Festive Hotel HERE.

The girls enjoyed the loft bed in the family room a lot but change is always good, riiiiiiiiiiight?

So we booked the suite this time round. And you know what? No regrets!

Sharleez upon entering the suite, gasped and exclaimed, “My wish come true!!”

Let the girls just show you around since they were everywhere when I tried to snap pictures of the suite.

And of course, the tradition is to have a self taken picture in the toilet.

Sorry, I just couldn’t help it lor.

We had a hard time persuading girls to pack up on the last day, though. They were hesitating to go home. But all good things must come to an end. But all good things we can do again next time too, so no worries there. 3D2N stay really seemed too short for the girls, I suppose.

Sharleez kept counting with her fingers. “But Mummy, it is not 3 days yet. This is the best place ever.”

So what did we do during our 3D2N stay there?

We devoted as much time to relax, have fun, and breaking out of a rut. I think the key to having a good staycation and vacation is to UNPLUG. Unplug yourself from work, chores, and that daily compulsion to get things done. Break all rules, for once. Do something different for a change. If bedtime is usually 9 pm for the girls, during the staycation they stayed up until 1 am! If I normally have the tendency to check my handphone every 5 seconds or so, I left it at one corner during the staycation. In other words, my handphone relax one corner. Hehe.

But sometimes, with change comes the consequences. For instance, bought them these gorgeous Crocs and they all ended up with blisters.

And that will take some getting used to.

In short, Day 1 was spent lazing around in exploring the suite. Day 2 was Universal Studios followed by lots of swimming.

The girls managed to take pics with lots of characters this time round. Can you believe it, we actually waited one hour for Shrek and Fiona to appear! “Mummy, I want to take picture with Shrek.”

But when the opportunity finally came, they chickened out because Shrek was too huge for their liking! Hahaha. Fiona had to coax them for this picture.

Swimming is always something that the girls doing together especially after going for so many swimming lessons with Mr Syed.

So it was basically lots of showing off that day when they swam. Yeah yeah, whatever.

Despite the late nights we had there, we woke up extremely early every morning just so that we would not miss our breakfast buffet.

Want to see their morning faces?

This right below is the after shower face by Mysha.

If you have kids and/or love space, you should really try out the Deluxe Suite King room too!

You can find out more about Festive Hotel HERE. For rates, click HERE or call them directly at (+65) 6577 8899

Tatek’s birthday is in November and when asked what he would like for his birthday, he grinned the biggest grin ever. You know what he wants! Bleargh.

Mysha: “Mom, this is the best day everrrrr. ”

And that’s it. That was all it took for the best special day ever. Lots of swimming, and chocolates. That was yet another reminder to me of how wonderful a staycation can be. It might not be the vacation of a lifetime, but it was the perfect staycation ever for me, Tatek, and especially my Nadyas.

Give yourselves a break. Take a staycation with your loved ones, if not a vacation. Remember….

“Vacation/Staycation is what you take when you can’t take what you’ve been taking any longer.”

But whatever it is,

DO NOT FEED THE FOOSA!

I feel guilty sometimes for being too busy to even capture my girls’ growing up moments. It’s like I am there physically with them almost all the time, but I hardly make the extra effort to stop whatever I am doing or pause for a second even at that very instance to simply watch them grow.  “Don’t grow up too fast!” We are all guilty of this statement time and time again, aren’t we? So my question is this, if we do not want them to grow up too fast, then why aren’t we as parents making the effort to spend more quality time with them? Why let the moments just pass us by, day by day? We contradict ourselves, right? So yeah, I am forever guilty as charged.

Thankfully, I have been able to spend a lot of quality time with all my girls for the past few days. Just for this week, I purposely arranged for my makeup classes to start during the later part of the week. I am lucky I guess because since I work from home, I have the choice to decide when I want to work and when I do not. So we did what we would normally do before my working schedule was this tight – we painted, we danced, we talked, we laughed, we ate junk food (ooops!), we irritated each other, we kissed, we hugged. I wish I could do all these with them every single day, without having to worry about anything else you know, WORK. Quite impossible, isn’t it?

One thing you must know about my girls is this – they love dancing a lot! I love to destress and watch them dance. It just gives me this great feeling of satisfaction knowing that they can freely express themselves through the dance moves that they themselves come up with for every single dance. Maybe not so much on the inviduality as yet because the twins just love to imitate whatever their big sister is doing. But hey, I think that is perfectly alright too because they really look up to Sharleez as their role model. Everyone needs a role model, y’know?

And today, they conquered the dance floor with three songs back to back.

Wanna watch? Hehehe. Oh, prior to them dancing, Sharleez instructed Mysha and Myreen to stand BEHIND her. In other words, they were her backup dancers. Tsk!

 

So you think they can dance?

Shafiq’s birthday was on the 14^th April 2011. Yet another good year for this young chap, alhamdullilah. It seems like he has a goal for every birthday. Last year, he attained his driving license on his 19^th birthday. This year, it was him graduating from Aerospace Engineering, and doing exceptionally well for his studies. As a big sister, I cannot help but to beam with my girlish pride. That’s all I can do besides always hoping for the best for this brother of mine.

Initially I was a bit sceptical and rather uncomfortable about making Shafiq’s academic achievement known because Shafiq has never liked all the unnecessary attention. Also, I thought it would be a major turn off for others reading it.

But then, I thought again. If sharing his academic achievement serves as motivation to the rest of the students out there, then why not? After all, having a good education is of utmost importance in this country we are living in. If you have it good, SHARE. Just do not be too big-headed, that’s all.

So yes, for his birthday this year, he went to school in the afternoon and came back with his exam transcripts. Ili went inside my room and was like, “Kakak just look at these!” Let’s just say I saw stars. And if that was not enough, I also saw the Lee Kuan Yew award for Outstanding Academic Achievement which Shafiq received. I went “WHAT?!!! DID YOU DO MAKE THIS UP, YOU FREAK?”             

Yes, we were all so proud of his at that moment of time. I was close to tears, in fact. How could someone as frivolous and carefree as Shafiq do this well in school? Frankly speaking, I have never seen him study so hard.  I have never seen him rush for his assignments. I have never seen him busy with projects. So it made me wonder how did he actually do it all this while?

And then it dawned on me – he works hard…but PLAYS HARDER.

Good for him! You know, I think it is really important for you students to strike an excellent balance between your studies and your social life. Learn to manage effectively so that you do not feel like you are being forced to study or perform in school. But in order to maintain the balance, you need to be more disciplined than you have ever been. Prioritise time, and have a large support network of friends and family, for a start. And most importantly, do not procrastinate. It is perfectly okay to have a girlfriend or boyfriend, but never ever let that affect your studies. I remember going out on study dates with Tatek when we were both in school last time. When either of us had exams or major assignments coming up, we had that common understanding we had to date less, and focus more. It can get pretty difficult if your partner is not able to compromise or sacrifice. What good then is the relationship? Correct or not?

So anyway, since everyone was pretty much in a very happy mood on Shafiq’s birthday, we decided to have a THEME for the celebration. It was yet another absurd theme that we came up with but who cares? If you have already noticed by now, every theme party that we have is not about us still looking good. It is about looking ludicrous and making each other laugh till we cannot laugh anymore. That’s the main objective of all our theme parties. Judge us all you want because we do not care. Hehehe.

So what was the theme for Shafiq’s birthday party?

ASYLUM!

Yeah, we all had to be crazy, mad, insane, and siaotingtong people.  In short, ORANG GILA.

Very challenging especially for me because as you can see, I am a totally sane person on normal days. :p

So are you ready for this? Let’s do it!

Here is Lan Guni. This grumply man here likes to collect all kinds of plastic bags. Can someone tell him he wore his spectacles upside down?

Here is Mas Hutan. That’s her baby there. SSSSHHHHH, she is putting the baby to sleep!

Here is Yat Diver. He likes the colour pink and he wants to teach you swimming. He might have been a gangster before turning crazy.

Here is Lulu Tanjong Rambutan. She has a great fashion sense, can’t you already see it by now?! Love the mole!

Here is Fiq Spears. Ooops he did it again! Love that blonde hair though it looks really familiar.

Here is Yan Kaki. He smells his own toes during his free time. Either they smell that good, or he likes anything smelly.

And these three little girls here insisted that they were just as crazy. Sure!

Sharleez.

 

Mysha.

 

Myreen.

 

 

And this is a perfectly crazy family.

 

 

This was what all of us, the crazy people had for the celebration. We were crazy enough to give Mak a break from cooking yesterday!

Hehehe. Cast your votes now for your favourite ORANG GILA, and keep them confidential.

 

Baby Brother Shafiq, Happy Turning 20! No longer a teenager, so time to PLAY HARD, AND WORK HARDER.

We are so proud of you, if you do not already know by now.

And pls prepare 20 tickets for your Graduation Ceremony. Yes, the whole platoon wants to come and support you!

Meanwhile, here is a short advert for Shafiq! For those of you primary & secondary school students looking for Maths tuition, look no further because Shafiq is finally ready to resume giving home tuition! He is a MATHS GENIUS, I tell you! Email him at shafiqx@live.com.sg to enquire more!