Carpentry

With me constantly on the back of those contractors and sub-contractors, the project is now chugging along well on the revised completion schedule. If there's anything that I may have learned from this project, it is that I really need to take matters into my own hands. Take the bull by the horn, so to speak! It's tiresome, no doubt, but it's better than to face an indefinite timeline and live with lingering uncertainties. They promised pre-Christmas, but look what happened! I am now entertaining a post-CNY scenario. I could only imagine what the workers at site must have been murmuring and snickering behind me, "There she goes again, the de-facto project manager running amok!". [Sigh]

Carpentry and soft furnishing represent the bulk of the remaining 5% work. As we are taking on a warm minimalist theme, there's actually not much detailed carpentry work to be done. The house will look a little barren at first, but I'm sure as time goes by, it'll get cluttered up just like every other homes I know. The carpenters had been diligently working at our site in the last few days, and I am slowly seeing the parts coming together.

The TV in the kitchen is finally up.

They have miscalculated the complexity of cutting a hole in the middle of the bathroom mirror. This took them the entire day to finish, all 5 men!

Architect/interior designer explaining carpentry details to the carpenter, with the main contractor looking on.

These pictures are just teasers. Let's wait for the big reveal day, shall we?

Kuih Seri Muka

It has been some weeks since my last attempt at baking. I have been preoccupied with the house and other mundane things in life. But mostly, it's the house. I'm hoping that something exciting is going to happen soon, and that I could put my priorities back in the right places. For now, I'll just enjoy life a little.

I've been thinking a lot today about a memorable quote from the cartoon movie, Ratatuoille, that "Anyone can cook". There's some truth in it. Cooking is no rocket science. It just requires some passion and a heart. As simple as that, really. So when a friend posted pictures of some delectable Malay cakes on facebook called Kuih Seri Muka, I thought to myself, "Hey, I could do this". Indeed, it was a great and easy recipe. I modified it a little to suit my taste.

Glutinous Rice Layer

1. Soak 500gm of rice grains in water for up to an hour.

2. Mix 2 cups of coconut milk and a pinch of salt with the grains.

3. Steam the rice in an 8-inch square cake pan at low heat until it's cooked (takes approximately 30-45 mins)

4. Let it cool, and then press the cooked rice layer till it sets firmly into the cake pan. Set aside.

Pandan Layer

5. Prepare pandan extract. Cut 4-6 pandan leaves into small pieces, and add 1/4 cup water into a processor. Blend them thoroughly and then strain to get the pandan extract. 

6. In a separate bowl, add 2 cups of coconut milk, 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 cup of castor sugar, 2 large eggs and the pandan extract. Mix well to form batter.

7. Strain the pandan batter to remove any crumbs. Pour batter over the glutinous rice layer.

8. Place the cake pan back into the steamer for another 20-25 minutes or until the batter is cooked. Remember to steam at low heat to ensure a smooth cake surface.

9. Cake is ready.

Becoming a Wedding Planner?

When I learnt from YS and Rachel that they have fixed a date for their marriage solemnization, I jumped at the opportunity to help out with the interior decorating work. A recession-case scenario makes the assignment more challenging, but it was interesting to see how one can stretch the dollar to produce the same dramatic effect. The planning didn't take long, as both of them were cool with most of my ideas, and they infused some of theirs along the way. The venue will be their 1200sqft home on the 22nd floor! The predominantly white interior of the apartment makes conceptualization of ideas somewhat easier. All in all, conceptualization and shopping took about 2 full days. We went to Arab Street and got an entire roll of organza (about 40 meters) which was just about enough fabric to drape the space. The rest of the materials were purchased from several DIY shops in town. Here's some pictures of the decorating process and you can judge for yourself if justice was done. I had fun doing it, and I hope you'll have fun looking at these pictures!

I went with the concept of a garden wedding within their living room. YS' lime green new rug came handy, as it provides an excellent backdrop. 

Next, I found these two large outdoor lanterns which were just perfect for the concept.

Part of the floral arrangement for the solemnization table.

The ring pillow

DIY candleholders, made from drinking glasses and recycled beads from curtains.
More candles

I purchased these flowers from a nursery nearby. They were chosen for their longer-lasting nature and in keeping close to the lavender-white theme.

Large floral arrangements for some drama in the room.

Room is ready for the event.

The Trees Have Arrived!

This is probably the most fun I've had in this entire project. I love trees. It took me a good few months to research on suitable trees and plants for our small and humble house. I finally settled with the zen garden concept, and carefully selected trees from nurseries nearby. My selection criteria were pretty simple; a clean minimalist look to compliment the house design, easy maintenance (relatively speaking), suitable for confined spaces, and most importantly, cost effective. Not too many, just some Thai bamboos to form a green blanket for the backyard, a 7-feet tall Frangipani, two 3-meters tall tropical trees with interesting layered effect for the front porch, and a 7-feet tall ficus bonsai next to the front door. It's still a month away from handover, but I've arranged for the trees to be planted now, as they need time to adjust to the new environment. I've been told to expect existing leaves to fall and be replaced by new-grown in the next few weeks. I rushed to take some pictures today before they become barren. Carpet grass will be put in once the trees have nicely settled into the new soil.

Nearing Completion

Here's a sneak preview of the jacuzzi bath on our roof top. The house is 95% completed, and the remaining 5% (representing the nitty gritty) is driving me crazy. From lighting to switches, locks, door handles, and other finishings, these issues can really wear one down. And especially so for a near-perfectionist like me. I am so used to seeing things executed with precision and accordingly to plan and timeline, the construction industry just isn't like that. Always expect the unexpected, and one will make peace with oneself.

Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP) is expected to be received by end of February. This is one month away, and there are dozens of things on my tasklist yet to be ticked off. I am exhausted, but the show must go on, as they say.

The French Stall

Never mind the unexpected setting. Fret not the heat and casual dining atmosphere. Expats throng this place, and keep coming back. It's not that strange a notion once one has tried the food here. Getting the price right is key to everything, especially in the credit cycle we're in today. The French Stall does just that, and does it really well too! Situated at 544 Serangoon Road (Little India), it's indeed a queer and the most unlikely place to find good and authentic french cuisine. 

At YS' suggestion, we celebrated Yan's birthday today at the French Stall. It was a surprised treat from YS, and we're grateful for the introduction to this restaurant. For appetizers, we ordered a bunch of things from the menu - rocket salad served with parmesan cheese, escargot, garlic bread, mussels cooked in white wine sauce and carrot soup. They were all very tasty, but of course, one can't expect michelin-star standard. My only slight regret is the presentation style for the escargots. Although at S$9.20 per half dozen, they're probably the cheapest escargots one could find in Singapore, the dish could have been better presented. 

The minced herb garlic bread was very tasty, but then again, it's a no-brainer. So were the mussels cooked in white wine, for it really is hard to get it wrong.

The carrot soup was light - more for diet-conscious people, I would say. I prefer it creamier and thicker, like how I would have made it.

As for the main courses, the most value-for-money choice on the menu for meat eaters would be the rack of lamb, as it comes in huge serving. 

However, the steak failed to impress. It was very average, and tasted rather like Han's cheap steak.

The birthday boy ordered something healthy for once - baked dory fillet served with spinach. As long as the fish is fresh, it's hard to get this wrong as well.

For a vegetarian like Yan's mom, it's not easy to eat out with a group of meat eaters like us. She had to order the only vegetarian dish on the main course menu - spaghetti in creamy mushroom and tomato sauce. This is a relatively safe dish to order, and it didn't disappoint.

For a gourmet like me (ehhmm), one of course will have to go for more refined and sophisticated choice - grilled duck breast served over a bed of risotto, and topped with orange peel. At S$21, this isn't exactly inexpensive, but overall I was rather pleased with the taste and the presentation. I consider this dish satisfactory. 

And the verdict? If you're looking for value-for-money and no-frills french food, this is the place!

Delay, Delay, Delay

It has been more than 2 months since my last entry on this topic, and there's a reason for this. Construction has hit a snag, and nothing much has moved since. I was hoping that our vacation abroad will take us away long enough to give the workers a break from my constant scrutiny, and therefore they'll be able to work more efficiently. This has proven to be totally unfounded. Contractors do need to be pressured, and constantly monitored, or they'll think you're a softy and a pushover. The last 20% is taking forever to finish. From engineer's erroneous governmental application submission to sheer project management lapses, manageable problems had snowballed into one big delay. We now have to reschedule CNY celebration because the venue cannot be ready in time. Talk about patience and expectation management, there's much to be learned. Take these cantilevered staircase for instance, they have remained unfinished for months, and the safety glass panels have yet to be installed. 

The only bright spot at this stage is the mosaic tiles that we have selected for the pool. Fortunately, they turned out to be modern-looking, just like what we have always wanted.