Joo.Chiat.Road

Something new- solowheel

2011-10-15T19:27:00.000-07:00

(the new blogspot has more features... including showing me the drafts i never published... here are four)

we've moved in and more pictures coming soon.

But in the mean time something different;

here's a new version of the segway, but like a unicycle.

Like a stripped-down Segway, Inventist's new Solowheel is geared for the mobile urbanite. The "self-balancing electric unicycle" operates through gyroscopic technology, which a 1000-watt rechargeable lithium-ion battery powers. On a full charge (which takes about 45 minutes), the Solowheel lasts two hours—but the battery actually recaptures energy when going downhill.

Weighing only 20 pounds and consisting of little more than a simple wheel with a fold-up foot platform on either side, you can easily throw it in your backpack or briefcase once you reach your destination, or carry it by its convenient handle.

Spanish Holiday snaps

2011-10-15T19:26:00.000-07:00

Long time between posts- blogspot changed settings while i was in Spain and its taken me a while to find out the mail address i need to log in!

Ahh technology.

Spent 3 weeks working and touring Spain- was fantastic. I really enjoyed all parts, although it was less of a holiday than previously as we were trying to generate content for www.bigfoottraveller.com and www.fbt.com.sg.

And I have a new Apple rather than the old HP, so some changes since I was last on the blog.

Here are the pictures

we went to the flamenco at the opera house in Barcelona- despite the noise i managed to fall asleep- i blame jet lag! the flamenco was good.

We visited the S A Damm Brewery near Barcelona Airport

and our hotel overlooked Casa Mila, by Gaudi, and we went also to Park Guell also by Gaudi. Gaudi really made what was a typical European city into something magic. Me at Park Guell

also went to the National Plaza de Toro... and here's me avoiding the Bulls

Then off to Toledo

I'm trying to find out where we are and where to go next, Toledo was great, different, a challenge to find parking

so i got from the bridge to here

so i was delighted when we stopped for lunch

then off south and we stopped by and looked at Don Quixotes windmills

great sky

thence to Ronda which was a great little town... and you can tell i'm happy with the food

and after Ronda we lounged in Granada for half a week spending a day at the Alhambra- just fr this the trip to Span was worthwhile

and here's me in Granada after a hard day's touring on the new apple

go to Spain, eat tapas and REAL Sangria, enjoy jamon, find out the difference between Serrano and Iberico, eat fried anchovies and Inedit beer, admire Gaudi, and siesta.

Sounds of Silence 1

2011-09-08T17:20:00.000-07:00

We didn't realize how noisy our apartment was, until we tried to sleep.

We are delighted to have restaurants and transport links so close- unless its 2am and the patrons from the coffeeshop are noisily waiting for the last bus, right outside out window.

Our Architects in stalled some glass shutters- see picture above-

The source of the noise is not all from the front windows- it comes from the jackroof which you can see from below

and here, while we were building the open jackroof above the central bathroom

we have picked up a small architectural fault- the sound specialist- Ned from Noisestop Systems pointed out- the noise enters from the jackroof as there are only some louvers to keep the noise out- but the open-topped bathroom acts as a drum, amplifying the sound behind us.

So we will seal the the jack roof- and finally the insulating glass has arrived, and Uncle Tan has been asked to install. Here it is lying on the kitchen floor

its solid and the glass has a wide gap between the two layers.

So we have also to insulate the front windows similarly... so we can love the food and the transport....

without the noise from our friendly local #16 Bus!

Recycling Idea copied

2011-09-05T21:32:00.000-07:00

I blogged about our Airline Carts that we had refurbished before- we have two old Ansett Australia carts that were a little worse for wear, that Uncle Tan our builder refurbished for us.

And now I see online a company is doing this for a living;

These airline trolleys have been refurbished by Skypak, a German company founded by Peter Jorge Fischer. The carts come in various unique designs and colors, there’s even one that’s made from 24 carat gold. It’s certainly a stylish way to store books and clothes, to CDs and dining ware. A Skypak trolley starts from EUR 1,280.

Nice, but i think i like ours better

the pre-holiday

2011-09-05T20:17:00.000-07:00

So in September we are off for three weeks in Spain.

And so to get into the holiday mood, we had a pre holiday in Phuket. AT the Westin-Siray Bay, on the East coast of Phuket Island, was a very nice spot and a very relaxing holiday courtesy of their one-year anniversary special deals. And best be quick as the place looked a bit worse for wear after only a year.

Here are some shots from flikr of the place.

here's the view of the resort from the small beach, which was full of crabs in the evening.

and here's the view from the room

and the view of the resort form the hill side. It looks great but when the temperature is hot, humidity high, its a bugger to climb up that hill.

we even had a couple of massages to put us in the right frame of mind, the Spa area was very well laid out and while expensive was worth it.

Insadong

2011-08-29T00:49:00.000-07:00

On the way back from Mongolia we had our typical 9 hour lay over... this time- with three colleagues- it was worthwhile taking a trip into Seoul and seeing a bit of Insadong, the old centre of Seoul, well an old centre of Seoul.

We started off at the Dumpling Koong a very famous dumpling restaurant in the middle of Insadong

The meal starts off with three kinds of kimchi: the standard cabbage, radish (gakdugi), and watery, non-spicy radish (mul kimchi).

The boiled North Korean dumplings ( mandu) are substantial pouches stuffed mostly with ground pork, tofu, and chives. Although fat and plump, they're not heavy; the skin is thin but not as thin as Chinese dumplings with just a bit of chew, and the filling is satisfyingly light.These KaeSoong dumplings were succulent and very tasty- although the dumpling was the same- whether in soup, on its own or with rice cake.

This is before we started eating, smiles played over everyone's faces once we tasted the KaeSong dumplings.

After that it was time for a walk around Insadong

I enjoyed the dragon beard candy "acts" along the main road- it appears they have all been featured doing their "show" on various Korean TV channels. It consists of many very fine strands of sugar, giving it the imagined appearance and consistency of a fine beard, like that of a dragon – hence its name.

I also had a very nice Mulberry smoothie to assist my complexion

And then we rejoined to have some more food- bulgogi- well sort of. We retraced our steps back to the main road and found a quaint old barbeque restaurant.

Its called the parksee Moolkoo on Jebee- i looke dit up ont he internet and its name draws inspiration from a Korean legend about a sparrow that rewards a kind farmer with magical fruit.

the leather bankette where we sat has its own small water feature.

and we had a large plate of bulgogi with chilli sauce, and

and enormous plate of sea food with rice cakes- both were delicious

then it was time to sit in the rush hour and crawl back to Incheon Airport.

Treat in Terelj

2011-08-29T00:12:00.000-07:00

Terelj is about a hour out of Ulaan bataar and we journey there last week to show some colleagues what the place looked like and that mongolia wasn't all boring UB.

this is typical of the countryside around terelj

The scenery remained magnificent, even though it is getting more and more built up.

We eneded up at the 5 star Terelj resort, which was a shock- to see a place this nice inside and out in the middle of nowhere... its one and a half hours out of UB, inside the Gorkhi-Terelj National Park.

My favourite Russian President was there

and the desserts we had to reward ourselves for the trip were also delightful.

profiteroles with real heavy fresh cream inside

and apple khuurshuur (similar to a McDonalds apple pie, or an apple cuffy puff)... the gelato was superb too

light luncheon

2011-08-19T22:45:00.000-07:00

We had some eggs in the fridge as well as left over baby spinach and cherry tomatoes... so what better to make for lunch than quiche.

with added Dijon mustard, sour cream garlic, smoked chicken and parmesan it may have been a bit much but was delicious.

I also tried our artisan bakery again, and their seven grain loaf was great.

Urban Garden

2011-08-19T19:02:00.000-07:00

While wandering to Fei-Fei for dumpling soup for breakfast; they make the best iced tea in Joo Chiat; we saw this urban garden.

Its small and outside the house, but uses the land efficiently and the family is growing some nice simple green vegetables.

these i think are 通菜 but i could be wrong.

Its good to see people growing at least some of their own food. we tried by growing passion fruit and peppers at the last place; but with more land you can have a small kitchen garden for leafy vegetables an herbs.

Basics of Investing

2011-08-12T22:01:00.000-07:00

some good solid advice is found here, from a website I've just found.

A quick summary;

The Seven Immutable Laws of Investing.

1. Always insist on a margin of safety
2. This time is never different
3. Be patient and wait for the fat pitch
4. Be contrarian
5. Risk is the permanent loss of capital, never a number
6. Be leery of leverage
7. Never invest in something you don’t understand

Interesting article referenced above as it takes tme to explain what each of these statements mean

Patriotic Lunch

2011-08-09T16:22:00.000-07:00

Singapore's National Day, and what better way to celebrate than to Eat like a Singaporean.

And what better place to do it than Taste Paradise, Ion Orchard. A small tip, if you are going on the weekend or holiday BOOK, this way you at least get a seat, it remains very popular, the service can be a bit mixed, but the food more than makes up for it.

and Taste Paradise has some of the BEST dim sum i have ever tied

the xiao long bao has a thin skin and is bursting with soup and the meaty filling is satisfying

i am conflicted on the next two pictures, I am unsure which is the BEST, the Char Siu Soh- the short pastry is incredibly short and melts in the mouth and the pork filling is very tasty

or the custard buns where the creamy custardy filling (not to sweet as some salted egg yolk is added to the custard) flows out of the soft sweet mian bao casing

a very satisfying meal with some excellent roasted pork with mustard, some chicken feet, and crispy squid. All were good, but not the very best i have had.

And even more news, Din Tai Fung is coming to Katong Mall and so I can have xiao long bao weekly just a walk away

dine with art

2011-08-06T17:44:00.000-07:00

dinner last night was some very nice fish goujons, which i crumbed with dill and lemon; on a bed of peas and accompanied by asparagus. As a changed I made up some XO sauce to go with the fish- was very nice. Am quite proud of the result.

man at work

2011-08-05T19:39:00.000-07:00

its still our favourite parata place; and the fresh parata are excellent

so B decided to take an artistic photo... and here it is.
Just like the 60s; maybe the bao would have been in a wooden steamer but authentic otherwise
enjoy!

Sunny Spain on A Sunday night

2011-07-31T17:00:00.000-07:00

Paella

Thanks for the pic B, the resylts from my blackberry were fuzzy, again.

Turned out OK, other than the fried breadcrumbs getting a bit messy around the plate.

Tasted nice, although I have yet to taste the real thing in Spain- and in NZ and Singapore paella can be gluggy, this wasn't.

Chorizo was crunchy and the oil was used to cook the onion and rice adding an extra taste that saffron added to. The prawns and scallop were heated through int the prawn stock before being added to the paella.

Overall a reasonable job.

Christchurch

2011-07-28T16:05:00.000-07:00

I really like Christchurch, and i've spend the last day or two here (am writing this at the airport). So it really saddened me to see the destruction from the three earthquakes the place has suffered.

Some of these pictures are mine, the rest are from a great blog ; by photographer Ross Becker

Honiara

2011-07-16T20:05:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have been slow in talking about my visit to the Solomon Islands capital Honiara.

Its a great place an idyllic pacific island with great weather friendly people a nice place to visit. I even managed to take some pictures

This is the hotel we stayed at The heritage Park- which is a large and relatively clean and comfortable place. And the pool overlooks the sea, great place for a cold evening Solbrew (local beer)

this is the look from the hotel towards the central city and port.

and these are the hotel rools overlooking the sea. There isn't much of a beach in front as there isn't a reef to protect the sand from the offshore waves.

and this is the bar where you can buy the cold Solbrew!

downtown is quite relaxed

and there are even some larger buildings

and an outdoor market for fish and vegetables/fruit

with friendly people!

There's a bit of building around, and a few new hotels are on the way

but overall the feel is a of a relaxed provincial town.

with lots of lush greenery out of town

and a few kelong type places for fishing and dining

and once out of town the village atmosphere kicks in

mind you this is in town still...

the view of Honiara from the hill

and the other main hotel in town, the Kitano Medano, which was built primarily for Japanese tourists visiting the various war sites and diving.

this is the Solomon Islands Brewery...

and walking around town

great place off the beaten track- go if you like diving- loads of old wrecks and great fishing.

Great New Parata Place

2011-07-16T19:09:00.000-07:00

As we explore our new neighbourhood we run past several interesting eating places.

And while we have a regular parata place- featured earlier, as I was alone for breakfast I decided to walk up Onan road and try out the place we had spied, but not tried.

This is Poh Ho restaurant cnr Onan rd and Crane Road. It has a simple and homely look and feel

and always seems to have people eating and socializing- not too many, not too few... its a Goldlilocks place... just right. Enough to know the place has good food, but not to many that you have to wait and wait.

I was there at 7am, just as the sun rose and the guy was happily making and cooking parata

He was well practiced in the art

and the result was superb-crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The curry sauce was a little thin (could do with some more cooking down) but the vegetables and mutton was nice. The belachan was also freshly made with lots of ikan bili... and hot. In addition there is a noodle place serving fried bee hoon, wanton mee and laksa, and the obligatory coffeeshop and once they understood that I wanted my tea thick - gow- it was fragrent and not too sweet- plus they use the old fashioned chipped ice not ice cubes.

and while there is a regular crowd, its not too crowded.

but be warned... its surrounded by lots of Churches and so I think Sunday mid-morning and lunch could be crowded.

Yes I give this place 4 stars! All in all its like going back 30 years or going to KL, take your pick.

Xeros Videos

2011-07-15T01:18:00.000-07:00

I haven't been blogging for a while- was overseas again.
But here's a few video's on one of the investments i've made- Xeros the polymer Cleaner; you can see how the industrial scale one works here... (silent movie)

I am excited about this as it really is a change from water and solvent style washing which we've done for several millennia, but which requires greater heat as well as additives to dissolve dirt and grime, and needs drying afterward.
home version here...

The demonstration is more for showing how the beads exit the cleaning drum; but the clothing is cleaned

So as you can see for apartment living in Singapore this would be a real bonus.

Noumea

2011-06-30T22:18:00.000-07:00

I have just returned from a few days working in Noumea, New Caledonia. Home of Tupai Island- the heart shaped atoll (no i didn't see it I borrowed this picture from the next)

It really is an island paradise- expensive, sure- but still a paradise. We stayed at the Le Meridien- a nice hotel, which has incredibly friendly staff but needs a new coat of paint here and there.

We ate at the pool twice for lunch which was fantastic- the weather was warm (early 20 degrees) with a cooing breeze, and a great view of downtown Noumea.

Next to it is Le Roof restaurant and nightclub which we visited twice.

and the inside of the restaurant is superb, and the food is great too.

We spent an afternoon visiting various places around the town

and this is as urban as it got- it really is only one story high and extends over a large swathe of land. Travelling can be quite interesting as you either go via a long coastal road looking at the beautiful blue waters (until you get to the Smelter and Port- pictured above) or traverse the steep hills to cut the distance down. You end up with views like this...

but at the top of the hills you get views like this

I'm glad i've been, and if asked I would go again, and travel out of Noumea to the islands... like Tupai above.

Banyan Tree Bangkok

2011-06-17T18:39:00.000-07:00

Mmmmmm

and

they would have been better not having this as part of Banyan Tree. This is the club reception at Banyan tree Bangkok- the aircon doesn't work on the club foor- maybe its supposed to make you feel as though you are on a desert island. The ceiling is also quite low.

Seychelles

Banyan tree to me is relaxing, breezes coming through palms, gentle lapping of water on beach, gentle sounds of tinkling bells and the smells of incense. You come to relax, to rest to recuperate.

Yet, set in the middle of bustling Bangkok there is a Banyan tree; and its used as a corporate hotel (i've just spend three days and two nights there).

It doesn't work. After an exhausting hour and a half in the car stuck in traffic from the airport to the hotel, and dying for a shower before our corporate welcome dinner- it took an age to get through a cramped reception area. They tried to calm us down, but Bangkok winds me up. You can hear the traffic noise above the tinkling bells and Banyan music. Guests were milling around and try as they might none of us were getting relaxed.

It took an age to get to the room; and when I arrived it was an OK 3-4 star room (apologies for complaining)... but nothing special, as good as a Hilton, or any other US brand. Clean, well arranged, but small. The Banyan tree hotel is quite narrow; and so the room felt cramped with all the things they wanted to put in there to make you feel relaxed. The bathroom was small, although they put in a small bath a shower and two sinks. The shower was a plastic fitting and intermittently spurted water out.

know i shouldn't complain, I wasn't paying, except this hotel damages the reputation of Banyan- had I come here first I would never have visited any other Banyan tree.

The site is nice, and Vertigo bar is spectacular (above- during day and night)- but its not Banyan. Its NOT an urban oasis- keep the Spa- no i didn't try- but rebrand the hotel in a more appropriate name and protect your brand Banyan Tree.

Maldives... now this is Banyan Tree..... ahhhh i can just feel the tension melt away and i don't mind waiting and relaxing.
(I stole most of the pictures from the web, sorry)

Packing

2011-06-11T20:13:00.000-07:00

Just had a burst of buying new travel stuff for our forthcoming trips.

I don't like having to check luggage in and so my key criteria was to have the lightest possible and to fit the size of carry on. After some research found A Saks a company that specializes in lightweight luggage.

They use 420 denier tough nylon for the basic bags, heavy duty zippers... so the basic bag weighs around 250g or less... which is you are limited to 7kg is a real benefit. In addition the handles easily convert to shoulder straps, so if you carry two bags, one can be held by the handle the other slung over the shoulder. The bags are also expandable enabling you to buy a bit more while your are travelling.

I got the 21 nch carry on expander, which easily fits into the overhead locker and is 200g in weight. It opens fully, like a case, and have straps to keep in the clothing in.

Inside i'll put two Victorinox packmasters to keep the shirts and trousers flat and arranged;

and these are also light weight. And around them i have three packing cubes for underwear socks etc. And of course the ubiquitous plastic bag for toiletries

here's the packing cubes

and the plastic packing cube for toiletries, which goes into the side pocket.

and i don't have any trouble getting this through those airports that check... the Australian airports are amongst the worse.

This means I can generally go away for two weeks on one carry on bag (yes i wash underwear and other clothes on the trip!

IN addition, if I am away for a longer period on personal travel and don't want to take valuables with me, i've just bought the Pacsafe travel safe

it has a strong metal wire to secure the slashproof back to something secure in your hotel room and you can leave your passport, money credit cards more safe than in the hotel safe.

So this is what i'm packing this year on my travels... I'm off to sunny Spain, viva Espana!

Solar powered windows

2011-06-10T19:57:00.000-07:00

Solar Window is quite a clever design especially if appropriately placed.

A transparent solar panel glazes the window and helps in harnessing the sun’s energy. Conveniently located plug-sockets and multi-tap, help hook up appliances and gadgets. A simple concept that can have very positive implications.

Never fear Smith's is here

2011-06-10T18:48:00.000-07:00

Yes a "Lost in Space" reference to rescue me from Fish and Chips starvation... when i'm feeling rich.

The fish and chips are good. Batter crisp (unless you leave it in the wrap like i did and it was gently steamed for a while) and the chips are good Southern English non crisp style... if you like crisp fried chips you won't like these. They have a selection of fish- we had cod, they have halibut, haddock, plaice. The mushy peas are good as well- different from the family recipe we have- more dried prussian blue peas less fresh- but a treat. Better than using frozen peas to make them. Was disappointed that they ran out of gherkins. And on the tables for eat in- in the wrapped paper- they have HP sauce and tomato sauce as well. And if you want that great british treat you can have curry sauce with your chips and they even serve white bread and butter for a chip buttee.

The Smith's team have an English approach to cooking as well. the Fish is fried to ensure it is readily available when you order, and you could get in and out in 5 minutes, depending on how busy they are. Only thing i would say about the operations is that they have four cooks- we would see one or two behind the scene where I come from, and there is a tendency for things to get hectic with so many people there.

Oh yes... and its just around the corner on Tanjong Katong Road, and opposite is a nice carpark- get there early.

I would recommend the F&C's from here, as long as you have the cash. I shouldn't complain about price but at $17.00 a serve, its over my $10 limit, and so while i'll go i won't go as often as I would have.

Cellcrypt

2011-05-30T17:46:00.000-07:00

I have just arranged another pre-IPO investment, again with UK military linked Porton Investments. I'm meeting up with their Aisa Pacific manager, based out of Dubai- Darren- today. Maybe more info forthcoming.

The new investment is in cell phone encryption services. Portown Downs, the UK military development site has licenced the technology to Porton Capital to capitalize on the research, and after a few rounds of investment, which i missed out on, there is another round coming up.

Cellcrypt currently encrypts voice calls on smartphones such as BlackBerry and Nokia, providing government-grade security in an easy-to-use application that makes secure calling as simple as making a normal call on the same device. In addition they have just launched encryption in Apple iPhone and Google platforms. They also encrypt sms as well as voice, and soon will be able to encrypt e-mail transfers. They position themselves as "from battlefield to board rooms" and if you fear espionage in your work then sign on now!

So if you are worried about someone eavesdropping on your conversations or twitterfeed, then consider cellcrypt. Encryption on cell to cell and cell to landline and vice versa

Why invest in this;
- one of the worlds best and has wide certification and verification
- likley to be picked up by a US company especially a military contractor
- US CIA etc unlikely to want to have transcripts going through another encryption that they cant read

anyway that's my reasoning. Will await the results.

Singapore's best

2011-05-28T00:33:00.000-07:00

It's hard to christen something related to food as singapore's best of anything.

Yan Chuan Roaster- Ubi Ave 2, Singapore.

Well, honestly this may not be the best roast duck and roast pork in Singapore, but it is certainly the best value. One of my colleagues, Geraldine pointed out that my love of roasted meats should have taken me to Ubi Avenue 2, and I had driven past several times while taking my car for servicing. But i didn't know what delghts awaited me.
First went on a Sunday afternoon, big mistake a full bus of senior citizens had decamped and were patiently lining up for their duck experience.

Then remembering closed on monday, I went back tuesday for my fix.

The roast duck really was fantastic and all for $15.00 a whole duck (don't sell by halves). Compare this to the price of a fresh uncooked duck in the market $19.00 and there is no reason to buy fresh.

the roast pork was also superb, really crunchy skin and tender fatty and meaty underneath, a pork lovers heaven

remember $17 for a whole duck, roast pork $20 per kilo; closed Monday and be early (open 9am) to avoid the rush and the buses.

Chicken at 328 Katong Laksa

2011-05-10T15:31:00.000-07:00

So as we jog and wander around Joo Chiat a few things have pricked our interest.

I am not really a Laksa fan- i like the curry soup and the vegetables and tahu, but the noodles leave me cold. SO when i run past 328 Katong Laksa

I pretty much ignore the place.

When i was cooking Bakuteh, i didn't have the spices so I wandered around looking for a shop that sold and actually took the time to look at what 328 had to offer; and they also have a chicken rice stall.

Although we are Tian-Tian Chicken Rice fans, it remains expensivge; and this looked both tasty and cheap.

and they had chicken in a wooden bowl- which is different. So having a craving for well cooked fragrant steam chicken, we ordered ate and wasn't disappointed.

the half chicken was skillfully cooked on broth and was served with crispy shallots ginger and garlic in the pan. We also had vegetables. The rice was also cooked well with more chicken flavour than normal but the grains were al dente.

and here's the picture i managed to take before we consumed all the chicken. Is now our favourite economical chicken rice stall.

May day breakfast

2011-05-02T18:29:00.000-07:00

Great local coffee shop- along East Coast Road- serves great fishball soup with Ba Chor...

there was a great selection of ingredients, and although the fishball were home made they were a little to "good" for me- i prefer fishball that's a little lumpy in consistency rather than smooth.

There is always a long queue for the char kway teow and the parata. The carrot cake is so-so, not enough egg for my taste, although it too is very busy.

Taiwan Holiday

2011-04-25T01:00:00.000-07:00

Went for a delightful week in Taiwan.

The weather was spring and fantastic- rain only one night, the rest of the time cool and clear; although a little misty at times.

We ate and walked and ate and walked and picked strawberies and visited goldmines and ate some more.

Pictures from flikr, as i didn't take my camera, and no shots from B yet

this is the strawberry fields in Dahu where we stayed the first part of the week. The air smelled of strawberries morning noon and night

they are grown either on the ground or in troughs on coir matting with water

here's the Schocolake Hotel- we stayed in the back

and this is the road to China-an and stinky tofu street- more pictures later

after that we went to Jiufen, west of Taipei- a great tourist spot; it looks really good at night and we had a couple of perfect evenings for photos

this is the Old Street where there is great food- Meatballs, fishballs, Squid deep fried, roasted mushrooms and Beef noodles.

this is the from the road out hotel was on-apartment realy- looking up to the old Street

one night we went to eat at Keelung, in the famous night market- the food was nice but not as good as the snacks in jiufen

Soufflé dinner

2011-04-11T19:52:00.000-07:00

When i was in New Zealand, i bought some nice large ramekins; and now i have had a chance to use them.

Over the weekend i made a seafood mornay- after i had some left over from paella- and put this into a ramekin with a crusty cheesy top.

And last night thinking about what to cook, i used some eggs, parmesan, asparagus, cream/milk, Dijon mustard and a little chili to make a very nice Soufflé

.

Here's the Soufflé

and here served on a tray with drinks- Martini and soda for me

sugru save again

2011-04-02T21:15:00.000-07:00

I have a portable suitcase that I love.

Its a fantastic Samsonite that has wheels and a pull system, but instead if the system cutting into the middle of the bag, the system fits around the outside- brilliant for fitting things in, but obviously not popular as they don't make it any more.

I've had it about ten years and its starting to show the wear and tear a little. bits have broken off and now the corners are really hammered and one even broken.

OK, typically the options are

1. Throw it away and get a new one

2. see option 1

But with Sugru in the family, i now have a new option 1- fix it with a fantastic silicone product. So the day before a heavy trip i got the blue and orange Sugru out and fixed all the corners, ensuring they were fit for use and protected

and it works really well- safe secure and successful!
\
Another great save from Sugru

Investments

2011-04-02T21:00:00.000-07:00

Over the past few years we have invested in some interesting new businesses.

I like doing this because of the beneficial nature of the ventures as well as the opportunity to make a "good investment". It all started when my advisor suggested we invest in a company called Porton Capital.

Porton is the commercial arm of the UK Ministry of Defence, who's job it is to commercialize the inventions of the ministry.The MoD's Defence Science and Technology Laboratories (Dstl) produces leading edge technology primarily for use on the battlefield. However, much of this technology has civilian applications and until now, has not been exposed to the outside world given the secretive nature of the military activity. Porton Capital then takes these inventions onto the market.

No, not new tanks and artillery, but more useful things... so i invested into the company and it currently has 12 companies in different levels of commercialization; including a company which encrypts data communication, making your blackberry secure overseas, an energy generation from wave power, hologram design technology, and plasma products both for electronics and textiles as well as filtration and medical usage.

the first separate investment i made was into Enigma Diagnostics;

a company which has developed a portable and rapid diagnostics for the detection and identification of infectious organisms, such as bacteria and viruses, in environmental, clinical and biological samples. This will enable doctors surgeries and other users to perform a blood diagnosis within 20 minutes. No more taking the blood test to the lab and waiting a week or so. This is the machine here...

you can check the website out here.

then we found another company associated with Porton, which is Microvisk.

Another technology company form the MoD, this time the technology is used to assess blood coagulation. Current technology is slow and potentially inaccurate, and so patients taking blood thinning drug warfarin have to have blood tests in a surgery and these tests are slow inaccurate and need to be done very regularly making the trip both a burden and a necessity.

Microvisk's technology works using a different approach to the other devices and tests currently on the market, which use optical analysis or chemical reactions. Microvisk uses Micro Electro Mechanical Sensors (MEMS) on a disposable strip which incorporates a small cantilever to measure viscosity. The devices can test a small volume of whole blood making the test less intrusive and effectively removing the need for a laboratory.

this is the hand held devise, which has small strips with the special cantilever detection on them.

Below is a picture of the cantilever sensors that track coagulation.

and their website is here.

Wow this was interesting, especially as I had a medical background a long time ago. So i was interested in these small companies and how they could assist people.

Then i was struck with an article in time at the end of 2009, that noted some of the best technology of the year in Time Magazine; included were tank reared tuna (interesting as a source of food for the masses) and and AIDs vaccine, the bladeless fan from Dyson, but there was nothing in the article that you could really invest in. So i did some more research on great inventions, and the Telegraph mentioned a small university invention, the best thing invented since sellotape. Sugru. So we thought why not.

Sugru is a silicone, which can be used to glue things together, patch leaky boots, or create a variety of custom-made handles, hooks, and feet for wobbly chair legs. It has the appearance of children's modelling clay, which once out of its airtight packet, can be moulded into any shape and fixed onto leather, metal, ceramic, wood and plastic. After about 12-24 hours it "cures" and will adhere to any substance with the strength of ultra strong glue but it does not become rock hard. Instead, it stays slightly flexible.

So not being embarassed I e-mailed the company and said we were interested in investing. Unfortunately the first investment had just ended with a London Merchant Banker providing all the cash. Bugger, undeterred we kept at them and when a second round of funding came up we were lucky to join in. We undertook a lot of due diligence in finding out about the company, the directors and how they would run the company, essential to keep you investment safe.

This is a great consumer invention, and great for the environment because all those things you were going to throw away because you can't use them any more can have a life with Sugru. Anyway you have seen Sugru on this site already so i won't spend more time describing it, but I love it.

And after that, our investment, it was recognized in Time 2010 as one of the great inventions of 2010. We were proud to be associated with the company, and while looking through the Time site I saw two further great inventions- yes the iPad was there but Apple stock price was far too high, but an invention stood out as being small and useful, and which fitted my consumer assistance/green investment ideas.

It is Xeros, a waterless clothes cleaning system- a waterless washing machine- which made a splash in Time. This technology comes from the University of Leeds, near where i was born, and is a great opportunity for green cleaning. It uses 90% less water than conventional cleaning and because the clothes are not wet, there is no drying needed.

Harnessing over 30 years of research by Professor Stephen Burkinshaw and the University of Leeds, Xeros is the brand name for a patented polymer based cleaning that creates an innovative advantage in the cost and environmental impact of aqueous clothes cleaning.

And here's the polymers that are used

I was interviewed by the Board of Directors as a potential investor which we thought was a great idea and I could also ask them questions especially about consumer and trade marketing as the "idea" is very different from the current approach and so will require a certain amount of faith by new buyers. But we both passed the test and i keep in touch passing on insights and ideas.

Then from Imperial College, University of London another opportunity came form the people who brought me Sugru, it was a water based skin safe non-toxic electro-conductive ink- Bareconductive, which is interesting, but i still struggle to find a use for it, but we'll see. It's being used at the next World Cup and Olympics by Coke to make interactive displays, which is a good sign.

And our final investment is something close to the heart. When i was home i marvelled at the way my parents doled out their pills on a daily basis- they each had their own way of remembering which pill to take when and whether they had taken them; and this got me thinking about two thinks, how can I help my parents, and secondly, how can I keep in touch with them to ensure they are ok.

An insight about them, and their generation, is they really don't wish to be a burden so i can imagine them patiently waiting refusing to push the panic button as they don't want to be a burden, so there needs to be a proactive system to assist them keep control of their lives.

For the pills I got this

and it works well

And for the monitoring approach we did some research and eventually came up with Sonamba.

This was developed by a team of ex-Intel and IBM techs who all had parents what needed keeping an eye on, discretely. and it certainly does that.

By being discrete the system keeps you informed of your loved ones movements and needs, as well as providing them with reminders of what they need to do, all linked together with mobile connections- with you, parents, siblings, and even doctors office. All are kept informed of how things are going and whether medication is taken exercise completed anything really.

Ajit Pendse is the inventor and I spend two two hour sessions talking over the plans with him as well as how we could assist the company before I invested, again i was lucky to come aboard as they were completing a financing round.

So far this is all we have done, but when we get some money we'll look to see what else is on the horizon.

Is fun and hopefully profitable (well its designed to be profitable, and accidentally fun)

Weekend in Malaysia- Sunday in Kuala Selangor

2011-03-21T02:51:00.000-07:00

Had a great weekend in Malaysia, and I regret i have had to find the attached photos in flickr, to show the places we went courtesy of MH...

I am not a fan of porridge, i dont eat too many carbs, but this place is fantastic. It is right next to the Batu Caves... see next picture, and the food is really great. Open 8.30am to 3.30pm, so is a brunch place really.

the crayfish hor fun was fantastic the sauce was made with egg and added real flavour. the Chicken wings were also nice cooked, was a very satisfying brunch.

From there it is a short walk to the Batu Caves.

It is a very interesting place and I am glad I didn't walk down the steep stairs in a crowd. The place is imposing.

After that we had some time to kill and went and saw some very interesting paddy. I don't associate the Malaysia I have seen with paddy, but in Selangor you have some, and they are really nice, the rice was newly planted and in the very early stages of growth

there are also large buildingS specifically specifically for housing swallows to use their nests for birdnest

and at the far end of the paddy is a very nice temple, which looks great set against the paddy field (the rice has been harvested in the picture i found on flickr.

at the corner of the road from the paddy to the temple there was a small boy selling freshly squeezed sugarcane which was nice, his father had gone away to get ice, so we drank when he returned.\

after the paddy we went to pasir penambang...

For seafood near the sungei selangor, was a very nice place- with a high tide lapping the floor of the restaurant... the photo from flickr is at mid-tide, the tide we had was right up at the base of the floorboards. the seafood was great- the otak with yu char kueh was different and tasty, the squid great as was the seafood in a creamy curry sauce. the steam fish was very fresh, and the soft shell crab (although frozen) was well done. We ate a little too much...

this is the restaurant on the riverside

especially as we had to get on a very small boat middle picture above in the dark, to go down river to see the fireflies (see above for a flickr picture of the fireflies).

This was interesting and a little exciting as we went downriver in the middle of a big lightening show, a problem we had was the way the boat driver and his assistant would tear leaves off the trees to present the fireflies to people on the boat, even putting some of the fireflies in a plastic bottle for one child to take home.

anyway a great day thoroughly enjoyed and i slept soundly.
and remember the pictures aren't mine- the links on the pictures send you to the flickr pages for each.

Sugru Save

2011-03-05T02:01:00.000-08:00

I've posted about sugru before

http://sugru.com/

So now I've got around to using it properly.

The clothes dryer is a little old about 3+ years, hasn't been used much, but because of age the plastic casing is starting to go.

as you can see by the hinge to the body, there are small cracks appearing in the plastic and when I opened the door the cracks were all the way through.

This is where sugru came in. Opening the pack, I worked the sugru into a nice pliant ball, and then placed it across the cracked area. Using a wet knife (so the sugru wouldn't stick) i flattened the surface of the sugru and then by placing the knife on an angle I created an edge similar to the bevel of the original plastic.

I had some left over, so I opened the door and pressed the sugru into the back, creating a nice new surface AND ensuring we don't need to throw away a perfectly good dryer because the door cracked.

YAY Sugru

and this is the result...

Yes I know you can see its been fixed, I did have to leave the top and bottom areas slightly above the level of the plastic otherwise you would never know it was repaired, as using the sharp edge of the wet knife as a level i was even able to give the sugru a semi-polished look (not perfect but good enough).

Tip- wash your hands before using the white otherwise the dirt can become integrated into the surgu.
Tip- clean the knife after use otherwise the sugru will stick.
tip- order your sugru online, and there free postage.

Sugru

2011-03-02T00:49:00.000-08:00

I don't like throwing things away

I have a lovely bowl that's about 20 years old, that serves for salads and fruit. great design. But it has been close to being dumped because the base is broken and it has trouble standing upright

this is the bottom of the bowl, and see the cracked base!

And i didn't know what to do until i found a miraculous new things SUGRU...Extremely clever scientists have been working on sugru for over 5 years to give it as many great physical properties as possible, so it can be as versatile and useful as possible (from the website!).

Sugru is made of chemical compound with trade name Formerol a Silicone Elastome!!

sugru is like modeling clay when you take it from its pack. Once it's exposed to air, it cures to a tough flexible silicone overnight using the moisture in the air. Working time = 30 mins. Cure time = 24hrs (3-5 mm deep). is designed to stick to as many other materials as possible. It forms a strong bond to aluminium, steel, ceramics, glass and other materials including plastics like perspex. sugru is resistant from -60 °C to + 180 °C. It gets hot and cold but it won't get softer or harder or melt. sugru is silicone, so it's completely waterproof and durable outdoors. It's easy to clean with soap and water, oh and it's fine with sea water too! When sugru cures, it's flexible rather than rigid. Which means that you can repair things that need to be able to move like textiles, cables, or shoes.

and this is what it looks like out of the pack, mold it a little in your hands, like blu-tak or plasticine, and then use it

and here's the result a nice firm based for my nice bowl- capable of being used for another 20 years and and saving the plant while i'm using it. Photo credit to B, again, great pics!

and i like the company so much i bought shares, so buy lots!!

kim choo kueh chang

2011-03-01T16:25:00.000-08:00

Ate at a local restaurant last night- kim choo kueh chang; peranaken style and rather good.

the buah keluak was especially good as it was sweet, sour, bitter and pungent- and the kepayang nuts were large and full of soft flesh. The sambal sotong was also delicious and packed with dried shrimp giving and extra texture dimension to the dish. The pricing was also reasonable.

Next door is their Kueh shop famous for Nyonya kueh as well as bak chang.

I think we'll have some bak chang on Sunday, and have to compare them with their near neighbours from Joo Chiat Place (UPDATE... walked past last night and they are the same ... so no comparison, just good plain Bak Chang tasting)

picture credit- flickr

letterbox redux

2011-03-01T16:13:00.000-08:00

I promised pictures of our handcrafted letterboxes. So here they are.

Red is ours and yellow is our architect neighbour. Numbers gold (plastic) Times Roman

and in case you have forgotten, here is the original boxes. The stainless steel box was destroyed by our builders assisted by a large metal pipe... by accident. But it all worked out in the end.

airline carts revisited

2011-02-20T17:12:00.000-08:00

If you remember over a year ago I struggled to bring two old ansett airline carts back from Australia.

I received a few quizzical looks from Singapore Airlines as I asked them to load the old SQ carts onto the plane. And then we tried to find someone to renovate the carts for us. In the end getting someone was too expensive, until Uncle Tan suggested he could do it; and they did it brilliantly... take a look

before;

after

red and Yellow- same colour as the letter boxes and matching the primary colours against the white and grey background!

they look great and are now holding wine bottles and other drinks

small tour through the Brickhouse

2011-02-20T16:49:00.000-08:00

so here's a quick, artistic tour of the Brickhouse, showing some the detail features that make it special.

Design and photos from B, thanks again.

the bedroom light, a distinctive feature we liked and was in previous bedroom, looks great against the painted brick and the louvre

Here's the collection of leather and metal cases/trunks we have collected and now are used for storage underneath the spiral staircase

the lounge area with a 1960s period chair, and metal trunk in front

at the front of the office there is also a lamp and a nice modern chair, that has been recovered in 1960s fabric

Kitchen feature showing the bosch retro-fridge and the pan storage with matching toaster. the pans will be covered by the white metal sliding screen.

we bought this oil-pourer in martinborough, nz; and it goes well with the extended central island kitchen. Here's looking back towards the garden

and me reading in the lounge area, the light from the garden is great especially in the evening as the sun sinks through the breezeblocks

retro equipose lamp from wellington nz,

any my collection of straw hats, which are sitting on a coat-hanger we got from germany.

thanks for the pictures B, artistic composition again.

the big move

2011-02-20T16:41:00.000-08:00

no i didn't manage the move.

B managed the move and did it really well; we haven't officially lost anything on the move, which is a miracle, but we haven't yet located a rimu tray; but small price to pay for the trouble of a move.

its is said that moving house is almost as traumatic as divorce; and yes i would have to agree; what with all the time and effort of packing and then unpacking; and although id didn't do much, i don't know where anything is- serves me right for working.

Here are some pictures of the move- the guys we had from CYC moving were good.

here the kitchen, looking towards the rear garden

same view but higher up

the mess in the upstairs bedroom

and looking down from the spiral staircase to the lounge area by the garden

and a view of the office area

picture credit to B, as the unpacking went quickly no time for me to take any.

new transport- Solowheel

2011-02-17T19:39:00.000-08:00

And now for something different.

yes, we've moved in, and more pictures coming, but here's a novel form of transport

Like a stripped-down Segway, Inventist's new Solowheel is geared for the mobile urban dweller. The "self-balancing electric unicycle" operates through gyroscopic technology, which a 1000-watt rechargeable lithium-ion battery powers. On a full charge (which takes about 45 minutes), the Solowheel lasts two hours—but the battery actually recaptures energy when going downhill.

Video link as well http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOOoFEKiK8A&feature=player_embedded

Completing the design challenge

2011-02-15T22:19:00.000-08:00

on 7 June 2009, i wrote about the design challenge we had... and identified 18 problems we thought then we had to solve... so you don't have to look through the archives, here's an update on what resulted.

1. Narrow Kitchen how to maximize utility

move the kitchen into the centre of the space, and turn the old kitchen into the utility area

2. Layout of small bathroomdown stairs

ignore this as its for guests only... no problem now

3. how to open up the ex-office

remove ALL the walls, all of them, everywhere, no walls, except at the side.... so liberating.

4. Window in dining room-keep or turn it into a balcony area

is now the money box garden- and is fantastic

5. Dining set-up?

built it into the kitchen and have an enormous kitchen island with attached dining.

6.Peranaken Front windows and door and front facade- how best to refurbish

yes you are right we haven't done this; but is stage 2; so something more to write about.

7. Huge Central room layout and usage?

split into three areas- office, kitchen-dining and lounge-stairs!

8. Upstairs bathroom- layout;

remove the old bathroom and re-site it in the middle of the upper floor!

9. Master bedroom layout

bedroom becomes wide and not so deep- enough for bed, but with loads of storage, and sixe is defined by the bathroom- is a sleeping area only, and is perfect

10. where to put the TV- upstairs or downstairs

Upstairs in a newly created room that overlooks the downstars area, and has the entry to the spiral staircase

11. How to take advantage of the very high roof- e.g. put in aNew Mezzanine on second floor under roof vent

open it all up and light it well- adds extra dimension often not available in Singapore- height!

12. How to renovate the Roof vent

re-name it the jackroof and put auto-open louvre windows to enable air and light to come in.

13. How to renovate the internal balcony and window over the dining area

is now the TV area with built in day bed and louvre windows to spy downstairs

14. Can I install a Roof skylight and if so what sort

we have enough light with removing a layer of bricks in the side walls and replacing them with breeze-blocks that let in light.

15. How can I provide for General storage

storage everywhere- even the storage areas have extra storage. No problem with storage- now problem is what to store there!

16. Where to store Bicycles

Be a very good friend and give them to friends who need transport- we are in Joo Chiat- no need to go elsewhere- and if need be go by car, walk, bus, MRT!

17. Floors, what to use

Leave them as they are and polish the concrete- looks interesting; maybe one of the items that maybe less than perfect as the floor shows every imperfection, but is certainly a talking point.

18. Circular Stairs- how to rennovate

completely remodel, change the place, expand the size and put in a metal drawbridge link to the upstairs. Is now a perfect feature!

OK so that's how we met the challenges... what's next...

1. we haven't cracked drying of clothes- am considering installing a bay window in the services area and putting in drying poles- next project

2. How to redo the facade- part of second phase

3. parking- persuading our downstairs catering neighbour that the parking area is a parking area and not a place for storing vegetables and meat and having a refrigerator- is definitely part 2 activity.

4. How to display artwork- don't want to cover exposed brick- but how to display the nice artwork we have.

OK more things to work on; more things to write about

moving out day

2011-02-15T22:00:00.000-08:00

so sad to leave Summer Gardens. had a farewell swim last night- and while the water was cool, it reminded me of how much the pool will be missed and how little i used it, even though it was right outside.

But it's too big, and four stories to walk is too much. Might sound good, but you learn to leave things at the bottom or top of the stairs so next time you use them, you can carry stuff up or down.

Here are some of B's photos of moving out. I am off overseas (Malaysia) on business tonight so wont see the new place until tomorrow- no i didn't arrange this, we were supposed to move last Saturday originally.

next stop Joo Chiat, and some photos of the new place AND new eating places

Artistic update on work

2011-02-13T19:11:00.000-08:00

we move in this week.

I hope things will be OK- but there will be some work to complete and that's OK.

here are some artistic shots- courtesy of B, thanks for the photography.

so heres the view looking down into the downstairs bathroom, into the services area, and to the left is the breeze block outdoor garden area

in the garden area we have chinagai floors and the breeze blocks- this is the "money box"

and we have the bathroom mirror there giving some nice picture opportunities

the result is an interesting and artistic effect...

at the top of the siral stairs you can look through past the TV room, upstairs bathroom to the bedroom and the louvre windows looking out onto the office area downstairs

immediately behind you is the frames breeze blocks installed to give extra light, above the big sliding door

and here's the view back to the sliding door and the wall feature

in the TV area we have an enormous concrete day bed, with storage underneath- yes there will be cushions.

and in the bedroom one wall is wardrobe, with a great light pattern supplied by a holey door- this is mild steel with holes stamped through, back lit...

and here's the look of the wardrobe

and in both the bedroom and the TV area we have louvre windows that give a nice light effect

and you can look back from the TV room into the garden and the breeze blocks in the wall

back down the stairs- don't trip

and here are the workmen attaching both the extractor fan over the top of the induction stove AND the central light feature. Which are a series of fluorescent tubes attached to the roof... yes there will be a dimmer

and this is the detail. to hide the place where's its affixed to the ceiling, more of the mild steel with holes.

looking through the brick stairs across to the kitchen and beyond the office area

and now back outside in the "money box" looking up

so next time is when we've moved in,

Eco-cooling

2011-02-09T15:50:00.000-08:00

I'd love to be able to cool the apartment without the use of electricity at all... just use natural methods, where possible.

Here's an approach that takes an old middle-eastern method that runs a bit of cold water through a pipe.. Designers Mey Kahn and Boaz Kahn have transposed an ancient method into today that’ll do just that, and with a lovely bit of interior design as a result. but, there's a but... see below

ECOoler, a sort of pottery pipe system that connects via water hose nozzles, creating a grid of essentially natural coolers that work by evaporating water. Plus their design brings in two traditional Middle-Eastern reference points: the Mashrabiya, an architectural element that acts as mediator between the inside and the outside- like the breeze blocks Torrance designed. In the ECOoler, the Mashrabiya is molded and made into a pottery tube system that takes another important cue from a Middle-Eastern tradition: the Jara. The Jara is a jug that holds cooling water that works by evaporating and seeping through the clay it is made of.

Because this method is much closer to what some might call a “natural” method, you’re further into responsibility in eco-living, and its has a nice aethetic to it too

from http://ecooler.yolasite.com/

BUT, there's always a but, But before you get all excited, the approach only works in a low-humidity environment... from their website

Cooling abilities

The table below illustrates the cooling abilities of the water evaporation system in various environmental conditions, with two variables – temperature and level of humidity in the surroundings. A radical example would be when the air temperature is 40°C and the humidity percentage is particularly low – 20% - in this case, the system can cool its surroundings by approximately 17°C.

so its perfect for a desert, but not for the tropics... but its nice to dream, and in case global warming turns Joo Chiat into the Sahara we have the perfect response.

CNY Update

2011-02-06T14:50:00.000-08:00

Gong Xi Fa Cai... and welcome to the year of the Rabbit.

Well interesting Discussion with uncle Tan and Mr. Ng... as we suspected things aren't as fast as we thought and so move in is delayed for a couple of days, to mid week... is OK, glad we were kiasu and saved some time up our sleeves.
But some good solid progress; and some mistakes through lack of co-ordination- for example the carpenters boxed in an area for each of the air conditioners, but they just put them where they wanted- when the air conditioning installers came, they were installed centred- but of course this isn't where the carpenters did the boxing in- so they have to come back to remove the previous work and re-box things in. if someone had been there to arrange the original boxing we'd have saved a day. Never mind.

Here's the letterbox that Uncle Tan had made for us out of very very solid mild steel-

it has a very solid BANK VAULT feel about it. And as the builders managed to destroy the neighbours letter box- we have two- one will be in red the other in yellow.

The kitchen area looks cool- now with the stove, electrics, and dishwasher installed.

and you can see the surface tiling on the kitchen top.

what you don't see is the lack of a disposal hole- Torrance had designed the surface to have a hole in the top to enable scraps to be pushed into the hole and then into the bin below- this small detail was forgotten, and so yesterday one of the workmen had to spend a couple of hours drilling out the tiles to make the hole. Will have a swing cover.

We didn't want Ikea type doors, and so after some discussion we have perforated mild steel sliding doors. Painted white, and will have a while surround. The workmen are fabricating on site

this is the raw material, next to the white painted brick walls

and here's the fabrication- yes the wood will be painted white before assembly

OK moving day is coming closer as will be the reveal... and then what do i write about?

UPDATE- the wooden lining to the screen doors was too flimsy, and so the doors are now framed in mild steel- much thinner (both width and depth) and much stronger

Building update- end January 2011 (part 2)

2011-01-22T19:00:00.000-08:00

So here's the progress from upstairs- less than downstairs, as there is less to do- although the wardrobes are in (and with a small problem- but will show you solutions only, so no detail of this!)

But it looks great- here's the detailing of the storage near the Louvre windows from the bedroom. The white ceiling with black rafters looks good.

this is one of the sink in the upstairs ensuite

and the shower... exposed pipes to reinforce the industrial look.

Ok no update next week as I am in Malaysia and then Australia, promoting Lunar New Year to Sydenysiderds and Adelaiders.

Building update- end January 2011

2011-01-22T18:50:00.000-08:00

We are getting closer and closer to completion, and the pace of work continues to be fast... but is time running out to complete on time.

Actually, yes, we have agreed that some of the small problems will be fixed after we move in.

So here are some of the detailing that has been completed since the last post

The quality of the work is good- the carpenter uses laser to find the plumb line (and not a chalk and lead weight)

which means that the storage in the office area is all perfectly straight and level. The detailing below shows the storage up the wall

Torrance our architect designed the brickwork to let in extra light. Here's the feature on the wall above the large sliding doors, which will be glassed in to enable the aircon to work.

More striking is the detailing of the bricks in the outside garden, letting in evening light and breeze.

and here's what the garden area look like. The sliding doors will have clear glass and not sand blasted (and will change after we move in. BUT the problem we had with them maybe having to use a crane to bring the glass in, isn't a problem as they can carry up the stairs

Office update- mid-January 2011

2011-01-14T00:20:00.000-08:00

while we were away an enormous amount of work was completed.

Here are some shots and explanations

here's the main feature the "brick" themed spiral staircase, leading to the second floor- and the louvre window frames on the second floor

this is the detail of the internal bi-fold doors to separate the office area from the kitchen lounge area

a large amount of carpentry work is being installed-across the whole of one wall- here's the base area close to Joo Chiat road, and the external windows

detail of the industrial type electrical sockets

and the pipe fittings for electrical wiring, which makes an interesting feature within the office area both upstars and down

here's a view from the first floor up through the internal louvres to the external louvres in the jackroof which are being installed

and looking down from the landing of the spiral staircase to the lower floor

and an end shot of the central area dominated by the kitchen bench, cooktop, sink area with suspended extractor being installed

pictures of and from New Zealand 2

2011-01-13T23:33:00.000-08:00

I think i holidayed only once in Wellington, before moving (and freezing) there, but it really was a delight...

here's me trying to locate where to go in Mount Victoria

and buying antiques in Martinborough, bought a nice enamel jug for new office

and outside the Big Apple in Greytown, where we purchased the following ...

well we got and ate a kilo like this

Owhiro bay is a great place to contemplate the sunset... except in a howling southerly, and the only time we got one was as we left

stayed in style on the Terrace

with this view out of one of the windows (with small telephoto lens!)

makes Wellington look like a european village, and the weather didn't disappoint

drank my first coffee since 1993 (decaf Mocciato... what ever that was) in the Aro Cafe,

visited the waterfront

and Owhiro bay again, to see the South Island in a light southeasterly

and the sunset didn't let us down

and played with my blackberry while in Kaitoke River park.

that's all folks

pictures of and from New Zealand 1

2011-01-13T23:20:00.000-08:00

i am not the taker of these pictures, and i am occasionally the subject, but they hint to the great holiday had in NZ.

We have been there each of the last three NZ summers, maybe give it a miss next year. I hope you enjoy

from the Pa overlooking Mangonui township, far north, we spied a fish and chip shop

and the fish and chips were worth the walk, so here's looking back at the Pa. Nice cool cloudy day to ease into NZ life.

From the far north, New Year in Russell, again. Ahh a great place, and with new and improved weather.

Views from windows...

The Hanahui Lodge on the beachfront, and a great place to sit back relax and watch the world and a few ocean liners go by and enjoy sunsets like this

unlike the last time, we discovered the oyster farms, and here's my attempt at fresh plump oyster omelette

on the way to Urupukapuka island, the ferry stopped to look at this...

and when we stopped we walked to see views like this

back from holiday; Auckland Artwork

2011-01-13T23:05:00.000-08:00

just had three fantastic weeks in New Zealand- Hawkes Bay, Far North, Bay of Islands, Auckland and Wellington.

Pictures, maybe, to follow

But at Auckland Art Gallery we found this

conceptually its very simple- its a wire house frame, with a half conical wire insert and a different texture 'floor'.

But when light shources from three directions shine on the structure an interesting and complex (and maybe badly reproduced) ranges of shadows comes to life.

Simple. Elegant. How can i make one?

Louvres

2010-12-20T15:56:00.000-08:00

we have had a number of discussions on how to keep upstairs aircon-tight.

Originally we considered sliding windows, but this means that there was always two sections potentially blocked. We thought of curtains, but this was considered impractical

they may have looked something like this

We considered malay style push out openings, that i have blogged about earlier- but these had some problems too.

Now we have a good solution... Louvres. from the French l'ouvert; "the open one" just in case you wanted to know where the name came from

they may look something like this,

i think they will enable more shadows to be cast with light from the jack roof coming down through them

Art deco lights

2010-12-20T15:38:00.000-08:00

Friends of ours gave us some art deco lights.

the were recycled (scavenged) from a restaurant in Tiong Bahru, and i was keen to use them in the renovation. Sadly, we don't have any pendants, other than in the bedroom, and so they don't fit.

IN an ecologically positive way we have passed them to another friend who has rebuilt her house, and the most art deco of the lights features prominently in the kitchen. It's really good.

light on, from entry way looking through to the kitchen

detail of light.

(picture credit to B, thanks to your iPhone)

Update 22 December

2010-12-20T15:35:00.000-08:00

some of the pictures didn't come up on the last post, i will try again.

this is the view from the front door- the door has been demolished and i must remember to throw away the old keys, unless i can made a design feature out of welding them together! And the screeded floor, and the exposed brick wall. the concrete floor will hold a wall of cupboards for storage, and the windows will remain original, but painted.

this is upstairs and looking from the top of the spiral stairs over the concrete "couch" (underneath storage) to the exposed brick wall, to be painted white. We have a vertical plastic pipe on the back wall this is for ventilation in the bathroom. We'll have some custom cushions on the bench.

this is the bathroom, seen from the front of the bedroom, and detailing the jackroof above. You can see the black lintels in the ceiling, which will remain exposed, and the space in between will be filled with insulation and then covered, and painted white.
(Picture credit to B)

update; 21 December

2010-12-20T15:27:00.000-08:00

A lot of things have been completed since the last update.

Carpentry has been arranged which is the critical element to meeting the time frame, plus we have seen the ladder put in, the concreting of the floors completed.

Can see in pictures.

this is a view of the kitchen area/middle area, with the raw brick wall that will be painted and the overhead beam that will be left as screeded concrete.

this is a view of the front windows looking down from the bedroom- there will be another post on how we will enclose the upstairs

here's where they have chipped the old plaster from the concrete on the ceiling downstairs- the noise was rather loud, and we got complaints form neighbours- but is during the work day- but office enxt door- so we';; only do this when no one next door.

this is a shot from upstairs showing the pole in the middle of the spiral staircase, and will look down into the garden, outside. the two ventilation bricks will be extended across the whole width to let in more light.

here's the bridge from the spiral stair to the upstairs

this is the garden area. the ceiling will be removed, as will the back wall and window and replaced by ventilation bricks to let in light and air, but retain privacy

and here's one of the team painting the wall. The brick will be left exposed but painted white, and the verticals will be screeded concrete.

(Picture credit; B took the good pictures, and i took the bad ones, on my blackberry)

new trunk

2010-12-11T22:36:00.000-08:00

rather than buying a normal coffee table, and in line with having an industrial theme to the office-apartment, we've invested in a nice metal airline trunk.

It also goes with the metal chairs we have for dining, and the airline carts for storage.

it will sit between all the retro easy chairs we have as both storage (cant have too much storage) and also to serve as a small table.
Nice and it has a history- who knows what it transported from Phnom Penh to Singapore???

sunday supper

2010-12-05T15:07:00.000-08:00

had a hankering for something different, and light for sunday supper.

So I thought of a Cheese Souffle. Simple to make, tasty and not too heavy. Here's the result is a 3 egg souffle, with a little cream and milk, and lots of cheese, plus bacon in the bottom of the dish, where it can cook in contact with the heat. Pop into a medium oven for about 45 minutes and dig in.

the souffle rose pleasingly, and had a nice crust- but not too tough.

on the plate with a little cayenne and nutmeg (yes I forgot to put both into the mix- i will remember next time). I debated whether this needed a sauce, but it it did then it was too heavy. It tasted find on its own.

ladder design

2010-12-02T17:19:00.000-08:00

we are having a series of ladders populate the house.

they are to facilitate accessing the wall of storage that's being built. And they flow sideways on wheels.

here's a great drawing of the details

where you can see the detailing of the wheels, and how it will hang from a track above, and how the treads are shaped to maximize the surface without making the ladder too bulky.

I wonder if we can have ladder races?

the kitchen progresses

2010-12-02T15:18:00.000-08:00

another site visit last night, in pouring rain. And some decisions made and a small bill received- which indicates progress.

OK the place will be all white- which will assist lighting the place a little. As you can see from the attached buildings the inside is a little dark especially on dank rainy evenings- but we still have the roof over the garden that reduces light as well as no skylights above the entrance.

But the kitchen is in- wow looks big, but not too big

it will be concrete base with white tiling- and will "host" the induction hob, oven, dishwasher, freezer, pots, pans, and serve as a dining place as well- seats 6. It won't be this high as there is a floating scree floor to be laid as well which will increase the floor height.

It will fill the central part of the hall.

In addition we made some changes to the Spiral stair. its now white- like everything else. And it will be moved slightly towards the sliding windows to enable us to have more space around the kitchen areas as well as a longer metal connector to the upstairs- wow even more "industrial" looking. And the stair will have one and a half turns so that on your way up you can stop and admire the view... yes we'll install a viewing platform for people to take pictures, and a small visitor centre as well.

Uncle Tan also accepts progress payments only for work completed, so the first bill is 1/3 of what i budgeted, which is good for current cash flow.

That's all for now.

industrial bathroom

2010-11-26T19:00:00.000-08:00

i like the look and feel of this bathroom as an industrial chic model. the metal bath would be interestng in a climate where it gets COLD, but for Singapore is fine

its a ModCott modern cottage design; the simple porcelain sink on metal legs is nice. I would have preferred a rain-shower effect rather than a handheld affixed to the wall, but to each his own.

i've lost weight

2010-11-26T18:33:00.000-08:00

i've managed to drop 7kg in 5 weeks, with a simple approach... i write everything i eat down.

And having done that I have managed to reduce my calorific intake, wile not increasing my exercise level. Also i've cut out simple carbohydrates (rice, bread noodles) and focused on meat, vegetables, fruit and complex carbs.

And now i've found out how to calculate how many calories i need to eat to maintain my weight;

The Harris Benedict Equation is a formula that will give you a better idea of your ideal caloric intake. It requires four steps.

Calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) using one of the equations below:
Men (Metric Units): BMR = 66 + ( 13.7 x weight in kg ) + ( 5 x height in cm ) – ( 6.76 x age in years ) = ________
Women (Metric Units): BMR = 655 + ( 9.6 x weight in kg ) + ( 1.8 x height in cm ) – ( 4.7 x age in years ) = ________
Determine your current fitness level:
Sedentary: little or no exercise
Lightly Active: light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week
Moderately Active: moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week
Very Active: hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week
Extra Active: very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training
Calculate the number of calories that you require in a day based on BMR and fitness level:
Sedentary: Daily calories needed= BMR x 1.2 = __________
Lightly Active: Daily calories needed= BMR x 1.375 = __________
Moderately Active: Daily calories needed= BMR x 1.55 = __________
Very Active: Daily calories needed= BMR x 1.725 = __________
Extra Active: Daily calories needed= BMR x 1.9 = __________
Compare. Use a journal to track your caloric intake against your actual weight – this is really the only way to know for sure!.

Tadaa!

OK i'll keep this up for a while until i'm happier, and wearing the trousers i bought 4 years ago. Plus i have a way to returning to a more normal weight when i put on weight over Christmas!

cheers

how to choose your password

2010-11-25T14:14:00.000-08:00

click on this to see how to improve the quality of your paswords

Brick house progress

2010-11-25T14:13:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from our normal Wednesday site meeting. Apologies for the poor photography, the lighting wasn't the best and is taken with my blackberry camera.

this is the view of the wall being built towards the front- to separate the upper mezzanine level from below. Also the brick will remain a feature on this wall, and painted white.

and this is the view from the rear of the apartment looking up towards the jackroof, the front windows can be seen at the bottom of the picture. (I know... crap photo) but the sun was shining into the camera.

Now 180 degree turn for below picture

this is the view towards the rear, looking at the old toilet. Our current discussion is whether to retain the brick, or to paint it white like the rest of the brick. Also we have some lintels in the roof, and we are discussing whether to block these off with plasterboard or to plasterboard between the lintels and paint them black making a feature. We'll also screed the concrete part above the brick to make it look more "concretey". Where the electrical cable is, is where the new door will come to, and along the wall from the concrete vertical to the end of the service area will be floor to ceiling cupboards. Our challenge is how to handle drying in an enclosed space.

this is the pile that will make the "concretyness" appear

this is Mr. Tan our fantastic builder- he didn't like having his picture taken but he's proud of the progress made.

super efficient air-conditioning

2010-11-22T15:31:00.000-08:00

back to the Brick-house.

We are planning on putting five air-conditioning units into the place.

this is both energy inefficient and expensive, but to make the place habitable is necessary- OK we feel its necessary especially as I am the sweaty one.

One style we found was Coolerado, from the states, which reportedly uses 1/10th of the power needed to cool in a dry climate, and 1/2 energy in a humid environment. The key challenge is that it does not dry the air, so may need a dehumidifyer in addition to the conditioner?

Here are some photos, and a link

this is the size of the M30

The Coolerado M30 model cools 1500+/- sq feet with only 450 watts of energy usage. In comparison ceiling fans use about 100 watts each and you need to run one in each room for even moderate air movement. Portable fans vary all over the map, but the familiar type draw over 150 watts each. The new Coolerado M30 for small homes only uses 450 watts when it is at full speed; at least as efficient as using house fans and you get cool, conditioned air. Pricing in Australia A$8,000.

Typically an air-Conditioning unit will use 80-125 watts of energy per sq metre of cooling space - a 1000 watts per room and maybe 5000 watts per apartment, so this is rather more efficient. And energy star and tick units are maybe 10-15% more efficient in energy usage.

With the price of electricity set to rise, the pay off could be very good, especially as you only need maybe one unit for split usage.

Anyway I'll keep searching but there doesn't appear to be anything better than this easily searchable on the internet!

band-aid music

2010-11-22T15:00:00.000-08:00

I dislike the burden of carrying music with earphones as i exercise, so when i saw this at Yanko design I was interested.

the band-aid sized player sticks onto your arm and you press the start and stop

and it has a variety of non-exercise uses, from teaching your unborn kid calculus in utero to a reward for being washed and brushed before going out, could also be used to hold bedtime stories

and it says it uses body heat to generate energy

only challenge I see is how do you get the music onto the machine? Ahh well if I they knew that it would be for sale already, but great idea in need of some more technology

One Album Band Aid... is the link

chair-redux

2010-11-12T16:55:00.000-08:00

so we had the chair recovered- (sorry for the delay trouble getting photos)
We have found this great old guy just down the road in Joo Chiat who appears quite cost effective- anyway he subcontracts a lot of shops who offer recovering, and the work is good.

Here's the before shot...

and here's "after"

chair from next door neighbour, cloth from Lorgans second hand- is 60s material- covering from old man at joo chiat- result quite good lah

reuse for typical HDB light

2010-11-07T23:25:00.000-08:00

this light I also like- not only because it is a simple reuse of the ubiquitous HDB light, but because its looks interesting as well

Demolition update 30-10-10

2010-10-30T13:20:00.000-07:00

Demolition continues and you can now clearly see the progress

this is the view out to Joo Chiat Road, previously there was a rather thick wall between the two rooms, and the windows were blocked- unblocked they let a lot of light in. The door was also blocked, by the wall. The original features look good.

you can clearly see the outline of the wall down the middle. the spiral staircase will also be removed and a new one put in place. One wall will reamin white and will have 600mm of bookcases/storage. The opposite, currently, will be exposed brick.

this is looking backward from the windows. the wall above will also be demolished and windows put in place to open the bedroom to light from the windows

here you can see how thick the plaster/concrete covering over the brickworks. One idea is to retain some of this plaster cover to show the transition from the original building to the new. It will either look great, or look like we've missed a bit and so look sloppy- we need to check with Architect Torrance to seek his guidance.

and looking back towards the rear, there's loads of rubbish, and still some demolition work to be done as this area will be closed with large sliding glass doors. The ceiling exposed, will also be removed to open the rear up and let some more light into the place

again, looking good!

rennovations have started

2010-10-26T20:26:00.000-07:00

Am absolutely delighted that we have found a great contractor- Uncle Tan- and he has started on the rennovations. We managed to agree a contract price which is fair- and he will reduce quote if we can get an alternate supplier to manufacture the spiral stircase for a lower price- which is fair.

Already he has complted demolition inside the office. Looking good.

this is the view long the south wall. The spiral staircase will also be removed and a new one put in 9see below picture)

this is the view upstairs- showing how high the mezzanine floor is. There will be beams added to this so that it resembles the jackroof. The door is to the old bathroom, which will also be demolished.

tools of the trade along with detail of the brick wall we wish to leave exposed.

looking back on the south side- this area with the window will be removed and the area open, there will be large glass sliding door separating inside and out.

the is looking east. The orange wall above will be removed, and the new spiral staircase will link to the space where the worker is. The width will be filled with vertically opening windows.

looks good!

wewak

2010-10-16T18:47:00.000-07:00

i was in wewak this week, as part of my trip to PNG, and along with Kokopo, it is the nicest place in the country.

During the second world war it was a major Japanese airbase, and the current airport still uses the landing strip. When the Japanese pulled out there were 30,000 (approx) soldiers left behind and a large number starved waiting for the allies to arrive. They are now in the Wewak war cemetery.

Wewak his built around a promontory and the town flowing down the hill east until you get to the air strip. On the large peninsula is an army base- it was the site of the old Japanese army base

There is fantastic fishing just off shore, and we tasted the red emperor, long-tailed snapper, and mud crabs while we were there.

But what made the trip was the hospitality of the IN Wewak Boutique Hotel, which is by far the best hotel in PNG. Usually over priced- the main hotel is Port Moresby costs $S 500 per night for a standard room- this is much more manageable with a standard room $100 and the executive room with great view a little more. Plus the restaurant can create some great dishes but with seafood this fresh- we saw the fishermen bring the catch on shore before it was dispatched to the kitchen, simplicity is best.

view outside room 2 the executive room- worth paying extra for, you can see over the cliff north west and watch the sun slowly descend.

brick designs

2010-10-16T18:17:00.000-07:00

we are looking to have some ventilation bricks installed at the back of the office.

it will enable some air flow while guarding privacy.

The problem is design- there aren't that many designs available as they appear to have gone out of style, what a pity as they look great to break up a large expanse of plastered brick. Designs such as the one above were popular and now seem to have fallen out of style.

Torrance has designed some interesting shapes, a more modern take, which looks great- but i don't have the design to post.

Having done this post, i saw the following on trendir, from Citco an Italian marble company (www.citco.it)

i wonder if you could do the same with half-pipe drainage tiles?

House sold

2010-10-16T18:12:00.000-07:00

we have sold the current house and so we are ready to move in. We managed to agree a longer than normal exchange period but we have to be out end January... I hope it isn't too tight, otherwise CNY is a hotel!

Progress is being made as we cost the renovations, but the $100K budget is slightly overspent!

So the next steps are
- confirm contractor and budget and especially time
- agree the final plan
- arrange to fit all the retro chic things we have into the Brickhouse
- discuss with neighbours useage of the car park for demolition rubbish (need to find out the NEA schedule for cleaning the draining area.
- get quotes for movers
- get the bill for the renovation so we can claim on this years tax
phew

kitchen design porn

2010-09-20T23:01:00.000-07:00

Urban loft style kitchens from Italy from designer Alfredo Haeberli created the Schiffini Mesa Kitchens. The amount of work spaces are great as well as the use of storage in the island area allowing plenty of room for food prep and the consequential clean-up (but it doesn't have an open schute to the garbage area). They also have a nice textured, "divot" cabinet facing . Go to Schiffini for more information and more pretty pictures- the design i like is MESA.

the lighting above the surface is also interesting.

the brickwall sets of the white and the stainless steel very well. Behind the island are the cabinets with the surface broken up through tectured design

and yes here are the storage cabinets

interesting washbasin, with secret compartment

2010-09-20T22:43:00.000-07:00

after thinking about all the design ideas i have put here, I like things that are a little more than ordinary.
I like this because of the hidden compartment that not only keeps things out of sight, but is unexpected.

This washbasin from Planit is a really cool sink design that combines countertop, storage compartment and washbasin, all in one streamlined fixture. The Split sink has a minimalist look with its one-piece, integrated design and simple, square basin. Then, the red handle that reveals a hidden storage space. A place for all the daily junk to keep the surface nice and cleanyet easily accessible at a moment’s notice.
this is the website, but i cant find the design on it! http://www.planit.it/bathroom/home.html
but its still nice- I need to think about these things in the kitchen and two bathrooms

at last a real map of europe

2010-09-20T21:50:00.000-07:00

Bulgarian Designer and illustrator Yanko Tsvetkov, who now lives in London, has produced seven maps in which countries and regions are labelled according to the stereotypes of their inhabitants held by the people of other nationalities. And so far he has received half a billion hits... join the crowd on
http://alphadesigner.com/project-mapping-stereotypes.html

and see maps like these

Europe according to America

Europe according to Brits

and the italian view of Europe

Koyo or autumn (Aki) colours in japan

2010-09-20T18:16:00.000-07:00

In northern spring I printed the sakura map, to enable intrepid travellers to book their sakura holidays.
But there is another colourful display in Japan now... Koyo of autumn colours from the kanji for Maple tree

Momiji... maple tree

Map of the Koyo

The season starts around mid September in the highest mountains of Hokkaido and then gradually moves into lower elevations and more southern latitudes until reaching Tokyo and Kyoto in the second half of November. In some locations colors can be enjoyed into December.

Depending on temperatures during the preceding months and weeks, the timing of the autumn leaf season can vary by a few days to one or two weeks from year to year. The map and the list of popular autumn leaf destinations below show the approximate best timing for seeing the leaves in the average year. http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2014_when.html
Unlike cherry blossoms, which usually last for only one week, autumn colors can usually be enjoyed over a couple of weeks or so and are therefore a little bit easier to catch than the blossoms

and here is this years first sighting of the autumn colours in Hokkaido, 14 September 2010

from http://www.japan-guide.com/blog/koyo10/100914.html

but of course these are the colours better associated with Koyo, a maple tree (momiji)

and of course because its Japan, there are Momiji maple tree cookies

making the illegal- legal through design

2010-09-19T19:10:00.000-07:00

Design to the rescue! Korean designer Jae Min Lim has the clever idea to turn crosswalks into, well, “J”s. By curving the typical Zebra crossing to take up a wider swath of road, you carve out a nice, safe path for pedestrians -- one that reflects how they actually walk reducing the potential for accidents and reflecting actual behaviour.
and here's some evidence from Seoul

from Fast Company Co-Design

Being a local tourist in Ann Siang Hill

2010-09-06T17:51:00.000-07:00

I haven't been a tourist in Singapore for a long time, and as we are selling our house we had to vacate for two hours on Sunday and had nothing to do- so we decided to become tourists and visited Ann Siang Hill.

Funnily enough the place does has a different feel about it, and there are loads of nooks and crannies to explore and some nice shops to browse as well.

I like the architecture and moving to Joo Chiat appreciate the old style shop houses

this reminded me of looking for the Eiffel tower in Paris, and added to the tourist feel

OK maybe in hindsight it wasn't the same as you dond't get that close to the tower in old housing... but you now what i mean.

I even like some of the sixties rebuilding around the place

in one shop we saw a very nice ceiling feature which enhances the old wooden rafters.

and even discovered a copper shower- and though wow wouldn't this be great. But at $500 maybe when we strike it rich and buy that small place somehwere overseas!

and the old windows and shutters are a delight

colour psychology

2010-09-04T18:36:00.000-07:00

Most people understand the concept of lighter colours make room look larger and darker colours make them appear smaller. Extend the ceiling colour down the walls to make a room seem larger etc.

But there is an interesting post on Home Design Find by Philip Rudy a painting contractor that explores colours and their impact on us humans more.

He has a section on seasonal colours to assist selling houses- we don't have all that many seaosn in Singapore so not so applicable. But here's so pop psychology in trying to sell you home.

Targeting Different Buyers with Your Exterior Paint
Another advanced concept in color psychology for home painting is to take into account the type of buyer that you are targeting. For large, historical homes or expensive properties, try choosing a complex color – easily recognized as a color with more than a one word name (think forest green or periwinkle blue). Complex colors tend to attract buyers with a higher education level or combined income. New home buyers and low income families will, instead, often look for homes painted in simple colors like yellow or even white.

mmmm interesting

japanese minimalist lunchbox

2010-08-19T23:25:00.000-07:00

Japanese design brand Metaphys has aimed to remedy this with the “ojue.” The ojue is a small, vertically stacked lunch box that can fit smoothly into briefcases or small bags. The elegant design turns the lunch box into an easy to use accessory, and for an added bonus, each box is stocked with a set of individual chopsticks and holder.

http://www.metaphys.jp/product/product/archives/2010022634.php only 2800 Yen

(Yes I like boxes, containers, bags and stuff; stuff that's pleasingly efficient and yet good design)

kitchen organisation

2010-08-19T20:13:00.000-07:00

In the kitchen we are building one big island, with some storage underneath as well as a large amount of storage plus refridgerator on the wall area. Here's some advice from Home Design find;

In the workstation layout, each standard task station (prep, cooking, storage and cleanup areas), as well as the more specialized ones (baking), is centered around a major appliance and a landing area of at least 15 inches of adjacent countertop.

Add an island (yes we have). Some of the most functional kitchens we’ve worked in have included an island which allowed for convenient prepping and cooking. The beauty of an island is that it can work well in both the triangle and workstation layouts. One of its best features is that it allows for a traffic flow in the kitchen, making it easier for more than one person to do the cooking. Be sure to allow for 42 inches of space around your island.

I am a fanatic for storage space- i think i come from a family of hoarders with small storage areas! So the advice here is good for me... hint, hint. Add kitchen cabinet organizers. Pull-out racks and sliding shelves in cabinets can make pots, pans and dishes easier to reach. Rotating organizers that fit in corner cabinets can make use of what might otherwise be wasted space. There are cabinet organizers out there for almost every need, from holding the lids on pans to holding tin foil and plastic wrap. Make use of these handy organizers and you’ll be surprised at how much more functional your kitchen will become!

hidden taps for a smooth surface

2010-08-16T00:54:00.000-07:00

when we designed the central cooking area, we may have the tap protruding a little obtrusively above the surface. and there is a concern regarding work space as well.

this innovation does away with that!

for sale

2010-08-08T18:15:00.000-07:00

so the current place is now up for sale- and so far we have received a good response, only $50K between what we hope to get and the second offer, so here's hoping.

The current place is fine, but i am not a great fan of property as an investment, unless you are living there. Things go wrong need fixing, tenants may not be as nice as you want, and in Singapore the tax treatment of residential is quite strict.

So hence the sale.

And we are really looking forward to moving into the Brick-house. Torrance, architect entraordinary, has his National day work appearing the the press today- very inventive treatment.