Pantone and Retro

Saw these at Robinsons in Jem (Jurong East Mall) and really liked the whole retro, bold colour look so I took some photos as an inspiration.

Retro phones at not-so-retro prices.

Like the red one

I think this one was $119

The payphone was awesome, I loved it! Then thought about it and figured it would not be practical. A cordless phone is really the most practical option, but it's still nice to look at these.

Toddler was yakking away into the handset

There was a collection of bold pantone colours on various pieces of furniture that I liked. Bold, clean colours.

Pantone colours

Family Bathroom at Jem (Jurong East Mall)

I don't normally do this but I was really impressed by the family bathroom at Jem today. It was clean, well lit and stocked with paper towels. I know it's not environmentally friendly, but paper towels make it so much easier to dry off my toddler's hands!

The toddler loves playing with water, yet hates his baths

I love that the bathroom is set up to handle families with more than one kid. So if I had two kids and we were at the mall, I could put toddler in the seat while I get baby changed at the changing station. And both are in view at all times being right next to each other.

Changing station and toddler seat

Look carefully at the picture below, towards the right side there's paper towels in the holder! I had to take a picture of it, it's a rare sight here.

And he's still busy washing his hands while I snap photos

Unfortunately there was a surprise in the closed adult toilet. I guess the flush was not working today and there was a bunch of tissues and poo left behind by the previous mall-goer.

Toilets to cater for adults and children

Unexpected surprise aside, I think this family bathroom beats the one at Raffles City. I was in the Raffles City basement a couple days ago and saw that they are either building another family bathroom or moving the existing family bathroom to the busy walkway near Gong Cha. I'm definitely checking that out when it is completed.

Fur

The oddest things can trigger a memory. Today I was hanging up some clothes in the closet and caught sight of an old shirt that has not been washed since before my dog, Lavander, passed away. It had her fur all over it and made me think of her again.

Back then, most of my clothes had her fur on them, simply because she was always near me.

Yishun Greenwalk - The Beginning

We applied for a Build-to-Order (BTO) flat in Yishun years ago.

Well, ok not YEARS ago, it was in 2010. We had been applying for various BTO's before then but were not lucky enough to get one. There was a real housing crunch and there weren't enough flats for the growing population. So when we received the HDB letter saying that we were being given a chance to select a unit at Yishun Greenwalk, I was ecstatic. Doubly so since I was also expecting toddler E and I did not want to live with the in-laws forever. Don't get me wrong, the in-laws are great but I like having my own space.

So here are the floor plans:

We selected a 5-room unit (blue floor plan) because the extra space would be nice to have with toddler E running around.

I follow a Facebook page set up by a kind soul who's been taking weekly photos of the construction site to share. This saves me making a physical trip down to the area to have a look at the progress and right now almost all the blocks are complete and some have even been painted. I read that we could potentially get our keys at the end of this year (2013) and that has spurred me on to research how I would like my kitchen to be. The husband is in charge of the rest but the kitchen is my domain.

All I know right now is that I would like to have an undermount stainless steel sink. But, I also know that it will be more expensive than a drop-in sink. I also need to start thinking about what type of counter top (quartz vs granite and a host of other choices), cabinets, faucets etc.

I'm excited!

Real Men Carry a Pink Diaper Bag

The hubby has resigned from his 9-5 job in a bid to regain his sanity and work-life balance. And the stress from his work was showing in  his constant shoulder aches which prompted many a visit to his trusty sinseh (Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor).

He's been putting an effort into spending more time with toddler E which is great. For me. I finally found time to go for a facial treatment while the hubby entertained toddler E at home. Plus he's been pretty good at picking up the slack in child-caring duties. 

I even have photo evidence!

13 June: Backpack courtesy of my sister