Dreams: Part IV

Sometimes I feel like I'm going mad... So much work to do and somehow can never get anything done :( Nak cari 2nd officer pun, so susah...

Besok just can't decide about going down to JB. Duit CIMB tak masuk2, the bodoh officers made me sign the PPI form like 3 times. The first 2 dah hilang, hope 3rd time's the charm. The I transferred Rm1000 from Maybank pun tak masuk lagi my CIMB account. Come on la, it's been more than a day! The money is out of MBB, but it's not in CIMB. That means that it's lost in transit. Geez! Tukar orang punya account number, tak inform. Kata it's the same, then how come my transfer tak masuk? Mesti sangkut somewhere, kan?

If I go down, nak jugak shopping kat JPO. Kalau tak no point la turun jauh2. Then dok fikir nak tidur mana. K Intan dah offer dah, but then macam tak best la pulak pasal tau perangai dia kan? Tadi kemain lagi dia memujuk, takde beza la, hapa lah. Yang kau dah kapur harta Mak Ngah, Pak Ngah, Yaie & Nyai aku, tak mengaku. Apa dia ingat aku tak tau yang dia tu penipu?? Somehow I got Nyai's kerabu, but I think there was something else I was supposed to get, tak dapat. Hate it. But then, I grew up with her kids, so how? Sedara angkat pun, close jugak. Like, tak best lak kalau tak pergi Lisa's wedding. Even though she's anak angkat, takkan nak ignore kot. Even though I ignored her sisters' weddings.. heh!

One of Abah's mangoes turned out tawar and the rest spoiled. I got rid of them. Geez, dad. Can't you give something that's NOT rotten to your kids? You want good things out of us, right? Sometimes he drives me up the wall! Can you dump your rotten wife, please?

Next, back to dreams....

Part IV - Dining hall 

Well, I want to play down this area. Just a nice expandable table and simple chairs, maybe even stools for eating. Keep the table small for normal days, expand it when company comes. Maybe the chairs/stools can be stacked aside when not in use.

What I'd really like is a nice sideboard where we can keep the good crockery. Would like to take some of Mom's nice pyrex sets for our use. I'd like to have space to keep my collection of coffees and teas so we can make interesting drinks for our guests. Perhaps an electric kettle won't be amiss if it's for gatherings. I could keep my ice-cream machine there too. Leave the savoury stuff in the kitchen :)

Would be good to keep the cutleries near the dining table, so good drawers are a must to keep the eating and serving utensils. Ooh... I can't wait to have a nice dining area again!! Away from the TV, s'il vous plait...

Dreams: Part II & III

Just called KWSP again today - meeting will be on 29th August. Oh God!! That is SO far away!

Part II: Balcony 

Well, it's a tiny one at best, but should be able to hold a few plants and herbs. Planning to get  foldable drying rack for drying towels/clothes. The type that folds against the wall when not in use.

Depending on wind flow, it MIGHT hold a 2nd kitty litter. But not if it's an air intake point. Would like to tile it up with leftover terra cotta tiles from Abang.

Part III: Drying area 

It will hold the washing machine, obviously. Should tile it up and put on an awning to keep the rain out. Will need wiring since there are no plug points in that area. I should be able to store the kitty litter and ladder there. May switch the hinge so the door opens inside to allow more space outside.

Dreams: Part I

Well, since the house is still stuck in the process, I might as well record what I WISH I could do to it once it's ours....

Part I: My bathroom. 

The apartment has 2 bathrooms, so we'll have one each.

I'm thinking to put a heater in K Ayu's bath, because it's the one outside, hence will be for public use in case any guests come. I won't need it all the time, but a warm shower will be a nice option when the weather turns cool and I need to shower in the middle of the night. Local wisdom says you can get pneumonia if you often bathe at night. I'm assuming it applies to COLD showers or baths.

For MY bath, I'm looking around for a small, movable bathtub. I'm pleased to see they actually exist! A hot bath is a rare comfort appreciated when you're tired and sore, certainly not something I want to indulge in every day. I won't even bother with a hot water tap for it. A big pot and stove would suffice for my needs.

I'm not too sure of the bathroom dimensions, but I won't want a bathtub permanently cluttering the tiny space. Climbing in and out would be a hassle and I might need a curtain if it's too close to the commode.  I think I'd like a little floor space to do hand washing when necessary too.

It would be great if someone could build me a storage rack for the tub near the ceiling. It bothers me that the water tank is so low. I'd like to see if it can be replaced with a smaller one so it won't take up so much space. There's only so much water one person needs to use...

I won't be able to afford it right away, because I'd need some electrical wiring, painting and floor work done just before we move in. Then I'll need to buy furniture in stages, since we don't really have good furniture. I have the inherited stuff from the old house, but at some point, a girl wants something up to date, NOT a relic from the seventies! But I digress...

Eventually, I would like to replace the plain blue tiles with something nicer. Something in earth tones, warm yellows and pinks, maybe a touch of Javanese incorporated.... Then having movable items like tubs would make sense right? Less wastage. If I can afford it, maybe I'd change the commode to something more modern. Low flow and dual mode would be nice. Change the taps and shower heads. And get a nice sink+cabinet set from IKEA to store my toiletries. I could get a large mirror for the sink, and consider a rack or something for intermediate storage. Alternatively, I could leave the nook (I believe there is one) open for either kitty litter or baldi and mop. Plus, I may change the door to a sliding one, in frosted glass. Wouldn't that be awesome? The normal one would take up a lot of swinging space, so sliders would be good.

Of course all these would take up money, so I have no idea when it can be done. But it's nice to have dreams, otherwise you can't begin to plan :D. More dreams later, folks. Cheers!!

Having some cheese with the whine...

2 months later, and we STILL haven't settled the house purchase....

We finally signed the S&P + docs on 24th June. Then I had to go to Riau & Manila for work. By the time I came back and went to submit the withdrawal request to KWSP, they had changed the rules!! It took effect on July 1st with no warning whatsoever.

Previously we were allowed to withdraw our savings in order to pay for ongoing house purchases. Suddenly, we were expected to pay for it in full, then withdraw. Yeah, like where the *&&^%$%& am I supposed to get RM100k from? Pinjam kat Ah Long???? If we had so much cash lying around, then tak payah la nak keluarkan duit EPF kan? Bloody **^&*()&&^ idiots. Did *SOMEONE* finish off all our savings already?? It's ridiculous!! And how can you make a change with such a huge financial impact with  immediate effect? There was no public announcement or anything. Just like that, we were stuck. Abang said he borrowed from his credit card to pay the extra 10% and now he must be suffering huge interest bills. And they decided to wait until after Raya to discuss this. God knows if it's after one, two or three weeks... We submitted in mid- July!!

This house buying saga is seriously pulling me down. As previously said, I'm sick and tired of living in Permai. Recently I tried to join them for solat terawih and left just after Isya'. There were perhaps 3 lines for the girls, and most of it was taken up by kids who were more interested in giggling with their friends than praying. Dah nak start pun sibuk tukar2 tempat lagi. Tak reti beratur rapat2, habis putus saf. Satu row kat depan dok gelak2. Maybe I'm spoilt, but I've grown to expect certain behaviours during prayers. Surau berlagak pasang loudspeaker kuat2, padahal yang betul2 solat kat surau tu entah berapa kerat aja.

Nak pergi Damansara, takut balik takde parking... Alasan? Maybe, but the other day I oredy kena saman RM100 for parking tepi jalan. I didn't have much choice since parking was super full that night, but in the morning kena jugak. :( Tak bayar, takleh renew road tax...

I'm tired of not having a proper space to work in, and the drawers are getting worse each day. My 'study table' has been taken over by 2 potted plants and the cats. The lamp is far away and the study lamp needs extra extensions to switch on. The other available table is in front of the TV, which is not good for concentration, and also doubles as the dining table. Yes, alasan again, but try hunching over a small table for long periods trying to finish work and end up with a backache. It sucks!

There are so many ideas in my head that I can't really action on until I actually get the house. Imagine having so many dreams, and then get held back by the most ridiculous obstacles ever. Dah la tak boleh nak ambik loan because technically my commitments are too high, nak bayar cash pun banyak sangat problem. I'm really feeling very unhappy right now. I was so looking forward to solat terawih at the Jasmine surau. Now hapah pun tarak. There's a bunch of things that need to be done before we can move in and at this rate, we probably won't be able to until December. Nasib baik I trusted my instincts and held back on informing my landlord of our intention to move. I feel a little bad for them because we have been paying minimal rent there for almost 4 years already...

I really hope that the KWSP people will see sense and allow us to withdraw our hard earned money to pay for the apartment.... I was so looking forward to celebrating Raya in our new place, and now all I have is frustration after frustration... Perhaps a visit to the friendly neighbourhood bomoh is required to cast off this pall of bad luck :P As Yi Han might say, "Ti|dak lu|cu.." heh.