It's been awhile...

Sorry for disappearing for so long. With school and work and everything else, it's hard to find time for updates. But still, no excuses. Nothing has really changed much since the last time. With more holidays coming up in December, we'll have more time to paint and mount some new artwork. Stay tuned for those pictures. It will be interesting to see how they turn out. =)

As for our perpetually undone backyard, we are still debating whether or not to proceed with construction. We received a bid from a pretty good company but quality = high prices and right now, we're not exactly keen on spending. It looks like we'll be dragging our feet a little bit more on this issue, but we probably won't proceed until we are comfortable. We'll post more updates once we decide to go ahead.

Unfortunately, I don't have any new pictures this time, but I will next time I post. Till then...

New Additions

Things are starting to come together nicely. New items are being added bit by bit and our solar shades for the living room should be installed by the end of the month.




Roller Shades from Ikea that we installed ourselves (in the basement office).






Mounting the TV over the fireplace was a little nerve wrecking. We left it to the pros.






New dining set and coffee table from Plummers. They were part of the "Weng" series, same name as my (Elaine's) dad. Coincidence or fate? =)








We just love the contemporary combination of wood/metal/glass.








We're still at square one with our odd little backyard but we do have some inkling of what we want. Getting HOA approval is a little daunting since they need to see actual architectural plans and we're not sure we're even hiring an architect to "design" our backyard. Someone once commented we should just throw together some rocks and call it a day. Let's hope we can gain some headway soon.

Winding Roads

We've been talking a lot about how we love the drive to and from work everyday. Basically, we have to cut through the canyons to get to the ocean, and I get off in Santa Monica while Jien has another 10-15 minute drive to Marina Del Rey. We've been carpooling in a bid to save fuel and it's been fun! I decided to take videos to give everyone a glimpse of the commute, but please be warned that the footage is shaky. My hands weren't as steady as I hoped and the weather certainly wasn't helpful this week. Everything seems grey and dreary. On a clear day though, the sights are spectacular!











Also, we finally cleared the basement office and set up all closets. One interesting fact: Other than the new dark brown desks with metal legs seen in the middle of the room, everything else in the office/entertainment area were brought over from our old apartment! We brought most of our furniture over and things have been working out well. Here are some updated pictures.

We placed the order for Solar Shades to be installed in our kitchen/living room today. Can't wait to see it up! It's going to take about a month though. So we're going to have to wait patiently for now. Till the next time!

And we have ICE...

Ever since the LG Steam washer and dryer first appeared in that one appealing commercial where the woman took off her dress and tossed it into the dryer to "refresh", and it was ready to wear again in 15 mins, we have been hankering for the pair of dark blue wonder units. They have been delivered, and we haven't had more fun doing laundry. We haven't exactly tried the "Refresh" function, but it does make pleasant sounds (tunes or melodies, really) when the laundry is done. =)

AND, we have ICE! The refridgerator has been a life saver in more ways than one. After weeks of eating out and eating too much (because we couldn't keep leftovers), we can finally cook and also exercise a ton of portion control.

The screensaver flashes different pictures. So Hypnotic!

Touch Screen function.

We've been busy busy busy on the weekends. Went to Ikea and bought this whole closet system to fix ourselves. Jien said we should fix closets for a living. I say we aim for other aspirations.

We also bought barstools for the counter. Since we do not have a dining table set yet, we've been eating at the counter.

Next up....Window coverings and Composite wood decking on patio. This might take awhile since we need to get HOA approval. We'll try to finish up the closet soon so we can finally not have to live out of our suitcases!

The Arrival of the Infamous Couch..and 4th of July Fireworks!

Our couch is here! Nice, new and...white. We've been carefully censoring ourselves. Whether we can take a sit would greatly depend on what we were wearing. Dark denim and jeans were stictly prohibited. We'll see how long this lasts. =) Kind of silly to have a sofa you can't sit on. It'll wear off soon I'm sure. Here are some pictures of the couch in many different angles. I got a little self-indulgent while taking the pictures. =)










I just had to throw this picture of my reading corner in. =)



(The following just happened..right before I wrote this.)
We've just experienced our best 4th of July fireworks to date! All these years, we've been perfectly contented to see fireworks only on TV, pre-recorded from New York three hours earlier, not bothering to jostle with the crowds and the heavy traffic at local events. We moved into this house not knowing it holds the best view of the fireworks display at Warner Park, in front of Warner Center! This is simply the icing on the cake, completely unexpected but greatly appreciated! We didn't even know there were going to be fireworks until late last night or we could have invited some friends over. I wish we had pictures to share, but it was too dark, our camera has embarrassing range and we were completely mesmerized! Next year we'll hold a 4th of July bbq and fireworks event, so mark your calendars!

Here are some pictures of Warner Center from our top level deck. The fireworks literally shot up in front of the buildings. We'll leave the rest to your imagination! =)

Our LG Steam washing machine and dryer are coming tomorrow! Laundry at last!

Moving Day

(As explained in my previous post, we did not have internet access until today. The following took place over the course of a week. Disjointed time lapses may occur =)

Moving Day was finally upon us. After days of late night packing, throwing, wiping...we were finally ready to move! It was quite unfortunate (mostly for the movers at least) that LA would be hit by a heatwave so strong that kids and pets were not allowed to be left in cars unattended. It was 108 degrees Fahrenheit in Woodland Hills (which was about 42 degrees celsius when I converted!! That's NUTS!!) Jien and I mostly took cover in the house, where it was considerably cooler in the basement, while the movers earned every penny they made!

We transplanted our old apt into the basement.

By noon, we were done! The old Elaine would have finished unpacking by now, with everything in place and not one single item lying where it does not belong. =) Sorely lacking the same stamina, new Elaine is relishing in the newfound joy of unpacking..slowly.

Our bed and mattress arrived on Sunday, along with my precious bookshelves and Jien was all set since the satellite dish got installed the same day. He got to watch the end of the Spain-Italy match which made him a very happy man.

My library nook in the living room.

Jien's TV in the basement office.

(On a side note, while the delivery guys were here delivering the bed + bookshelves, a tiny little bird flew in. It couldn't find a way out and kept flying into the window. Jien tried to catch it and the more he tried, the more the bird squealed, if birds do squeal that is. It was obviously pushed to its limits when it started releasing its bowels...on our kitchen floor. Poor bird. Julio our delivery guy brilliantly took a paper towel to catch it and then released it outdoors. Jien's co-worker said it's good luck to have a bird poop in the house. We'll take that. )

Here are more pictures of half finished rooms...and our rug.

Our unfinished master bedroom.

Master Bath - We could just stay in here all day =)

Unfinished upstairs guest room.

Basement guest room - We've been hiding out here from the heat.

Half of the office/study - More architecture/interior/art books.

We're going to get our fridge and washer/dryer this weekend. It would be nice to have ice around here, or to be able to wash our clothes.

That's all the updates we have for now. Our couch will be coming on Saturday and our trash containers on Monday. Stay nice and cool everyone!!

Empty House for the Last Time

(Thanks everyone for being patient. We were left without any internet access at home for a while, that's why there are consecutive posts for events that happened over a course of 2 - 3 weeks.)

Prior to moving, we made a note to take pictures of the empty house since it will never look this way again. We are making a point not to clutter the place but it's never going to look this bare. We went to the house after work most nights, even though we should have been packing, and ate dinner on the kitchen counters sitting on chairs that were way too low. We eventually gave up and started eating while standing up. Let's just say we are keeping a look out for suitable height counter stools. =)