Work is underway...

We've finally started work on our backyard...well, not "we" per se but the nice, hardworking construction folk we hired for the job. They arrive before 7am in the morning and by the time we come home from work, they've already accomplished what they set out to do.

The weeds have been plucked, soil compacted, and snake holes closed up. Yes, we've come to determine those sporadic little holes in the ground were in fact snake holes since they were too small to be gopher holes and the air-conditioning guy just found said snake underneath one of our outdoor A/C units. It's one of those garden variety snakes, practically harmless or so I've heard. Neither of us are huge reptile fans. Let's just hope the displaced snakes will find some other hillside to tunnel through.

It gets better.... On the first day of work, one of the guys mentioned there was a dead cat on the hillside. It wasn't on our lot but on community property. Since it couldn't have been more than 12 feet away, the workers were smelling some advanced decomposition and had to cover the remains with sand. Let's just hope:

A. The cat wasn't someone's pet, and
B. It wasn't the snakes that got it.

Everything else was smooth sailing....
The guys built a wooden structure to contain the concrete that was to be poured over the ground.



They moved the drains to the right locations in the recessed pits. In case you were wondering, the pits mark where the dark expresso color Trex composite wood decking will go. (That was quite a mouthful.)



Rocks/Pebbles will line the side of the house and outdoor lighting will be installed.

We are still about a week away from completion, so there will be more photos in a bit. Just not this weekend since we're going to the Grand Canyon and Vegas! No homework for one whole weekend, amazing sights and endless buffets. I can't wait.

An Approval Notice

It's been a while since my last post, so here are some updates:

1. No artwork was attempted over the December break despite 2 consecutive long weekends from work and a 3 week break from school. =) Regardless, we had a good restful holiday season.

2. Chinese New Year was quiet this year, as it usually is with us here in LA. We had a good steamboat hotpot dinner at home though. The weather was nice and cold outside. It was perfect weather for hot soup. I think for next year I'm going to put up some red auspicious CNY decorations to get us into the mood.

3. We FINALLY submitted our plans for our backyard and just received the approval from HOA! It's been rainy and cold the past 2 weeks and it looks like there's going to be another bout of rain this weekend. Hence, construction might not begin till March. In the meantime, here are some "before" pictures of our weedy little backyard through the window in the stairwell.

It's been cold and rainy...

We took a little trip to an outdoor landscaping supply store to check out the different kinds of rocks/gravel/pebbles suitable for our backyard...


4. I've been thinking of getting a digital piano as well. "Digital" so that I never have to worry about tuning the piano ever. But prices are high and Yamaha is unrelenting. =( This will be another work in progress.

5. Artwork - I have gone through ideas, rejected them, and then changed my mind a thousand times. All I know is that I will be making or painting or gluing something for our walls. It will be done...eventually.

Maybe I can be inspired by this series of pictures I took of a spectacular sunset, from our living room window.

Till the next post!

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!