Let's Talk about Space, Baby

Cheekyboo, on her new bed

in red tee given by Aunty Mabes

It's been over a week since we moved so yes, I'd say a proper update is in order.

Geez, there's a lot to say. Where do I start? The problem with backdated entries is by the time you get to typing it all down, you've forgotten what you wanted to say in the first place.

So I'm sorry if what you're about to read is a terribly watered down version of what I had originally composed in my mind. Not that you'd have known what I had intended to write. Which, may be a good thing. Though I'm pretty sure it wasn't drivel-ly. Anyhew, I blame this blog lapse entirely on my memory-impaired brain, and the non-existent internet connection for the past few days, which rendered me utterly helpless and completely disconnected from the rest of you cyberspacians, but thankfully oh thankfully, BT found it within their slacker selves to have it FINALLY up and running ONE WEEK AFTER we moved, turning my sullenly sulks to sparkly smiles. Which brings me to here and now - more drivelling, more nonsensical jabber - which, I think I should stop. Now. Okay. Phew.

20th July, Friday:
After weeks of anticipation, we MOVED. There was no pomp and circumstance. No brouhaha. No hugging of walls. No fingernail scratchmarks on the carpeted floor, which, would've been proof of my last desperate attempt at pegging myself down to the old house while being yanked off by Hubs. No puckered lips layered with fluff & tuft from smooching said carpets. But most thankfully, NO shedding of TEARS. The move was swift and pretty smooth-flowing. In fact, I'd say it was a blessed move.

1. We were blessed with the help of 2 friends - Samuel & Andy, who took the time and effort to help us shift & lug our boxes down the stairs, into the van and into respective rooms at the new pad. Together with our hired help 'A Man and A Van' (literally, as he so advertised), the 4 men worked hard at shifting all our barang-barang from one house to the next. I'd say the actual move took no more than 2 hours?

The 4 burly movin' machines

2. London weather was at its mercurial best. Or worst, depending on how you look at it. First grim, then glorious. I was humbled by what could only be explained as an act of God. An hour before the move, it was pouring, flooding. Danielle and I waded through longkang water, ankle-high, on our way back from playschool. The dark skies showed no signs of letting up. I hoped beyond hope that the rain would ease. And lo, our prayers didn't go unanswered nor unheard. It was the sun, not the rain, that blanketed our boxes as they moved between houses. Praise God!

Post Move: Post Mortem
Collecting boxes from supermarkets, packing and the physical move were the easy bits. The real head-banging trauma came from the unpacking. Although this house comes with its share of storage space, it cannot match what we had at H Road. To stop ourselves from stuffing things under the sofa or into kitchen cabinets where CLOTHES certainly DO NOT belong, we've resorted to buying an el-cheapo TV console, a computer table and an extra closet for the MasterBR. Why the need for extra closet space? WHY?!! Let me tell you why, coz the antique closet in our room WILL NOT, CANNOT fit regular-sized hangers. That's WHY! I would've burned the darn thing but its fragility prevented me from harming an 'old dame'. It now stores some of our clothes (we have to slant the hangers to close the doors!!!), some shoes, and assorted bric-a-brac. BAH!

Also,

The problem with a new place, no wait - the problem with me in a new place - is the incessant need to keep everything mint and pristine. Which, is virtually impossible when you live with a maniacal monkey and a statuesque (by that I mean the stoney bit, not elegant) stationary buffalo who spends its time swatting flies with its tail, and staring spacily into, well, space. And of course, there's 2YO-ish Danielle and that man whom I term 'Hubs'.

Danielle's had to put up with alot of Mummy's idiosyncracies. 'In a minute, sweetheart' I holler. 'Wait a sec!' 'Be RIGHT there!' Yeah right, not before mummy sprays Windex on this smudge here. Hang on while I hoover this speck off the carpets. What's that I spot in a distance? A stray cardboard fleck! Oh heavens!! And why are there so many 'post-toothbrushing spots' on the bathroom mirror! Arrrggh! Another strand of currrly hair on the bathroom tiles. Eeee-uuw. I've started obsessing about the kitchen cabinets again too. Everytime I cook, I make sure the kitchen tops are lined with newspaper. I religiously wipe the kitchen floor after cooking and make sure the cabinets don't feel sticky. I swear I have OCD tendencies. Not Good.

See, I've rambled waaaay too much again. So I'll end this rather abruptly (sorry 'bout that) with this:

You know the cliche 'the home is where the heart is'? I thought I'd really miss our unit at H Road. In some ways, I do. But for all its storage nightmares, I think I've started to love the unit at L Road. And I've a sinking suspicion it's becoz within its walls, lives my little family.

And for that, this, is Home.

mind my shiny face,
I polished it with Windex

* By the way, if you're wondering how our masterbedroom looks like? Let's just say I'm showing those photos ONLY upon request.