Books read – 2014

Jan – Mar

1. Enid Blyton: The Biography – Barbara Stoney

2. Claudine at School – Colette (Quite an entertaining read but I don’t think I’ll read the rest of the series as I don’t find Claudine a likeable character.)

3. An Omelette and a Glass of Wine – Elizabeth David (She writes about food with such class. )

4. The Picnic: A History – Walter Levy (Did not enjoy this as much as I did for Breakfast: a History , but thanks to this book, I discovered the next two which were featured because they have picnics central to the plot.)

5. The Bad Seed – William March (So good I finished it in one night!! And it was a weekday night too.)

6. Picnic at Hanging Rock – Joan Lindsay (Now I want to watch the film!)

7. Think Like a Cat: How to Raise a Well-Adjusted Cat–Not a Sour Puss – Pam Johnson-Bennett 

8. Ministry of moral panic : stories – Amanda Lee Koe (She has talent. Her characters seem so real, they could be your HDB neighbour. This is one of my favourite stories in the collection, The King of Caldecott Hill.)

Where do I keep my books?

Storage is very important for my husband and I, because we are both great collectors and have amassed much books, cds, records, magazines, dvds, and assorted paraphernalia between us, amongst other odds and ends along the way. Ours is a 3-room flat, so space is a premium. Hence for our home renovation, getting more storage was a key priority.

Here is what I had to move from my parents’ place. My life’s collection of books, music and film.

Our nice books and some of my vintage bits and bobs are displayed in two bookcases in our living room. The bookcases were on sale from Scanteak ($199 each, down from $399. Bargain!!!). This is where I have my vintage book collection.

Vintage Puffins and Enid Blytons!

Another view of the living room book cases. The bookcases face the main door, so our neighbours can peek at our library when we leave the door open. This also gives us privacy, so neighbours can’t peek at us watching TV.

Flushed against one wall of our study are 2 massive storage cabinets and an old IKEA bookcase. Each of us has one storage cabinet. They are not pretty, but they are very practical as they are almost floor to ceiling. They were built to measure because you can’t find such huge and sturdy cabinets in shops.

This is my storage cabinet. It fits all my records at the bottom, my stationery at the top, and I have 3 shelves of books. It may not look like much, but the shelves are actually pretty deep. Hence I can have my books triple stacked. I left 2 shelves empty to make room for future books.

The IKEA bookcase in the corner of the study is all husband’s. This is where he keeps his Maths books and and teaching material.

Thankfully almost all of our CDs fit in this dresser we bought from Scanteak. It holds approx 600 cds. I still have 2 boxes of CDs in excess, so I might place them in my storage cabinet for the time being.

We have a mini bookshelf in the kitchen too! This is where we display our favourite cookbooks, husband’s glass bottle collection and keep essentials like the house keys.

And lastly, my bookshelf by my side of the bed. It also doubles up as a bedside table where I can charge my phone.

With so much “clutter” and it’s accompanying dust, our home is certainly not minimalist or Home & Decor standard, but that doesn’t matter. I’m living surrounded by all our books, with bookcases in every room… that is my idea of happiness.

more home improvement

We’ve been busy looking at household appliances. Stoves, hobs, ovens, fridges, sinks and taps. (for now). I’ve never opened so many fridge doors in my life. It’s getting quite boring. A fridge is a fridge. But this is what happens when you are spoilt for choice.

Also, the hunt continues for an interior designer or contractor for renovation of our flat. Some interior design firms ask you for your preferred “style” when you ask them for a quotation. Correct answers would be in-vogue styles like “Swedish”, “Minimalistic”, “Industrial”, etc. I hate that! Why do I need to pigeon hole myself to someone’s pre-defined “style”, when it can be MY style?

I don’t know how to describe the kind of style I want. All I know is that I want to showcase my collections, clutter and all. Two books I’ve recently read are big inspirations on this front – Living With Books by Dominique Dupuich (my birthday gift from husband), and Perfectly Kept House is the Sign of A Misspent Life by Mary Randolph Carter (a serendipitous find at the library).

Not for me are those sleek and glossy homes that you’ll always find in Home & Decor magazine and condominium showflats. I’d rather have our stacks of books, vinyls, dvds and vintage photos all over the place, thank you very much. (Fortunately for me, the husband shares the same design view as me and gave me full creative control, hooray.)

home improvement!

We are currently staying in my husband’s former bachelor apartment until we move to our new place next year. I’ve finally gotten round to doing a *bit* of home decor (ie. imprinting my touch).

Too bad I do not have photos of the “before”, but trust me, the living room did not look like this last year! This is a work in progress as there are still things that need to be done, such as more storage / shelves for my books. The pillows with floral pillow cases are from Typo.

Vintage typewriter that really works! We bought it here.

Framed vintage photos from my collection. The old Panasonic radio was my grandfather’s. It should still work if I get batteries. Tennis poster was taken from a pillar along Haji Lane.