The Fountain

About six months had passed since we set up a fountain to add a water element to our house. The fountain is now more natural with the ecological cycle going through its cycle and stabilising the water quality. Some say the brown fungus growth are yucky!!! ......... yucky?? I don't think so because it is a very important part of the ecosystem ......... looks yucky maybe but not yucky.

The inhabitants are very happy with the quality of life in there and are really having a great time in there. So far I have only changed the water once in the very early stage because of contamination. Till now it is great, no problem at all and all the fishes are very healthy.

The plants ......... beautiful ya!!! the bamboo is kind of a bonsai kind which I did it myself, the yam leaf ........ Princess brought it all the way back from Petaling Jaya and the I do not what you call it long leaf kind of plant is from my mum.

The Bed

Last night my two girls came downstairs to complaint that their bed had collapsed just when I was about to go to bed......... well off course there were alot of who did this and that and this that caused the bed to collapsed ........... ki kok ki kok ki kok!!!!!!!! So I reluctantly trudge upstairs to asses the damage and is not at all pleased at the prospect of having to repair it there and then.

Whew what a relief I had when I saw that the base planking just slipped from the rail ........ looks like poor design and excess movement causes it to drop. Place the base planking carefully back on to the rail so that the girls can have a good night sleep on the bed. No that is not a permanent solution, will do the the modification in the morning ......... I need my rest too ....... goodnight zzzzzz.

Early this morning after doing my usual Sunday morning things and business, I decided to correct the flaw in bed. My two girls went to do part time work early this morning so the bed was free for me to work on it. After ding-dong ding-dong for about an hour and a half or so plus a few gallons of sweat .......... it was really a warm morning ........ it was done. Ladies the bed is very stable now and papa always do a great job ya!! :)

The Cupboard

Not long ago my Home Minister requested me to construct a cupboard but I had to reject. Under current situation of excessively high pump price of fuel the timber yard refused to deliver small quantities. Even though I know them very well they just out right refused ........... I even suggested that they drop it off should they be passing my place to deliver orders that justify the cost and I don't mind waiting. The answer is still NO because it is inconvenient and very likely that they will forget because it is not their normal practice. If I want the lumber, I had to find my own way to get it back home ........ can't blame them can I? Moreover the cost of lumber had spiral upwards.

Anyway after some calculation and my poor back condition, maybe it is cheaper to buy one, so off we went to check it out. Yes the mass produced type is much cheaper but there is still a problem ........ can it go up the staircase to the location it is intended for?

Last Sunday we had a break and found the perfect cupboard at a fantastic discount too. It was a Completly Knock Down (CKD)/Do It Yourself (DIY) three door wardrobe so there is no problem whether it can go up the staircase or not. Errr..... only a small problem, they don't deliver because it was from one of the hypermarts and it was a CKD/DIY. We were using our small car then and was not sure whether it could fit in or not. After some quick measurement ......... alright!! it fit but some changes have to be made concerning the sitting arrangement.

After reaching home with the two packages, yes it came in two boxes, and two hours or so later it was done with a little help from my abled body son to do the heavy lifting. While assembling the cupboard I was impressed with the precision of the cut and holes, everything just fitted so well! I was prepared to do some refitting but there is no need at all ....... wonder where it was made.

While clearing up the boxes to be reused or recycling, guess what I saw printed on the box "Made in France" :)

Scissors Sharpening

I was entrusted with the task of sharpening a pair of scissors recently by my wife. Whoa!!! Sharpening scissors??? OK I must admit that I have no experience at all in this area and it was really a scary thought if I were to spoil it. This particular pair of scissors is a gift from her mum a very long time ago and it is not any kind of scissors but a pair of tailoring scissors.

My mum too have a pair of tailoring scissors and as far as I can remember that pair of scissors had been around for ages. If my memory served me correctly she got it as a gift for purchasing her very first own sewing machine then, yes it is a Singer. She really treasured that pair of scissors and it had help her to clothe us when we were small including some of our Chinese New Year best. She had a real passion for tailoring.

When we were kids, we would quietly make use of her treasured scissors and cut paper to make ......... I cannot remember what ........ without her knowledge because we were barred from using it. We thought we were smart using it secretly but the moment when she uses it again she would know straight away that we had been at it because it was not as sharp as the last time she used it. She only used it for cutting cloth and nothing else, lucky for us she knew where to sent it for sharpening by a professional so we only got a real good scolding.

My wife is also passionate about sewing and that pair of scissors had cut through thousand of meters of fabric including two fashion shows. It was really a heavy task so I had to lay down my condition that there is no guarantee that I can do a good job of it and if in the worst case it would have to be sent to the professional to be corrected.

First I tried to separate the scissors into two separate pieces but was unable to do so because the end of the bolt was punched to stop the nut from separating from the bolt. The thread from the end of the bolt seems to be smoothen out to prevent the but from tightening or loosening. What an issue!@#? Looks like there was no other choice but to do it as it is. Anyway it is done and there was no feed back yet .......... hmm she is using it to modify a dress now........ guess it must be OK. :)

Preparing Coir

Coir, yes it is coconut husk .......... it had been awhile since I got the two coconut husk from the drink seller down the road. Decided to prepare it for planting some seeds today since I had finished preparing a new bed to take in more plants in the mini farm.

The first thing to do is to separate the fibrous part from the hard nutty part ........... it is not as difficult as I had imagine it, guess being born in the year of the monkey really help huh!! hehe!! After separating the two parts cut the fibrous part about three centimeters or so then find a suitable way to make the fibrous parts into finer chips. Initially I wanted to reuse a kitchen chopper but was unable to revive it after spending one and the half days trying to modify it to make it work ............ so it is back to the mortar and pestle which I have got official approval from the home minister. My princess helped me to pound the coconut husk which help in breaking the monotony of pounding. WARNING!!! If you are not the home minister please refrain from using any kitchen thingy from the home minister's kitchen like food processor, blender and so on ............ unless you are ready to face the consequences...... you know what I mean hehe!!!

After making the coconut husk into finer chips I some of them into a few starter pots to see what will happen to it after twenty four hours. Oh ya!! the knife that I use to cut the coconut husk with is my scuba diving knife ......... :)

It's Done :)

Isn't it beautiful? Yes this is the final result after some minor changes here and there. This is a joint project and my wife contributions were most invaluable....... she have an eye for perfection developed over the years from interest in making the perfect dish, clothing, ............. Me!!! Well I am the carpenter, painter, plumber and electrician. There is still a little more work needed to make it more interesting like some plants, some fishes to swim around and ........... maybe a couple of tortoise !!!

The big flower pot is the result of after visiting many garden centers and we found it partially hidden by other more common pots. I think it is the last one and it has been there for quite awhile cause mosses were already growing on it. Anyway it is a perfect match and I need it to make it into a biofilter. A filter is necessary in order to keep the water crystal clear and I got idea from SKIPPY Filter.

When I first filled it with water from the tap, it looks like I have a trough full of diluted "teh tarik" Anyway it cleared by the next morning.

It is really great to be greeted by the sound of running water every morning when I open the front door and the sight of the fountain is just ahhh!!!.... so very pleasant :)

Carpentry

Carpentry is truly a fulfilling past time to pursue. My first attempt to build something out of wood was when I was about twelve. I was into rearing fish at that time and my mum bought me a cement aquarium with a piece of glass build in so that we can see the inside of the aquarium from the side.Those days all glass or plastic aquariums were unheard off. I was really excited about getting that aquarium, it was 18X18X24 inches in dimension and green in colour. Before having an aquarium, I was rearing fishes in a condensed milk boxes lined with plastic sheets. The condensed milk boxes at that time were made of wood.

OK I have an aquarium and I need a stand to put it on to display it. My mum loves to plant orchids and to plant orchid on the ground you will need wooden beams for it to climb. Hehe!!! Guess where I got most of the materials from??? :) OK as a good boy I got permission to make use of the excess beams and my father's tools. After a whole day of struggling and a few cuts on the fingers I can proudly say that I made my very first creation ......... a totally out of proportion highly unstable aquarium stand. Yes I was very disappointed with it and my father had to make the necessary adjustment before it can be used.


When in secondary school, I learned a lot more about carpentry in woodworking classes and I really enjoyed all the Industrial Arts subjects. My carpentry skill improved very much and also learned to make use of the right tool for the right job. It is really important to understand how each tool function and the kind of work it is meant to do ........... after all "A bad carpenter always blames his tools" right??


Talking about tools. almost all my tools - powered or basic - are about 25 years or older. I guess with proper care they can last a life time. Over the years with some of the same tools I have made countless item and most of them are still in use.

Yes it is indeed a fulfilling past time. ;)

It's A Fountain

It has been quite a long while since the day we decided to have some sorts of water thingy in our house. After spending hours and hours staring at the most suitable place in the house and also visiting almost all the gardening shop for available materials I decided on a fountain. Put forward the proposal to the Home Minister and got the approval. She was a little disappointed that it was not going to be a waterfall. (A waterfall would be great, maybe in the front yard, next project??)

Yes it is more practical to have a fountain in the house area than a waterfall. A waterfall would be great but it is almost impossible to build a decent one in the house area unless you have a house like Equatorial Penang. It might not be a great hotel but I love their water thingy.

Last Sunday, my wife and I went round to the gardening shops to look at the things to get a feel of what exactly the fountain is going to be like. It was really interesting and exciting seeing our ideas materialising. We were spoilt for choice so we came back empty handed to further deliberate on the best design to suit the theme.

Monday was a hectic day and it slip by real fast so no physical progress was made, but theoretically we have a conclusion. We decided on having two came kind of jars cause the sauce bowl looks very pale. On Tuesday morning we decided to drop by another shop just to have a look see .......you know it was really fun just looking at these things. Oh my gosh!!!! guess what I found stashed away below the racks, yes the missing link to our design. We were totally elated with the piece of pottery that I found. Yes with that everything just fall into place.

It was really exciting to see our idea materialising piece by piece and we have to go to five places to get all the items needed. Some of the items were sourced from building material shop and for these items some additional work is required. No big deal just some painting and stabilising work.

Currently is doing the cosmetic work to the pond where the fountain will be located in and it might take awhile :) .............

Seed Pots

After surfing the net for DIY seed pots found this great idea. Err... sorry forgot the wed site name. The seed pots are made from used toilet roll stem which is great cause they decompose real easy and just the right size. the picture on the right show the steps for making the seed pot. It's easy take a toilet roll stem and cut it into halves as shown in 2 in the picture. Then cut four slits about 1.5cm deep and equal distance apart. Fold the four flaps in as you would when securing a paper carton without adhesive tape. To make use just fill it up with top soil or compost and put the seed of your choice in ..... buried of course. When the seed starts to grow you can just plant the whole thing into the ground or pot, cool yeah!! :) After that it is all up to you.

Have to get some seed soon :)

The Attic

It was about 18 years ago when for the very first time I climbed into our newly purchased old house attic to inspect the water tank, I was really astonished to see the amount of space that can be utilised especially the wide area and height available. The house itself is about 40 years old then and after inspecting the the wood work in the attic I am really satisfied with the superb condition it is in. The water tank, it is rubbish all rusted and ready to cause a tsunami if not replaced.

Due to time and financial constrain at that time only the water tank and the other part of the house was upgraded into a home while the attic remain as a shelter for wild life. Pigeons, civet cats or musang and the occassional rats and mice ... yuks!!! The musang that actually made our attic it's home is named Eddie by my eldest daughter. Wonder where Eddie the musang is now after getting evicted.
After a couple of years later and improved financial health, a second phase of renovation was done and a staircase was installed for easy access to the attic level. Now the girls have their own room, the boy a room all to himself and off course the parents get the largest and brand new room :).
Time was still a constraint so no further construction was done to the attic. With the staircase installed and a large opening to the attic, we do get occassional unwelcome resident from the attic coming down to the second and ground level to give us a hair raising experience. Come to think it now it was quite fun chasing those critters around trying to catch it.
I did not contract this job to the contractors because I enjoy doing it myself moreover it is expensive. As a matter of fact all renovation work except for the masonry and roofing work are done by the contractors. It took me about 2 years to complete the first phase of the renovation working on weekends, public holidays and annual leave. The second phase was much faster working right into the wee hours of the morning because the family is already staying in.
Just 4 years ago I had to take a so called "voulantry self seperation" from my job, I decided to return to Malacca for good and so I have a lot of time to do as I please. So after lots of leisurely man hours (about a year or so I think) the attic is finally completed.

Finally it is HOME SWEET HOME