a.t.n.a.

Evil allergies?

2011-05-02T07:26:00.001-07:00

Allergies got you feeling like someone punched you in the face this past week? Last week allergies came on strong for all those that suffer from allergies to tree pollen. I, like all these folks, was severely limited in how we could breath. My nostrils where completely clogged, yet my nose would still drip like a faucet. Go figure. I literally had to wipe my nose every few minutes. And that's not the exaggerated use of the word literally. Every few minutes, meaning every 2 to 3 minutes, I was wiping my nose. My nose was raw. I tried a couple of over the counter meds. My nostrils still clogged. I even took med that's stated that it was a decongestion. Still mouth breathing and dripping. THEN, I tried this.

Zicam! I was very doubtful. I've used many allergy meds and they worked 70% at best. This actually worked like a charm. I'm not one to rush to put anything up my nose, but I was desperate. A couple of squirts of this in the nose and I was clear. YAH!! Clear! It actually did last 12 hrs. At hour 10 you might start seeing the symptoms start up, but it's not heavy. I coupled Zicam with Benadryl allergy and I was pretty much symptom free. Pretty awesome for someone who was barely functioning from what I can only describe felt like a bruised face just a day ago. I highly recommend Zicam to my fellow allergy sufferers. If you have clogged nostrils, give it a try.

If you're not used to nasal sprays, it may take some getting used to. You may feel some irritation at first, but it fades in 10 or 15 minutes. Then you're clear for about 10 hours. I say it's worth it for some slight irritation.

Locked up...

2011-03-29T20:54:00.001-07:00

Today I changed my first lock ever. Yeah, it's a tiny bit crooked, but it works!!

It's surprising how good it felt to take the whole deadbolt lock apart, switch out the cylinder, put it back together, and actually have it work... well... it worked on my second try... the point IS that it worked. Hearing the click of the lock was like music to my ears. Felt like a manly man for a minute there... then I drank my purified water and texted on my iPhone and the feeling faded... my adventures in manly man land were over for this day. Back to drawing fine lines and playing with toys. Manly man land, I'll see you next time... something not too hard to fix needs fixin.

Mmm...

2011-03-19T11:26:00.001-07:00

Walkin along 8th Ave in Brooklyn and came across this lovely site.

I first saw the raw chicken in crates out on the sidewalk. Then, noticed the nice man chopping them up right behind the crates... while on a cell phone. Skillz. No gloves, check. Dirty Rite Aid basket, check. Nasty rag, check. Still busy as hell, WINNING!!

There's my iPad 2!!

2011-03-16T13:55:00.001-07:00

I, like many others, have been trying to get my hand on an iPad 2 since its release in the states. My initial tries were in DE where I arrived to find myself about 150th in line. That's not strange, I guess. But, what IS strange is that 95% (maybe 97%) of the people in front of me in line were Asian. How many non-Asians can you count in the picture below? I count one. Maaaybe, two. I would dare say that the rest were all Chinese. The strangest thing, there were old folks there sitting in chairs. I mean OLD. Gray hair, hunched over, silk clothes only type of old. OLD. But, of course, they can always be buying one for their kids or grand kids... riiight? Wink wink nudge nudge.

This image is of only one part of the line. The line goes around the corner and up the side I was standing on and out the door and along the building. I'm sure the non-Asians in line were wondering what the hell was going on. Apparently, according to some reports, some (if not most) of the Chinese in line were purchasing iPad2s and reselling them for a profit. Nothing wrong there, right? Who wouldn't want to make a little profit after sitting in line for hours on end? But, when you multiply that by thousands, you have a problem... for the consumers. Apple still makes the sale, but we the consumers are stuck chasing the dream.

Where do they go you ask? Well, as fast as they can walk out the giant glass walls of the Apple store they make their way into the hands of "Apple trafficers". And, off to whoever is above them. Then, packaged (it seems that they package it in roll alongs like the one seen above) and sent back to China for a crazy mark up. From what I understand, the trafficers offer those in line anything from $50 to $150 to stand in line and purchase the iPad2 for them. Little do the people in line know, the iPad2s then are sold for double (more for the 16G and less for the 64G) on the gray market in China. Even the covers and HDMI cables go for over double.

Looks like they made a drug bust, right? But, no, this is the tiny store in Hong Kong that just got their shipment in. I can't say that I agree with what's happening. And, I don't appreciate not being able to get my hands on a iPad2. But, I also can't disagree with people trying to make a buck. I don't know how legal what they're doing is, but if you could buy something and turn around and sell it for double, wouldn't you? If you wouldn't, you're not a very smart business person. In the end, I'm dissapointed that I have to see others wave their shiney iPad2s in front of me as they get their grubby hands on theirs. But, I also can't be upset because those that are getting it before me where either smart enough to buy online, crazy enough to wait in lines at 7:30am (or overnight in some cases), or insane enough to pay more than double. In other words, they worked harder than I'm willing to in order to get their hands on it. I guess I'll have to wait till after March 25th when the international markets are set for their releases easing the demand in the states and the iPad2s will again flow freely. I'm okay with that.

You can go to this article to read more. They even have a video. That's where I got my two pics that aren't mine. Interesting article.

Thunder....

2011-03-15T06:07:00.001-07:00

Thunder..Thundercats! HOOooooo??

When I saw this I wasn't sure if it was a bad Thundercats bootleg or just some other logo... I'm still not sure. True, bootlegs are usually off, but this is even bad for a bootleg. Who looks at this and thinks "yes, that looks right"? And if this is some other cartoons logo, please let me know. I'd be happy to find out that it's NOT meant to be the Thundercats logo.

Nice package...

2011-03-12T12:41:00.001-08:00

After a failed attempt to purchase a iPad2 we went and got some fast food because fast food makes it better...

...I got this ketchup packet with my meal. It's the first time I've seen it out in the wild. Pretty dang cool. Nicely done! Doesn't ease the not having iPad2 disappointment, but neat to see.

What's it mean?

2011-03-09T04:54:00.001-08:00

This is what I got when I checked out my hourly weather this morning.

I hope I need the weather past 8am...

Only in Chinatown...

2011-03-08T15:18:00.001-08:00

...would you find a bootleg of a bootleg. I am curious to try the place tho...

Fun with bubbles

2011-03-06T13:29:00.001-08:00

Enjoyed a day out in Chinatown with friends... one of whom had a little too much fun... with bubbles...

Mmm...Nutella...

2011-03-02T06:30:00.001-08:00

I wasn't going to have one because of diet guilt, but...

it's a Nutella frosted cupcake! What?!? I know, right? You cant not try one, right? So I did. Nice! I realize the cupcake isn't very photogenic... but it was quite the tasty morsel. Now I can add icing to the list of unexpected things I've tasted that is Nutella flavored.

Mmmm...?

2011-02-27T12:07:00.001-08:00

Went for a random place on 8th Ave in Brooklyn. How bad could it be, right? We stumbled into a place like any other place on the ave, BUT it wasn't. This place was hardcore Fuzhou. Dirty, food dishes everywhere, dirty fish tanks, but this stood out to me...

Anything stand out? Yah, you won't see that at your local Chinese take out. With all that said, the food at the place wasn't too bad. But, we won't be back unless it's with my dad. My dad loves places like this. It makes him feel like he's back in the motherland.

Cha Chan Tang

2011-02-25T22:11:00.001-08:00

Checked out a new place on Mott St. In Chinatown.

Named Cha Chan Tang meaning "tea cafe".

We ordered a tomato egg on rice, minced meat spaghetti, and a Hong Kong style milk tea. Not great. Not bad. It does fulfill the craving for "Hong Kong style" foods. Dishes are a little on the heavy side. Drinks are on the lighter side(not so milky).

Final thought, I'd bring people here. Tasty eats at a decent(average for Chinatown, cheap for outside of Chinatown) prices.

Mash up

2011-02-23T15:18:00.001-08:00

Hey all, for those that checked out my non-art blogs from time to time, I've mashed them into one. I will be posting all things not art on www.chengsta.blogspot.com. Right now it's mostly posts about apt stuff because the site used to be my apt blog. More to come!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Xmas 2010

2011-01-01T23:20:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I've posted something up on this blog. But, I thought it time to pick it up again. I figured this to be as good of a time as any. So, I'm starting it off with my Christmas gifts that wifey got me.

iPod Nano G6! This thing is awesome! Music, photos, clock face, FM tuner, and more! As a New Yorker, I've found this little gadget even more handy. Let me explain. One day, as I was wandering around picking up some last minute gifts, I entered a store pressing what I thought was a stop button on my headphones. I shopped for a bit and made my way to the subway. Next thing I know, as I entered the subway, the radio kept on playing. I came to realize that I didn't stop the radio, but instead paused it. Yes, pausing live radio. The Nano was recording the whole time I was in the store and therefore continued to play the whole time I was in the subway. For those of you in cities that have... more updated subway systems, the New York systems have no signals underground. So, having radio continue as I entered the subway was quite a pleasant surprise. Pausing live radio is only one of the many nice features on the Nano. If you've had an iPod and enjoyed it, I would definitely recommend the Nano.

And, with the Nano, wifey included headphones. These are the Tour series of the Beats by Dr. Dre headphones. It came with all kinds of fittings and what not to make sure the buds fit your ears perfectly. And, the wiring is by Monster Cable and it doesn't get tangled up. Nice! I'm no audiophile, but I do like these headphones. Highs and mids are great. And, of course, the bass is deep and full. On top of all that, it has controls and a mic for use with the iPod and iPhone. This was the button I pushed in the story above. Needless to say, I'm enjoying the combo of these headphones and the Nano. If you like full sound and not the giant head gear DJ headphones, this is for you.

As many have been doing, I'm going to use the Nano as a watch. I've pre-ordered my wrist strap and it should come in... several weeks. Keep an eye out for it.

Happy New Years and may 2011 bring you all great things!

New toys!

2010-01-11T19:15:00.000-08:00

Happy new year to everyone! So, I got some toys over the holiday and I wanted to share them with you. Yay, toys! Here we go.

If you've followed my posts, you know that I have a Canon G9. I got myself a wide angle lens. Canon makes one, but its HUGE. This is the Raynox HD-6600. It wasn't made specifically for the G9, so it does vignette. But, zoom in two clicks, and its gone. And, supposedly, it still covers more than Canon's own wide angle lens made for the G9. And, this lens is smaller and lighter than Canons. In the image above, the lens is attached to the Canon lens adapter.

My wife got me the Canon Speedlite 270EX for Christmas. Just what I wanted. I think its the smallest flash with a telescoping head available. Which is necessary to not make the G9 look ridiculous.

June also picked this item up for me. A Manfrotto monopod. I added the quick release head. Also, by Manfrotto. This really helps greatly with on the go low light shooting.

And, we picked these up in the last two months. I've been a fan of the Street Fighter series ever since I discovered the original arcade version. So, I had to pick this version up. Definitely worth checking out. And, of course, the New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Return of the side scroller. Awesome! Highly recommended. If were a fan of the original side scroller, you'll love this one.

And, finally, one of my friends picked these guys up for me. Lego dudes. Yeah, that's a ninja. Nuff said.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas. Hope you got as much cool stuff as I did. Have a great year!

Robo-pipes!

2009-10-07T08:28:00.000-07:00

This structure you see to the left is a result of a ongoing problem with my sink backing up. Saturday night, June and I were sitting on our couch enjoying a movie. We heard a gurgle from the sink. I found it odd, so I took a look. Nothing. But, to be safe, I put the strainer in the drain thinking that would help block anything that might come up the sink. How foolish. A minute later we heard a sound like liquid forcing its way through a tight spot. I ran over to the sink to see brown water rushing into it. BLAAARGH!! So, after bailing out the nasty water to the bathtub, I raised hell with the management and board of our coop. A crew of plumbers came in and busted out a hole to the main pipes and snaked it out with a large electrical snake. And, installed this industrial level piping on my sink. It has a check valve which is supposed to only allow liquid to flow one way. Overkill? Maybe. But, whatever helps water to no come back into my sink is all good. But, to be safe, I purchased this little baby as well. I highly recommend this to anyone that has any problems with backing up pipes. This is made to plug up pipes that have grooves that are too warn away for a screw on stopper. You just place the plug into your drain and turn the bolt. As the bolt tightens, the rubber expands. This creates a air tight seal. They're sold in all kinds of sizes and pressure ratings. I don't think that backing up drains would have that much pressure, so you probably don't have to worry about that. This thing cost me $3.50. Not bad for peace of mind. I got it at my neighborhood hardware store. But, there is much more of a variety online. Now, you know. And, knowing is half... something something. :)

I hear...

2009-08-12T20:28:00.000-07:00

...helicopters flying off to the back and to the right. Finally, I have my surround sound. You would think that an audiophile like myself would have been had my surround sound system by now. Alas, I am also frugal, so it took me a long time to justify to myself that I should spend money to have sound surround me. But, as I watched movies, the desire to hear things happen behind me grew stronger. So, I began with picking up the center channel for the clear dialogue straight from the tv and not from a stereo position. And, as the experience was a success, my desire for the full experience grew. My wife sensed this desire growing. Maybe, she just heard me say enough. Either way, she knew I wanted the two speakers to finish my surroundedness. So, for my birthday, she bought me the final speakers to fill out the rear sounds. How awesome is that? Now we watch our movies in glorious surround sound... or we will once I pick up the cables to pull back to connect the speakers. They're fresh out of the box in the photo above. I chose to go with the Bose speakers. I tested Bose sets at many sound rooms and found that this set delivered the fullest sound. Now, I just need a tv and apartment big enough to hold the sound... June?

LEGO me!

2009-06-26T22:48:00.001-07:00

I've always been a fan of LEGOs since I can remember. I hadn't played with them since I was small. A little while back I got a job working on some minifigs for LEGO. As I worked on the project I was reminded of how much I enjoyed playing with LEGOs when I was young. And, as I had to get reference for the project, I picked up the coolest set I could find... that didn't cost me too much. So, I got this series called Exoforce. I think its one of the coolest sets they have. I had one robot in this series. I recently found out that LEGO is discontinuing this series, so I had to pick up another robot. I picked up Aero Booster. Above, you see the before.

Here is the after. This series is one of the favorite robot products out there because it brings together two of my favorite things. LEGOs and robots. The fact that its super possible is huge. If you have space, I would highly recommend looking into picking up one of these sets before they are gone forever.

Aaaaand we're back

2009-05-08T07:49:00.000-07:00

So, here's the dealio. As you saw in the previous post, we were packing to move to our new place...supposedly. The whole thing fell apart at the last minute. Coops SUCK! If you can do a condo, go for it. The situation is too long to explain. In a nutshell, our management and coop board screwed us. And, we ended up having to pull out of the deal because the board demanded something of us that was not a part of the original arrangement. And, ever since we pulled out, we had been trying to get our downpayment back. If you've attempted to purchase a place before...and had it fall through, you know that this is the tough part. In our case, the seller had good reason to be mad. It would have been aimed at the wrong party, but he still had good reason to be mad. So, we were sweating. We didn't know if we would get our entire downpayment back. The process was started by a termination of contract letter with the request of the return of our downpayment. Then, we waited... and waited. And, waited some more. Our lawyer emailed and called several times to no response. Finally, about a month of this, we threatened to report the seller's lawyer to the bar association. All of sudden we get a response that our check will be Fed Exed to us. With next day delivery even. Obviously, that rat bastard never sent out the check in the first place. Anyway, its all over. We got our entire downpayment back. It's deposited and its in the bank. Thank goodness.

packing up!

2009-01-18T13:07:00.001-08:00

So, in the last post, we were starting to tighten up our budget with trips to Trader Joes. And, now, we are have begun the process that we were saving for. Actually, we're coming to the end of the process, but this is the crucial point. Approval, closing, and moving. We're still waiting for our approval meeting and closing. So, we do not officially own our next place yet. But, we have to move whether we get our place or not. A tenant is lined up to move in on the 1st of Feb. So, we are starting to pack up our little studio in preparations to make our move. It's odd how we've been packing a little every night for about a week now, but it still seems like there is so much more to go. There's just boxes piled upon boxes upon boxes. Good thing we have a good source for boxes. We have some good office boxes. Large and small filing boxes. I love how sturdy these are. We'll probably continue to use these for storage in our new place. We also have office moving boxes. Larger even sturdier boxes for moving heavier items. Hopefully, moving the apartment is all we'll need these for. :P Well, back to packing.

V-budget

2008-11-03T15:45:00.000-08:00

June and I are planning to buy a place. So, naturally, we are freaking out about money. In this freaking out state, we have decided to take on a V-budget. What is a V-budget, you ask? We have a friend named Vanessa. She is what some would call a cheap ass or others would call frugal and yet others would call very thrifty. Whatever you want to call her, she knows how to save a lot of money. She's in her mid 20s and already a landlord. Not too shabby. So, the V-budget is basically a budget that Vanessa follows. Her system is pretty complex. But, at the very basics, its spending $100 a week on food and common needs (bathroom goods, cleaning goods, etc). And, if you have anything left over of the $100, you roll it over into the next week. And, if you go over, you take it from your next week's budget. June and I don't really spend that much in the first place, so it really isn't that hard of a change. But, we've started picking up groceries from Trader Joes. It's actually pretty fun. It gives us something to do together and actually puts our kitchen to use. Plus, it gives us a sense of where our money is. So, anyway, Trader Joes is a great friend to the budget conscious.

iPhone!

2008-10-12T15:52:00.001-07:00

I waited a while to make the move to the iPhone. I wanted to when they first came out, but I usually avoid buying the first generation of anything Apple. There's usually some bug or some huge update that comes up. And, of course, this was true of the iPhone. So, once the G3 version came out, it sounded good enough to jump in. I talked about it so much that June bought it for me for my birthday. She wanted to surprise me with it, but they wouldn't allow her to buy it without me. But, its the thought that's important, right? The iPhone is awesome. There's only been a few dropped signals. That's annoying as hell. But, it doesn't happen enough to really complain about it. Another thing, the maps should be more accurate. I thought it would be like a GPS car system, but its not as accurate. Not bad, but could be better. Other than that, its been fun playing with apps and being able to access information when and where ever I want. Well, not in the subways. But, that's not Apple's fault. I'd recommend the iPhone to anyone that likes gadgets. It's the ultimate gadget. Oh, one other thing, you can't use it as a hard drive. That blows. But, you can buy a flash drive for $10, so its not that big a deal. Anyway, I still would recommend the iPhone. It's AWESOME!

Canned

2008-10-12T15:06:00.000-07:00

The little trash can. June pointed out that an open trash bucket in the bathroom might be a little unsightly for visitors. That made sense, so we picked up this little can. It's a mini version of the trash can we picked up for the kitchen. We went with the white to match the bathroom. I picked this up at Bed Bath and Beyond. It's made by Simple Human. I really like their products. All their products have clean simple lines. It works well for small spaces. I guess I'm a simple human. :)

Sloppy Joes!!

2008-08-21T11:42:00.000-07:00

Since I've moved to NYC I've always kept an eye out for sloppy joes. I had one at this place and they tried to fancy it up too much. I'm looking for old school cafeteria type sloppy joes. No fancy vegis or seasonings or wraps. Good old tomato sauce and ground meat on a cheap hamburger bun. Maaaybe, some variation in the sauce. But, its important to have the same consistency. It's been years. Finally, my girlfriend and I just decided to pick up some Manwich and some ground beef and make our own. Bought some cheap hamburger buns. Just make sure they're not expired. BAM!! Sloppy joes! MmMmmm, just like I likes em. So sloppy you can't eat it like a sandwich. It takes a fork to eat these if you don't want to wear it. The cheap buns soak up the extra sauce. Best and most important thing, the sauce is not watery. As you can see, the sauce is thick. We threw in some fries for good measure. Awesome!!! Now I just have to find that cafeteria spagetti...

New view

2008-08-10T18:26:00.000-07:00

I waited a long time to pick up a new camera. My last camera was a point and shoot Sony that I picked up in Hong Kong due to my other camera being lost in Thailand. Yeah, I was dumb enough to leave the strap of the camera hanging out my pocket. Yoink, it was gone. So, I picked up a Sony that I really enjoyed. Its a great camera. So, I just couldn't find a camera that I wanted to move onto. But, I think the wait was worth it. This is the Canon G9. It's a hell of a camera. It has a full auto mode and there are many settings that you you can adjust manually. For me, I really wanted a camera, that wasn't huge, that I could attach lenses to. Plus, because I like taking pictures without a flash, an image stabilizer was very important. For the longest time, I had to be extra careful about shooting without flash. This camera handles that like a champ. There are so many functions and combinations of functions on this camera that it will take me a long time to even figure it out. But, the pictures are coming out nice. And, I look forward to continuing to learn more and more about this awesome camera.

Yaay, Blueray!

2008-08-03T18:51:00.001-07:00

I finally did it. Took the dive and picked up a PS3. I picked up the 80Gig version. We do the Netflixing, so the Blu-rayness of the system was the biggest plus. I have to say that our first Blu-ray experience wasn't a very good one. The video stuck at crucial points. Thank goodness it wasn't one of those movies that it mattered for. But, the video and sound quality is amazing. I'm hoping future movies play smoother. Of course, the PS3 can play games as well. I don't like sports or RPG games, so that really doesn't allow me to see the systems full potential in gaming. But, I do enjoy my driving and racing games. But, mostly, this system will be used to watch movies. I really bought a Blu-ray player with gaming capabilities. The system itself is heavy as hell compared to other systems. It's pretty big too. I'm sure the size will be halfed in a month or two. It comes with one wireless game controller. And, amazingly, it was bundled with a game. Unfortunately, it was a RPG game. So, I picked up a used driving game for $20 in Chinatown. Nice! So far, I'm still loving it.

we got mail

2008-06-29T15:07:00.000-07:00

Like a lot of people, we had our mail "organized" on a flat surface. It just gathered and gathered and overflowed. It just looked a mess. On one of our days out we came across this little item. It's a magazine organizer. We decided to use it as a mail organizer. It has seven slots and a small pocket. We have three slots each and one outgoing slot. The small pocket is used to hold a mail opener. We decided to place it in my "work area". My walls are concrete, so I decided to use Command adhesive utility hooks to hang the slots. So far, so good. They haven't fallen, yet. The mail/magazine organizer is made by Reisenthel. We picked it up at the Container Store for $15. Not bad. It comes in three color variations. Brown/tan, green/gray, and orange/red. We decided to go with the orange/ red so we could add a little color to the area. It's been a great purchase for us. It has really helped us organize and keep our mail from adding to the clutter. And, that's extremely important in a studio. Every inch makes a difference.

FINALLY!!

2008-06-15T19:32:00.001-07:00

YES!! I finally got a new laptop! My last laptop lasted me almost seven years. I didn't do too much heavy work at home, so the power wasn't so important. But, when I couldn't upgrade to the latest OS because my processor was too slow, I decided that it was time to upgrade. Of course, I picked up the most powerful laptop available. And, yes, this will probably last me another seven years. So, this is my setup. There are three new items in this picture. There is the laptop stand by Griffin that holds the laptop up to meet my inclined drawing board. Then, there is the wireless keyboard by Apple. You wouldn't think so, but reaching out to type on a keyboard for an extended period of time does strain your shoulders. So, I use the wireless keyboard with my Wacom. It's works out great. I had some doubts, but I've really enjoyed the function. So, now, I have to say bye to the Titanium. It's kind of sad. It's been with me for a while. Through relationships, pursuit of relationships, travels around the world, helped me built portfolios, helped me through countless projects, and tons more. It's been with me for seven years. But, all good things must come to and end. But, at least its followed by a laptop that is in the same family.

trashy

2008-06-15T19:14:00.000-07:00

This is my new trash can that I picked up for my place. The old one I had was okay, but a little too large and open. What's wrong with that, you ask? Too large makes it hard to fit shopping or take out bags into. Open basket leaves trash open to spread smells. Not that we left all kinds of nasty trash in the bin, but any smell is not good. Especially, when city roaches have an amazing ability to track smells. Yah, the big bad ones, not those small ones you see in restaurants. So, that is why I decided to go with this smaller bin with a lid. This one is by Simple Human. The bin comes with a removable bucket that you can place your bag into. And, the bucket has a hole to tuck the loose bag into. So, you lock the bag into the bucket and place it into the bin. Once the lid closes, you don't see any extra bag. This makes for a cleaner outer appearance. Sometimes the bags do peek out. But, for this picture, its totally clean. I like the stainless steel-ness of the can. :)

Posture-Pedic?

2008-06-15T19:12:00.000-07:00

Nope, its a Tempur-Pedic. That's a little joke between my girlfriend and I. She likes to call it a posture-pedic. Anyway, I had been sleeping on a futon for... too long. So, I finally took the next step and bought a grown up bed. Even in a grown up size. Yup, queen sized! And, with the mattress I picked up a tatami platform frame. I chose this frame for its low profile and its simple clean lines. The frame itself does not require screws, but it does require screws to keep the slates in place. The tatami mats do have a bit of a funny(not funny bad, just funny unexpected) smell when you first open the box, but it does go away after about a week. The Tempur-Pedic also has a smell when it is first delivered. But, both of these smells are expected. The bed was a bit on the pricey side. But, I figured it would be worth it since it is used every night. And, hopefully, will be used for a long time. Plus, its worth it if it helps my back feel better. Can't clearly say that its done that, but the bed is much better than my futon. One step closer to being a grown up. Now, I just need a larger place...

scootin along

2008-06-15T17:48:00.000-07:00

Whew, its been busy and I haven't been keepin up with my space blog. I have a few items to post, so here we go. This is my new scooter. Its a Xootr. I went with the original with the wooden plank as the base. The wooden base is supposed to have a little give for a smoother ride. I don't know about that, but the Xootr has a pretty nice ride on its own. It's smooth and fast. Great way to get around town. Plus, folding is quite fast and easy. So, getting onto a subway or a bus would be quite easy... maybe not at rush hour. But, when is it ever easy to get on public transportation at rush hour? So, other than rush hour, its all good. And, unlike folding bikes like to claim, its small enough when its folded up to get around in stores and restaurants. So, I would highly recommend the Xootr to those that want to get around town or just scoot around for fun.

New Curtains

2008-05-10T19:12:00.000-07:00

I finally got new curtains. I had Ikea curtains for the longest. Yep, the ones moved to my wardrobe. They didn't block out light very well. And, with June not liking light shining in the morning, we needed new curtains. These are from West Elm. They're a little bright, but I thought my "room" needed it. After I confirmed the color with June, we picked them up. :) I think they work well. They keep the light out nicely, which allows sleep to continue just that little bit longer without being disturbed by the morning light. Like when you spend a night in a hotel and you get up in the morning. You open the shades and the blazing light comes through. It's nice to have that at home. They were a little expensive compared to Ikea curtains, but also not as expensive as other heavy curtains. These were a good set of mid ground curtains. Now, sleep goes on. :)

covered up

2008-04-17T12:34:00.000-07:00

Yay, I finally put up some curtains on my wardrobe. Open wardrobes only look good on TV and in product shots. In real life, like many other things that look great on TV, a open wardrobe becomes a mess. Shirts and pants start hanging all lopsided and sticking out. Boxes aren't exactly spaced. Shelves aren't perfectly lit. It's just not the same. So, I decided to put up some curtains. I wanted something with clean and simple lines. And, the sliding doors that go with this unit take up too much space and are too rigid. I ended up getting some small curtain rods from West Elm that matched my larger curtain rod over my windows. And, I moved the Ikea curtains that were on my windows over to the wardrobe. They're a little short now. But, I plan to get another panel and adjust them all to the same length. The appearance came out better than I had hoped. It accomplishes a soft clean look with very simple clean lines.

creating space

2008-04-08T14:56:00.000-07:00

I keep on buying things and my place remains the same size. So, until I can afford to purchase another room, I have to just make room. So, I have a Dahon folding bike. It folds small enough. But, in a 500sqft apartment, it's a little challenging to find space for it. I wanted to hang it off the wall or the ceiling, but that requires drilling into concrete. I'm not ready for that. So, I had to sit it somewhere on the ground. I decided to put it by the entrance. BUT, I can't place it directly on my bamboo floor because it would mark it up. I had some extra FLOR tiles left over from when I created my "lawn". So, I decided to extend a 14" wide strip out from the lawn for the bike to sit on. And, this is what you see in the picture.

laptop stand

2008-02-25T08:35:00.000-08:00

So, here's the situation. I use a Apple laptop. I still run the Titanium. Yah, old school. The thing runs hot. Like, cook an egg on the surface hot. It's okay sitting on a desk or on my drafting table. But, it was always a problem sitting on my lap. I'd use pillows, seat cushions, and all sorts of contraptions. So, one day I was looking for stands to elevate the laptop on my "desk". You know, just simple laptop stands. I came across an item that was interesting. A table that had a adjustable height. It really looked like a table top attached to a barber shop chair's base. And, it hit me. I have a spare drafting chair. And, I've been looking for a way to sit on the couch and work on my laptop as I'm watching TV or movies with my girlfriend. You know, have to find that balance. Can't neglect the girlfriend too much because of work. Anyway, this little contraption is wonderful. It may not be the most visually appealing item, but it was made from pieces I had lying around. The functionality of it is great. It adjusts to different heights for different sitting situations. It reaches in close enough to work comfortably, and swivels out of the way when not needed. And, if you replace the wheels with flat legs, its really stable. Again, this is a very no frills idea. I just wanted to see if it works. Now, I'm thinking of finding nicer pieces, so I can make a more appealing stand. But, for now, this works beautifully. So, its a drafting chair base with a Ikea cabinet panel. Bolt it together and you got yourself a nifty laptop table.

be still...

2008-01-15T18:39:00.000-08:00

This is the Gorillapod. This was a little something that my boss Nancy got me for Christmas. I was always curious about the item. But, since I do have other tripods, I didn't feel right about picking up another one just because I was curious. But, once I got it, its really been a very handy option. I really like how flexible the Gorillapod is. I can't say that I've used this on a tree branch or a door knob like its advertised to be used. But, for quick adjustments as you are taking pictures, I haven't used a better tripod. And, you can pose it in cool poses!

back pains?

2008-01-12T22:10:00.000-08:00

I can't say when my lower back pains started. It's not constant. Only when I push it too far. Things like working out too hard, sleeping too long, or carrying a bag that may be too heavy. When I was in school, I would carry all my books on one shoulder and have no problems. I'm sure that didn't help my present pains. But, in the past couple of years, I've noticed that my back started hurting more. I went from a single shoulder bag to a double shoulder back pack. Still wasn't light enough. So, recently I decided to find the lightest alternative I could find. And, that is what you see here. The bag is a Manhattan Portage bag. It's a stripped down bag with no heavy padding on the back of the pack or even on the shoulder straps. It's the lightest sturdy bag I've come across. It's been working very well, but there was something missing. The stripped down feature left the bag with no features. So, with nothing to separate items, the contents of the bag became a mess very quickly. And, in comes the second bag. It's called a bag in a bag. My girlfriend picked this one up for me at the Muji store. It offered all the compartments I needed. And, most importantly, it was made light. And, it fit perfectly into the larger bag. So, with these two bags, I've lighten the stress on my back and am still able to carry all that I need for a long day in the city. Not bad for a total cost of under $50.

Dry enough for ya?

2008-01-07T16:34:00.000-08:00

So, one day I woke up and started choking. The disturbing thing is that I was choking on nothing. My mouth was just dry. But, not only my mouth, but partly down my throat too. It's quite an odd feeling. But, basically, my place was too dry. I think a lot of apartments in NYC are. So, I went and did some research on humidifiers. And, found that this one is rated really high. It's the Air-O-Swiss Ultrasonic Digital Humidifier. I picked it up from Bed Bath and Beyond. They have a great return policy. Heh heh. But, so far its been working fairly well. It's still a little dry, but no where near what it has been in the past. The only complaint I have about the humidifier(which also true for many other models) is that you can't refill the water from the top. Not sure if this done on purpose or not, but its annoying to have to take the whole tank off the base everytime I have to fill it. But, all in all, its working very nicely. I don't wake up choking. Always a plus!

water anyone?

2007-12-04T13:47:00.001-08:00

So, I've always enjoyed my showers. I take half an hour showers. Waste of water? I don't think so. It wakes me up and helps me mentally prepare for the day. So, I wanted to make showering as enjoyable as possible. And, since I do not have 10 or 20 thousand to drop on renovating my bathroom, I decided to settle for dual shower heads... for now. You might ask why. Well, simply more coverage. It's a very simple item I picked up at Home Depot. Installs quickly and shifts between the shower head or the hand set very easily. And, of course, you can have both heads on at the same time. The water pressure drops a bit, but its worth it. Next I'll drop several thousands on one of those systems that shoots water at you from all different sides....not really.

Wii!!!

2007-09-16T21:49:00.001-07:00

I finally picked up a Wii. I have to say that I am highly impressed by this system. I was impressed with Nintendo taking a risk by not going the route of ultra realistic as all the other systems have recently. And, still trying to create the market rather than follow the market. I'm so impressed with what Nintendo has done here. They've actually created a system that requires kids(and others) to get out of their seats in order to play the games. Not an original idea, but they really took it to the next level. The controllers to this system are extremely sensitive making it hard to sit and fake movements. And, if you've figured out how to do this, you're a lost cause anyway. The remote senses motions in all directions. Forward, backward, side to side, up and down, tilts, speed, everything. Which allows for great game play. Bravo Nintendo!

urga-what?

2007-09-15T14:34:00.000-07:00

So, as a lot of artists, I've been sitting on the cheap drafting stool that comes with the drafting tables. You know, the one that you can feel the bolts through the seat padding. I finally broke down and decided to buy a new chair. Now, what is the right chair? I have a very small work area in my studio apartment, so I couldn't buy one of those huge lazy boy type chairs that you can sink into. Tempting, but it just wouldn't fit. So, I went for a ultra task chair. This is the Capisco Hag chair. It's designed to keep you moving without making you uncomfortable. I have to admit, it took a little time to get used to. It was a bit uncomfortable for the first couple of weeks. But, once I got used to it, it does do what it claims. Keeps you moving. This chair allows for many more sitting positions that a typical chair does not. Not sure about everyone else, but as an artist, its a really nice option to vary up my sitting position comfortably during the hours I spend behind my table. The chair is on the pricey side. Pricey for me... But, I figured I'd be spending a lot of time on it, so I'd definitely be getting my money's worth. Especially, if I'm comfortable hour after hour working on projects. The chair is very adjustable. The back can be adjusted up and down. The saddle can be adjusted forward and backwards. The ease that it tilts back is adjustable. The chair can be locked into position, so it doesn't tilt back. This makes sitting backwards on the chair more comfortable. And, the saddle shape of the base allows for proper circulation in the legs. Did you know that the improper circulation caused by chairs that put too much pressure on the back of the thigh can cause back pain? Anyway, this is my new funky task chair.

Sonicare

2007-09-09T16:46:00.000-07:00

The Sonicare is one of my most recent steps in taking better care of my teeth. Believe it or not, I had not been serious about taking care of my teeth before 200.....2, I think. Anyway, not until pretty recent. I had always been afraid and terrified of the dentist. I hated the feel of metal scraping on my teeth. But, my mouth was in trouble. In the beginning, I started to go to the dentist just because I was too embarrassed about my not so fresh breath. I NEEDED to deal with the issue. But, as I went to the dentist I found out that my mouth had more issues than just the breath. My gums were in trouble as well and plaque had built up. So, I decided to bite the bullet and jump in with both feet. Let me tell ya, it wasn't easy. I was out of my mind nervous. But, I couldn't ask for a better situation to go in. The dentist was a family friend that I could trust to be kind and honest. And, I had insurance. So, I had nothing to lose, but my embarrassment. It wasn't pretty that first time I went to the dentist. My mouth was in bad shape. After that first visit I had to go back in just a few weeks because my mouth needed to heal before my dentist could proceed. Yike! But, I was determined. Now, I go to the dentist regularly every 6 months. And, on good advice from my brother, I schedule my next appointments before I leave the dentist's office. If I didn't, I would probably procrastinate and end up not going for years. And, just recently, my dentist told me that my gums were still in trouble. I had not been flossing every night as he had recommended and parts of my gums were still infected and puffy. Nasty, right? But, he told me one thing that made me take my care of my mouth to the next level. He told me that if my gums didn't heal on their own, I would have to get surgery where they would have to cut into my gums to fix them. The idea of my gums getting cut into freaked me out. So, I began to floss properly every night. It was hard in the beginning because there would be a lot of blood. Which is the problem. Your gums should not bleed too easily. If they do, they're not healthy. So, floss even if its uncomfortable. Eventually, there is less blood and then no blood. My gums healed on their own. And, on my next visit, the dentist told me that there was a night and day difference on the condition they were in. So, with the recommendations from my dentist and girlfriend, I've taken the next step and purchased the Sonicare tooth brush. I'm still feeling my way on using it properly, but it seems to be making a difference. My teeth do feel cleaner after a brushing. Not "dentist clean" like the commercial hints, but cleaner than a regular toothbrush. If anything can help my visits to the dentist be more pleasant, I'll take it. I still fight my laziness to go through the process at night. But, whenever I feel too lazy to floss, brush, and mouthwash, I remember what my dentist said. "... surgery on your gums..." Then, the process doesn't seem too much anymore. :)

food prep

2007-09-08T12:46:00.000-07:00

Here are two items that my girlfriend bought me for my birthday this year. We both love tasty foods. And, a couple of our favorites are ham and egg on toast and Jamba Juice's orange dream machine. I had been talking about trying to make these at home, so we can have it any time we would like. So, I did some research and narrowed down appliance choices. Eliminating the most expensive and the cheapest. I really wanted to get the same blender that Jamba Juice used, but those blenders went for over $400. That just seemed a little extreme. So, here are the two items that we picked up. The blender is the Oster Fusion. It's a mid range blender that has a good amount of power to pulverize ice. Good for nice icy drinks. My favorite. It's a bit loud, but works pretty well. Not exactly Jamba Juice, but also a fraction of the price. And, the toaster is the Krups FEM2. Its supposed to be a powerful toaster that toasts quickly to make the outside crunchy and inside soft. So far, not so much. But, that could just be because of the bread we're using. It still makes a yummy sandwich. So, yummy food will be made! :)

shelves!

2007-08-11T22:55:00.001-07:00

Finally, I got some shelves up in my work area. Again, like my curtain rod, this took a lot of emotional preparation to drill into my wall. I purchased this set of shelving from Bed Bath and Beyond(BBB). I dealt with a Paul(Asian man) at the BBB between 18th and 19th street. He screwed my order up a little, but he did everything he could to fix it. You may be saying that that's what he should do, and you'd be right. But, you'd be surprised how many times I've come into contact with incompetent people when it comes to doing what they should do. Anyway, these shelves required me drilling eight holes into my concrete wall. So, as soon as I prepared myself to permanently damage my walls, I drilled away. In the end this shelving system is quite easy to install. It requires one secured steel plate that gets drilled into the wall and the rest all hangs off of that anchored piece. And, the great thing about this system through BBB is that they will cut the shelves in almost anyway you'd want them too. Well, any simple straight cut. No fancy designs and what not. If you look closely to my shelves, you'll see that there is a part of the wall that sticks out. I actually took the proper measurements and had the store cut the shelves to fit around this piece of the wall for a built-in feel. And, I was actually pleasantly surprised at how well it came out. And, as you can see, I've made part of the shelving my desk to hold my laptop, art supplies, and even my scanner. And, my personal DVD player that doubles as my tiny TV for when I don't need my larger TV on. Hells yeah, I hooked cable up to that bad boy!! Anyway, I got the idea of the integration from this design company ip20. I got the idea from their Japanese site. Of course, I could not afford their actual pieces(which are way too cool!), so I just used them for inspiration. So, if you can afford the actual shelves, good for you. But, if you can't and need built in shelving, I would recommend Bed Bath and Beyond. Just make sure you have all of your exact measurements that you need. If you can draw out what you want, even better. Happy shelving! I'm presently working on a kitchen set as well.

Sears.com SUCKS!!

2007-08-10T23:46:00.000-07:00

I started this summer with my old 5000BTU air conditioner that I brought over from my old place. It was fine for my small room in my old place. But, now I'm in a studio and its larger than my old room. So, I attempted to order a new ac unit. I did my research and even joined ConsumerReport online. I decided on Kenmore because I've always liked the brand. Because I'm in NYC and do not have easy access to a vehicle I decided to order online. So, I called up Sears.com to place an order. I felt good. I was excited about my order. I waited about a week and the unit was on its way. I even took a day off to wait for the delivery. The door bell clinked as it does and there it was......... a mess. The picture you see with this post is of the box my ac unit came in. The box looked as if it had been rolled down a hill. Parts of the box were ripped and the foam inside would be showing through. Even part of the ac unit itself. And, the box appeared to have been opened and resealed again with plastic straps. Of course, I returned this package thinking that it was mistreated in transit. And, I reordered the same ac unit. I got worked up again and took another day to wait for my delivery. I opened the door and there it was. Another mess of a package. The UPS delivery person told me that this was how they receive the package. Of course, that's what he says. But, honestly, I don't see how UPS could do so much damage to a box. So, I assumed that it was on Sears side. On top of horrible damaged goods the persons on the phone at Sears were incompetent as well. Not all, but I did have troubles with returning my order due to missing bar codes and Sears employees claiming to reissue a call tag and really not. Which meant I waited to be notified about a pick up and had to call Sears again to find out what was happening. It was just a big mess and it took more than a month to deal with this whole situation. And, at the end, I was back to where I started. I don't know about other items, but I would not order ac unites from Sears.com. It's just an awful shopping experience. So, my little ac unit is still working hard to keep the place bearable. I've decided to go with GE and deal with a local appliance store where I've purchased other items before. So, its supposed to arrive in a few days. We'll see how that goes. Hopefully, I'll have a new AC...... by the end of summer.

my turf

2007-07-05T08:29:00.000-07:00

So, here's something that's a little weird. I had started with just a little rug. Then, a longer runner, but it was never enough room. When I came in the door and had someone following me, it was never enough room for more than one person to come in and take off their shoes without having the other wait in the doorway. SO, I had to figure out a way to fix this problem. I figured that the first person in would have to step to the side in order to be out of the way to get another person in. I didn't want shoes stepping on my too delicate bamboo floors, so I knew I had to cover the floors. As I was contemplating my options, I remembered how nice and clean it was at this one hotel we stayed at in Japan. And, how they had a whole section just to take off your shoes at their entrances. I really dug this idea, so I researched my options on how to create this idea in my tiny apartment. I didn't want a plush rug. I wanted a tight clean flat covering that would separate my entrance area from the rest of my studio. I quickly came up with this company named FLOR. They sell floor coverings by the square. I was thinking of a brown or a tan to sort of work with the whole "Japanese" idea and to work with the rest of my place. Then, I came across this texture. Its a grass green and it has flickers of other colors in it to calm the intense green down. So, it comes across like grass. I knew that this option was either a hit or miss. And, that it would be a risk. But, sometimes I get these little surges of energy to go for the risk and this was one of those times. So, this is my front yard. And, I must say, I'm quite happy with how it turned out. Now I enter my apartment, scoot to the side, and place my shoes or flip flops on the edge of my lawn. And, it reminds me a little of my short time spent in Japan. Always a good thing.

cushions...

2007-07-05T08:18:00.000-07:00

And, I've finally got some cushions for my bench. I got these from a weekend bus trip to Ikea. Yep, the free bus. Not all of us have access to a vehicle. So, I ventured out there with my girlfriend and a friend. Enjoyed some Ikea food. And, spent a day walking around in that gigantic store. Here's one of the items I picked up. Yep, I'm doing my apartment slowly, but surely. I had been looking for a long cushion to fit the whole length of the bench, but haven't seen anything that works or is cheap enough. So, I went with these. I'm sure these will deflate soon, but they'll do for now. I think they were $3 or $5 each. Can't beat that. Anyway, almost to where I can have visitors. :)

like butta....

2007-07-02T10:59:00.002-07:00

So, this is what I've been doing my drilling with. I had a cordless drill before. I thought that would take care of all my drilling needs. But, I was wrong. And, I always liked the cordless. Cordless phone, wireless internet, wireless remote, wireless gaming controllers, and so on. But, when it comes to drills, the wired ones are better. Unless you can drop some serious cash on a serious wireless set up with extra batteries, the single purchase of a nice wired drill is the way to go. There's never a weak drill due to low battery charge. You just plug it in and you're good to go. For me, I needed to drill into concrete. So, I was looking for a hammer drill. A hammer drill "hammers" the drill bit as it drills in order to break down the concrete it is drilling through. You can drill into concrete using a regular drill with a masonry drill bit, but it takes a lot longer. This is the DeWalt hammer drill. It's has settings to switch from hammer drill to regular drill. And, the power to twist your arm if you're not careful. That's what the extra handle it for. :) Grant it, this drill was probably overkill for what I needed it for. But, it's like driving a Diablo in a 55mph zone. There's really no need for it, but its nice to have the power there. So, my drill made drilling into concrete as if it were drywall. Nice!(two thumbs up) So, now I'm drilling everything into my walls. I've put up my massive curtain rod(pictured below) and my shelves(pics to come). Oh, and for those that are thinking of drilling into concrete, use anchors. It's just a cleaner safer way to go. Happy drilling!!

got rod

2007-05-23T15:30:00.000-07:00

Aaand, finally another piece to the puzzle. I waited a while to get a curtain rod because I knew it would require drilling into concrete. My cousin tried hanging a picture in his concrete wall and knocked out a chunk of wall. That made me pause on attempting anything with my own wall. I invested in a hammer drill and a masonry bit. Yeah, that might have been overkill, but anything to not knock out chunks of my wall. So, I got myself mentally prepared to puncture my wall and started drilling. Of course, there were problems. The drill just seemed to stop penetrating and just spin. I got scared that I might have hit a pipe or some other structure, so I stopped. I'm new to this masonry drilling, so I didn't want to push too much and screw anything up. So, after some research and frustration, I decided to go full throttle and push the drill as hard as it would go. And, to my pleasant surprise, the drill did its job and ate through the cement. I just needed to put my weight behind it. So, now, I have my fat curtain rod up. I love this fat rod from West Elm. It really grounds the window. Now, I have to get curtains with grommets. Fat metal grommets. Nice!

extension

2007-05-16T21:59:00.000-07:00

As a lot of people on the island of Manhattan, I'm a bit short on counter space in my kitchen. I had been thinking of purchasing one of those wooden boards that fit over the sink opening, but never knew which one to get. Then, one day it hit me. When my counter people delivered my counter, they left me the cut out pieces from my sink and my stove. I don't know why it never occurred to me earlier. Maybe, because the piece was roughly cut. Anyway, so, I sanded the letters off of it and filed the rough edge off. And, now it adds plenty of counter space when I'm preparing my extravagant three course meals...... okay, grilled ham and cheese.
And, for those interested in doing this to your left over counter cut outs or a slab of material you like, here's what I did to make the extra counter sit better on the counter. I just placed some felt pads on each corner. Make sure they're far apart enough to sit on the sides of the sink. And, there you go. Got yourself a nice little counter extension.

Before

After (the lines and letters that you see are now gone)

night light...

2007-05-01T06:57:00.000-07:00

Here's a view of my work space late at night when my girlfriend is tucked in for the night. I try to keep the light low as to not shed too much light on the living space. Yah, that's studio living for ya. Well, it will be better after I actually decide on a wall and get it installed. But, for now, got to keep the lights low. Its not too bad because I'm usually not drawing that late at night. I probably should be, but I'm usually on the computer. That's the DVD player my girlfriend picked up for me for my birthday sitting on the corner of the table. I've actually hooked up my cable box to it, so now I can watch TV on it. Which helps keep the light even more contained to my work corner. Nice!

Jawbone!

2007-04-26T15:11:00.000-07:00

Whew, I haven't posted any items for a while. I guess I haven't really had anything else to pick up for the apartment for a while. All the stuff left are large items. But, I did pick up this little item. Not so much for the apartment, but just a item that I was very pleased with. My Sony headset that came with my phone started dropping out on me and soon became useless. So, I had to hunt down a headset. I had looked at the bluetooth headsets before, but the performance was shaky for the price. But, this time I did some research and found this new headset with some really nice functions. Well, one main feature. That is the noise cancelling function. I was skeptical, but it really is quite amazing. But, the headset does need to be making contact with your cheek. So, if you rock huge side burns, this headset may not work for you. But, other than that, you should be very happy with the performance of this headset. You can order it straight from Jawbone.com.

rigged up!

2007-03-11T21:43:00.000-07:00

So, finally, I got this drawer installed. As I mentioned in my earlier posts of 2006, I had no option but to get a small oven installed in a larger Ikea cabinet. This left me with a space under the oven. For the longest time, I just used it as a storage space to stick things in. But, it just seemed unsightly and sort of bootleg. I always liked the Ikea drawers and wondered if I could install one in the space. Because there had to be a brace built to hold the oven in place, the widest Ikea drawer would not fit. I had to go with the next size down, but this was too narrow for the space. So, I had to install extra blocks of wood to attach the rails to. Even up to the last minute of installing the rails to the extra wood pieces, I still wasn't sure if everything would fit. Then, I dropped the drawer in and I heard that wonderful clicking sound. I was just so happy. I finally installed it. Right now, I have the medal front on the drawer. I might replace it with a wood front to match the rest of the cabinets. Or, maybe, I can find a stainless steel front that would fit. But, for now, I like the metal front. Next step is to spackle and paint to give it a finished look.

love it!

2007-03-05T22:08:00.000-08:00

MmmmMmm, I love this product. I planned a great meal for my girlfriend for Valentine's Day this year. We're both foodies and I thought it would be nice. If the meal came out as well as I had planned, it would have been really nice. But, only one dish out of a four course meal came out like I had planned. We were full and it wasn't horrid. My girlfriend was very nice and appreciated my effort. Haha, I'm sure she would have liked the full effect more. But, out of the process of gathering all the ingredients and gearing my kitchen up for a actual cooked meal from scratch, I picked this little item up. Its a pepper grinder. Didn't think much of it when I bought it. Just thought it was the simplest looking one of them all. Cleanest and most simple lines. But, this thing is great. It only requires a one hand operation. You don't even have to stop shovelling the food into your face to operate it. Pump it with your thumb and you have the great taste of freshly ground pepper added to any dish. It was bought specifically for adding pepper to a authentic Italian pasta dish, but it didn't really make a difference. Now, I use it to add fresh ground pepper to anything that it makes sense on. If you don't use fresh ground pepper, you have to try it. It just adds that little punch of flavor. Anyway, it looks great and it serves a great function. Can't beat it.....well for the price. I know there are electric ones too. I haven't graduated to that level yet. :) Till then, enjoy!

fresh!

2007-03-05T21:48:00.000-08:00

I was never one to really get into sweet scented soaps or things of that nature. But, my girlfriend is. And, I've noticed that she always smells great. One day we went to Bath and Body Works. The store she frequents for her body scrubs and lotions. We've gone a many times before and I never picked up anything. Just didn't see the purpose of buying scented soaps or lotions when the normal ones worked just as well or better. But, one day there was a sale. Three for the price of one type of sale. I'm a sucker for a deal, so I picked up a few. One of which was this one that is pictured here. I didn't expect too much out of these soaps, but I was very pleasantly surprised by how this soap smelled. It has a very light uplifting citrus scent. Puts a smile on your face type of smell. There are other soaps that have a soapy or a heavy smell that may be pleasant, but not light and uplifting. I have to say this was one of if not the most pleasant scented soaps I have ever used. Once I have used up my stash of scented soaps that I picked up for a deal, I will definitely hunt this one down again. Plus, the self foaming soaps are great. Use less soap and get that nice lathered feel right away. Nice!

grout!

2007-02-27T21:27:00.002-08:00

Not much going on with the apartment lately. Little things here and there. This is one of them. I was very presently surprised one day to receive a notice that my apartment was one of the apartments that needed to be regrouted. I was especially pleased with this because I had been frustrated with the condition of the grout and borders around my bathtub. So, I made the call and scheduled to have this done. I didn't expect much because of my past dealings with the maintenance crew in my building. But, to my surprise, the grout looked great. Well, at least it looked great to me in my limited idea of what grout should look like. It just looked cleaner. Here I have two pictures. One of the tiles around my tub, which has been regrouted. And, the other is of the tiles on the other side of the bathroom that have not been regrouted. The one on the bottom is the one that has not been updated. It's hard to tell the difference here, but it's actually a very noticeable difference. The old grout appears a bit yellow and is cracked and chipping off at some points. I'm actually trying to get the maintenance crew to regrout the whole bathroom so it matches. So, That'll be my next battle.

Free stuff!

2007-01-18T15:29:00.000-08:00

Well.... close to free. These are my latest additions to my place. Its been hard to find furniture for my place since I have all these wacky ideas of what I want to do with it. So, as I am figuring out a way to make these wacky ideas become reality, I've taken in furniture temperarily. Of course, I wouldn't want to pay too much for temperary(which will probably still stay around for a while) furniture . So, I went trolling around on Craigslist. That is were the bench was found. Listed price $75. June haggled it down to $50. Nice! Especially, when anything bench like that I've seen has been more into the $200 range. And, I had been looking for a table for a long time too. But, everything that I like is $500 and above. There was one I really liked that was $960. Sigh, just too much for my blood at this stage. BUT, I was checking my apartment building's community email group and someone was offering a table for free. Yep, free! Just needed to go by and pick it up. I was looking for squarish table, but this white round table would do for the time being. It's an Ikea item. And, it was in a very good condition. Plus, the folks giving it away were very nice. They even helped me take it apart. And, the table and bench actually helped me set the color tone for my kitchen. It actually hit me when I was at the Chocolate Bar with June. Basically, the Chocolate Bar's colors. Dark brown, orange, white, and a lighter brown. Something in there. So, I've owned my place for a year and have lived in it for less than half of that time, but its still a work in progress. Whew, its a long process...

Oops, I done it again...

2007-01-09T08:54:00.000-08:00

So, I got myself another game system. Well, actually, my wonderful girlfriend got it for me for Christmas. I wonder how she knew? But, I keep telling myself that I shouldn't pick another gaming system up because I end up not using them as much as I should to get my money's worth. BUT, I had been thinking about picking up the DS for a while. Over a year. Then, they came out with the DSlite. That made it even more portable, which made it more buyable. :) So, as time went on, the idea of picking one up just made its way into my little brain more frequently. I did a little research and found that its really got some good games. Not just shoot em up kill em games. But, more in the direction of just fun strategy games. Games that make you think and work the mind a little. Don't get me wrong, I like myself a good shoot em up game as much as the next gaming nerd. I splattered my fair share of heads with a snipper riffle and ripped out a good amount of skulls with their spines still attached as well when I had to work off some frustration. But, that can get old after a while. And, I'm getting old and my mind could use some working out. :P So, I am very happy with the DSlite. Plus, the games are more affordable than the PSPs. So, now, I have Brain Age and Mario Kart so far. Love them both. By the way, I have a 34 year old brain. That's down from a 52 yr old brain. June is down in her low 20s. :) Anyway, the DSlite has been a good buy so far. I would highly recommend it. Now, I just have to figure out how to do get things done and play games at the same time......

NYC tree

2006-12-23T15:40:00.000-08:00

With the hectic pace of getting things done for the Christmas holiday, I really hadn't had time to do any kind of decorating. I overheard my girlfriend mention that she wouldn't mind a small tree, and this image of a tiny tree emmediately popped into my head. You know, those tiny cheesy trees that some take-out places have sitting on their counters. But, I didn't know where to find them. As I was running around one day picking up a few last items, a tiny tree sitting on top of a cash register in a 99 cent store caught my eye. It was absolutely perfect! Exactly what I had pictured in my mind. It even came with decorations(tho we added a couple of our own) and even lights! The perfect size for my tiny NYC apartment. So, I ran into the 99 cent store and snatched up my 06 Christmas tree for $10. I couldn't wait to see my girlfriend's reaction. She loved it! We hurriedly took it out of the box and put it together. It was truly perfect. It now sits on my TV shelf. It has turned out better than I could imagine. Merry Christmas to all who read this and a Happy and Healthy New Year!!

SOFA!!!

2006-12-23T14:59:00.000-08:00

Finally!! My sofa arrived! It's been 8 long weeks since I placed my order. Why so long? It would have been delivered a week later if I went with the original color, but I decided to go with one of the optional colors. So, they have to put in the request and have the sofa made. It's a pricey(to me) sofa, so I figured I might as well get it the color I want. It was actually between this Tetris Flannel(brown) and a white color. I really liked the white, but thought it would get dark patches very quickly. So, I went with the darker color. I can't say that I'm totally happy with how dark the sofa is, but it is really growing on me. Like a fungus.... :) And, it wasn't as comfortable as the one in the store. But, I think the comfort will come with time. It's already starting. :) I was nervous up to the last minute because they told me that I would have to remove my front door to get the sofa in my apartment. And, I had no idea how I was going to do that. When it arrived, I was so very happy to find that removing the door was not necessary. They brought it in, screwed the legs on, and it was sitting in my apartment. After 8 weeks, here it was. As I had hoped, it has defined the area quite well. Now, everything will start to take shape off of the sofa. It sets the height, position, and color that other items should be. But, for now, I need to take some time and enjoy the sofa. Woohoo!! Sofaaaa!!

bathmat

2006-12-23T14:45:00.000-08:00

So, the other day we were finishing up some Christmas shopping and just stopping into some shops to check out possible apartment items. We happened across this bathmat. Plush, worked with the colors I wanted in my bathroom, and it resembled the pattern of the mushroom on the Super Mario series. I wanted it emediately, but thought it would be too much. We were at West Elm. Checked out the price tag and realized that it wasn't too horrible. So, I carried it around for a bit just making sure I wanted it. After a few more rounds of the store, we checked out. To my surprise, I was charged less that half of what was on the price tag. Don't you love when that happens? I got a great bathmat for about $10. Nice!!

recycle!

2006-12-23T14:19:00.000-08:00

Whew, it's been a while. I haven't done much on my apartment for a bit. Kind of taking it easy and saving some money for some larger items in the apartment. But, one evening my girlfriend and I watched a couple of inspirational movies. "Who Killed the Electric Car?" and "An Inconvenient Truth". I'm no activist by any definition and have no desire to be. But, I would like to do what I can in my everyday life to not add to the cancerous effect that we have on this little marble we live on. So, I decided to start recycling. BUT, my place is SO small. So, how can I have some recycling bins and not take up too much space and also not have exposed cans of soda to attract pests? Of course, bins with lids. But, do I want blue bins for the obvious recycling appeal or do I want a different color that flows better with the rest of my kitchen. My girlfriend mentioned whit bins and it just sounded right, so the color was set. Now where to find this item? As usual, Ikea is the first place to look. At first they had great recycling blue bins for under the sink use. Then, we happened across these white bins in the kids section. They're actually diaper storage bins. But, they were perfect! The right size to fit perfectly into a tucked away corner and they had lids that snapped on. Plus, the bins were small enough to work with the usual bags you get from any restuarant or grocery store. And, that was the start of my "recycling center". :)

organize!

2006-11-21T14:40:00.000-08:00

Just took another trip to Ikea! Love that place. This time, I picked this little item up. It's a wire organizer. Since my place is limited in space, I do not have space to use my drafting table as just drawing area. I have to use it as my "office". So, I have to try to make things as efficient as possible and as clean as possible. This organizer will give me a place to tuck wires and place chargers. And, not have them sitting on the table top or hanging off the side. It's a good buy at $13. And, its tight enough to the table that it won't hit your knees. Nice!

I also picked up these hooks. I was actually looking for these round knob like hooks, but it seems that they were out of them. And, I had been waiting a while to find hooks for my bathroom. So, I settled on these. They're not horrible, but not ideal. They're basically blunt hooks. Very simple and clean design. They do serve their purpose. I staggered the placement for a little funkier feel.......well, at least not a normal feel. Yep, I still have the old holes that belong to the previous hook system.

And, I placed three hooks lower and off to the side on the door to hold my laundry bag and whatever else needs to be placed lower.

HDMI

2006-11-06T07:20:00.000-08:00

You won't believe what I had to go through to finally get this player to work. For some reason, all the players that I bought didn't work. And, the fourth one I had delivered(UPS) was damaged. I went to two stores and returned four DVD players before I figured out that I was doing something wrong. I didn't read the manual. I couldn't get the HDMI connection to work. When connected the picture on the tv was just flickering and looked like it was not connecting at all. I connected the component wires to see if there was any difference. The image was flipping and it was pink. I finally openned the manual and looked at the troubleshooting section. And, of course, there was a solution. Read the proper pages. And, taadaa, I had myself a fully funtional HDMI upconverted multi region dvd player. Not HD DVD, but I'm going to wait till they work the bugs out and reduce the size, and price, to upgrade. And, it looks pretty nice too. Not bad for around $90. Just remember to read the manual before running to return it. Some of these players need their video functions activated or set to the right output in order for it to work properly.

And, below the dvd player, that is the DVR Digital Cable Box. If you have a HD capable tv set, you definitely need to upgrade to this tuner. It gives you the HD channels and it records shows. Its been great because if you have shows you like to catch, like we do, it frees you up a bit from a tv schedule. And, allows you to finish that dinner, finish up that work, work out, whatever you need to do without worrying about missing a show. PLUS, it has two tuners, so it can record two shows at the same time. It's $9 more a month on top of digital cable, but its totally worth it.

blinded

2006-10-22T22:07:00.000-07:00

So, I haven't had the time to actually get proper window dressing yet. I had taped up some packing paper that came in some with Ikea items. Go figure. Then, one day I was walking around in a store and came across these great items. They're Redi Shades. And, I remembered that my sister had these and remembered thinking that I should get them when I get a place....... So, here I am, I picked them up. They're great for temperary window shades. They have a clean look and are durable. Then, you can take your time finding ones that you'd really like without having to worry about a "unfinished" appearance. They offer the shades in a few materials. Paper, fabric, light blocking paper, and black out. I picked up the fabric. I went with that so that I could keep them for a while and they wouldn't rip easily. And, they let light through. They're cheap, have a nice clean appearance, and they're easy to install. Another item I was very pleased with. Well worth the money!

Shaadoom

2006-10-15T21:58:00.000-07:00

This is my latest addition to my apartment. A gift from my girlfriend. Yup! It's the original mushroom from Super Mario. The one the makes you grow big. Yay! I saw it in passing one day when we were on Elizabeth St. in Chinatown. I expressed my excitement, but we decided to come back for it at a later date. We came back and it was no where to be found. We never figured that they would be such a hot selling item. But, I was devastated....... okay, not really. More of a dissapointed. My girlfriend comforts me. :) So, we left the store a bit defeated. I looked it up online and couldn't really find it, so I sort of gave up on it. About a week later, my girlfriend surprises me with a box. It was open, so I just thought she was excited that she had recieved something she had ordered online and wanted to show me. As I got closer to opening the box, she got giddy. It was very cute. But, I still didn't know what she was getting excited about. Then, I opened the box to a little mushroom sitting in a bed of stuffing. I lept out of my seat and joined her in her giddiness. :) Shroomy(?) is still waiting for his final living space. But, for now he sits atop my left speaker. :)

new view

2006-10-12T22:19:00.000-07:00

I realized that I hadn't taken any pictures of my place as a whole for a while. So, this is the view that you get when you come in the door. It's a mess now. I actually transitioned from renting a larger place to owning a smaller place. So, I have a lot more things than I have space for. But, its good. It'll force me to get rid of things that I don't need. I'm a pack rat, so that's a good thing. Presently, as you can see, I'm using a Aero bed as my sofa. Nice....not really. Kind of ghetto, actually. But, I am in the process of saving up for my sofa. It's kind of pricey, but really quite comfortable. I think the sofa will be a big step to making my place feel more like home. And, it will help seperate the room into sections of defined spaces. So, here is my space as it is now. It's cluttered now, but hopefully it will clean up as I move farward.

signs

2006-10-05T06:47:00.000-07:00

I was really excited about this little item. I visited this hotel down in the lower east side. This really trendy spot. One of the coolest things that I saw was the "do not disturb" sign. Usually, its a flimsy piece of paper, or in the nicer hotels a flimsy piece of plastic, that you hang on the handle on the outside of your door. This place had these magnets. One side has the "do not disturb" and the other has the "please clean room" sign. I thought it was one of the neatest things about the place. Actually, it had a bed that I liked too. But, I couldn't just take a bed. But, these little signs, I'm sure everyone took theirs. So, now its found a new home on my refrigerator door. Reminding me not to disturb the food. :)

see the lights!

2006-10-03T15:26:00.000-07:00

So, at the end of my construction, I needed to find kitchen light fixtures. I put this off thinking that I'd take my time picking one out after construction. But, my contractor told me that the installation was included in the renovation. So, now, I had to scramble around searching for fixtures that fit in my kitchen. I needed two. I went to every store in the lighting district right outside of Chinatown. Everything I liked was too expensive. They were all over $200. I was bummed. And, getting tired of my funds running low. Too much output and not enough input. I was tired and just wanting to give up and just leave the old fixtures with the bare bulbs where they were. Then, one evening, I ended up in Home Depot. One of my favorite stores these days. I found these lights. They worked really well for my kitchen. The polished silver and frosted glass combination matched the wall cabinets. The best thing of all, they were only $35 each. So, I figured why not. If I don't like them, I can take my time finding replacements. And, for the time being, I'll have these fixtures up and not unsightly old exposed bulb fixtures. But, I was pleasantly surprised. They actually work quite well with my kitchen. The frosted glass sides actually spread the light very nicely and eased the spotlight effect of these lights. And, here they are lit. Not too shabby for $35, eh? Yes, I know, the stickers are still on it. I tried taking them off, but they are leaving a residue. So, I have to find some time to take them off with a cleaner in hand that won't leave marks. All in due time.

more bang for your buck...

2006-09-23T22:24:00.000-07:00

So, I'm slowly adding little things that make my place a nicer place to be. Cheap solutions to make things feel and function at a much higher quality. This first item I added was from Ikea( of course). They are the Rationell door bumpers. You know how when you close your cabinet doors you get this somewhat harsh bump sound? These are your solution. You can get a set of 6 for $10. See the protruding stem on the end of the grey structure? That catches your door before it slams shut. And, slowly closes your door silently. I have to say that it is one of the best buys I've made yet. Super cheap with wonderful effect! What more can you ask for?

My second item was cabinet handles. I was going to go with rods to match my oven, but I couldn't find the right length. And, I needed a way to open my cabinets. So, my solution, low profile Grip handles that attach from behind so that they do not leave holes on the front of my doors in case I want to add in the future. For the more visible handles, the ones located on the base cabinets under my sink, I attached them a little farther back to give the front an even lower profile of an appearance. These handles were again a product of Ikea. At $3 for a set of 2, you can't really do any better. I might go with the pricier rods in the future, but these will do just fine for now.

1st stove meal!

2006-09-19T21:25:00.000-07:00

First food item cooked on my stove. Ramen noodles!! And, in my new Ikea bowls. Part of a set of 18 for...... near free. Anyway, Ramen noodles!! One pork flavored. While the other was beef. YUM, haven't had home made Ramen noodles in the longest time. Mmmmmm.......

that's me!

2006-09-15T21:23:00.001-07:00

Finally, after nine months, the management company of my building put my name tag up. Small, but in a way, it makes it feel a little more "yours". Now, I just have to wait for them to change my name on the buzzer at the front door...

a touch of Ikea...

2006-09-15T20:37:00.000-07:00

So, we've been taking a lot of trips out to Ikea. They've just got the right products at the right price. I thought I'd show a few items to show how they would look in a actual home. Here, I have the Grundtal wall storage system install above my tiny counter. I needed raised storage in order to give the counter a cleaner feel. I'm actually the most thrilled about the dish rack. It folds up when not in use. Very very useful in a mini kitchen. :)Here is the Lyngby rug. I looked around for a bit for a rug that would work. I was iffy about many rugs. Once I saw this rug, it clicked. It's nice and soft. And, it has a soft bottom side as well, which is good for the floors. And, in the background, you see the Lack shelf on its side with the legs. Yes, I will be cleaning the wires up behind my "entertainment center". :)
This is my temperary dining set that my sister donated to me. I actually like it a lot. It has a small tea house feel. I wish I could find two more of those stools. They're actually a older Ikea item, but they are not offered anymore. The table is actually a Lack table. Side table, I think. But, it works well as my kitchen table. Simple and clean lines. Nice!!

2nd dish!

2006-09-07T15:07:00.000-07:00

Aaaaand my second dish iiiiissssss...... curly fries. Haha. The GE oven with Advantium technology didn't do such a great job this time. It required three extra additional added cook times. The foil might have made a difference. And, in the end, it wasn't as hot as we'd like it. It was still good, but not as good as deep frying the little things. Maybe, that's the difference between baking fries and deep frying fries? Anyway, they are a nice golden brown, aren't they?

and accessories...

2006-09-01T07:44:00.000-07:00

So, this is one of my first pieces I purchased for my place..... well, first piece beyond all the appliances, cabinets, TV, etc. So, this is a Lack shelf from Ikea. They also suggested using it as a TV shelf on its side. So, I decided to add Capita legs to raise the shelf off the ground a bit and to give it that "not a Lack shelf on its side" look. One thing did worry me tho. When I was predrilling the screw holes, the shelf walls felt very hollow. I'm hoping that it will hold my entertainment system without crumbling under the weight. Perhaps I'll add two more support legs.....

Cookies!!!!

2006-08-31T11:21:00.000-07:00

So, I finally test drove the oven. I started with a simple Pillsbury Hershey's chocolate chip cookie test. I started with just two. So, if it went horribly wrong, I would have ruined only two cookies. The great thing about this oven is that it requires no preheating. Nice! And, it has preset food times. See the little silver knob? I just use that to scroll through the menus. Shoot it better have some interesting features. I paid enough for it....

And, here is the finished product of my first ever venture into making cookies.... Not the greatest looking cookies.... a little uneven... but, all in all, not to shabby. I placed them a bit too close to the trench, so they got a little warped. Now onto steaks and turkeys! :)

Taadaaaa!!

2006-08-28T14:38:00.000-07:00

Finally, my oven is here and installed. It cost a bit more than I would have liked to pay, but it was the one of very few that would fit into the set opening in the cabinet. It's supposed to prepare food up to 3 or 4 times faster than a regular oven. That means cookies in 3 minutes!!! :) I haven't had the time to test it out yet, but I'm looking forward to it. So, now the renovation stage of my apartment is finally finished. After a few touch ups this morning and handing over of the final check, the weight was lifted. Now, to just settle in and start looking for furniture and the nice little accessories.

Oven!!!

2006-08-25T07:37:00.000-07:00

Yaaaay!!! My oven finally arrived after two other cancelled delivery schedules. My contractor is supposed to come by and finish up the job today. I hope that is so. But, I was so excited about the oven actually getting here that I needed to take a picture of it and share it. So, here is the box that my oven is in. I'll hopefully be able to post up a installed picture soon.

floor issues

2006-08-16T22:12:00.000-07:00

Well, this post is about the issues that I'm having with my floors. This photo displays the little bubbles of polyurethane that bubbles out of the floor. I'm guessing that it is polyurethane that has been trapped inbetween the floor panels. And, as time goes on, it gets pushed out. It may seem that this is not a huge problem. The problem is that when you remove this liquid, it leaves a sticky residue. This, in time, attracts dirt and leaves a dirty spot on the floor. This is if you remove it with your fingers, which my contractor's men did. Now, I've gotten to the point where I take a sharp knife and try to remove it as cleanly as I can. These spots are all over the floor.

This pic shows some of the touch up work that was done after the first pass of polyurethane. This was actually a "dry spot" where there was no polyurethane at all. After retouching, it seems that someone stepped in it and left a shoe print. Notice the circles. Obviously, this is not supposed to be there.
This pic shows wipe marks on the floor. See the dull streaks? Those are permanent. Or, so it seems at this point. My contractor is supposed to come by tomorrow to install my oven and "finish up". I'll question him about these issues at that point. Wish me luck. So, if any of you are planning to get new wood floors, ask if there is already a pre-finish on the panels. If so, stick with that. Supposedly, that is better than any finish you can get put on it. I didn't realize this, so I asked for a finish. And, this is why I am going through this drama. If only I would have studied up, I'd be finished by now. Well, just waiting for my oven.....

aaaaaaand.....

2006-08-08T11:22:00.000-07:00

....here are the floors! They're finally done. Mmmm...shiney... You can't really tell from the picture, but there are some issues that need to be taken care of. Things like spaces under the moldings and imperfections in the finish. But, all in all, not a bad job. There are so many little touches that I already have in mind that need to be updated. Things like light switches, outlets, door knobs, locks, etc. Unfortunately, money is an issue, so things have to be planned out. I do need to get furniture. I'm in my place with a temperary futon now. I did pick up some Ikea items, tho. I picked up two cheap wardrobes to hold my clothes until I'm ready to purchase my built in units. And, I picked up a TV stand. It's basically a book shelf laid on its side. Nice and chunky! :) The apartment is very close to being finished. At least the basics. The oven(new) is being picked up on Thursday. Then, there is probably one more day of touch ups around the apartment. Then, the construction part will finally be finished. I can't wait to change all my locks and be able to finally settle in and enjoy my very own place. There will still be a ton of work till the place is ready for guests, but at least that's the more enjoyable part. Now, the hard part is to get everything in without scratching the floors.........

so close...

2006-07-27T15:05:00.000-07:00

So, as I was searching for a gift for my nephew and for a check valve at lunch this afternoon, I recieved a call from my contractor. He proceeds to tell me that we have a "small problem". He said that when they delivered the wrong colored floors. So, I expected the worse. He tells me that my oven is not going to work with my apartment. It was like a emotional punch to the gut. I was so close to being done with this thing. Now, one more major hurdle. Returning the oven after the return deadline is up AND finding a new oven. I can't believe that I have to upgrade my oven even before I used this one. But, I digress.... Here is the latest update on the progress. :)

The floor is almost complete. I walked on it with my bare feet. Nice! :) I found out later that the glue wasn't dry yet, so I could have displaced some of the boards. Great.....but, supposedly I didn't do any damage. :)

The microwave and the faucet are in. I was all giddy when I turned on the faucet for the first time. Woohoo!

it begins...

2006-07-25T08:21:00.000-07:00

They started on my floors this Monday. I decided to go with bamboo floors after I visited my sister's friend Peter's apartment. It was the first time I saw bamboo floors in a residential environtment and fell in love with the look and feel. I thought it was out of the price range set by the contractors, but it actually just made it. I've heard bad and good about bamboo. My contractor wanted to just lay them down and leave it. I expressed my discomfort about the spaces between boards(tiny as they were) and they offered to put a coat of polyurethane down for free. I hope that takes care of it and gives it that nice smooth solid feel. I hope I get to tell a good story in the end. So far, it looks good. Tho it looks as if they squished a Gremlin to get the floors to stick....

floors!

2006-07-23T18:57:00.000-07:00

Well, they're still in boxes. They were delivered early on Saturday morning. The contractor claims that they will start on the floor on Monday. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! Hopefully, I'll be in my apartment by the end of the week. Nice!! Then again, that's what I said last week. We'll see!

appliances

2006-07-23T16:19:00.000-07:00

I got bored, so I am posting up some pics of the appliances that helped bleed my account dry. I decided to go with stainless steel. One of the things that I had always liked the look of. Unfortunately, stainless steel is always the most expensive finish. I don't know why, but it seems that I always lean towards pricey things. Maybe, I'm still attracted the shiney objects. But, because of the desire for stainless, I couldn't afford the top of the line items that I jumped at. I had to go for the mid-range to lower end appliances in the stainless steel family. Not too shabby, but also not top of the line.

This is my Ikea oven. Yep, Ikea makes ovens. Supposedly, Whirlpool makes them. This was a hard piece to find. I looked at many ovens. They either didn't have the look I wanted or they were way too expensive. So, I settled on this one. I like the look and the feel. Could do without the Ikea stamp, but it's okay.

This is my giant Sharp microwave. Why did I get one this large? Not sure. The only thing I wanted to was match my oven. The hole in the wall in the background is where the microwave will be located.
This is my DeLonghi cooktop. I searched high and low for a decent cooktop. This is one that I could afford. Now that I think about it, I wish I would have gone with the double burner. Oh well.
This is my giant Pegasus faucet. It stands 18 inches tall. Its almost touching my wall cabinets. Why did I get such a huge faucet? I didn't know it was so tall....

And, this is my LG fridge. I was quite proud of this purchase. A bit small, but a good size for my apartment. This refrigerator costs about $1000 online. I found it brand new in Chinatown for $699. Nice!!

closer look

2006-07-19T11:00:00.000-07:00

Here’s a closer look at the counter. As you can see, I do not have much counter space. The cooktop and sink are pushed as far to the sides as they can be to maximize the space between them. Why did I get such a large sink? Not sure. I thought I’d need it. Maybe, I can find something to go over part of it for more food preparation space. I’d also like to find something to place over the cooktop for additional surface space. I went with the undermount sink for a cleaner more streamlined appearance. Plus, a basic rounded on top edge cut also to keep lines clean.

Counter!

2006-07-17T14:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, so not that much of a jump. But, yaaay, I got my counter today! I got a Corian counter. Couldn't afford marble or granite, so I went with a alternative. Still very solid, but not stone. My sister got this type of counter as well. It really grew on me. They measured for a template a week ago and came today to install it. I was very pleased. If anyone ever needs a counter, let me know. These guys do counters for Home Depot, but are cheaper. All cash, tho. :) No worries, they're very professional. The sink is on the right side of the counter. Close to the fridge. The opening on the left is for my cooktop. They put a special tape on the cutout to protect from the heat. As you can see, I don't have much counter space. But, because my base cabinets had to be pushed out I ended up with extra counter space behind my sink and cooktop. It actually turned out to be a good thing. It gives me more space to put things. Hmmm, a blender for making icee drinks? Nice!! So, I decided to have the faucet installed at the inner right corner of the sink to maximize my space behind the sink. My floors actually were delivered, but they brought the wrong color. There was only two colors, and they brought the wrong one. Can you believe that? So, that backs my plans up another week and a half. Anyway, my counter is in and I'm happy....... for the moment. :)

not much...

2006-06-29T14:29:00.000-07:00

I stopped by last night to see the progress. They told me that the "false wall" was put in, so I wanted to see for myself. Hmmm, the base seems to stick out a little too far, but there was really no other option. My oven is in, fridge is unpacked, and my microwave is unpacked and sitting on the work station to the left of the kitchen. I was a bit dissapointed thinking that they'd be farther than they were, but its okay. Now, I just have to go to Home Depot and pick out my counter color. The color I originally chose seems a bit dark. So, I have to go make sure. My floor still looks tan in this picture. It was called medium white, so it should be white. And, it looks white. Not sure why it appears tan. Hmmm, maybe because of the pure white in the rest of the room. Anyway, little changes. Hopefully, my next update will be a larger jump. Enjoy!

progressing...

2006-06-26T15:10:00.000-07:00

I went to my apartment this weekend and checked out where things are. So, the kitchen tiles are in and the old wood floor tiles have been ripped up. The kitchen cabinets are up. But, they do need to be taken down and have a five inch wall put up to accommodate pipes that stick out too far from the wall. Of course, this costs more money. The flow of money just doesn't seem to end. Unfortunately, it is flowing the wrong way. From the pics, you can get a sense of what it will look like. The kitchen tiles are actually white, but appear tan in this picture. They used a light grout to match the light wood floors and cabinets. I had envisioned my apartment with darkwood, but everyone warned of how that would make my place look even smaller than it already is. So, I had my doubts on the light wood, but decided to go in that direction. After seeing my cabinets up, I feel much better with the light colors. That tall box in the center of my kitchen is my refrigerator. Oh, the contractor is wrapping my hot water pipe with twine. You can see that half of it is done. He ran out. Surprisingly, he's not charging for it. I'm sure he felt bad because he's charging me so much for everything else. Anyway, this is the next stage. Everything is a little more cleaned up. The lines are cleaner. Things are starting to take shape.

demolition

2006-06-21T15:16:00.000-07:00

It finally began after fighting to get my permits, licenses, and go ahead from the management office. I started the renovations three months later than I had planned due to the incompetence of others. The first things to go were the walls. The wall that separated the kitchen from the living space, the closet, and the small walls that stuck into the living space were all taken out to open the space up. It was quite weird to see my place in this state. The only thing that won't be touched is the bathroom. All floors are being replaced. Walls repainted. Everything in the kitchen is being replaced. I'm excited because I'm going with bamboo floors which I didn't think I'd be able to afford. They were actually at Home Depot in the price range my contractors included in the price. Oh yeah, no shoes will be permitted inside the apartment. At this moment, the tiles in the kitchen are done. All new appliances are there except for the oven. Cabinets are in, but need to be removed because a false wall that needs to be placed in to accommodate a deep oven.

my space

2006-06-21T10:18:00.000-07:00

So, this is one of the many items that has been taking up most of my time. My very own little space on the lower east side. Yep, when I say little, I mean little. It's about 500 square feet. Smaller than a tennis court. The conveniences are what make this place ideal for me. In the city, close to good cheap food, close to subways, close to trendy areas, small gym in the building, etc. Yet, far enough that you're not right in the middle of anything. When I first saw the place, I liked the layout of the place. One big rectangle of a living space with a full kitchen and the bathroom located towards the front. But, it still needed some work. This picture is of my place before any work has been done to it. One if of the "living space" and the other is of the kitchen.

pic

2006-06-21T09:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it seems that I need to post a pic before I can set it for my profile. So, this is a pic of me in the actual trash can that Oscar lives in. We visited the set one day and we were allowed to play a around a little. FUN!!

Hello?

2006-06-20T07:43:00.000-07:00

Soo, lets see if I can make this thing work....