Sabbatical - The Madrid Edition

Has it really been almost exactly 3 months since I've left Spain? I figured I have to finish writing about my sabbatical in Spain before more time has lapsed and more trips have passed me by.

Madrid was all about creative street art, and lots of interesting murals on the walls and shop fronts/gates/doors. I am still trying to figure out what a mannequin propped up in a balcony mean? I noticed that in at least 3 balconies in different areas. It was too much to be a coincidence. Was it code for some illicit business that takes place in that particular flat? Or just that some really cool artist lives there and nothing more nefarious?

Madrid was also about beautiful blue skies and puffy white clouds streaking across the azure. Gorgeous patterns in the dazzling brightness. I could never get enough of how beautiful and interesting the sky was every single day.

And lastly, the huge flea market and the laneways on the slopes with all the shops selling antiques and vintage ware. There we were, most aptly located in our Airbnb apartment with the biggest flea market on our doorstep. We loved checking out the little shops even if that mean trudging up and down the hills and wandering around the flea market and trying to score a bargain at the market stalls. And now back in Singapore, I wear the lovely reversible skirt I bought in Madrid, and as I finger the pretty fabric, I remember my time under the sun, under the dazzling blue sky, under the puffy white clouds.

Sabbatical - The Barcelona Edition

Barcelona was amazing for its cool cafes, great coffee (we discovered a cafe con leche was pretty much the equivalent of a flat white), yummy food (both traditional tapas and contemporary, modern Spanish cuisine) and of course, Gaudi (and other architecture).

It helped that we were in an area which was central but yet residential as we we amongst several cafes, restaurants, bars and bakeries. The residential buildings were old, several hundreds of years type of old. Many had no lifts, the twice-a-day down/up the 5th floor where our Airbnb apartment was, definitely improved my cardio-vascular strength after our 5 days there. There were several very interesting cafes just below us with tastefully curated interiors, pretty young girls and/or hipster guys with big beards (a dead giveaway) running the place. The food was fresh and delicious, the drinks just as good. For cafe lovers, we could not be in a better spot.

I had the best Galician octopus in a tapas bar/restaurant here too. This is a seemingly simple dish, the waitress told me they boil the octopus and then add paprika and olive oil. The texture was perfect, not too chewy, not hard, just so tender. A few pieces of bread was handy to sop up the leftover oil/ sauce. After this, everywhere I went, I looked to see if I could find this on the menu.


Now onto the modern cuisine scene. We were lucky to have obtained several recommendations from my colleague who works in Barcelona and even luckier that his recommendations were spot on. Getting recommendations is one thing, getting those which actually come from people who have good taste or at least taste which is not too far off from yours, is another thing. This was kinda a lucky dip as I didn't know this colleague personally but someone introduced us on email. But out of the 5 places he gave us, we went to 2 which were a stone's throw from our apartment and because they were so good, we actually repeated one of them.

And then finally, the architecture. I loved the old buildings (apart from the old we were staying in and climbing those stairs up and down) and was looking up the entire time in Barcelona. You need to look up to get the best photos! Of course then there were the Gaudi buildings. We were disappointed by the Sagrada Familia because of how the succeeding architects have "continued" with his legacy. But the Casa Batllo, we loved. This House of Bones was simply amazing and the augmented reality tour was quite inspiring. The organic and weird features were just beautiful.

So Barcelona, good bye for now. But I think I will be back.

The Sabbatical - Home Improvements Edition

It is absolutely true when they say statistics show that a large proportion of people quit after going on sabbatical. The thought of going back to work, facing the deluge of emails waiting for you is just daunting and depressing. I think however, the studies focus of people who self- reflect and feel that they can/want to do more with their lives etc. Maybe the daunting emails play a part as in "I can do more than just respond to these irritating emails."

A week and a half before I was supposed to go back to work, I wrote my boss to ask for another 3 days' off to make it a whole week out instead of returning to work on a Wednesday. As I was arranging my social calendar with friends in Singapore, from Seville where I was at that time, I was thinking I didn't have enough time to pack in all these meetings, plus do those little and not-so-little home improvement jobs I wanted to tackle.

After not hearing from the boss after 4 days, I wrote him again and asked if silence meant consent? This got me an immediate response, the good man replied that he thought he had said yes on email before and if he didn't, he said it in his head, resoundingly. Ahhh... who wouldn't love a boss like that? It makes the mountain of emails less irritating, almost.

Anyway to put work out of my head, I started tackling the home improvement jobs. I patched the few holes in the master bedroom walls left by the removal of the curtain rods which were never in use, ever. Not a great job as I did that in the semi-dark but I think better than nothing. And we finally bought a can of Nippon paint called "Charming" this afternoon. I was really impressed by the whole computerised system they use now, the computer dispenses a few drops of coloured paint in the right concentration into the can of white paint and then the can is placed into automated shaking device which shakes it up to mix it well. So no one needs to stock a bunch of coloured paints and hope that they all sell equally well. Anyway this is NOT my kitchen but what I hope the Charming colour will be close enough to. But I got a sneaky feeling it is going to end up looking exactly like the colour of my cabinets now...

Hand Made

I have always liked arts and crafts since young. When I was ten, we had to pick an extra-curricular activity and mine was the arts and crafts club. I remembered making a macrame pot hanger back then. Since then, I've upholstered wooden stools with cow print fur covered foam, made myself a yoga bag for carrying my mat and also recently a handbag from old vintage Japanese obi belt, sewn several placemats, soft toys, beaded dangling things on everything from shirts to bookmarks!

Recently, I've been inspired to make felt phone cases and particularly, superhero phone cases. I've made Batman & Robin and Superman. Then I broke from the mould and couldn't resist an owl. But I think I'll go back to making another Batman and also a Captain America. I need to go buy some more black felt first.
The other item which I have been making a few of is this origami Christmas wreath. Once I got the knack of it, I was really quick if I focused and didn't get distracted by the TV. I was making a wreath in about 16 minutes. I like the 3-dimensional form and it makes such a simple but lovely holiday decoration.

There is something deeply satisfying in making something with your own hands. We connect with the output and feel a sense of achievement, even self-worth. And that is why the hand made movement is making a comeback. People are willing to pay more for something hand made by an artisan. And artisans are willing to make things for sale, even though if you take the time put in, in some cases, the hourly rate is very low. As for me, I will make the things I like for myself and my friends and family. I don't think I will put them up for sale because the hourly rate will not be worth my time, but the ability to give my loved ones something hand made will be priceless.

A Late Stroke Of Genius

Finally. It's over. This is our best idea which came late in the day. We changed the orientation of the bedroom door, moved it down the corridor, then up, then even further up and flushed with the built-in wardrobe. Then the light bulb came TOTALLY on, we started with a sliding door, were told no-can-do for various reasons, then we went with a regular door, reusing our existing door but fabricating a new door frame (which had to go to waste after being completed and paid for). Then with the light bulb going on, we reverted back to the idea of a sliding door but using the tracks of the new wardrobe. For some reason, this brilliant idea was fine with the contractor, who thought it was rather clever too.

So here it is, doors all shut, flushed against the wall.

And here with the bedroom door slid into the wardrobe, revealing the corridor leading to the front part of the house. A late stroke of genius but so totally worth it.

Home Renovations - Before

Finally, the renovations are about to happen. This picture shows the most detested feature in our house, this wooden parquet platform that was put in by the last owner who thought it was a brilliant feature he adapted from his last resort holiday and was so proud of. I really hated it because it was impractical and dangerous especially for those middle of the night loo visits when one could easily fall over. We overcame that obstacle by swapping the sleeping area with the study area. But it was still annoying because there was also the issue of stubbing your toe instead of falling over when you came from the opposite direction. We lived with that for 3 whole years and finally decided that we have to do another round of renovations and this was the first thing that had to be fixed.

I was pretty happy with the rest of the house, but our bedroom just seems to be a white, functional room. Even the roomful of vintage furniture like the Art Deco dresser and the mid-Century long blue bench (from the Sydney Opera House foyer) could not save the insipidness of this room.

So I am looking forward to having the works done and adding some colour to this room. The room will be getting the character it deserves after a long 3 years. I can't wait. 3 weeks to the unveiling!

Work In Progress

We have been in our little flat for almost 3 years now, it's a cliche but time does fly. Our renovation and upgrading works thus far were:-

a. before moving in, basic and minor renovations - we were very eager to move into our own place!
b. about 1 year + upon moving in, upgraded shower fixtures and replaced the sink in the common bathroom. We had also replaced the stove from the stainless steel one to a glass one and repainted our kitchen cabinet doors from a plain pine to a baby blue and changed the handles. Finally hung up the 2 mid-century space ship lamps purchased online from Holland.
c. very recently, hung up more artworks and created a sorta salon wall with smaller pictures in the living room (I say "sorta" because they were under threat of removal by the Boy but I think they work and he's left them alone since).

However the one area that always felt neglected to me was our bedroom. We finally put double-glazing in and wooden blinds and that improved our sleep quality. But apart from that, we hadn't done much. The space (bedroom cum office) was functional but soulless. We have a couple of nice vintage furniture in it but that still didn't do anything for the room.

So this time round, we are focusing on our bedroom cum office. We will finally:-

a. get rid of the much-hated platform parquet floor in the office area, legacy of the last owner. It was a dumb, impractical feature but we kept it because of the speed we needed to move in 3 years ago. We made it more practical by switching the sleep and work areas, so you don't fall over the platform stumbling from your bed to the en-suite loo in the middle of the night. 

b. flatten the indentation in the 2 big end walls and make them into feature walls. I am the creative director for the bedroom area while the Boy is responsible for the office. Dark, heavy drapes will divide the 2 areas. We will be laying wooden floors on the newly-leveled surface. 

c. hack the wall separating the bedroom/office from the rest of the house, opening up the space. We will however be putting in a sliding door to block off the private space from the dining/living rooms when needed.

So we are now awaiting the contractor's quotation before we give the go ahead and I am excited to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and have a bedroom which says style rather than just function.

Cammeray

This mid-Century block is very modest, but it has a charm about it that sticks in my mind. It has been 3 years since we lived there and I had only lived in it for 8 or 9 months but somehow, I can't get it out of my mind. The clean, modernist lines, the beautiful green surroundings, the water nearby, the very genteel feel of the village...

I always loved Surry Hills for the vibe, the hipness, the cafes, the feel of the whole neighbourhood, but in the end, I think my heart keeps coming back to Cammeray. And maybe it's time my head admits it too. I think it's the first time I've said it out loud.

About Shanghai

  There are a few things I really like about Shanghai on our recent trip. Normally work trips to Shanghai are an in-and-out affair. But this time, we combined it with a weekend since both G and I were coincidentally there the same week for work.  

So my love for Chinese calligraphy and painting combined with a dress into wearable art. Here beautiful lotuses handpainted on a charcoal grey linen dress, the cut is simple and doesn't need much more when you have art. Oh yes and that's Snowy peeking out, he is my usual travel companion because he is small, cute and compact. He's not too pleased to be seen in a dress though...

 
 The little individual shops in Shanghai are a delight. As I always say, a mall is a mall is a mall. No matter where you go. Hence I try to avoid malls and hit the little individual shops. This was a Chinese teahouse on an old Shanghainese street. We were slghtly doubtful that it was actually a teahouse because it did appear too funky and modernised and (especially because) it had that capitvating mural of dollies in cheongsams.

 Architecture in Shanghai is an amazing affair. Taller, higher, shinier! The modern buildings are pretty awesome but the old Shanghainese buildings are as interesting if not more. I have walked down the Bund admiring the beautiful colonial buildings, and stopped to read every plaque affixed, telling its history. But this was my first time to the French Concession area which boasts also of the largest concentration of Art Deco buildings. Lovely.

 Cool little bars and cafes on this hip little street we tried so hard to find, and were almost giving up after much "discussion". Yong Kang Road is where all the white people congregate. On that street, you can almost believe you aren't in China. This little bar, with its vintage interior and very clever use of repurposed, upcycled egg cartons for papering over the ceiling for acoustics and aethestics, vintage luggages propping up the bar, definitely won us over easily.

 A slice of local life, unpretentious, every day living is always interesting to the outsider looking in, even for a brief moment. Here, residents set up little folding tables and chairs and pass time playing a game of Chinese chess. Others sit or stand around observing, as with this man probably mulling over a move. You see sights like middle-aged men with their singlets rolled up above their bellies sitting around in easy chairs on the pavement outside their houses. I think that is their strategy for keeping cool. Isn't this fun?

Finally, we close with a dress since we started with a dress. Shanghainese tailors are renowned for their skills. The fabric market is another wonderful place to spend many hours, wandering around, fingering beautiful fabrics, flipping through design books, talking to the shopkeepers and tailors. For the price of an off-the-rack shirt or dress at home, you can get gorgeous, tailored outfits. You just need to ensure you have enough time to try, give clear instructions, check the finished outfit, wait for revisions and then you will be the best-dressed person amongst your friends when you get home.

Shanghai - we will definitely be back for another leisurely trip.

Exotic Skins - From Hate To Love

 I firmly believe it is a sign of old age when one starts appreciating exotic skin and prints like snake, crocodile, leopard and tiger. When one was young, one avoids these like the plague, but suddenly you get to a certain age, something comes over you and you just develop a love or even an obsession for them literally overnight, with no warning symptoms whatsoever.

Mine hit me about 3 years ago when an obsession just overcame me and I spent nights surfing online shops for exotic skin bags and shoes. This really roomy clutch (snake I think) was procured from Rozelle Markets in Sydney. I had lost out on another clutch to my friend, C who had seen it first and with the laws of shopping, whoever has their claws on the item, gets first dibs on them until they relinquish it. C did not relinquish and so you snooze, you lose. Hence when I spied this clutch on a subsequent trip to Rozelle with C, I grabbed this immediately. And I use it all the time now.

 And then when I was in a departmental store, I heard these 2 pairs of snake skin shoes call out to me. It didn't matter that they were BOTH a size too small for me. I let myself be convinced by the salesgirl that "leather will stretch". I kinda forgot that even if leather stretches, it stretches sideways to become broader. It is virtually impossible to stretch LONGER. Why I didn't realise that then and also for the next few months as I squeeze my feet into these shoes, hoping for the day they will suddenly stretch to fit, will come quickly. My sister, a government scholar pointed that fact out to me recently, it didn't occur to me for some reason, perhaps I was in denial. I don't think the fact that one of us was awarded a scholarship alluded to intellect. But with this realisation, I think I have to let them go.

I drooled over this little 1950s lizard skin handbag for months before I actually purchased it online. It wasn't cheap and I was telling myself that I was buying it for my online vintage business while secretly wanting it for myself. So I needed to turn a profit on that and like I said, it wasn't cheap. But I finally bought it and it was as lovely as it looked online.

So do you agree that it is a sign of old age when one suddenly develops this exotic skin fetish - almost like a from hate to love type of story?

Heritage Walking Tour of Kuala Lumpur

I have been to Kuala Lumpur (KL) umpteen times but usually these trips were for business which mean hotel-meetings-hotel or to eat/shop/visit relatives. This is the first time I've done a Heritage Walk and this was the highlight of my recent trip. This walking tour took 1.5 hours and led us through the meandering streets and alleys of KL city around the Central Market which is where the tour started.

The first photos is of an old Chinese/Hainanese restaurant which still operates today. However in the colonial days, it used to be an upmarket restaurant for the British who used to work in the government building across from this old dame. Today it serves traditional Hainanese fare like chicken rice and pork chop rice. I would have loved to have eaten my lunch there but unfortunately did not get the chance to.

This old shop has a concrete bell on the roof top. The story is fascinating. In the olden days when most people were illiterate, they could not read the signboards of the shops. As such, the clever folks devised symbols for the common folks to associate trades with. A bell makes a "dong dong" or "dang dang" sound (depending if you say it in Cantonese or Mandarin) and this is a homonym for "pawn". Hence the shop is trading as a pawnshop. Is this clever or what?

This mosque "Masjid Jemek" is the oldest mosque in KL and showcases Moorish architecture. It is gorgeous and very serene.

This is another old building, built in 1914. According to the tour guide, Malaysia has not passed laws on conservation of these old heritage buildings. As such, this is left to the responsibility and whims of individual building owners. Many of them have sold their property to developers who have bulldozed these old beauties to build modern, spanking structures to maximise the use of the land.

I hope that these lovely old dames receive the rightful protection and love they deserve. Heritage is something we need to protect, we all have our memories of the past and they give us our identity. Collective memory gives us a national identity. Hopefully, the conservation laws won't come too late for these lovely old buildings.

Travelling Art

I have noticed that hotels are getting cooler, well some of them are and the way to differentiate themselves from the others, is to have really interesting artworks placed all around the hotel. In the common areas such as the grand lobby, lift lobbies, restaurants etc, a really impactful piece of art can really make a difference. It showcases the individuality of the hotel. In the guestrooms, the artworks are usually more sedate and mainstream probably so as not to offend the sensibilities of the more conservative guests.

But I really like the unusual artworks, they are like a surprise when you see them because a hotel lobby is probably not the most expected venue to be confronted with something like that. I like the fact that I get to enjoy an art exhibition every time I travel (which is pretty often and a pain so this is a plus).

System For Hanging Art

We deliberately decided to have no window dressing for our windows in the living room. These windows open into the common corridor and we don't usually open them for privacy reasons although I do like to keep the door open for circulation and neighbours invariably look in (and sometimes gawk) as they walk by. Besides we tell ourselves the mid-Century style room has no window dressing and we are keeping in line.

Anyway today I picked up 3 little abstract paintings of oil on linen by Singaporean artist, Tay Lay Leng and had a brainwave that I could actually use the window grills as a display system, using S-hooks and hooking the artworks on them. They could be easily moved around and changed. Bigger, heavier pieces could also be hung this way. Now why didn't I think of this earlier?!

Mum's Vintage Hoarding

My mum is a hoarder. Hence I was exposed to a lot of vintage stuff (they were just old when I was a child as they hadn't passed the 30 year mark of qualifying as vintage then) since I was a child. I remember playing dress-up with a very flouncy, layered petticoat, pretending that I was a Moulin Rouge showgirl doing the can-can dance. I also remember playing with this wire box-purse and had quite forgotten about its existence till I saw a similar bag online and asked mum if she still had hers (why wouldn't she?). But I was really happy and grateful when she found it, and easily too.

Mum kept my first swim suit, a faded green suit with black geometric prints, I remember wearing that to swim at Yan Kit swimming pool, the first swimming pool in Singapore. Now when I hold the little doll-like suit in my hands, I feel how different the material is compared to the softer, smoother fabric they use nowadays.

She also kept a few of her 1960s mini dresses, I love her drop waist green and black dress and her orange scooter dress. She also kept the spangley vest she made herself and she also made me a little dress in the same fabric. I am sure I remember that dress to be too prickly and pokey to be comfortable, but I wish I had that little dress now. Mum's mini dresses were so short I don't know how women those times kept their modesty. Perhaps they walked very daintily and didn't raise their hands and sat with their legs crossed all the time.

All I have been wishing is that she finds my very first watch. It was a Mickey Mouse watch with a red strap, Mickey's hands were the hands of the watch and she bought it for me when I started Primary One. I love that watch and I am sure being the hoarder she is, she would have kept it but that it has been misplaced somewhere and will pop up one day...

Dress Me Up

I had been eyeing the Desigual long jacket for a while. Originally had my eye on a greenish-blue one which G had protested against as it was too ... flamboyant I guess is what he thought. And for $500, he figured I wouldn't get much wear out of it because everyone in the office would gasp at me if I should wear it to work, and I wouldn't get past the front doors of any Central Bank I needed to enter for external meetings. His words for wisdom for me was not to dress "too individualistically" for work. That to me, is tantamount to waving a red flag in front of a bull. What? Me conform to the madding crowd and wear a suit? Puhleeze. Besides, now I have an actual official reason to dress "differently". I work for a Silicon Valley tech company (or rather a financial services company which still persists in calling itself a tech company) and Silicon Valley companies are well-known for their "different" dressing. I guess their idea of "different" generally refers to jeans, polo shirt, bermudas and occasionally slippers. But hey, I am interpreting "different" according to my own creative way which is highly encouraged in these types of companies.

In any case, I ended up with this jacket which has Japanese-inspired style motifs and I actually like this one better since I have a soft spot for Japanese fabrics. And burgundy is my colour as well. Getting it at 50% off was a super bonus.

So I am looking forward to inaugurating this jacket. I might wear it as a dress even!

Soup Goes With Bread

Soup goes with bread without saying of course. After resolving to put my new Le Creuset dutch oven to good use soon, I was thinking of making soup to go with it and invite some ladies over for Saturday lunch soon. A very simple yet healthy lunch of rustic home-made bread with carrot and ginger soup perhaps with a dollop of sour cream.

So when I found these 6 vintage little soup/rice bowls with the much sought-after local bunga lallang motif, I was really chuffed. I only have 4 Japanese soup bowls at the moment, 2 were lovely wooden lacquer ones which were a wedding gift from a Japanese-Australian friend, while I bought the other 2 plastic/mock lacquer ones from Daiso to make up the numbers for when we have guests. Now the stars are all aligned for me to get started on the home-made soup and bread-making with this half a dozen soup bowls. No more excuses.

No Knead Bread - Or The Long Wait For The Le Creuset Dutch Oven

I had been coveting a Le Creuset dutch oven ever since the no-knead bread recipe appeared first of all in a NY Times article all those years back. Was it 8 or 9 years ago? Or maybe 7. I forget but I remember thinking, "bread, no kneading required, mmmm.... what a great idea." All I need is a dutch oven which costs an arm and a leg, that's all. And that would be the cost of how many hundred loaves? So that idea got shelved, I moved to Sydney where I had access to the best breads known to mankind. After having the luxury of these great breads, wonderful varieties, for about A$5 a loaf, which although not cheap, seemed quite reasonable considering the warm happiness it brought me - I left Sydney after 4 years. And then started getting withdrawal symptoms not just from missing the coffee, but also the bread.

I checked the sales diligently at the housewares section just to see if the price of a Le Creuset dutch oven has plummeted for some unknown reason. No such luck. I continue to search for decent bread in Singapore and found a passable version in the Gardenia Walnut country loaf at S$3. Then on my last trip to San Jose where I organised a shopping trip to the outlets, I found my much longed-after RED Le Creuset dutch oven for about S$200, possibly about half the price for the same thing in Singapore. I packed it well with t-shirts cradling it in its box and hand-carried it back on the flight.

Now I have the equipment, I need to search for that recipe and start baking. In the meantime, it is sitting on the stove, resplendid in its redness.

As I Walked Away

Recently I have been even more active than usual in my pursuit of all things vintage. I have ventured into trying to start a very tiny online business with my partner-in-grime, K to buy and sell retro furniture and also our existing vintage treasures. For me, this means all my ceramics, glassware and kitchenalia lovingly collected over the last 5 years, especially during my time in Australia.

We have been inspired to scour all sources for retro furniture and this petite mid-Century dresser with beautiful pencil legs and mirror intact was spotted on the kerb. I stood there for some time wondering if I could somehow conjure up some form of transportation to whisk it home with me. After running through various options, I figured it would have to be a small removalist van and then I would have to spend money to restore it even though it did not look like too big a job as it was in pretty good condition and all that it needs, is probably new formica put in. But practicality overtook my sense of entrepreneurship. No (easy and free) transport, no storage space, and money and time required for restoration. So I nix the idea of picking up this lovely kerb find for myself.

I looked through my phone book to try to find the contact for the folks who are in the business to give them a tip about this little baby so that they could pick it up, restore it and sell it for a big profit. But somehow that number was not in my phone book. So it was somewhat fated that I had to leave this gorgeous little number sitting forlornly on the kerb as I slowly and reluctantly walked away from it.

Updated Lanterns

While I am currently a little obsessed with lights, here is a pretty picture of the hanging lights/lanterns in a Chinese restaurant near my work.

They are like an updated version of the Chinese lantern with thin wood strips wrapped round the lantern.

The grouping of the lights is also very dramatic and effective in creating a mood and image that would entice diners into the venue.

I too, want a lantern in my house.

Lights, Camera, Action!

We are doing home improvements after the decluttering. We installed a hat rack in the store room so that G can hang his shirts up and we were planning to hang my handbags in there and the top shelf can hold some light boxes.

We also changed the mirror in the guest bathroom, hanging a wooden box-like mirror, the bottom ledge acting like a shelf as well for little toiletries. It instantly lifted the bathroom we think.

The next thing on the list is to change some of the light fittings. We are leaving the alcove lights as is but the ceiling lights will be replaced. We have narrowed the choices for our bedroom to:-

a. artichoke lamp: hard to find the right size

b. George Nelson bubble lamp (criss-cross): very expensive

c. Aero lamp (pictured): have not come across in Singapore but available online from Australia

As such we are going to live with the current bedroom lights for now until we find the right lamp. But we will get the kitchen and guest bedroom lights changed this weekend.

Slowly but surely, we are moving towards making the house more into a home.