Upcoming project: Home Office

Looks like the volume of my work is increasing and I need additional space for my one on one coaching. I will need a dedicated space for a home office now, and the only place that fits my requirement would be my current walk in wardrobe. I may need to move that to the third room. Major cleanup would be needed, and I will need to remove 2 cupboards from there. This would be interesting...

Project: tsubo niwa - site analysis

How the site looks like now:

Soon to be dining area, looking out to balcony

Balcony view from sliding door area

The space does have potential! :-)

Project: tsubo niwa - the beginning

First things first: before putting anything down on paper.

I did my initial research on different garden styles and the goal of using each design. I only have a small area i.e. my balcony. I liked what I saw in discussions on small courtyard gardens and I decided to have a Japanese influence to my own small oasis of calm. I found out that deciding what I want to do with/in my garden influences a lot on the type of garden I will create. Usually, a small courtyard garden is admired by the household, not really a space to sit in or walk in, due to its small size. The concept of Japanese-style gardens is based on the idea that a garden mimics nature. Remember the bonzai plants? Carefully pruned bonzai plants resemble the shapes of larger trees. These plants mimic them; are miniatures of larger trees. In designing my garden, I need to consider elements that work together in an asymmetrical balance and unity.

Since my tsubo niwa is mainly for me to view and use to contemplate nature, I will need additional space to sit. I decided to use a portion of my living room that is the dining area, and expand it to include a couple of cushions near the sliding doors opening to the balcony. I have a small coffee table that can work in this setting, and to me this works somewhat similarly to the idea of an infinity pool - creating a swimming pool that looks out to the ocean; as if the pool goes out until the horizon, as far as the eyes can see.

Keeping in mind that the journey is as healing as the end-result, I started off with measuring the area I have.

First things first: measure, measure, measure.

I created a 1:10 scale drawing of the area I'm working with. The image posted below is stretched a little to ease viewing.

Next steps for me to consider would be to decide on the enclosure and the design of my dry-type garden. I'll need to take into account future maintenance of any plants, security and safety features, and comfort i.e. if I plant tall bamboos to shield my garden from neighbours' views, will these be places for mosquitoes to breed - and other related stuff.

I also now have a deadline. This 'shake-leg' period will end on March 14. I start work at my new job on March 15 - if not earlier, if I can make it.

Homesickness cure

Whenever I travel and I get a wee bit homesick for my family, I call them. When I miss my coccoon of personal space, I look at photos of my favorite corners of my apartment and instantly feel soothed.

My shoes! To the left is my corkboard where I store my earrings and stuff

One side of my walk-in. My little slice of heaven on earth... *sigh*

A corner of my living room dedicated to me and my punching bag. I hug it first when I come in after a long day, and it's where I practice my punches and kicks when I need to work off some steam. I wish it has arms so that I can get hugged back sometimes.

It's been a long time coming, but I really am happy with how things turn out. I finally dont feel too empty, lethargic and ill after coming home from my business trips. I've also started feeling the extra value of my weekends and I look forward to coming home after work.

Before this, my bed was out in the living room, along with my working desk, armchair and bedside tables. It felt more stark than any no-star no-moon hotel room. Maybe that was how I cushioned myself to make work traveling more tolerable. Sure, the 5- and 4-star hotels are lovely. Being the program manager, I always am given the higher end rooms, the club floors, the executive harborview rooms etc. In fact, the Kowloon Shangri-La one that I was in during the Hong Kong workshop in 2004 was half the size of my apartment. The bathroom alone was bigger than my bedroom! I didnt dare talk to anyone about how disconcerted I felt. To my ears even, I sounded ungrateful. I didnt dare to have my friends tell me that they'd give anything to have a job like mine. I sound like I'm whining if I tell them how lonely it gets. How I need to be on top of things all the time and it's not ethical for me to just take off during the day and plan a trip to Lantau Island to see the big Buddha statue. How wandering alone by myself was just not doing it for me. And how calling up friends or colleagues in a foreign city just doesnt work for me anymore because I feel uneasy having them feel that they need to plan some weekend agenda for me since I was in the country.

The last 2 weeks of 2006 was spent on vacation from work. I rearranged my furniture, got rid of a ot of clutter, put a rug in the living room with throw cushions, added a table lamp or two, and claimed my own personal space again. I dont need that much stuff, it turned out. No added furniture. No clutter. What I have is enough.

Yeah - things are not too bad at all :-)

Sorted, Guv!

Happy days are on its way. I finished one part of my home re-org. The airconditioning unit was installed in the bedroom yesterday. The installation guys also reinforced the hook on the ceiling for my punching bag. Nice job, for a small tip and a bag of crinkle potato chips. This morning I only took a little bit more than an hour to turn my Queen-size bed to a different side to make way for my work table, bring in the work table and chair, set up my SoHo and have my Maxis wireless broadband up and running. I like the peace and quiet. I wont have to share my desk with C anymore. LOVE THAT. I still have a few things left to do i.e. clean up my walk-in wardrobe next door and fix up the living room a bit. For now I dont feel the pressure because I know the main thing on my list is achieved. I've created my personal space. But I would like to get the living room sorted before I leave for the east coast tomorrow.

What I'm in the spirit to do is to look around for a sturdy and comfy sofa. I remember Farid's recommendation a few weeks ago to source for functional and smart furniture at Cavenzi. There is a showroom near the Centrepoint area, which is close, so maybe I'll pop by there this afternoon.

I really need to go to the gym today. Need to work off the lychee martini, spicy chicken sausages and bloody mary that I guzzled last night at Laundry! Yummy lychee martini, but I think I drank it too fast - I became very lightheaded very quickly after. After gallons of water (until right now, actually) I feel a llittle confident that I wont be woozing my way around so it's time to work the stuff out of my system :-)

Before things get more pear-shaped... he he he

Splurge: Everlast. Save: Oriental

It's been a long time coming, but finally I can cross several things off my list.

I think I've got most of the stuff sorted out - my new red Oriental punching bag will be secured to a strong hook and hung from the ceiling. I've always wanted to use that corner space in the living room and now I can. The electricians will be here on Tuesday to install the new airconditioning unit in my bedroom. The bed can then go back to its original place. I'll move the dresser to a different corner of the bedroom so that my legs wont be pointing towards it when I'm in bed. I'll be able to use my bedside table again - with my bedside table lamp and clock on it, just like before. I can find a lovely, comfy, corner sofa to put in front of the TV - a corner sofa that I can sink into.

I'm leaving the TV in the living room, for sure. If I bring it into the bedroom, my insomnia will never find its cure! I've decided to turn my bed into a haven for sleeping only. No more reading in bed. No more eating in bed - yep, my night bed is also a day bed / sofa for the time being, all achieved with clever use of multi-functional bedcovers - slip the comforter all the way up, over the pillows, place a throw / colorful batik sarong across the bed and va-va-voom! Instant daybed. Before bedtime, take the wrap off, shake/fluff the comforter, fold it back down the lower half of the mattress, and I have my night bed again, for my deep slumber.

I only haven't fully figured out my strategy for the SoHo yet. I dont like to see the criss-crossing wires. I dont like to work from a cramped location, that's why I moved my workstation out to the living room. I think I'll decide on its location once I sorted out the bed and the sofa.

Merry Christmas to me :-)