The Other Place

My friend and I decided to the Book Fair yesterday at the Convention & Exhibition Centre. When we exited the MTR there were lots of signs directing us to the Book Fair.

If for some strange reason you are not a book lover and did not want to go to the book fair you could go to the "Other Place".

While we were intrigued as to what the "other place" was, we decided to go to the book fair. Honestly I have never seen so many books in my life. We only managed to see a fraction of the fair before we got tired and couldn't deal with the crowds anymore. Next year my strategy is to plan to go over several days and to be there for opening time. 

Do you do windows?

I wouldn't ........

 But apparently some people do......

Because we are installing new AC units, which require compressors mounted outside our unit the workers need to put scaffolding up to protect them and people below them. Yesterday the braces for the scaffolding were installed outside our unit. I missed taking shots of the guy hanging outside our windows  due to my lens fogging up. By the time it cleared the work had been done and spiderman refused to make a further appearance, but I did see this helper cleaning the outside of the windows of the unit below ours. I think I will let mine stay dirty.

Things I see

I am very grateful to Apple for making a decent camera in the iPhone. I am often out and don't have a camera with me, but I always have my phone! Here are some random shots from around town.. 

The street scene is just outside a camera shop I stepped in. I finally found a lens hood for my 18-200 lens! I had been looking for one for ages and everyone was sold out! When out with a friend we saw this  building and were amazed at how narrow it is. It is triangle shaped too. If you look closely you can see an AC unit. Look even closer at it and you will see that while it is on the side of the building it is practically blowing out the front window! The way the trees grow is pretty amazing, life is tenacious!

Demolition

I went by the flat the other day to find the workers have been busy! We only just got permission to renovate from management and already most of the demo work has been done. I think demolition is the best part of a renovation (after seeing the completed job). There is nothing like breaking things! The only thing is you have to clean up...

Two views of the living/dining room. The kitchen is not being done and is all wrapped up for protection. 

The office area. Not much being done here except the floors, AC and painting. 

Can you believe this was once a bathroom! It now looks like a medieval room in a castle! 

The guest room. 

We are reusing some fixtures from the bathroom and as you can see the toilet has been relocated to the shower of the master bathroom. 

Two views of the master bedroom. The platform is gone and so is the old marble widow sill. The closets are staying and are taped up. 

Renos

Last week we took possession of our new flat. Well it is not really new,  I don't know how many owners there were before us, but the building was built in the early 1990's. Even though it was recently renovated we are going to be doing some work before we move in. We have chosen our contractor and handed in the required paper work so hopefully work will begin within the next couple of days. Mr. Grey Cat is very busy at work right now so, most of the responsibility will be on moi. Certainly that means the next six weeks or so are going to be quite busy as not only will I have the reno to deal with, but also purchasing all the furniture and household items. I think for the first time in my life I have to purchase a vacuum cleaner! I am certain all the ones I have had previously have been hand me downs from my sister. 

One of the things we are doing is replacing the floor everywhere except the kitchen and one bathroom. We have decided to go with a tile floor. While I prefer wood there are issues with it this climate. Our first choice was bamboo, until we heard about bamboo bugs! Tile is easy to maintain and there will not be any issues with water or humidity. Besides it gives me an excuse to pick some area rugs!

I know it is hard to tell in the photos but I am leaning towards the tile in the middle. It has a nice texture to it and there are tiny coloured flecks in it. A little bit of bling without being BLING.

This is the living/dining room looking from the kitchen. We will get rid of the old window AC units (which are in every room) and install wall mounted reverse cycle units. They have a heating function which is needed for a short time in the winter.

This bathroom is being completely gutted. There are two bathrooms in the flat and both of them have been converted to showers only. Personally I believe that is a criminal act! If you have two bathrooms then keep the tub in one! Originally I was going to get a nice bubble massage tub, but there are some issues with the instillation and where the access panel needs to be, so I have opted for a regular tub, but it is nice and deep.