first in

My mom told me that when moving to a new house, the first items you must bring in are rice, salt and water.

As these are the essentials for survival, I believe the act is to symbolise that the home will not run out of the basics.

Included also is a small religious image that my sister in law brought back from a retreat in Rome. It is now situated at our future bedside.

---

More photos (and not from my mobile) of our first home on the next entries.

signed

Today is a very happy day for my me and my fiancé, we have officially secured our first home.

---

It won't be till after the wedding that I am moving in, but it is ready for him to move in anytime he pleases.  He jokingly said that he wants to take it slow--as if in a relationship, but later this evening he said he could hardly wait to start staying there.

He has one more month on his current lease and I think he intents to stay in both places the month of September.

---

I used my engineering skills today!

I was able to download a scaled (with no dimensions) floor plan of the unit, and on that I wrong the measurements as I took them.

In all honesty, it was a lot of fun.

Next step is to see if the furniture we are eyeing would fit--and deciding the best set up to make the most out of our space.

kitchen starter pack

Finalising the paperwork for our first flat is taking longer that I would have liked--despite my fiance's prompt (with thorough review) replies.

In the meantime I had been scouting for things we would need and planning our move.

---

The whole consulting-before-purchasing is quite new to me.  

I am so used to managing my own money and buying things based on needs, wants, moods and admittedly, whims. 

Truth be told, I can (still) spend on whatever I want with no issue.  But buying things for the house really isn't about the money but rather planning and building a life together.

---

How much stuff will fit in our home?

What kind of activities do we intend for our home?

What are the absolute musts?

When should we buy? (eg. now vs. after the flat is turned over to avoid doubling the 'transfer')

---

Yesterday, I revieed the items in my cart with my fiance. 

It reminded me of project budget review with Management.   

I told him which items I thought we needed as soon as possible and the basis for my choices.

Most of the items got an easy 'Go', but there were some that required an answer to the follow up question 'Do you really need it?'.  

There was also the occasional, 'How is this different from xxxx, can't you use xxxx instead?'.

---

I ended up getting everything 'approved' :)

Cart, checked out! 

-----------------------------------------------

What items?  

A cast iron skillet (high maintenance but so worth it!), non stick frying pan, caldero with glass lid, mix of wooden / nylon / silicon cooking utensils, can opener, corkscrew, space saving hangers (which I decided not to buy yet), mortar and pestle (my favorite buy!), grater, pizza wheel, chef knife, bread knife, santoku knife, pastry brush (essential to a calzone maker!), whisk (two words: salad dressing).

plato

I am not about to write something philosophical.

I want to write about plates.

I know that I am supposed to by writing about wedding preparations but somehow, I can't stop thinking about dinnerware.

I know I want white and other near white shades with various textures and finishes.  The mixing and matching is keeping me up at night!

It doesn't help that I imagine preparing various dishes to test my shopping list.

Soup and salad, porridge with tokwa't baboy, pizza (of course), pasta, tacos, spring rolls, grilled squid and pancit.

I am thinking of more dishes as I am typing this--which means that I am currently re-evaluating my list.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, no.

So apparently I need to add another item--a bigger serving dish to cover pancit.

the others

I had started this process the month we got engaged--the process of incrementally cleaning out my stuff. 

Drawers.  Containers. 

Shoes.  Clothes.  Make Up. 

Medicine Supply.  Toiletries.

Everything.

It lasted for a month.

---

Over the weekend, I re-started it and I know that this time, it has to happen!

---

I had taken out six pairs of shoes and one flip flops.

I also gave up a miniature burger model I got from McDonald's. 

I threw away four pens, bills and bank statements more than 6 months back.

I cleared nine trousers and three tops.

I donated toiletries that would spoil on me.  Yes, that 1L body wash.

You'd think that would make a dent. 

No. 

My room is the underdog of storage room potential.  You'd think there is no room for much, but let me tell you, it can hold a LOT!

---

I am going through three containers of clothes the next few days and after that I'll tackle the mountain that is my folded house clothes and the others.

The others being, clothes I just throw into my closet.  Clothes I had never worn or clothes I never wear--but feel I would (at some point I can't foresee anytime soon).  Others are what could be more appropriately called 'lessons learnt'.

---

Wish me luck, offer a short prayer or send positive vibes my way.  This is a mountain I need to climb! 

could it be our first nest?

We had our first ever home viewing day last Saturday.  After seeing the second one, we didn't want to look at another.

I know.

That would seem premature, but it felt right.

I always (I try!) listen to my gut and this time it was telling me go.

---

After discussing amongst ourselves, we decided to make an offer.

---

 We did come prepared.  My fiance had been wonderful reading up, checking for available flats, shortlisting maybes, reviewing travel routes, visiting forums and talking to agents.

So it isn't like we went in blindly.

---

I love how after leaving the unit we smiled at each other knowingly.

He felt it too.

---

It was emotional for me because I imagined our married life unfolding in that setting.

I imagined long talks, silent evening, lazy Sundays and hurried mornings.

I pictured trial recipes, afternoon drinks, movie marathons and domestic chores.

I pictured us, discovering each other with that as backdrop.

---

His thoughts were the guy version of mine, which was simply this looks to be the one.

---

I can't wait to get that message from the agent saying you just leased your first home.

life lessons and my wedding shoes

I bought my wedding shoes early on.  I think it was literally the first thing I bought for the wedding.

I had been eyeing it for a while but because I couldn't justify the purchase, I was content just looking at it online.

When we got engaged, I thought maybe.

--- I still couldn't get around the idea of spending that much on something I knew for a fact I'd wear at most, thrice in this lifetime--or until it falls apart in the shoe box.

I mean these were great shoes but in an outrageous kind of great.  Maybe fantastic is the word.

---

As it was not available where I live, I could only get it online.

I recognise (all too well) the risks.

The fit, the look... anything and everything could go wrong.

I'm not sure I like it enough to risk so much.

---

A once-in-a-lifetime online sale got it to a price that I was willing to pay.  Having the last piece in my size told me that it was destined.

---

When I received it, it looked both too big and too small to me at the same time.  You'd think that would translate to perfect right?  Wrong.

It looked so chunky, like high top sneakers.

It also looked tiny, where you'd slot your foot in.

----

It look everything I had in me to get my feet it.

I needed to expand these shoes. Badly.

THIS HAD TO BE THE ONE.  I MUST MAKE IT WORK!

---

I'd wear it around the house with horrible thick socks just to loosen it.

A few days later, I'd find that it had gone back to the original size.

It went on for a couple of weeks, it was exhausting and frustrating!

In all honestly, it was the first time in my life that I felt so uncomfortable wearing shoes--I had headaches, literally.  And I've had my share of ridiculous shoes!

---

A month went by and I decided it wasn't worth it.

NO SHOE, I feel is worth this much suffering.

---

I put the these shoes and thinking about what shoes to wear out of my mind for a while.

I needed a break from wedding-shoes-land.

---

One day an idea caught me off guard--it was about wedding shoes.  Gasp!

I know... I knew which shoe I would wear.

---

I looked into my unused shoe stash and found it.

I didn't put it on immediately as I wanted the idea to brew.

Days turned to weeks and more I thought about it, the stronger my resolve.

---


Today, I took it out to try on for the first time since I had decided it would be the one.

And...

What do you know, I had a Cinderella moment.

---

Sometimes, a great idea is just that--a great idea.

If only I had accepted that earlier on, I would have saved myself a lot of headache.

---

In hindsight, I realise that in my heart and mind, I've always known it wasn't the one.  Maybe it was the high from our engagement, the idea of ticking off a checkbox, or the online sale.  Maybe all three.

Whichever it was though, I was deciding based on (all) the wrong reason(s).

---

I'm happiest about this decision and it came at the best possible time :)