Monday, May 09, 2005

Fine living space...

I spend the last few days rearranging my small garden in front of our house... There is a small fish pond, orchids and greens potted plants and small fountain in terracotta pots that provide places for water plants to grows, there is also a bamboo bush as well as two pots of dwarf banana plants to give it a rural looks....I always try to rearrange these plants from time to time to get a better landscape of the garden...The trouble with me is that I want to live in both world, the world of the Kampong [village] and the world of city living...So for wanting to have a kampong atmosphere..I had almost completely turn my humble home in the suburban part of the city into a sorts of a kampong house but with modern amenities, for two of us to live in a condo like setting, a one floor living with everything within reach...At this age when the children are on their own, we do not really need a big house but instead a cozy living space that we can call our home...I use to live for days sometime in hotels all over the country and overseas when I was working for the government and I love living in all those plushy environment, beautifully design bedroom, bathroom well done spot clean that one could sleep in it, luxurious fitting and artistically designed setting, with all the comfort that only the 'rich and famous' could enjoy....I love those hotel living so when I retired from the service and with plenty of time on my side I decided that I want our home to be just like those four star living spaces in major hotels...My spouse who sometime accompany me on trips and experience living in such hotels living environment, somehow got to the liking just like me...So after retirement We would from time to time try to improve the home...We decided not to buy a new house but instead improved the existing one by upgrading it from time to time...That we did all the time...At one time our home makes it into the Anjung Seri Magazine [a local fine living magazine] and now it has change again, many time since. If the two Anjung Seri's people were to come again, they would not have recognize the old setting, which had been freeze in time in their Magazine...We have added a serambi [patio] with plank flooring, a small garden with slate flooring and an attic where all my books and a desktop computer are set..Our grandchildren call this attic their Internet Cafe, so now the elder boy would take over this computer when he is around and the little girls and the youngest boy would be happy with an old laptop of mine in another room...The two teen ages would take over my latest laptop for their surfing.....And for a while Atuk [grandpa] is left without a computer...The home would be in a mess of a sorts for a while when they are here...And they all love Nenek [grandma] house setting, when there are changes, they would recognized instantly....Cantiklah [beautiful] Nenek ...Azib the youngest would say itu baru [those are new] and the eldest would tease him, bukanlah [no it is not] and he would get angry....tongenglah tu his mother would say... And things would then became hilarious...And since we love to entertain guests, the home make great setting for a cozy dinner with friends from time to time...Since both of us love to cook, preparing dinner became a pleasure and we enjoy it every times...A friend from overseas who had stayed in our home while on a holiday here, in a letter say that our home is a picture perfect setting...What a compliment...We love our home and would continue to give it a new look from time to time...Adding color to our life...As we journey on...

2 comments:

shidah said...

pak idurs: anjung seri? recently, last year? scan le, kasi tengok..... i'm hopeless at decorating, nak gubah bunga pun kena upah my sister :)

Pak Idrus said...

Shidah, dah lama, in August 1997 issue and since then lots of changes, you are welcome to visit my pondok and see for yourself..would post some pic in my blog from time to time, thanks.