rugged living

When we first got here, Taufik made it clear that we're not going to decorate our house too extensively. He said that if anything happens (i.e. an attack and our lives are in danger), he would want to be able to leave with just a bag of clothes and not worry about packing 'stuff'. I called it his 'bedouin decorating philosophy'.
Furthermore, he said, he is not planning to work here for more than two years. I saw that to mean "don't get too comfortable".
So for the past year that we've been living here, my house was bare, except for a few chinese white and blue porcelain vases that I bought for SR10 each at Ramez.

A few months ago he declared that he has revised his financial plans and that we might be staying here longer than 2 years. So I put my foot down and demanded that we make this house feel more like a home. I am embarassed to invite anyone over, coz our house is so bare. When we did have people over, I had to serve them on chipped dinnerware. I always have to apologize for the lack of eye-candy.
I am not much for decorations. I like homes that feel lived in, that does not look or feel like a hotel or fully-furnished rented house (which is what we're currently living in), where the inside of every other house looks just like your house.
I just want to personalize, make my home represent me.
Unfortunately, the only thing that had represented me from my home in Malaysia that I brought over here, was a faded pua kumbu (a traditional tie/dye method from Borneo) cloth that I now use to cover the table at our entrance.
So, now I have to start from scratch .. which is not such an unfortunate thing after all.. ;)

tee hee...
these are my latest prized possession:

Not iranian. 'Man Made Silk' it said, but looks and feels like the real thing. Very cheap. buy one get one free. The kids are allowed to roll around in it, but are not allowed to eat anywhere around it. One goes under the dining table when guests come over, but will be rolled and safely stowed away on normal days (my kids have not yet mastered the art of keeping their food within their plate).

I am, at the moment, quite happy and feeling very much at home.
(but they may change soon.. I still need to get a proper dining ware.. my plates are chipped!! The price I pay for asking the kids to help out with the dishes. And I dont even own a teapot. How to invite people over for tea like that?)