Happy Chinese New Year!

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Going Red for the Chinese New Year

It's the last weekend before the Chinese New Year and I've somehow managed to find the time to dig out and put up all my RED decorations. I've gathered quite a collection of red decor pieces over time and once a year, its really fun to have them all out in full force.

In the Chinese culture, red is the colour of happiness and good luck. So the redder the better eh?

The apartment looks very festive if I may say so myself. All geared up for a happy and prosperous year of the Horse!

Spring Cleaning for the Undomestic Goddess

It's that time of year to give the house a good clean, throw out the old, and hopefully only fill up the new found space with only the most carefully selected things that make one happy each day. And if you're one who isn't accustomed to throwing things out, this can be one of the most harrowing times ever!
So here are some things I've learned in my weekend of spring cleaning:

1. Never spray window cleaner when a breeze is blowing because a couple of seconds later, it's all flying back at you. Learnt this the hard way, and several times over whilst cleaning the windows. Along the way I learnt it's best I not be singing along to Matchbox 20, at least whilst spraying.

2. Whilst  cleaning the windows, I also realised cleaning takes some thought and planning, a concept I've only begun to grasp. Don't tell Mum I only figured out how to reach some parts of the windows after I was done with about half of the windows. There is no way I'm going to get the ladder and start all over again just to get those spots I missed.

3. Get stuff you want to get rid of out of the house. Immediately. I finally threw out about 8 pairs of shoes. Don't gasp at me like that! Let me explain! Six of the eight pairs were indeed in various states of damage and were marked for disposal ages ago. They just never made it out of the house. One of the remaining two was a very disappointing pair of Hush Puppies shoes that turns my big toe purple after a tad of walking, and the other a pair of Tiamo flats that lost the embellishments after my second wear. Never trust embellishments that can't withstand a night at a club! So there, shoes that all needed to go.

4. Sometimes, you just need to part with clothes that can still be worn, but you know you're never going to wear again. Admittedly, I've only managed to clear out two bags (shopping bags, at that, and not bin bags) of clothes. In my defence, that's because I don't buy all that many clothes to begin with. I've also resigned myself to the fact that I am somewhat of a hoarder, and if going slow is what it takes to get rid of stuff at all, then go slow I shall. I now have a go out if I haven't worn this by the next time I'm in the mood to clean pile. The good thing about clothes, unlike shoes, is that there's no shortage of charities that are willing to take them. Ranging from those that will take torn clothing for fabric recycling, to thrift shops that obviously require clothes to be in perfect condition, you can rest assured your clothes are going to a worthwhile cause or a good home. Alternatively, you can give some of them to your baby sister, eh, Mac?

5. A lightweight but sturdy step ladder is a girl's best friend, at least at spring cleaning season.
Alternatively, never have anything above the height at which you can reach standing on tiptoes. Up to you. I actually prefer the latter. But we all know that isn't always possible.

6. Disposable gloves are also your next best friend, especially if you're paranoid like me. You know, chemicals from cleaning products, bird poop from windows, and dust that could contain just about anything the wind blows.

So there you have it, six super random tips on spring cleaning that you probably already knew.

Decorating the Refrigerator with Souvenir Magnets

A vacation is never complete without souvenirs, we all buy them to remind ourselves of our travels and pack home just about anything from the gift shops; that boomerang from Australia, the Eiffel Tower key chain from Paris, that snow globe from London, that spoon from the States, that huge fan with an elephant from Thailand. We get that instant of gratification when we unpack and then sometimes its off to some cupboard or drawer for safekeeping and soon after forgotten.

I've had my fair share of poorly chosen souvenirs and quite a number have even ended up in the trash. In an attempt not be wasteful, I decided to only buy one souvenir each trip and having limited pocket money back during my varsity days, that one item ended up being a fridge magnet. Years later, collecting magnets from vacations became a tradition. It even became decoration for the refrigerator when my husband and I moved into our very own apartment.

We kept on to that little tradition over the years and recently*, I got myself two lovely magnets from our trip to Singapore, Universal Studios to be exact. One with Sesame Street characters (my daughter loves Elmo) and another more ‘grown up’ one with the Universal Studio Globe.

A nice addition to my very humble collection. It’s a joy to sometimes stand in front of the fridge, looking over the collection and remembering the good times from each trip. Someday, I hope to make a decorating statement when both refrigerator doors are jammed packed with magnets.


*This post was supposed to be up months ago, hence recent. But well, that's the most recent trip I've had.

Unfinished Projects, I Have Too Many

 A whole new year and usually a whole new list of things to do. Not me, not this year.

This year my one and only resolution is to complete the many projects i started last year (or years before). What better way than to write it all down here and now and count my final score at the end of the year?






So here goes, the list of unfinished and some ongoing projects for 2014...
1. Mac & Ink blog - Ink and I have been wanting to start this blog for some time and we did last year. This year, we will hopefully be able to put up more posts periodically.
2. The 'sakura' jigsaw puzzle (for my mother in law) - I'm ashamed to say I started this in 2011. My mother in law bought a jigsaw puzzle she liked while on holiday in Japan and I offered to assemble it for her. It turned out to be a difficult puzzle and its's been tucked away for over a year now. Time to bring it out and finish it. Hopefully I'll be able to complete it by March in time for her birthday.
3. 'Van Gogh's Starry Nigh Over The Rhone' jigsaw puzzle - If the 'sakura' puzzle was bad, this one is absolutely embarrassing. My pride and joy carted home all the way from the Lourve back in year 2004, I was so excited when I started the puzzle. It's 2014 now,10 years!!!! Writing this now, I myself am shocked. I never realized its been so long. I'm not even sure if some pieces of the puzzle have gone missing over the years. Well, I'll know when I finish.
4. 'Counting sheep' baby blanket - I started crocheting a baby blanket when I found out I was pregnant. My daughter is over a year old now. I'm not even sure the blanket will be big enough for her by the time I finish.
5. 'Flower motif' throw - One of my fantastic girlfriends sent me beautiful skeins of yarn from Australia as a post baby present. I started to crochet a throw. Time to finish it.
6. Baby mini album - I started to put together a baby mini album while I was pregnant. It was supposed to journal baby's first year. Time to get a move on.
7. Vintage mini album - Another project of mine when I was pregnant. The base of the album is complete really, but the contents and finishing touches have yet to go in.
8. Get the new house ready - The goal is to move in to the new house of course. However, not an easy feat. Planning, designing and overseeing the renovation of the new place is taxing. I sometimes wonder if I should have engaged the expertise of an interior designer.


Phew...eight items, a seemingly short list. But full challenging and time consuming projects. Fingers crossed I'll score eight out of eight come the end of the year.