Small Cool...

Ya… somehow, I'm very much attracted to Apartment Therapy's Small Cool… those pictures, those cosy little corners…

(http://community.apartmenttherapy.com/contests/smallcool/2011)

Small, and,

Cool…

BIG? Not, not cool to me, somehow…

And suddenly, I thought of… maybe that's exactly how my OS is, always is…

I've always insisted I wanna stay in a small house, big house, big family… anything big's not cool to me, needless to say, not even romantic…

Maybe I'm much influenced by all those movies, books that I've watched, read, when I was much younger…

Ie. alone, somewhere in the foreign land, and that's… to me, romantic, and cool… and somehow cozy…

AND of course, if you psycho-analyze me… THAT also means… ya… I prefer to be alone, my tolerance level towards others is LOW!!

Why? That's another long story, probably I also won't know and I shall start psycho-analyze myself…

At the moment, we're staying in a small cool (and cosy) apartment, yes, to the "ang mor" standard… to them, everything is usually BIG, and everything HAS to be big, bigger…

Therefore, even the size of my apartment (you call it condo, if you want) is their small cool…

Isn't that just right??

Though… I do wish, I'll be like Darryl and Wanda (in Baby Blues comic) to have 3 children… yes, big family right?  But yes, our own family, not like adding more "distanced" relatives, or you call it extended relatives…

Yes, I mentioned, my tolerance level's pretty low…

And I'm pretty personal in my day-to-day activities…

When I wanna watch TV,

When I wanna sleep/nap,

When I wanna eat, how I wanna eat…

No, I prefer to do it in a no-man land… or just with people (like my baby daughter, and husband) who!! I know we share the same "heart", "feeling", "mentality", as a family…

THAT's enough for me, and that's small… and cool… enough for me…

On my way to… zen minimalist...

On my way… yes, on my way… ^_^ I won't know how long it takes, well… maybe it'll never come true, but yes, on my way… ^_^…

First, I removed 1 clutter from my kitchen counter top… ie. less plates, less bowls…

Since I won't be bother to spend time to dry dishes, I used to stack dishes on the counter top, on an ikea's dish rack… but it's very much a clutter… well… to dry…

Ok… to cut it short…

I've removed the rack, leaving me a SPARKLING spacious counter top to do my kitchen work…

And we've been dining with 1 plate, else, add 1 bowl - for soup…

Yes, I'll arrange the dishes nicely for dinner, with the rice…

Yes, we don't eat like the typical chinese anymore… (chinese again huh?? Hm…)

And that makes dinner easier, less tiring…

AND, less plates/bowls for me to wash… everything's more like breeze now…

Second, yes, I kinda feel that I've changed a bit, just a little bit…

I dug out the long time OLD chinese tea, which we bought from Mei Jia Wu, Hangzhou, when we're in shanghai in year 2004…

It's been sitting in the fridge for zillion years…

Yes, you'll tell me, it'll be tasteless by now… but as for me, it still taste like tea… so, it's ok…

It's been sealed nicely in the tea container, and sitting at the back of the fridge… I purposely didn't want to use it…, I mean the tea…

My problem is…

Yes, MY PROBLEM… I tend to keep things, emotionally, digitally, and physically…

Ie. we do have a lot of unused, unimportant, untouched, un-whatever items in our house…

Most~~ I call it SENTIMENTAL…

And he knows very well about it…

But lately… I feel that, we're running out of space, with more NEW items added into our household… ie. baby's clothes, baby's toys, baby's books, and baby's whatsoever…

See???

Therefore, one fine day, I decide to declutter certain obvious places…

Like my clothes shelf, my daily wear, ie. t-shirts, nursing wears, shorts, pants, bla bla bla… those not too special, not too expensive type of wears…

That shelf's going to explode, I know, if I continue to stuff more shirts/shorts in there…

And it's been getting more difficult for me to search for things…

Therefore, I took most of them out, if I really can't wear it anymore, and I don't think there's any value in keeping them, ya… I give it away, to who?

To our part-time maid… yes, having a part-time maid's good…

The rest? I put them into the vacuum bags, sealed them off… and again, put them into the far deep end of the cupboard…

Kitchen? I removed some of the pots and pans…

Yes, more to be removed, we moved these items from the old smaller apartment, to this bigger apartment, but for now, I'm more sure, and I can tell you for sure, THAT, we won't move these items, I mean, some plates, and some bowls, or some saucers, or some mugs… to the bigger, newer apartment… no, I can tell you for sure…

And I can tell you for sure that we won't be using them anymore, and we won't even bother to look at them…

Give it away?

Yes, I gave it to the part-time maid…

And the thing is… she appreciated that…

She updated me the other day, that she actually sent those items back to her hometown, in indonesia…

I was a little bit surprised, cos, those items, clothes, pots and pans…  bla bla bla… are not like the most expensive things on earth, ie. worthless… and I asked her, how much is the shipping fees?

She said, around a hundred bucks over… there I though, ok… reasonable, else, I actually feel bad…

I mean, you won't want to pay 100 for an item that's worth 10 right??

(and guess what, I did that before, and I still hold hard about this fact… ie. I ordered a blackberry casing, worth USD10, but then, the BLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODY custom, upon delivery, made me pay nearly another USD25 for that… damn you!! Custom!!)

Ok, that's about my kitchen, and clothes, and dining…

And I've been looking up and down on the internet, about organising…

To declutter more spots in our household…

Well… I've to say, the result?

I'm pretty please, and relaxed about it…

Yes, feel good…

And now, I'm less sentimental LIAO… keke…

I mean, unwanted and  unnecessary SENTIMENTALism… what for?

This…

I'll say, it's good to change...

I don't know why, I like cosy corner...

And I don't know why,

I somehow like my dining table, just right next to the kitchen…

Not exactly this one, but yes, it's a cosy corner…

But dining next to the kitchen…

Like this…

So that, you can serve immediately, and I've always found it super cosy… and sweet, where, the person who's still busy preparing, or washing dishes, can still look at, and interact with those… at the dining table...

Did I tell you about the white… sink?

Ya… something like this…

A ceramic white sink for my kitchen, if I can get one…

Ooh, my dreamed kitchen… isn't that sweet?

Won't it be nice, if my kitchen can be like this?

Yes, as you know, I do like small and cozy, as compared to big and err… tidy??

I just like the idea where the closed ones are squeezed altogether in 1 small place and share thoughts… share food, and bla bla bla…

Look at the bright nature light…

Look at the bench against the wall…

Ooh… it's simply… cozy…

Another roundup post: Apartment Therapy… My kitchen, My study, My bathroom...

Ahem… IF… if I'm going to do my kitchen again, ie. kitchen and dining area…

These are the few that I'll be referring…

It may not be the whole chunk of it, but just the idea of the layout, or maybe the colour, or maybe the items, or, even just the look and feel of it…

Kitchen, dining area… if done well, can be the whole "activity" centre of the household, don't you think so??

Next is the bathroom and study…

Which, after kitchen, is another headache, cos, I think, we normally "underuse" our bathroom,

We, asian…

It's just a place to clean and cleanse…

Maybe, if my bathroom's big enough, I may think of it, as to store the towels… aha… save more storage place in my wardrobe…

Study? I'm still contemplating, if it'll be a "centralized", or a "decentralized" concept…

Still thinking… the picture shows the "decentralized"… ya… better for individual's concentration right?

But then… less interaction between those, who're in the study…

For eg. If it's "centralized", then, we can look into each other's eyes… ^_^, or, I can chitchat with my baby…

Else, I'll have to turn around, or shout at the wall, so that, the wall will echo my words, to the other person, at the other side of the wall… ^_^

Last is… the living area…

Well… it's just another pics to fill up the space, what I'm interested is…

The set of table and chairs near the window/balcony…

Don't they look lovely, in the natural light?

Sharing:ApartmentTherapy: How To Clean Your House in 20 Minutes a Day for 30 Days

1. Surface clean living room and kitchen (pick up stray items, dust, sweep, vacuum)

2. Clean bathrooms (toilets, showers, floors, walls, mirrors)

3. Surface clean bedrooms (put away toys, clothes, dust)

4. Surface clean "extra" rooms (basement, office, play room)

5. Surface clean living room and kitchen

6. Clean bathrooms

7. Clean all interior windows (white vinegar and newspaper works great and is cheap!)

8. Sweep and vacuum all floors in the house (don't forget stairs)

9. Surface clean bedrooms

10. Deep clean living room (mirrors, baseboards, dust artwork)

11. Clean bathrooms

12. Clean out closets (hang up clothes, mittens, jackets, hats)

13. Surface clean "extra" rooms

14. Deep clean bedrooms (organize drawers, check under bed, tidy closet, dust artwork, fans, lights, mop)

15. Surface clean living room and kitchen

16. Deep clean bathrooms (clean inside drawers, inside of trash cans, tops of mirrors, tile, mop)

17. Clean all door knobs, phones, entertainment equipment (remote controls), switch plates, banisters and other things that are repeatedly touched.

18. Clean out the refrigerator, take stock of food, organize pantry

19. Clean entryway, sweep porch (if you have one), clean out car (because they're often our home away from home)

20. Surface clean living room and kitchen

21. Surface clean bathrooms

22. Surface clean bedrooms

23. Sweep and vacuum all floors in the house

24. Clean linen closet, straighten towels, sheets or regular closet if not applicable

25. Surface clean living room and kitchen

26. Deep clean kitchen (scrub appliances, wash trash cans, base boards, wipe down and straighten cabinets)

27. Surface clean bathrooms

28. Surfaces clean bedrooms

29. Clean one item you've been meaning to get to and haven't (deep clean your stove, wipe down all light fixtures, tackle a particularly unruly area)

30. Sweep and vacuum all floors in the house

To this list you can also add chores that are to be done monthly or quarterly. It's easier to plan for larger tasks like steam cleaning a sofa or heavy traffic hallway, then it feels like part of the routine instead of that thing you keep putting off and dreading.

Habits are formed by doing and one of the best ways to change a bad habit is to replace it with another action. So if the time spent right when you come home from work is usually filled with email reading and a small nap, try switching it out with your cleaning instead. Making the 20 minute time slot routine will build good habits and help you stay on top of the game without feeling like it's a real chore.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/cleaning/the-schedule-house-cleaning-in-20-minutes-a-day-for-30-days-131142

Apartment Therapy Combo

I've just realized that, I've not been posting my favourite pictures from apartment therapy… ^_^,

Being my favourites, of course, it means, I wish, I can live in there…

Those nice kitchens, nice living rooms…

When I saw the picture below, the first thought was, "nice!", but then, I started to think of all the horror films… that happened to those lonely houses in the wood… then, I said, "no!"…

I've always thought that, the apartment or even expensive condominiums in our country, their designs kinda sucks… I mean, the big body, the frame itself, I'm not saying about the ID… look!!! Living room always comes with sliding door, what else?

I want my living room to have windows… can I?

Some simple ones… which I wish, my kitchen, or my living area will be like…

But I particularly like this… small and cosy...

And I definitely want my study to be like this, if I'll have a study…

And of course, my bedroom, see!!! Windows!!!

Where are my windows?

^_^ the last one's particularly romantic and cosy...

stacked houses...

Oh, not sure how it'll be like, if it'll be m'sian version, in fact, not a bad idea LE!!!

(top down: japan, netherland??, germany)

my balcony...

Soon to be like this… haha…

Change of Taste

See the cartoon bedsheet?

 

Haha, for once our bedsheet's changed from plain to cartoony… long time I've never had cartoony bedsheet, notice the black colour pillow on the left?? Ya, that's my sonic the hedgehog pillow case, that came with the bedsheet set, which I got it when I was in london… looooooooooooong time ago, now you know what junks I shipped back from there right??

When I decided to buy the cartoon (any cartoon) bedsheet set for our bed, I hesitated for a split second, come on!! So childish, so no taste…, well, don’t equate childish with "no taste" please… but you know what I mean??

Cos, adult's bed normally won't look like this, and,

If since I've been looking at apartmenttherapy.com, and you know that, this is faaaaaaaaaaaaaaar from being part of them… @_@

But then, since I'm putting up this pics, therefore you will also be able to guess that, yes, baby's sleeping with us…

(ok from many of the other photos that I've uploaded, if you do look at them! You'll see this bedsheet too, I guess…)

Baby's sleeping with us, and normally when she gets up in the morning, (or, near noon) she likes to point at things, and asks us, "what's that??" of course, in her baby language, and of course, we're just guessing, that's her intention…

Nevertheless…

That's my intention in picking up some bedsheet that'll be more appealing to her…

Cos, she likes to grab her bolster, see little white bolster with prints on the left?? And point at the lion, the cow, the chicken, and asks, "what's this?"

I once, saw it online, of a bedsheet, a very cute one, for baby,

It looks like there's one dart board in the centre, no, it's not the dart board,

It's for measuring the LENGTH of the baby, while baby's sleeping, isn't that cute??

Not that I can get one locally, maybe I can find one online, but the point is…

When you're a kid, or a baby at home, your house will be faraway from being the model for anything like apartmenttherapy's style…

As far as I want to achieve it,

It seems like, starting from our bedroom, we're getting further and further away from it…

Phew…

Ironic, isn't it? Life is…

But then again,

I'm not complaining here..

I guess, instead of sleeping in a role-modelly bedroom, without her,

Then, I'll rather have her, in our bedroom, in our life… maybe a bit messy…

Does it matter?

A "need" house & A "want" house

Just now, after nursing, as usual… I lie beside baby… mind wandering…

Then, I start to look at my place… (ya, I know I know, some of you will start to ask me to chuck away all my 'rubbish'! You don't have to repeat!)

As, just recently…

Since I'm into Apartment Therapy,

Then, I'm into Muji…

And after being into Muji, I only found out, Muji's concept's called Minimalist…

Their designers are minimalist designer…

Being a minimalist… ie. I'm not!! Definitely not!!!

To become a minimalist, the first thing I've to do, is to chuck away all my SENTIMENTAL rubbish LO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway…

But those MUJI's stuff, and those minimalist concept's damn damn damn nice, ok???!!!!!!!!~~~~~~~~~

So, I actually started thinking like this…

Maybe it's good that, I'll have 2 houses/apartments/condos, or whatever…

1 house is for minimalist, ie. all design's minimal, just like Muji… I'm sure, I can survive there for a couple of months…, just with him, with baby, online… ya, give me a minimalist type of computer, throw away my drawer's that full of junks now… (a lot of HDD in there, can't throw!)

With a simple bedroom, with a few muji type of shirts/pants, whatever…, and a simple kitchen, maybe with just a cooker… eat simple food, maybe become a vegetarian, fulltime vegetarian, eat salad…, kakakaka!!!!

But I need TV too…  just a TV… (hide the astro decoder)

However!!!

I've desire, we all have… staying in a minimalist type of place, doesn't stop me from wanting to buy more stuff, what more to say, I'm an online shopping queen now…, right?

So, I'll still buy, if not go out to buy, I'll buy online, then, I'll start to have a lot of junks, piling up again…

There comes the "want" house…

That's the place where I can house all the things that I want, I buy… but… shh… I don’t actually need…

So, AT THE END OF THE DAY,

SINCE I'M A MINIMALIST-WANNABE,

I think, I gotta have 2 houses, ie. 2 places to stay,

A "want" house, and a "need" house…

But then again,

AT THE END OF THE DAY,

The "need" house, actually is one of my WANT too!!!!

~_~

"woot joot" oh!!!!

How??

Ps: and ya, that's when I suddenly thought of something (which I've tweeted) which, if muji's going to design baby cloth diaper, not sure how they'll look like… but I'm damn sure, it'll be very muji-like, and I'm very very damn sure, I'll sure buy a lot of them!!! ^_^

… and maybe, my bedroom… (Apartment Therapy #4)

I know I blogged about how I'll design my own house…

AND NOW, I'M DEFINITELY GOING TO GIVE IT A LOT OF WINDOWS!

Anyway…

I rarely think about how I want my bedroom to be like, cos, I thought, bedroom, just a nice bed to sleep…, important, but yet simple!!

However… kekeke… my bedroom's something like this, at current stage, of course, this pic is nicer comparatively…,

Open-concept!! It's easier for us to pull out stuff… kekeke… that's the whole point!

I know IT'S NICE OT HAVE NICELY DECO'ED BEDROOM WITH SUPERB WARDROBE,

But, AT THE END OF THE DAY,

It's practicality that counts!

One thing that I can't agree with the "mat salleh" is, there's no way I'll have shoes in my bedroom!!! Unless they're kept to the cleanliness level where you can actually lick them! ^_^ (… kinky.. >.<)

A Kitchen that I'll love to have… (Apartment Therapy #3)

NOW!!! I know what's wrong with the design of our houses/apartments/condos here already…
NO WINDOWS!!!!!! IN FACT, I LOVE WINDOWS!

I like to have my bed next to window, just like how it was, back in Thurloe Sq.,
And there's no way I can have my kitchen next to A WINDOW!!
Maybe I shall reno my balcony, and move my dining area there… ^_^

Oh~ How Lovely~~ (Apartment Therapy #2)

That's my first impression!!

But the one that I'll like to have…

Oh, in fact, I don't mind having both… ^_^

Apartment Therapy #1

Ya… I wish I can have this…

Nice huh?

my ikea trolley

(Can't remember if it's a "trolley" under IKEA category, but nevermind…)
Hm… maybe I should add some colours into my kitchen too, besides the white/brown!

  
Gosh!! I'm just so damn addicted to apartmenttherapy, it's like, it's never enough…
Yep… that helps me to train my brain to its utmost imaginary skill… ^_^

Organizing your Desktop

Saw this pics from apartmenttherapy.com,

Lovely, isn't it?

Why didn't I think of it initially…