I am very finicky when it comes to toilet paper. I have a pet peeve with toilet papers that turn into disintegrated mushy bits that stick to my hands and everywhere else when they are in contact with water. Sometimes bits of toilet paper get stuck to my face when I use it to wipe water off my face 😅. It can be frustrating.
I like to try new brands of toilet paper on the market to find the perfect fit that suits my needs and budget. I shop for toilet paper from supermarkets and also online from Lazada and Shopee. Whichever platform offers the cheapest, I’ll buy and hoard them. My family members are heavy users of toilet paper and I have to stock up every week, I kid you not.
Recently I came across C&S toilet paper on Lazada and Shopee. I gave it a try and liked it immediately. The packaging is already a winner as the toilet rolls are individually wrapped. I have always liked individually wrapped toilet rolls as they are more hygienic and feel luxurious.
I have another pet peeve, which is toilet rolls packaged in a plastic bag that is not completely sealed. Most brands of budget toilet paper on the market are packaged in plastic bag that is not completely sealed and I wonder why this is so. It is very unhygienic as creepy crawly pests, germs, and dirt can get into the unsealed plastic bag and onto the toilet paper. Some people with sensitive skin may get a flare-up when their skin gets in contact with contaminated toilet paper.
The toilet paper feels as soft as facial tissue and I can even use it on my face.
Other plus points of C&S individually wrapped premium bathroom toilet roll include:
Clean, soft, and durable 3-ply toilet paper. The paper is so soft and clean that you can even use it on your face.
Toilet paper does not disintegrate easily when it comes into contact with water.
The toilet papers are very compact and not airy. Each pack of toilet paper (10 rolls) is approximately 1.4kg.
Made from premium 100% virgin wood pulp from North America and not from recycled paper.
Fragrance-free and does not have an unpleasant odor.
No added chemicals, thus environment-friendly.
Toilet papers don’t emit dust or powder when you tear them.
C&S toilet papers are affordable at only RM23 per bag of 10 compact rolls. This means only RM2.30 per roll. The toilet papers are also available in a bundle deal of 6 packs of 60 rolls at RM105 (RM1.75 per roll) and 3 packs of 30 rolls at RM57 (RM1.90 per roll).
C&S individually wrapped toilet paper can be purchased from Aeon, Jaya Grocer and the upcoming Emart, as well as online from Lazada and Shopee. They have facial tissue papers and kitchen towel papers too. Do check them out.
Talking about toilet papers, my friends were in disbelief when I told them recently that I buy an average of one bag of 10 toilet rolls every single week. Sometimes I buy even more when I see discounts at my favorite mart. But what turns me off when I shop for toilet rolls is lugging the bags of toilet rolls from the car park of our condo back to our unit on the 5th floor. As I don’t only buy toilet rolls but other stuff as well, the toilet rolls would always be stacked up on the top of the trolley and this aunty here will be struggling to push her trolley up the ramp to the lift area. Sometimes the bags of toilet rolls would fall off the trolley while going up the ramp and sometimes the flimsy plastic carrier on the bag would tear off whilst I carry it! Nightmare for this aunty as I am usually alone and would have to stop right smack in the middle of the basement picking up the bag of toilet papers and then tuck the bag under my armpit! That is why I sometimes opt to buy toilet rolls online as the toilet papers would be delivered right to my door step. The only downside is that I have to pay delivery charges to the online store. I’m sure some of you echo my sentiments too.
I am very finicky when it comes to buying toilet papers. These are my criteria when choosing toilet papers:
1. the toilet papers must be made from 100% virgin pulp.
2. there must be minimal to no dust from the papers when I tear them.
3. the toilet papers must be OBA (optical brightening agent)-free.
4. the toilet papers must be compact and not filled with air.
5. have a smaller core, thus more toilet papers.
6. The plastic bag holding the toilet rolls must be completely sealed on both the top and bottom.
Have you ever noticed that most brands of toilet papers in the market are packaged in a plastic bag that is not completely sealed, leaving a small opening at the top and bottom of the bag? Think creepy crawlies entering the bag and contaminating the papers with their droppings and then the contaminated papers are used to wipe your down under or even your mouth. Ewwww!
I choose high-quality toilet papers over cheaper sub-standard ones as high-quality toilet paper is gentle on your sensitive regions, easy on your sewage, and it cleans up messes without leaving any bits behind.
Recently I came across Seazons’ Rock, a new brand of toilet tissues while browsing for toilet papers online. Rock toilet tissues meet all my six criteria above for toilet papers. I ordered a pack of 18 toilet rolls to try as it came with free shipping. When I received my order, I was pleasantly surprised that the two bags of toilet rolls were really heavy, which means that I am buying more papers and not air. After trying the toilet papers, I am completely sold! The toilet papers are soft yet the rolls are so compact and hard that they feel rock solid, thus the name Rock.
Retailed at RM56.90 for a bundle of 18 rolls, each roll contains 1000 sheet of double-ply papers. Although the price is a tad higher than other brands, we get more papers in each roll. Each bundle of 18 rolls is equivalent to approximately 55 rolls of regular toilet papers from other cheaper brands.
Rock toilet tissues are:
Made with 100% virgin pulp
Fragrance Free
Hypoallergenic
Anti-bacterial
Sulfate Free
Eco-friendly
OBA-free
2-ply with strong fibers
Hygienic as they are packaged in a completely sealed plastic bag.
Extremely compact and have smaller cores
Proudly made in Selangor, Malaysia
Each bundle of 18 rolls weighs a whopping 4.9kg!
This short video shows how rock-hard and compact Rocky toilet rolls are compared to other brands of toilet papers:
As Rock toilet rolls have a smaller core, this means more sheets in each roll and fewer replenishment. If the toilet roll holder in your bathroom is too big for the small core, worry not. Each bundle of 18 rolls toilet papers comes with two free heavy-duty magic hooks. Simply stick the magic hook onto your bathroom tile, get a piece of ribbon or rope to tie the roll and hang the toilet roll onto the hook. The magic hook sticks to most surfaces sturdily but if your wall is not tiled, you may not want to stick the hook onto the wall as the paint may peel off when you remove the hook.
Toilet Roll Holder Design Contest
Seazons is currently running a toilet roll holder design contest and the first three winners get to win shopping cash vouchers!
Period Of Contest
This Contest will commence from midnight 00:00:00, 1st March 2020 and will end on 17:00:00, 31st May 2020.
Entry Submission & Eligibility Criteria
To enter this Contest, participants are required to purchase Rock Toilet Roll and retain original receipt as proof of purchase. Participants can purchase and enter the contest unlimited times. However, each receipt will only be entitled to 1 entry.
Participation / Entry Method
Participants may enter the contest via the method as explained below:
Step 1: Purchase Rock Toilet Roll
Step 2: Fill up contest form available at Contest Page and submit together your most creative design for the Rock Toilet Roll Holder.
Winner Selection, Contest Prizes and Winners Announcement
Prizes are as below:
1st Prize – RM2,000.00 Cash Voucher*
2nd Prize – RM1,000.00 Cash Voucher*
3rd Prize – RM500.00 Cash Voucher*
100 x Consolation Prizes – 1 packet of Seazons Rock Toilet Roll (9 rolls x 1000 sheets) each
*shopping vouchers at a leading supermarket or hypermart
Discount Voucher for Health Freak Mommy readers!
Specially for Health Freak Mommy readers, you can utilize the following voucher code https://seazonstissue.com/voucher/SEAZB8EU/ to get a RM5 discount off your order of Rock toilet tissues when you purchase from DaEZmart, Lazada and Shoopee.
Just key in the code during checkout and the amount will be deducted from the total amount.
Shipping is FREE for delivery within West Malaysia.
By lasting a while longer than other toilet papers, Rock toilet tissues will also help you save money on your monthly household expenses. Rock toilet tissues truly rocks! Get a pack to try today.
An air-conditioner has to be serviced regularly so that it can perform optimally. Regular servicing also improves the efficiency of our air conditioner. Experts warn that for every year of operation in which you do not service your aircon, it loses 5% of its efficiency. After 3 years therefore, the efficiency of your air conditioner will have decreased by 15%. This adversely affects its performance, as well as your electric bill!
I clean our air conditioner filters regularly – at least once every 2 weeks – as the filters often get clogged with dust and pollutants. When the filters are clogged with dirt, you aren’t getting the full effect and your air-conditioner has to work harder to push cool air out, thus more power is used, which means you’ve got to dig deeper into your wallet every month to pay your electric bill.
For air-conditioner, ideally it should be serviced at least once a year. But we don’t. Both hubs and I are usually so occupied with our work respectively that servicing the air-conditioners will be the last thing on our mind. Plus, the thought of cleaning up the mess that the technicians leave behind after the job is done is enough to make me procrastinate this yearly affair! Instead, we have them serviced once every two years. And this is how shockingly dirty the insides of our air-conditioners are after two years from the last service!
Oh. My. Freaking. Gawd!! Check out the inches of dust, dirt and mold!
I can’t believe that we’d been inhaling such dirty cool air every night for more than a year! No wonder there was a period of time that I kept getting the flu no matter how hard I work on at preventing it. But after switching the position that I sleep on the bed and the air-conditioner no longer blows at my face directly, I’ve not had another episode of flu. I now sleep on the inner side of the bed, next to the wall, directly beneath the air-conditioner and no longer feel any cold air lashing out on my face. Poor hubs has to sleep on the other side of the bed, facing the cold air (23C). Sometimes he sleeps in the living room to avoid the air-cond (good, as I don’t have to be tortured by his thunderous snores 😆 ).
How often do you service the air-conditioners in your house?
I’m not new to water cuts and water rationing. If you are a Klang Valley folk, water cuts and rationing are nothing new. I was affected by the worst water rationing in the history of Klang Valley in the year 1998 (the year Commonwealth Games was hosted by KL) and yet, the OCD me survived, though the hubs (boyfriend then) had to bear with my occasional outbursts on no water days 😅 The water rationing that year lasted for more than 1 month!! In times like these, I wish I was still staying in my beautiful hometown of Ipoh, a place where water cuts and rationing are hardly ever heard of. Water is plentiful in Ipoh.
The girls have not really experienced a water cut that lasts more than 1 day. Our condo has one of the largest water ‘tangki’ compared to other condos, I was told. BUT then again, it depends on how prudent the residents are with their water usage. Our condo also has a special pump that pumps water from a tank on the basement to the 18th floor where the water ‘tangkis’ are. So if the Syabas water tanker truck driver is kind enough to drive into the basement and drop off water into the water tank, then we will not be affected by the 3-4 days water cut after all. That’s just wishful thinking. We’re quite prepared for the long cut and our water reserve in our own unit can last us for one or perhaps two days. The water is only for bathing, toilet use and for simple washing of utensils. Strictly no heavy cooking for the next few days until water supply is back!
Whatever water tumblers, cookie jars, jugs and containers that we could find in our house were all used to store water.
Tubs and containers in the master bathroom… no toilet washing for a few days until water supply resumes. Can only do dry cleaning of the bathroom. This is pretty hard for the OCD me, who must scrub bathrooms and toilet seats every single day! 🤫 🤭
I asked the mil to cook bigger portions of dishes yesterday so that we could have the same dishes for dinner today.
Braised pork ribs and ‘tau kok lup’ in glass containers are for dinner today.
Fruits are limited to easy to eat fruits. I stocked up on organic Juliet apples and yellow Kiwi. Last night I washed the apples clean and stored them in a plastic container. The girls can eat them for the next few days – no peeling of skin and no cutting are allowed.
I’ve also stocked up on disposable plastic cups. We still have some disposable paper plates left. We’ll be eating with disposables for the next few days. Our dinner for the next two days will be ordered online from restaurants located at places unaffected by the water cut. Praying hard that we will not have to resort to moving out of the condo to our friend’s house located about 30km away or check into a hotel for civilization!
Is your area affected by the 3-4 days water cut? It’s really tough when you have active children who sweat buckets and come home with sweat drenched clothes eh? I dread the thought of their smelly dirty laundry piling up in the house for days!!
Since Saturday, I’ve been joining panicky residents at our neighborhood in the rush to snap up pails, water containers, tubs and garbage bins for the insane 3 to 4 days scheduled water cut. In fact, almost every household in the entire Klang Valley is affected by the largest water cut in the state’s history.
On Saturday I went to 99 Speedmart in the hope of getting a few pails but all the pails were sold out. I had no choice but to buy a black garbage bin. On Sunday, I summoned the hubs to get a large round tub from NSK and large bottled mineral water when he went there to stock up on groceries for his catering business. Today he told me that he can’t spare me more than 1 large water container from his shop as he needs them too for storing water for cooking and washing in his kitchen. So I scrambled out to the shops to hunt for more pails. No luck at both the 99 Speedmart outlets at my neighborhood as all the pails, tubs and garbage bins are sold out. Even water dippers are out of stock. Thankfully there were still a few pails left at a Chinese medicine hall but another man who came before me snapped up all the larger pails. I had to settle for a dusty and scratched large pail with lid (last one there) and grabbed another two smaller pails.
My loot of containers:
These containers for water are enough to last us for just ONE day. Thankfully the water tanks at our condo are enough to sustain the residents for 1 or 2 days, depending on usage.
On the second day of the water cut, the water level at our condo water tanks will be measured and if the drop is at a critical level, there will be staggered hours of water cut and flowing taps on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th day.
In the worst case scenario, my contingency plan is to bring the girls to a hotel for some civilization until the water supply returns. Hubs is rubbing his temples now as he’s having full-house functions on the days of the water cut.
Don’t we just hate water cuts? 😭 I wager that everyone affected by this water cut will now treat every drop of water that flows out from our taps with renewed appreciation.
Ask anyone what the most stressful things in life are, and you’re pretty likely to get the same few answers. Starting a new job, having a baby, getting married, and perhaps the most common of all, moving house. If you know anyone who tells you that moving house is not a stressful experience, then they are either lying or that have figured out some kind of incredible secret! No matter what you do, moving house is always going to come with its fair share of stress and difficulty. But is there nothing that you can do about it? Do you really just have to put up with the stress of it all and hope for the best? Of course not! There are plenty of things that you can do that, while they might not take all the stress out of it, can make things a great deal easier. Here are some ways to take some of the stress out of moving home.
Deal with the boring stuff first
When you’re moving home that usually means that you’re dealing with various contracts and legal complications that come with renting, buying, or selling a home. Make sure to deal with all of those things as quickly as possible. It might be tempting to put them off, but in the end, that’s just going to make your life more stressful overall. There are plenty of ways that you can make a lot of legal stuff less complicated and difficult as well. Hiding your head in the sand might be tempting, but it’s going to make things far once in the long run.
Don’t do it alone
The worst thing that anyone can do when they’re moving home is to try and do it completely by themselves. It might not seem like that much of a gargantuan task, but it is often far more difficult than you initially expect. Even just knowing where to start when it comes to packing everything up can be a challenge. But once you have everything packed away then you have to deal with the logistical difficulties of getting it to somewhere new. If you’re not in the position to drive a moving van from one place to the next, then you could be looking at multiple trips, depending on the size of your car. Hiring movers might seem like a drastic option, but it really can make all the difference in the world. Companies like Bekins Moving Solution are professionals, and they know exactly how to pack, store and transport your belongings in the most efficient and safest way possible. There are some movers who will even pack and unpack your boxes for you, allowing you to focus on getting settled into your new place. Of course, if you don’t have the budget for a crew of movers, you could always just bribe your friends with pizza and get them to help. Any number of extra hands can make the whole process much easier.
No matter what you do, your move is always going to be a pretty stressful time. However, by doing whatever you can to plan carefully and understand exactly what needs doing, you’re going to be able to make the whole process that much easier on yourself.
There are loads of reasons why someone who opt for high-rise such as condominiums even when a condominium for sale usually come with a hefty price per square foot. When purchasing a condominium the buyer is agreeing to buy all the space within the walls. Everything outside the condo belongs to the building manager. Condos are a great buy, but to determine if they are right for you there are some pros and cons to consider.
The Many Advantages Condominiums are usually conveniently located in places like downtown locations, or within walking distance of public transports, restaurants, shopping, schools, and medical facilities. It also gives a sense of security to many people who feel safer having close neighbors. This is especially true when some condos are heavily guarded with security guards, buzzers and gates with security codes.
Low maintenance sounds like not the case when you need to pay more or less half a dollar per square foot but trust me, it is. You are paying a low maintenance price to get things like plumbing taken care of. Moreover, you don’t have to worry about mowing your front law or backyard or taking care of the common area. The area under your own administration is just too limited which is a good thing.
Amenities are a good selling point for condos. Most places offer many types of amenities like a lifestyle gym, pool, playground and grocery stores. Not forgetting a close community goes by the name of condominium association. Each owner is a part of this association. The association has an elected board that is responsible for repairs and maintenance issues, along with enforcing policies or bylaws. They handle disputes between neighbors as well.
Last but not least, you can pretty much lock the door and go whenever you feel like getting out of city for a vacation. Your condo is much less likely to get broken into because of the security condominium offer. More often than not, your condo will be located in the heart of the town or city or even close to great shopping center and restaurant allowing you to enjoy the life a little better.
You Can’t Have It All Of course not everything can go in your favor especially when you as the unit owner never owns the land underneath them or around them. You will only own the space between the walls of your condo. Common areas are shared with others in the neighborhood. There is little storage space and bedroom does not typically exceed 3 per condo. The space is not too large either. Sometimes the rooms and restrooms are small. Consider how much space is needed in the home. Consider how much time will be spent in each room. Sometimes there is not a lot of privacy. Sharing a wall means hearing the neighbors’ next doors from time to time. Another thing to keep in mind is that condominium corporations can impose numerous monthly fees. Some of the fees may cater for electricity but more often than not, they will only include building insurance and property maintenance. The amount of the fees depend on the square footage of your condo so the bigger the unit, the higher the fees you will pay. In some instances, the fees can runs you an extra RM 500 per month. If moving from a home to a condo, the association might come across as weak. It is made up of homeowners not property-management professionals. At times they have been known to be inefficient. In addition, renovations of a personal unit might need the approval of the association.
There you go on the many pros and cons of staying in a high rise like condominiums. When you are on the hunt for the perfect condominiums, consider everything involved from the location, security, parking spaces, layout of the unit and more. Fret not, I’m not asking you to go condo by condo to check all these out, you just need to visit property portal like PropertyGuru to look for condominiums for sale and you can get all the information hassle free.
H20 consists of two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. This substance also known as water, is one of the most essential elements to our body and all living things in this planet.
Water makes up more than two thirds of human body weight, and without water, we would die in a few days. The human brain is made up of 95% water, blood is 82% and lungs 90%. A mere 2% drop in our body’s water supply can trigger signs of dehydration. This is why clean water is so vital for our body to stay healthy and to function optimally.
This week, one of my wishes finally came true! I had long wanted to get a water filter for our wet kitchen so that we can wash and soak our veggies, rice, grains and raw meat using filtered water. Currently, we only have one water filter (using electric) in the dry kitchen. We collect water for cooking and boiling from this water filter. I have always wanted to wash and soak our veggies using filtered water but it’s really inconvenient to be doing all the washing in our dry kitchen, which is pretty cramped. So with both eyes closed, we have been washing our meat and veggies with regular tap water.
I have lots of qualms over the quality of unfiltered water at the place where I live. Our toilet bowls often have mud-like stains though we wash them every day. Our white clothes turn yellowish over time. This is evidence that our unfiltered water is indeed adulterated with rust from old water pipes and other contaminants and dirt, which cannot be immediately seen by the naked eyes.
With many many thanks to Diamond, the world renowned experts in water filters, they have given me one of the best gifts this year by loaning me their latest water filter model – the Diamond Coral Gold! The duration I get to use the Diamond Coral Gold water filter will be for 1 year, after which I can either return it to them OR take up their High Value Trade In offer. I shall explain more on the High Value Trade In campaign in my next post.
This is how my Diamond Coral Gold water filter looks like – full of elegance and efficient in filtering our drinking water.
Diamond Coral water filters use 100% natural purifying materials such as as diatomite, coral calcium, coconut shells and bamboo charcoal base activated carbon. This system can purify harmful elements over a hundred times and it can get rid of radioactive elements found in the water while keeping intact the minerals vital to the human bodies.
The filtered water can be consumed without boiling. However, if you have young kids with sensitive tummies, you can boil the water to have a peace of mind.
The Diamond technician who came to my place was a jovial chap who knew his stuff well. I bombarded him with a long list of questions on the water filter and he patiently answered all my questions 😀 He was also very punctual on the appointment day and gave me ample notice (by calling me on my phone) before turning up at my place.
After slightly less than an hour, my Diamond Coral Gold water filter was finally installed! Before Mr Diamond left, he snapped a few pictures of newly installed water filter and asked my mil to stand next to it. She was reluctant to be the model but finally gave in since Mr Diamond was such a nice chap LOL! This is a requirement by the company as proof that the machine has been successfully installed at the client’s home.
With a water filter in our wet kitchen, cooking is now made easier. The mil and I don’t have to carry our pots and pans into the dry kitchen to fill them up with filtered water for boiling soups and cooking rice.
Diamond Coral water machine is the world’s few water filter machines that passed over 200 performance measurements and safety testing. They are awarded NSF42 and 53 Gold Seal by the USA Water Quality Association (WQA).
As I am typing this post, my MIL is busy whipping up a storm in the kitchen. Now she does not need to walk in and out of both the kitchens to get filtered water.
Water filters are not a want, they are a need, a necessity for better health. If you do not have one yet, well, you can consider Diamond. Do hop over to Diamond website to check the models and the packages.
Did I tell you that ever since I took over the role of full-time slave maid, I told the hubs that I desperately needed a cordless vacuum cleaner? But the stingy hubs said NO, he ain’t going to buy a new cordless vacuum. He said that I could use his other Electrolux vacuum cleaner which is still good, which he bought a few years ago. But that has messy cords, for Pete’s sake! The other day, I finally dug out the old Electrolux vacuum and gawd did I hated using it as it is dang heavy to lug it around! After vacuuming just the living area, I gave up and assigned my daughter to keep it back in the store room. Just when I had given up hope on ever owning a cordless vacuum cleaner, my guardian angel sent me a brand new, 3rd generation Electrolux Ergorapido vacuum cleaner that is C O R D L E S S! WOOHOO! In bright love red color some more 😀 My guardian angels must have heard me whining and decided to send me a cordless vacuum for my birthday! 😀
The new 3rd generation Ergorapido vacuum was recently launched at Harvey Norman @ Ikano Power Center. In conjunction with the launch, Electrolux and selected Harvey Norman outlets will be running a special promotion from March 13 – May 15, 2014 under which, anyone who brings an old broom to the outlet will get a rebate of RM100 on the spot when purchasing an Ergorapido model of their choice! For the promotion-participating outlets, you can visit Electrolux Facebook page
The Ergorapido is so easy to use and so light to lug it around. Even my three daughters can help me to vacuum the floor now!
Check out the Ergorapido in love red, I think it matches my cushions too 😀 This stylo mylo gadget is now a permanent feature at the corner of our living room, sleekly attached to the wall socket for power charging.
And the suction power is pretty ‘terror’ too. In just 15 minutes, see the amount of dust, dirt and hair it has sucked!
Cleaning the filter bag and container is also easy peasy. First, I used a piece of tissue paper to wipe away the dust and dirt. Then rinsed the dust cup/container with water and briefly washed the filter with water and air dried the parts in my balcony. If you are lazy to wash, just use tissue paper or a piece of wet wipe to wipe off the dust and hair will suffice.
You can watch the video on the awesomeness of the Ergorapido vacuum…
I love shopping at 100 Yen Shop. After dropping off rascal #2 at the ballet school, I can spend over an hour at 100 Yen Shop browsing the range of amazing yet affordable products. Last Saturday, I found this magic microfiber mop that I have been wanting to get ever since my role now includes housekeeping. I saw a similar one from Scotch Brite (3M), where the mop head attaches to the stick with velcro. I was very tempted to buy it but could not find the refill on sale. Moreover, it’s pretty costly. So I told myself to check out 100 Yen Shop and was so happy to find one last Saturday!
As the stick is lightweight, even my daughters can help me to mop the floor now. After moping, I can just rinse the mop head before dumping it into the washing machine for a wash every evening. Now that I am a full-time domestic maid, I am always on the look-out for household gadgets and accessories to make house cleaning an easier chore for me. The next gadget that I am targeting is the dishwasher. Already got the nod of approval from the boss and BODs at home, so next week we will charge the electrical shop to get one. The only reservation I have now is our kitchen — am very worried that extensive renovation will be needed to install the dishwasher.
Cheap and easy to use – the stick cost RM9.90 and the microfiber mop head only cost RM4.90. So convenient and easy to wipe hard to reach places like under the bed, under the sofa, under the fridge and all the nooks and corners without even having to move these big furniture.
Will be visiting 100 Yen shop again soon to get the disposable wet wipes for my Kao Magic Mop Stick.
On the morning of the first day of this year, I had a rude surprise when my maid told me that ‘sabun keluar dari lubang’ (suds appearing from the hole). I ran to the kitchen and saw the floor of the kitchen where our washing machine is placed covered by suds. The suds had made its way into our home from the hole of the drain cover. Someone from the upper unit of our condo must have been washing laundry in their washing machine and had used too much detergent, so much that the suds could not flow down the concealed piped drain and have seeped into our home. We had to used several thick towels to cover the hole and my maid had a hard time cleaning up the washing machine and floor afterward. In fact, that wasn’t the first time but the previous time, it wasn’t that serious. The next time this happens, maybe I should use play dough to seal up the hole. When we stayed at a flood prone area several years ago, we used to stick play dough on door holes, bathroom drain covers and on every part of the house where there are holes for water to seep in.
There were a few more truck loads of our stuff from our old home to our new home today. I could barely do anything but carry Baby C all the time. She has been purging again… till her diaper area is oh so red and sore and each time I wash the area, she’ll be yelling away. I hope it’s not another UTI 🙁
As for me, my sensitive nose and throat are allergic to the new paint and varnish in the new home and I am having sore throat, itchy throat and a runny and stuffy nose.
The darn 3G wireless internet is still moving at snail’s pace and horribly unstable. I feel so frustrated sitting at my PC waiting for the line to be connected. Have just called Streamyx to voice my complaint. Today is the 7th day my Streamyx has been disconnected and as expected, they were not even informed that they have to install Streamyx at my new place, unbelievable!
Anyway, I’ll leave you with some pix of the move taken at my old home.
Plastic boxes of things scattered in the living room floor, waiting to be moved to the new place.
The fridge being moved out of the house.
Our dining area devoid of table and chairs and my 2 brats eating on the floor. They found it fun and said it’s like a picnic!
We will be moving to our new condo in less than a week’s time and today I’ve finally moved by butt and started packing. I first started to clear my wardrobe and when I realized that I have so many XS size clothes that I can’t possibly squeeze my new frame into (oh well, I don’t think I will ever be able to squeeze into them again, period), I half heartedly decided to give them away. Most of them were bought from MNG, Elle, Zara and heaps of Edmund Ser office suits, jackets, pants and dresses bought during my corporate days. Gone are my XS size frame days, sob sob….. I am now officially an ‘aun-tee’ with an aun-tee figure too 🙁
I have also packed a bag of baby clothes for a blogger mom who said she doesn’t mind the hand-me-downs for her baby girl. Some of the baby clothings are brand new.
3 bags of clothings to give away – 2 bags of office wear and my sexy, skimpy XS size tops and a bag of baby clothes.
3 more boxes of old clothes to give away but no time to sort them out yet.
I will have lesser time to blog for the next few days as I will be busy packing my stuff. It’s not easy to pack as Baby C is always whining and fussing as she hates to be ignored. She wants to be carried or be placed on the floor to crawl but it’s quite impossible to do that if I want to pack my stuff. Our official moving date will be next Friday and I will take a few days of blog break to move and unpack our stuff.
When my former maid was around, I didn’t have to help her out or supervise her much when it comes to organizing the household and cooking. Whenever I bought meat back from the market or supermarket, she would know what to do. With this super blur maid, I have to label all the meat that I have bought like this :
If I don’t label the meat, she would not know what meat is inside each plastic bag as all the meat look alike when they are frozen. With the labeling, it is easy for her and for me to find the type of meat that we want to cook and we will know when the meat was bought coz it’s always first in first out.
My maid putting fresh fish paste into containers before labeling them and freezing them.
The past one week has been hectic for me. Hubby has been really busy with his catering business lately, which is good for us but we see him lesser. He will normally do the marketing of vegetables, fish and fruits for us at the pasar malam every Friday but last Friday, my maid, the 2 girls and I had to walk to the pasar malam to do the marketing ourselves….. which is really tiring for me as the pasar malam is located quite a distance from where I stay (15 mins walk one way).
Today I had to walk to the nearby van that sells vegetables and meat to do marketing – bought pork ribs, minced pork meat, fish paste, vegetables. etc. then walked back to the house with Sherilyn tagging along. After that, I walked to a shop near my house to collect my green peas cookies. I didn’t want my maid to follow as she’s already so slow with her work. If she follows me out, work will be piling up and I will have to end up helping her with the chores.
At 11:30am, I walked to Alycia’s pre-school to bring her back as hubby was unable to fetch her back today. This time I brought my maid along so that she can help carry Alycia’s school bag and carry Sherilyn when we cross the road. As I was walking back from the school, I visualized myself holding Alycia and Sherilyn on both sides, with my newborn baby clinging on to me in my sling, a few months down the road. I would really look like a frumpy Ah Soh with 3 daughters. I should really ask hubby to get me a car as it is quite inconvenient without one now. That was really a lot of walk for me today. I won’t really mind if I wasn’t pregnant and don’t have painful varicose veins on my legs.
My maid is now frying a huge wok of vermicelli that can last us till dinner. These days, I plan meals that are very simple to cook and do not require much preparation coz my maid is really slow. If I ask her to prepare a meal with 3 dishes, say a chicken dish, a fish dish and a fried vege dish, she would take forever to cook them and forever to wash up the dishes. Yesterday, there were 2 huge baskets of clean laundry for her to fold and she could not finish folding them. Each time we needed clothes, we had to fish them out from the laundry basket ourselves. I have already been relieving my maid from many chores now and I am doing some of the chores myself. I just hope my new permanent maid will be more efficient and faster than this slow coach.
Despite a rough start for Alycia and us this morning, the rest of the day was nevertheless quite fruitful. After her major temper tantrum in the morning followed by a real good lesson from daddy and mummy, Alycia turned out rather angelic for the rest of today. She did lots of coloring and letter tracing today and was very obedient. Sherilyn also did some letter tracing and she has made some really good improvements in her pencil grip and today, she wrote the letter ‘J’ really well – straight and got the order of the strokes correct. Just a moment ago, she traced the number ’15’. After guiding her hand to write the number, she could remember the order of the strokes and traced the number perfectly well. I’m so proud of her progress.
The gals also had a swell time at a new playground near our house in the evening. The play equipment were new and the slides were almost 1.5-storey high. My 2 samseng gals even had the guts to climb up the iron ladder bars to the top (together with daddy) and went down the winding slides. Every step that they took as they climbed up sent cold shivers down my spine and whilst they had a great time with daddy, I watched nervously on the ground, with my heart pounding away as they climbed each step up the iron bars to the 1.5-storey high slides.
For dinner, we had a piece of pan-fried sirloion steak, a slice of pan-fried fish, stir-fried spinach and lotus root soup. It was just another regular weekday for us but we had accomplished quite a bit.
