Grow grow, little plant!

This will be a short entry. It's not that I'm not passionate enough about gardening. It's just that growing plants take time. There might a lesson there on its own: Patience.

My grand plan in terms of apartment plants is pretty simple:

• plants at the balcony can grow in soil, preferably the viney type 
• plants in the kitchen will sit at the windowsill, preferably something that is edible like herbs
• plants anywhere else must be able to grow in water in recycled plastic bottles

That's it. Nothing too complicated or backbreaking.  So far, plants that have made it into my list are those that are hard to kill. LOL. Pothos (money plant), aloe vera, spider plant, lucky bamboo and snake plant (mother-in-law tongue plant).

What I find a bit amusing is I was so desperate cheap to get plants into my apartment that I got a little creative: i) freely took some cuttings from my office plants 2) dug through my grocery items for anything that is 'plantable'.

As a result, I now have the following: Onion, garlic, ginger, spider plant, money plant. Next on my hit list is the aloe vera, lucky bamboo and snake plant.

Yay! Something is growing in my apartment and it's not gross!

 

Happy Organization - Anti-Wardrobe Ideas

Eversince I received my personal shipment from Singapore, I've had mixed feelings. Woa, where did all this stuff come from? Did I just have shopping diarrhea or what?

Some items made me extremely happy such as my foldable mattress and some other items simply exasperated me (e.g. random notebooks. Argh why??). However, the items that was the most overwhelming were my shoes, dresses, tops, jackets, socks, undergarments, scarves, and belts. Aih..what am I going to do with you?

Mind you, I do not intend to buy wardrobes. I hate them. I'm sure others will argue that wardrobes protect clothes from getting dusty and helps one to organize their clothes. It doesn't work for me. All it does is encourages me to hide clutter and takes up space.

What did I do?

 

This garment rack is a little too overloaded. I plan to buy one more.

 

I did not know how useful this shoji divider would be at the entryway. It blocks the storage room door and serves as a clothes rack after I added some hooks on top. 

 

....Yes, I have too many shoes. One shoerack is obviously not enough. The other rack consist of shoeboxes that I've carefully arranged. I am thinking of getting a 2nd shoerack but I'm holding off that urge in favor of an alternative DIY shoerack idea. In the meantime, I am pleased with how IKEA Komplement can also be used to hang my heels. The inspiration is from the ladder shoerack (google it!). It's nice that I don't need to go look for wooden ladders anymore. Uh...actually, I still would but that's for another DIY project.        

 

This DIY consist of some ropes, curtain hooks and an extra curtain metal rod. It doesn't make the bedroom look minimalist but at least, everything is organized and off the floor.

 

 

These plastic zipper bags were used for moving and storage purposes. They are quite cheap (i.e. SGD 3-5) and can be bought at the little 'pasars'. I had selected different colored bags just for fun but after some brainstorming, I realize that I could use them to sort my dirty clothes by colors (e.g. darks, reds/pinks/purples, yellow/browns, and whites) and then, carry them to the laundry room. Nice!

 Looking forward to applying more DIY and organization tips to my new Mumbai home! X3 X3

The Great Humble Rice Cooker

Pest & I had a good laugh when we watched Alton Brown toss the rice cooker out the window in his episode of Good Eats, "Wake Up Little Sushi." According to him, a single function equipment should be kept out of the kitchen.

I beg to differ, Mr. Brown. The rice cooker is actually pretty versatile and is probably one of my must-have kitchen appliances.

When I first moved into my new not-so-sparkling Mumbai apartment last Saturday (I'll comment on that another day), I realize that the gas stove has not been connected and there is no gas cylinder. It'll probably take weeks before I am happily whipping up my favourite stir-frys or pan-grills.

The first three appliances I got myself for survival purposes were as follows: water kettle, rice cooker and microwave. Armed with the rice cooker, I got down to business.

Day 1: Rice +  lentils with KFC 2-piece crispy fried chicken (Ok so I bought this! Yum!)

Day 2: Clear Veggie Soup (onion + nappa + carrot + black fungus + tom yum stock + egg)



Day 3: Mushroom Cream Soup (mushroom + onions + carrots + chicken stock + soy protein powder + milk cream packet)



Day 4: Rice with Japanese pickle pre-mix (Just dump everything in. Yum! Thank you, Japan!)



Day 5: Rice porridge with braised peanuts & salted veggies (coming soon)
Day 6: Beehoon with black bean mackerel (coming soon)
Day 7: Herbal soup with boiled eggs (coming soon)

....and the list goes on!

Conclusion: I'm not throwing my rice cooker out the window. =)

Why??

I removed my old blogs a few years back to cut back on my online activities. Reinstating the blogging activity seems to contradict my minimalist living aspirations.

My move to Mumbai has taught me to be grateful to God for many basic things in life that some of us take for granted (i.e. clean water, convenient transportation, personal security, stable job & income). Simplicity encourages me to own less and be joyful with the basics.

My move to Mumbai has also taught me to reflect on the meaning of life. That mainly revolves around my faith in Christ but is not limited to the activities that are the fruits or drivers of my passion (i.e. telling stories through comics, contemplative reading, stewardship). Focus reminds me to dedicate my living days to what is truly fulfilling.

Finally, my move to Mumbai has also stretched my ability to change, urging me to try new things and to let go of the old. This ranges from experiencing inner healing to exploring new hobbies. By the Power of the Holy Spirit and inspiration of 'Malaysian Boleh', I'm confident that I am where I am supposed to be.

Now, it's time for living.