18 My New Buddies - The Pigeons

Never in my life did I foresee a time that I would be friends with a couple of pigeons.

On and off, I'd see birds visiting my little garden in the balcony. A loud chirp alerts me of their presence. Hubs and I decided that we should leave some food around for them. We started out with sunflower seeds. No success there. I was saddened but determined so I kept doing it.

This pigeon thing all started about a month ago after Hubs took me to a pet store in Taman Tun to see a talking Mynah bird. It had sparked something in us. Next thing I knew, we were walking to our car with a bag of premium bird seeds in hand.

Bird Food

I stopped putting sunflower seeds and started serving the newly purchased gourmet bird seeds. Nothing happened for three weeks until I saw it one evening - a pigeon eating the seeds. Peck, peck, peck, peck! A surge of happiness engulfed me. I was gushing all about it to hubs. Hubs was saying that it'll be bringing its buddies over soon.

His words came true as three flew in the next morning. I was thrilled! "Buddies!  " I thought to myself.

During the following days, I observed that two pigeons would faithfully pop in between 8am-9am. Just the two. I know that they're the same guys because one of them has feathers sticking out weirdly from the back of its neck - a bad hair day kind of thing. I wondered what happened to the third bird. It never came back.

These pics were taken behind a glass door because they fly away the moment they hear me opening it. Funnily, they don't mind it too much if I sit close to the glass to watch them eat as long as I don't move too much.

Pigeons, The City Dove

This Is Gaston

Today, I started leaving a bowl of water and chopped lettuce (this, after seeing Benji peck on the leaves of my chrysanthemum plant) in addition to the seeds. Gaston gave the lettuce a miss after analysing it from the edge of the container, bobbing his head here and there, probably going, " Veggies. Ugh! ". Benji tossed some out and swished it around with its beak.

I think the lettuce is a no go but I'll try again tomorrow for the sake of a balanced diet. I'm getting too involved, I know.

The water was a great idea. Both pigeons drank it.

At 4PM, as I type this, my two amigos popped in again. I am surprised. They took a sip of water. Benji headed to my mint plant and started pecking at it. It looks like Benji's with me on the balanced diet thing. Gaston, on the other hand, loves strutting his stuff on our balcony. He'd be bobbing his head, chest out and in between, rub his head against his wings. Show off!

First pics of Benji and the other birds who visit me.

Top-Left to Right : Benji , Javan Myna
Bottom Left to Right : A Small Brown Bird, Benji

Would you take a common pigeon for a pet? I didn't think I would but now I look forward to seeing and spoiling them daily. Haha that.

18 The BedRoom Gets A Paint Job

You'd think that after so much painting done over the years, I'd be a pro at it. But ... no major improvement here. I think it's because I just enjoy getting it done. The feel of rolling the brush up and down with the radio on is therapeutic. The crooked paint lines along the wall corners? It's no skin off my back.

Sharon Paints The Bedroom

My standard reply for anyone spotting these flaws are - "It's artistic, an expression of myself and how I view life." Lol. Life is meant to be lived ..and lived happily. There are things we should fuss over, there are things we should let go and let be.

" Life is like a blank canvas. It's up to you how you want to paint it. "

I spent some weeks moving boxes of stuff and small furniture out of the bedroom. Then, it flowed into a major spring cleaning exercise with bags of things being given away to whoever wants it and lots of washing being done. I sneezed myself silly through it all with watery eyes. It almost looked like I was having a cold. Bah! My sensitive nose!

I'll not go into how the skin on my was nose was peeling by the end of it all. The colours hubs and I chose for the room were grey and light green. It was navy blue and turquoise before.

We picked a Sunday for our painting adventure and had gotten about three layers done on two walls, when we realised that we didn't have enough paint. So, we took a break and left the room alone for a couple of days.

Runs Out Of Paint - Didn't Panic

When fresh paint arrived, I picked the roller up again only this time without hubs because it was a working day for him. I completed the walls leaving the edges near the ceiling aside; Hubs wasn't too keen about me climbing up the ladder for that. My hero, I say. I was happy to give it a miss because I remember all too clearly how my poor neck felt after I painted the bathroom ceiling. Looking up for longgggg periods is, can I say - 'a pain in the neck?'

This is how the newly painted walls look like in dim light and when it's bright.

Freshly Painted Walls

I am so pleased with it.

Check out my past painting projects here:
~ A New Look For My Guest Room
~ I Paint Not The Canvas
~ My Little Paint Project

That's that on my April. I can't believe May is up next week.

20 Flavours Magazine ~ The Final Issue, It's An Issue!

The headline couldn't have been more heartbreaking : ‘Flavours’ magazine says goodbye after 21 years . 21 years! There are only a handful of local cooking magazines in print and upon counting, didn't reach as far as the number of fingers on my hand.

I have fond memories of Flavours as you can probably tell, with this whole blog post dedicated to it. It wasn't too long ago (or was it..), that friends and I rushed to get copies because there was a lovely Christmas tree cutout. We were ladies who adore a bit of craft.

Earlier in the year, the February issue to be exact, I saw my contest entry in one of the pages. It was a slogan I penned for their 20th anniversary giveaway. I didn't win that one, but they touched my heart when they included it into their printed copy.

Flavours - February Issue 2015

20th Anniversary Slogan

The magazine costs RM12 ; in no way affordable to the masses. So I'm picky about the issues I buy. It goes into my shopping cart only if there are stories relating to the history of a dish I'm interested in, or recipes I'd really like to try. I wondered many times if they could have used thinner paper, have fewer pages and priced it less. Many times. 

I browsed through this month's online issue excitedly, with reason. They had emailed me days before that I'd won a Tramontina Churrasco barbeque fork and knife set. This is the stuff of dreams considering my interest in all things kitchen-related.

I paid little attention to what was written on the cover of course but when I finally did 'see it', all feelings broke loose! I got off the computer and gave them a call to inform that I was dropping by to collect the prize. At the same time, I asked, " Eh, I understand that this is the final issuuue! Whyyyy arh?" in standard Malaysian slang.

"Yeah, we are all sad about it too. We're not sure where we'll be after this. Perhaps absorbed into other departments." - That's the gist of the conversation.

I wished the girl well as I left the building with the BBQ set, at the same time hating bosses that leave their employees wondering whether they still have a job tomorrow.

Flavours - December Issue 2015 (The Final One!)

Me, on the winners list!

The BBQ set

On another note, two local radio stations, Capital FM and Red FM are ceasing operations as well. Bummer!

22 I Caved In - My R2-D2 Cereal Container and Koko Krunch

I'm a sucker for these things. I resisted the temptation to buy it the first time I saw it on the shelves of Tesco supermarket using priceyness a reason. How did I end up with one anyway?

Koko Krunch and R2-D2 Cereal Container

The hubster, of course! He cajoled his way into my heart, insisting that he was doing it for me. He knows that I love Koko Krunch. But, I know him for a huge Star Wars fan and that, made me really suspicious. Hmmm...I caved in, in the end because it was such a cute container for adults to have. ...You mean it's for kids? I'll have you know that I'm a kid at heart!

Here it is, the unboxing of my ..(or is it the hubs?) R2-D2 cereal and milk container.

R2-D2 Cereal and Milk Container

Is it not awesome? R2-D2's head is really a bowl.

R2-D2 Cereal and Milk Container - It's a nice size!

One half of the container is fitted with a bottle screw cap. This is where the milk goes. The other half has a flip lid. This is where the cereal goes.

R2-D2 Cereal and Milk Container

There you have it. My most interesting purchase this month. Did you buy anything 'exciting' recently?

14 Surprise!.....A Prize!

Remember this post - We Roll ... Into Intel's Movie Night, where I had scored a movie ticket to watch Transformers 4 for free? During the event, we were asked to complete a contest form. I don't remember exactly what it was all about, but I recall writing some sort of slogan.

Last Monday, I received a call from Intel around noon. I was still groggy from being woken up. I'd slept at 5am that day.

Oh, don't blast me for staying up so late..or is that early. It was the World Cup Finals! The man of the house sniggered at my commitment. He didn't think I'd be able to stay awake but guess what? The adrenaline rush gave me the boost I needed to keep my eyes open.

Yes, back to the story. The call was to inform me that I'd won a prize! I was really excited about it. Had no idea what I was babbling about and didn't take the address down although it was repeated to me. Then, I went back to sleep. At 4pm, haha, I dialed the number and sheepishly asked for the details again. Sorry, Justin!            

Two days later, I went to collect the prize. I took a friend along and we decided to park by the roadside along with the other cars. It was a traffic free road. Just as we alighted from the car, we got back in again. Drats those pesky DBKL officers. They zoomed in to our corner and started issuing summons. I reparked the car inside the building, before they could get to me. Phew!

Well, this is what I got, a transformers collectible valued around RM200. Probably more, if I had been given a summons *wink*

This isn't just any toy. There's a guide book included to show you how to transform Optimus into a truck. Neat, huh.

Optimus - Transformers

I did watch the movie three times. So, I guess this is reward for being such a good fan? 

 

6 The Kitchen Project : Wire Shelves

It had to happen sooner or later. My collection of spices and sauces had grown beyond the space my kitchen cabinets could offer. I was squeezing things here, there, everywhere, piling containers and canned foods as high as I 'safely' could!

"Hah! You dropped two bottles and made a huge mess on the floor!"   < --- Enough said.

I knew that I had to do something about it so I spent days surveying for shelves - the easy, convenient kind.......and hopefully, it wouldn't cost too much too.

Just when I'd almost given up on finding something that tickled my fancy, I walked into Daiso and the matter was solved. Daiso is a popular low-priced store in Malaysia. Many items are sold at RM5 flat.

I picked out these wire shelves for my kitchen. It's quite brilliant really. The back piece is a mass of squares designed to hold multiple shelves. They were selling it in various colours and sizes. I stayed with white. It's my favourite colour. Oh, who am I kidding. A lot of colours are "my favourite colour".

Daiso shelves at RM5 per piece

I was so psyched about it that I added a few more spices and cute containers to my collection. And... spent the weekend labeling each one.

Labeling bottles and containers

Man of the house put the shelves up for me. A quick drill and screw was all that needed to be done.

I hereby present my new kitchen shelves! What do you think?

Ready for use!

These wire shelves aren't suitable for large or heavy glass bottles. Just warning anyone who's keen to set up the same.

Close-up!

Well, that's one thing I don't have to worry about anymore. Tick off to-do list!

8 Breakfast And A New Pan

Breakfast is important. Everyone knows that but mornings and me? We shake hands and that's as much love as we have for each other. No hugs! Brunch is more my thing.

The only food that  goes into me first thing in the morning is a hot cup of chocolate malt.

Chocolate Malt

Occasionally, I have eggs and baked beans...

Eggs and Baked Beans

But only because I have a fancy new pan to try out < --- "motivation"

Nah, this post is nothing about breakfast. I really, reallyYy wanted to show off the latest addition to my kitchen. Do you like it? Haha. Don't be mean now.

New Pan ~ RM9.90 from Tesco

 

4 Creative! Clothes Hook with Sticker Notes

Brilliant. I was so excited when I saw these stickers above the clothes hook in the fitting room.

You'd think I could have arranged it in the same manner even without the sticker signs but I'm going to tell you honestly that I wouldn't have. This is me. I'll be carrying 5 blouses into the fitting room. Try one on, love it to bits and hang it on one side. I'll try another, get excited and hang it on the same hook. Then.. wonder what made me love the first one. I'll try the first blouse again ...starts thinking about budget, cash or credit card, did I bring the store card for points, is it 'no plastic' day, do I really need this, is it flattering, what shall I cook for dinner today ...

By the time I reach for my fifth blouse, I'd be having second thoughts about everything and wonder what clothes organised in the left meant and why I had some on the right. This (below) will help me remember!

Definitely!

4 The Dolce Gusto Experience - Chococino

Slurp your coffee, sip your tea.

I never imagined owning a Dolce Gusto machine but here it was, courtesy of my lovely cousin.

Cool nights have never been the same since ..slurp. I love sitting outside the balcony with a hot cup of chococino in hand.. slurrPpp. Just me, the stars, the moon ..slurpPpPPp.

Forgive me for my overexcitement..and for losing myself in my own world.

I'm very much a fool for simple pleasures. There's nothing I like more than chillin' out in comfy shorts and old tees in the small zone of my cosy apartment. I'm that typical person with messy hair tied into a bun, looking nothing like the polished person she is on her Facebook photo.

Chococino's the "in" drink in my home right now.

I'm not a huge fan of coffee but with cocoa put together, it's like a match made in heaven. I know I'm exaggerating it a whole lot but that sums up my feelings about the Dolce Gusto chococino. No, this isn't an advertorial but it'd sure be nice if I was paid to be an ambassador for something I love.

Each box of 8-pack chococino costs RM28. That comes out to RM3.50 per cup. I guess whether it's worth it would really depend on how much you love drinking it.

I wasn't attracted to put the dollar down on the other flavours. Chocolate does that. It has such magnetism that I cannot pull away. Hah!

Anyway, although I love my machine and chococino to bits, there is one thing I really wish for - a fancy Dolce Gusto cup with measurements engraved inside so I can tell whether I'm filling it up in the right proportions.

Here are some photos to show you how easy it is to work this machine. The basics - fill it with water, place the capsules into the holder and flip the water dispensing handle on...marshmallows not included.

As easy as ABC!

Dolce Gusto Piccolo (RM400+) - makes three cups!

A registration gift upon signing up as member online - the Bubble Pod Holder

The chococino slurp is just about to happen

0 Art : Hair Piece

I admire artistic people. They create beautiful things out of ordinary items, produce life-like portraits using any material and so forth.....me? I have trouble just trying to pencil-draw the stick-man.

But there are days that I actually squeeze something out of my right brain like this hair piece I did some years ago. Not only did I amuse myself, I actually felt I had 'a lot' of creative potential.

That's my hair and hub's, curled in a frame. Creative, isn't it? Did I hear a snicker? I used hub's white hair to contrast it against the black paper on the left side of the frame and did the opposite for mine.

What inspired me? A need for something that said, us together hairpily ever after, in frizzy moments and smooth times, he is my silver lining and I, the highlight of his life.

Hair Piece

0 Inspired to 'rock' my garden

Revamping the garden ~ a necessary ...joy.

And all because I stumbled across two lovely decorative rocks while shopping the other day. Engraved on it were words of wisdom that affirms some of my spiritual beliefs.

"Bloom where God plants you". Anywhere. Whether you're a homemaker, an office employee, in school or a bus driver, be the best you can be in your field, do good and take pride in your work.

God said to do good wherever we are. He never said one role was better or more important than the other. 

"On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand". In God I trust, for He will never forsake me nor crumble under pressure like all men do.

Interpretations for myself.

0 A package from Claire Organics

And then there are days I'm just so excited for the simplest reason. I've got mail!

It's arrived in a neat brown package, decorated with a pretty piece of white paper lace. That's Claire Organics for you - a glimpse of their creative side.

No drinking, please

What they're really into is organic soaps, the handmade kind with a lot of love put into it. Their passion for chemical free body wash products has me admiring them for their tenacity in coming out with unique ingredients for soap making. I believe a lot of research went into it.

I'd never even heard of breast milk soap before this but there you go, it only goes to show that nothing is really impossible these days if we let our minds wander in abandon.

This is my stash from Claire Organics - Calendula, Purple Gromwell and Guinness Stout. I bet you're going "???". Well, you can click here to read about these amazing products if you want. I'm off to try out my new stuff.

Organic Soaps

4 A New Look For My Guest Room

This is a follow-up from my previous post.

I'd been toying with the idea of having a crisscross design on one side of the wall. I knew I was going to use masking tape to help me achieve the look I had in mind. I just wasn't sure if it would turn out well. The last thing I want is for it to turn out too webby. No offense there, Spidey.

The project of crisscrossing was carried out at night. My partner and I went back and forth the room to get a better view of where we were going to cross the lines next. It wouldn't look too good if the lines were all concentrated in one area. After that was done, we painted the entire wall, over the tape.

In between all this, I only realised that there were curious onlookers in the building opposite ours when I happened to glance out of the window for a break. They must be wondering why we were taping our windows...

The next night was spent peeling the tape off but before that, did I mention that I was so excited that I kept peeking into the room to check on it.. not that there was anything to check on. It was just the magnetising effect of overwhelming pride that attracted me to the room.

The end result is remarkably pretty. I would do it again... but knowing me, maybe not. I prefer opting for "different" IF I could.

Here are some photos I snapped ..and snapped, snap!...snap! snap!...whoaa, fifty plus?! Outrageous.

Masking tape crossed all over

The peel-off!

Mmmm..pretty in Ashley Pink

A daytime photo

The finished product

6 My Little Paint Project

I'd been thinking about re-painting the guest room for ages. I've always felt that it needed to be a little brighter and in more cheerful colours, but I've never made the move to do it. Perhaps I didn't think it was THAT important.

Who knew that these thoughts would become a reality one day..

After encouraging response from people at home, I placed an order with Nippon, the paint specialist.

Yesterday, I started on my little paint project.

Little? < ---- understatement of the year.

I would have covered myself with some sort of protection if I wasn't feeling overly gung ho about it. My judgement was clouded for a moment there. It didn't take long for me to realise the folly of just "getting down to it".

It started with me losing patience over opening the can of paint. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get the cover to budge. Frustrated, I grabbed a pair of scissors and pried it open...a little too hard. Splat!!

"Omigosh! My face! My face!"

I stumbled dramatically into the bathroom like a victim of an alien attack. I could only see through the little opening I could afford between my eyes. There was a splash of  thick paint right in the middle. I looked like I had web on my face and a spot of grey hair. Thank goodness this was water-based paint and it washed off easily. That unexpected exercise delayed my paint project by almost an hour.

I returned to the room to realise that the mess was worse than I expected. The longest sigh escaped my lips as I assessed the damage. I got down on my knees and began scrubbing paint off the floor.

By the time I actually began painting the walls, I was hungry and exhausted. How embarrassing for me.

Have you ever felt like you just didn't want to care anymore? That's how I felt that moment. I became possessed by the "can-do" spirit. Nothing was going to stop me from doing this, I thought. Big strokes, up, down - the mantra I chanted, to keep myself going. The only protection I had on was a shower cap. The worst had passed, surely.

The end of the day saw me admiring two freshly painted walls. I was so pleased with myself although I had paint everywhere on me. At the same time, my hair was given a homemade steam treatment.

Aaah, what a day I have had. Today, I painted the rest of the walls. I am excited to see the overall results especially the corner where I attempted some creative paintwork. Nothing fancy for this first-timer. 

I'll be seeing the fruit of my labour soon. For now, I wait impatiently for the paint to dry. Fingers crossed that it turns out well.

Phew..this is a lot of work

Whoaa...

0 A Whiff Of Freshness For The Bathroom

....and I discovered it quite by being inquisitive.

I've this habit of testing out cheaper brands to see if I can replace pricier items at home to save on grocery shopping.

Sometimes I get a good hit, sometimes I just "gotta suck it in" and keep it until I figure out what to do with it, like this mouth rinse I purchased. The label reads 18% alcohol. I could get drunk on this I think.

I soon discovered that it was made of stuff built to destroy the toughest "meanies" on our gums. I do not doubt its effectiveness and would have gladly added it onto my monthly shopping list but I couldn't endure the burning that came immediate. If I cannot stand it, logic tells me that nothing having made a cosy home in my mouth can.

I was staring at the bottle of sky blue liquid and I thought..

"You look like you could kill an army of germs with just a drop.."

So I poured a couple of dashes into my white toilet bowl. My oh my, I have to say it IS the Febreeze for bathrooms. If there was any unfavourable scent lingering before, it was all gone. The whole place smelled like a breath of fresh air.

Dark bathroom secret revealed ~ Every time I have visitors coming over, I pour some of this mouth rinse into the bowl. The scent lasts into the next hour, until someone flushes of course. It works better than air fresheners. Mmm..I wonder if other mouthwashes are as effective ...
 

0 Oohing And Aahing Over My New Door Guard

It had to happen I guess. People have been saying that the crime rate has increased noticeably over the years.

I have never taken it very seriously. I rebel at the thought of being told that I cannot walk the land I was born and bred in safely and freely. Where are my rights in the middle of all this unjustified calls that I be more fearful than the devil who robs. Who is their protector that they conquer over us without an ounce of doubt that any repercussions would be light on their conscience. 

While there has been a steady flow of friends and family coming up to me with horrifying accounts of being held at knife point and having their bags snatched, I still felt safe behind the comforting closed doors of home...until recent. This is the year I took extra precautions.

Three of my neighbours had their homes broken into. It was the work of those in-the-know. They knew exactly which units would be completely empty during work days. They also knew how to avoid the many cameras that were installed in every lift and exit/entry point of our apartment building.

If security was poor, the fault did not 100% lie with the guards the building management has hired to keep these unsavoury characters out. The residents themselves had a hand in allowing strangers, without pass cards, to come in. Who can fault them for acting out of compassion.

Some strength is required to pull the latch up

So, Hubs bought some extra locks for the home. One, which enthralled me, was this door guard. It's no ordinary latch.

Not as flimsy as the ones I'm used to seeing from back home when I was child - you know, that squarish steel contraption with holes on its sides for screws, holding a small bar that is slid across to lock it into the other side of the door.

This fancy-looking door guard costs more than the average lock at over a hundred ringgit. After a couple of heave-hos trying to push the door open with my new door guard on, I'm pleased with how solid it felt. ..not to mention that it's aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

Verdict: Worth the investment.


How does it work? You have to pull the latch (with some strength) to the right to lift it open and to lock.................dreadfully complicated to put into words.....

So, here's a video to show you how it works instead..hehe

Pretty

2 Ginseng Revitalising & Moisturising Bath

Think about "ginseng" and the first word that comes to mind is "revitalising". Perhaps a good distraction would help me pocket some of the feeling of anxiety that has recently engulfed my heart.

I took my dearly loved aunt to Desa Parkcity recently for a breath of fresh air and to shop for some groceries. It has been close to two weeks since she was diagnosed with Stage 4, stomach cancer. My ten days have been spent learning much about the disease, but getting nowhere in the end. I was as confused as I was when I began.

A breather, does that really help? I found small respite in the form of an unusual bath gel we found at MaxValue. The 600ml bottle of gel costs RM18.99. Value for money? I can't tell, I've not tried it. Maybe it's value is greater than that of money since it offered my mind an escape route.

I'm calmer today and have removed the angry rant I had posted earlier. I feel remorseful over my lapse in good manners and I need to be stronger for my aunt's sake.

Neat, huh? A piece of Korean ginseng root

o'Naomi revitalising and moisturising bath

With the Malaysian flag in the background