20 Dendrobium Orchid Blooms

The last time these orchids bloomed was in 2015. It's been a long wait for me and it had to happen over the Lunar New Year holidays when I was away.

Dendrobium Sonia Orchid

I think these are called Dendrobium Sonia . Please don't take my word for it. I am relying on Google Images to identify this!

At first, one petal stuck out. Just so you know, it takes ages for orchid flowers to bloom and once it does, it stays for awhile too.

Orchids - One Petal Sticks Out

The first to open up and what I saw last before I went away for a week-long holiday.

Orchids

This greeted me when I returned home.

Dendrobium Sonia Orchid

You know what else is great about orchids? They're tough! I can go on week-long holidays without worrying about them. It doesn't require daily watering.

Have you seen my other orchids? I think I have a thing for purple flowers. You may see it in my previous post - here .

16 My New APTITLIG Chopping Board

I am elated with my new purchase. It's a large chopping board from IKEA!

IKEA - APTITLIG Butcher's Block (Front)

Made from bamboo and pretty heavy. It is, I would say, solid stuff.

IKEA - APTITLIG Butcher's Block (Back)

My regular-sized wooden board, although good, receives less appreciation from me when having to deal with long stemmed vegetables and raw food in larger quantity or size. This new chopping board allows me enough space to do all I need. Imagine not having meat and vegetables spill over the sides ..and being able to chop with abandon.

Just so you know, I only went to get this chopping board after the old one gave way from daily abuse. I didn't rush to replace it. I took my time since my mind was set on a larger board and I didn't want to get something for the sake of it.

I did some surveying at my regular shopping haunts but couldn't find anything that really called out to me. I finally turned to the internet and was intrigued by this APTITLIG piece that was being sold by a third party. It was going for about RM100 after a discount of almost 50%. This didn't include shipping charges. The huge price reduction excited me but I have a thing about seeing the items I'm about to buy firsthand, so I held off my purchase and went direct to IKEA Damansara to check it out for myself.

RM100? No way!

Fortunately I did, because the exact model was priced at just RM59 in the store itself. I picked out what I believed was the best piece.  In total, I forked out only RM37 for this chopping board after using up a couple of IKEA gift cards I'd won from earlier giveaways. I call that a bargain!

The care instructions are easy-peasy! It had to be treated with food-safe oil for a day before use.

APTITLIG Care Instructions

This is my chopping board - freshly greased with sunflower cooking oil.

IKEA - APTITLIG Butcher's Block Getting The Oil Treatment

I've been using it for a week now with a satisfied smile and a happy feeling.

18 The AINO Warehouse Sale, I'm Done With Gift Shopping!

Would you believe that I'm done with Christmas gift shopping already? It all happened when I popped into AINO's warehouse sale at Desa ParkCity over a month back.

I love going into this home furnishing store. It is my place of happy. They sell exquisite kitchen and tableware at reasonable prices. The bright red ads they had placed strategically along several roads were effective in getting my attention. Hubs and I made our way to the warehouse sale that was organised in an open carpark

This mandoline was going for RM30. I'd been eyeing for one the longest time; it had always been too expensive ranging from RM80 to as high as RM300. This is a steal!
 

Mandoline

What's Inside The Mandoline

Tadaaa..my new toy! Ready for slicing and grating action.

A Stand And Various Cutting Blades

We checked out every corner of the sale. There were so many pretty things. Then, we saw it. This item (pictured below) originally costs RM14.90 per set. Guess how much I got it for at the sale. What thing? It's a secret known only to few.

"Wow, this would make a great Christmas gift . I'll take ten-lah." So I told the young chap who was assisting us.

"What do you mean ten. We'll take the whole carton!" My husband quipped in excitedly.

That's 24 in a carton and we paid RM24 for all of it. Yes, it went down to RM1 each! I am feeling so blessed by this phenomenal find.

The Secret Christmas Gift

That's why I love going to warehouse sales. It's like a play centre for adults. Here's a couple of photos showing what the scene is like.

AINO Warehouse Sale

AINO Warehouse Sale

Coincidentally, AINO is running a small-scale sale at their stores right now for selected items. Check their website out to see the bargains.

As for me, I think I have enough to hold off shopping until the next warehouse adventure. Or do I ..

14 Die-lor, I'm At Daiso ..And I Bought More Than Vacuum Seal Bags

Die-lor, I'm at Daiso. This means an excitable me and a bout of over-spending. All the items are priced at RM5.30 making it one of the best stores to shop for presents and household items for the budget-conscious.

I was here to get some storage bags, the vacuum seal kind. Spring cleaning is the new exercise. I always feel good after a major one and I'm midway through the bedroom. It needs to be revamped, the walls painted, curtains changed, cabinets re-organised and so forth. I've been washing all sorts of things from soft toys to old pillows the past couple of weeks. Four bags of used items have been donated away. I'm always surprised by the number of things we accumulate over the years! It feels like yesterday that I gave away ten bags of stuff ..

As it is, I did over-buy at Daiso, a few lovely tray organisers making their way into my shopping basket. It was white and had these beautiful carvings around the sides. I thought it'd be perfect for keeping our skin and beauty products neatly in place. No more using old recycled chocolate tins - these I'm saving for gift-wrapping.

On the vacuum seal bags, I wasn't sure which would be the better buy so I brought home two varieties - one a plain ziplock bag in XXXL size and the other with a valve.

Vacuum Seal Bags

I dug my vacuum cleaner out and proceeded to vacuum pack my bedspread and comforter. It worked like a charm - both items were flattened to half its size. I cannot wait to do the same with the fluffy pillows!

Vacuum-Packing To Save Space

I wasn't too pleased about the one that had the valve in the beginning because it didn't look aesthetically pleasing with a huge button sticking out on top. However, compared to the other, it proved to be the user-friendlier one! Without the valve, it wasn't easy to vacuum the bag flat. The plastic kept getting sucked into the vacuum cleaner .. perhaps I'm not doing it quite right.
 

Vacuum Seal Bag With Valve - Easy-Peasy!

Vacuum Seal Bag Without Valve - Phew! Hard Work!

Therefore, it will be the one with the valve for me from now onwards!

Have you any storage tips for large items?

22 My Name On A Nutella Jar

Almost four weeks into March, and boy has it been invigorating! I took visiting relatives on several sightseeing trips and went to a once-in-a-lifetime event. My blog took a backseat as I attended to adventures that life threw at me. Now I'm back and raring to write type! 

Did you hear about Nutella's personalised jars campaign?

The moment I saw an advertisement about it on Facebook, I knew I had to be there. The date on my table planner was circled so enthusiastically that the pen almost ripped the paper. This excitement is not surprising! I'm surrounded by Nutella-loving people. My friends and family get starry-eyed at the mention of Nutella. I was no different.

I expected a long queue, so I went early and eager to snap up five jars.

1Utama Shopping Mall - #yourNutella event (9 Mar to 13 Mar)

Imagine my disappointment when I heard that it was one per head, per queue. Argh! I'd have to line up five times! That said, I could see the logicality of restricting the purchase; it was to give everyone a chance to own one without waiting too long for their turn. Fair enough.

I hadn't planned on being out longer than a couple of hours because I had lunch plans with a family member; so I bought only a jar for myself.

The Queue for #yourNutella

My Nutella journey began with purchasing an empty plastic jar at RM15.90. Moving on to the next counter, I was given a free 'Spot The Difference' activity book. Then, I was guided to a keyboard where I was asked to type my name. After that, we were ushered up the stage to place our jar on a conveyor belt. Off it went into a mysterious giant Nutella-shaped 'machine' with a huge screen. My name was displayed on the screen minutes later showing that they were working on mine.

Finally, my jar appeared at the other end, filled with Nutella and labelled with my name!  It was placed into a paper bag and ready for collection. I took my personalised jar and headed to the photobooth where my picture was taken and printed out as a nice souvenir.

Nutella Photo Booth

Nutella Activity Book

I got home, happy with the whole experience ...at the same time, disheartened; a feeling of incompleteness. Nutella, to me, has always been about warmth. Here I was with a jar that had my name on it without anyone else to share the joy with.

Right, that's me!

"I'll get it for you," my grinning Machoman offered. Are you sure? How? If you're busy, let it go, alright? I'll be fine.- I shot out.

But hey, it was a Saturday. My hero organised some friends and they got the rest of the personalised Nutella jars for me. And best of all, I heard they had fun!

Nutella means Friends and Family

....The end.

P.S. The nutella event may have come to a close but I heard that they will be selling personalised Nutella jars at several supermarkets from mid April until end of May 2016. Follow https://www.facebook.com/NutellaMalaysiafor details.

8 On Keeping Mum ..s

I've been waiting for these yellow mums to bloom for close to eight months.

In the beginning, I pinched away the unopened buds because they were dying off on the stems. I stopped doing it when it didn't seem to end - one bud after another! Exhausting, I say.

Earlier in the week however, I was excited to see some yellow petals peeking out. A good sign, I thought! But four-five days in, it stayed selfishly in a cocoon shape.

As I stared at the buds again this morning, I frowned at this little buddy which seemed to be giving me the finger. Gasp!

Yellow Mums

Well, I am not perturbed! I will continue to wait patiently.

Just living is not enough, said the butterfly, one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.

~ Hans Christian Andersen 

12 I Paint Not The Canvas

It's our 10th anniversary of home ownership. Hubs and I signed the papers a decade ago after being lured by a bright and breezy ambiance. I love the view which is at the moment, still largely unobstructed by high-rises.

I've learned that home isn't a place, it's a feeling. ~ Cecelia Ahern

As with anything that grows old with time, there is wear and tear. Leaky taps, peeling paint, faded sofa covers are some examples. I wasn't pleased with the situation in our bathroom. The ceiling was stained with smudges of grey. So, I gave it a paint job.

Climbing up the ladder made me realise that I was no longer the agile 20-year-old I used to be. With a less steady foot on the narrow steps and several oofs, I wondered how I even climbed trees in the past. This was the same ladder that I had confidently jumped up and down from in my earlier home owning days.

I took a short break to snap this picture, an excuse to rest my neck from the strain it was feeling from looking up for long periods as I swished the paint roller back and forth. 

The Ceiling Gets A New Coat Of Paint

This is an old can of unfinished paint which I've saved for more than a couple of years. Part of it was used to paint the bathroom door. It was during the time I had embarked on a painting project which I had written about here and here. I used it all up this time.

Paint tip: Cover the lid of an unfinished can of paint tightly so that you can use what's left, when the time comes.

Old Paint, Stored Properly, Can Be Used Again

Next, I painted the rattan edging of our bath mirror. Some areas of the rattan had turned an unsightly black from water marks.

This is it - the before and after!

Paint Job - Done!

That's two things crossed off my to-do list!

18 Growing Edibles, Gardening Jargon

The first seed of parsley, cili padi (bird's eye chili) and coriander was tenderly stuck into soil months ago. I blogged about it here.

Coriander never saw the light of day.... I'm just being funny, but I am devastated that nothing came out of those seeds because it happens to be my favourite herb. I use bunches of it!

I decided I could wait no longer and planted vegetables over the same patch. It's not that I've given up hope. I am a great believer of miracles, having watch a ton of Disney cartoons. I have faith that one day in between green foliage of pak choy, a coriander sprout will burst out of the ground and thrive like the rainforest of Borneo. And I will have a field day slashing generous bunches of fresh coriander for that pot of green curry.

In the meantime, spring onions have become my next best friend because it's the easiest to grow. I also added several other edibles to my little garden, like ginger and the white stemmed pak choy.

Here's a little peek on how some of my plants are doing.

The cili padi tree stands seven inches tall. Will I be seeing chilies soon? I'm quite sure I will!

Cili Padi

This parsley is two-and-a-half inches tall. Two other sprouts are coming along really slowly. Parsley, to me, would be a tortoise if it were an animal.

Parsley

Pak choy sprouting quickly! I still don't see any coriander. Do you?

White-stemmed Pak Choy

As I delved deeper into gardening, I learned some new words and names along the way.

Mealybug - A really tiny insect that resembles white cotton candy. I brought it home via an infected Portulaca. It first attacked my Mona Lavender. Then, it went for my ten-year-old cactus. That miffed me. I had to trim my plants bald and say goodbye to my cactus. The nerve of some insects...hmmph!

Germinate - Really, this is a happy word. It means that the seeds are developing into shoots. Woots!

Compost - Decomposing organic matter used as soil fertiliser. Ugh! 

Perennial - An everlasting plant. That would be my cactus, I believe...if not for mealybugs!

Bolt - When a leafy vegetable (mostly) prematurely flowers to produce seeds before you can harvest the crop. It hasn't happened to me ...yet. I can't decide whether to look forward to this or not - it would be exciting to harvest your own seeds, right?

Growing Edibles - Growing food plants.

Right, that's all about my gardening. Now, to share about a great green initiative I discovered while surfing the net. Are you someone who's concerned about the environment and want to help? Then, the Free Tree Society Kuala Lumpur is a great place to start! Check their Facebook page and website for details.

They give out little plants on environmental days. If your home is bare of any, this really is the best thing you can do for Mother Earth. Get some and green up!

A green thumb spirit is all you need to get that garden growing!