I've Been Bitten By a "Cleaning Bug'

it's not an easy thing for me to balance between work and keeping a house squicky clean all the time. i will try my best to make everything in order. the best tip is to always keep it clean after every use so i dont have to scrub it hard every time i have spring cleaning. perhaps i dont even need any spring cleaning.last sunday was kitchen cleaning. next week i'll aim for the fridge and hall ,another week will be the bedroom, then,the middle room, then,guess room, then balcony. insyallah after a month i rotate the kitchen again.

saturday should be a day out..visiting friends, shopping or just a lunch out with Honey Startime is limited, life is hard, an organised schedule hope to make it better. i should be a better organiser since i'll be traveling frequently from now and then.

So yesterday HoneyStar was teaching me some lesson in cleaning. Yes, it’s good to be married to a “cleaning bug”. You’ll be affected too, otherwise you’ll be bitten by it :P

Kitchen Cleaning To-Do List

Every Day Kitchen Duties:

• Wipe down the sink after doing the dishes or loading the dishwasher (30 seconds).

• Wipe down the stove top (one minute).

• Wipe down the counters (one minute).

• Sweep, Swiffer, or vacuum the floor (two minutes).

Every Week :

• Mop the floor (five minutes).

• Wipe the cabinets, backsplashes, and appliances (10 minutes).

• Wash the dish rack (four minutes).

• Wipe the switch plates and phone (one minute).

• Wipe the inside of the garbage can (one minute).

Every Season:

• Empty and scrub down the inside of the refrigerator (30 minutes).

• Empty and clean the insides of the utensil drawers (15 minutes).

• Scrub down the cupboard exteriors (30 minutes).

• Clean the stove-hood filter (10 minutes).

• Perform "Shiny Sink 101".

Beat the Clock

In the time it takes to brew a pot of coffee, you can get through your "every day" list.

Be Prepared

Keep extra garbage bags (or a whole roll) at the bottom of your trash can and never again have to retrieve an apple core from a bagless bin.

Let It Shine
1. Fill sink to the rim with very hot water; add one cup regular bleach. Soak for one hour.

2. Drain and rinse thoroughly.

3. Scrub with Ajax, Bon Ami, or baking soda.

4. Be sure to rinse thoroughly.

5. Shine with Windex or another glass-cleaning spray.

6.Dry Thoroughly.

Things We Need

• Burner grids and knobs • Brushes and combs • Toothbrushes • Plastic utensil organizer • Refrigerator drawers • Drain catch • Sponges • Dish rack • Plastic toys (use discretion)

Cleaning Supplies to Keep in the Kitchen

• Clorox Disinfecting Wipes :for all hard, nonwood surfaces. They leave a fresh, nonchemical scent. X have

• Windex Glass and Surface Wipes :for windows and chrome. x have

•Microfiber cloths and mops, such as StarFiber or Act Natural ; euronetusa.com: green alternatives to disposable wipes, or to chemical cleaners and paper towels. For cleaning all surfaces. Especially effective for polishing stainless steel. i have microfiber cloths and mops and i love it. the mop is amazing in getting rid of hair since i have serious hairfall problem.

• Bleach. Yes..always

• Ajax ,Bon Ami or baking soda. I do have other type of floor cleanser and baking soda for baking purposes. i guess it's really handy to have it all the time

• Clorox ReadyMop : Wash the floor without a bucket. Works on most surfaces. No..but i do have a local brand :) still work wonders

• Broom, Swiffer , or handheld vacuum: for crumb busting. No vacuum.. no carpet in the house so i guess broom and swiffer is enough

This is MY country

i was reading a blog on inter-racial marriage and feeling like writing a comment. then i ended up filling a long one which suit more as an entry. hey, that's her blog..i shouldnt mess hers with my junks :P sorry princess. so i decided to write it in my own blog.

shall i begin with...

I am a product of an inter-racial marriage and living in Malaysia. My father is a local and mother is a Pakistani descendant. I have my mother’s facial features while my father’s height. People mistakenly identify me as a foreigner from the middle east. Yes, I do get the stares when walking with the locals.

When I was a child, some naughty children used to shout at me “Go back to your country!” but...
this is my country. I don’t speak Urdu and know a little about the Pakistani culture. I regard myself as a Malaysian, never lived abroad except for my undergraduate years in New Zealand and some brief holiday here and there. Honestly I felt more accepted in the countries more than my homeland. it's fair enough if i was treated as a foreigner in the foreigner countries.

Now, I am married to a wonderful foreigner who I met in a local graduate school. He’s been staying in the country for 6 years and that’s make things a bit easy for us. He is fully aware of my culture and could even speak the language. Me? I neither speak Arabic nor French let alone his mother-tongue. We used English a lot. We do have miscommunication many many times and it did piss me off but not for long . The best solution is to always discuss about it a.s.a.p..and of course we had good laugh after that: O and to update, I don’t get the awkward stare when walking in public with him. We looked so “blend in”...

I’m ready to learn Arabic and French. Hopefully I will master the language in less than 5 years...Insyallah by that time i'll be more ready to hop from country to country. yesterday i came out with "funny" idea. i suggest we label all those spices in the kitchen with 4 languages Bahasa Malaysia, English, Arabic and French. i'm looking forward to stick the colourful stickers on the cute lil bottles.

my tale is just one side story of inter-racial "product" and i'm sure there are others who share similar experiences. a marriage includes falling in love many times..again and again..to the same person (this quote is not originally mine..got it somewhere on the web).

It’s amazing how Allah creates human with unique differences. Masyallah. It makes the world such an interesting place to live :) culture and language shouldn’t be the barrier. For me, having the same faith and sharing the same values are important. Just that we need to tolerate more. The choice is ours with Allah’s will of course.

How Do You Pronounce his Name...?

im back in the office after a week away..and by the time i reached the elevator, i was asked "So, are you feeling all nervous for the big day?" i was just smiling..thinking, should i feel nervous?

obviously the news spread, good! that's my intention.
congratulation Bulan!Congrat Miss Bulan!
and i gave them a big smile..yes a big one that almost break my jaw.

that's lovely, then the question popped a gain " are feeling all nervous?" i replied " dont know, i'm just going to get married" weird..weird..weird. their questions do make me nervous..it's like do i have to get nervous? am i all right if i dont get nervous? sort of feeling guilty for not getting nervous.

• so, who is the groom? A close friend of mine
• how do you Pronounce his name? Z...again? I SAID Z....
• where is he from? Outer space..the Greeno Planet
• where on earth did you meet him? Yes, i met him on earth in the varsity to be precised..while we were doing our Master degree.
• where are going to stay afterwards? Here! well, i dont feel the need to announce to them the "hijrah" that we are going to make later on..just my family know about it and that's fine to them.
• Are you aware of the this kindda marriage? yes, i am fully aware of the inter-species relationship. we are the same, except that i dont speak his native language, i dont cook his traditional cuisine, i dont know his culture, i dont like maths, i dont play sport, i dont understand French, i dont like winter..etc..others than that we are the SAME
• you have to make sure that he doesnt control you? it depends sometimes i do need to be controlled. NO he doesnt tell me DOs and DONTs. He guides me on the RIGHTs and WRONGs which i gladly accepted.
• You should teach him our culture..Yes, he is fully aware of MY CULTURE..and that's the most important culture. my culture might not compliment others'..
• why dont you have a big wedding? i always have a dream wedding which is a simple nikah. an akad ceremony in masjid, a small reception at home and off we go for a private holiday. so i guess..it's going to work as it's planned. INSYAALLAH :)
• but the most popular response..shall i say top rated...is YOUR CHILDREN SURELY LOOK BEAUTIFUL..Insyaallah..i take it as a dua since me and my Honey Star loves children and we wanted to have a dozen of them :)
  

a bunch of happy kitties with lots of love

Me, My HoneY StaR, a Wedding and 1000+ booklets to be coded

i'll be married to my Honey Star in less than a month..and been busy running here and there. both work and doing some preparation for the day. Alhamdulillah 90% are done. including the most challenging task..which is buying the wedding shoes. it always not easy to find suitable shoes for me..or shall i say it's easy since i only have limited store to get it: Pedal Works & Shuz in Isetan, Pedal Works main outlet in Subang, Clarks and Vincci + well, if i go for strappy heels, Pedal Works is a good choice but lately i settled for Clarks..easy pick any design and ask for size 8...surely fit me perfectly. the best thing is the Clarks outlet is just walking distance from my office so i could always browse through and mark it first...till the next pay day.

last sunday, me, Honey Star and Taheerah were all around the city looking for my wedding shoes. 4 malls..countless outlets..till Honey Star finally agreed that his "wife" is blessed with beautiful large feet. so..yes! we ended up in Clarks and bought a simple but sweet beige heels..plain but i might decorate it on my own..perhaps sticking some beads.i dont know. we'll see.
the wedding dress is ready, as well as Honey Stars'. i sent it for dry clean and hope to pick it this friday back from the "PISA CODING". i just need to buy buttons for Honey Star, candies for the gifts, new curtain for my room...and that's it...i think

my flu is almost gone and i got my teeth checked....yes, miss lazy to floss had to do filling for her tooth :P better get it done now before it gets worse..i dont want to be sick on my wedding day and of course for the holiday after that. just me, my Honey Star and Lots of LOVE
the invitation cards were nicely designed but the printer was not doing a good job. the cards turned all blurry..:( sadly, it's too late to get it reprinted...we had no choice but to send it anyway..the map to the wedding reception is still visible..i guess all be fine. what could be interesting than this..a surprising proposal, simple engagement, small party but HEAPS OF HAPPINESS!!!! it's going to be so much fun, two diversed culture, lots of food, friends, children running around and "gossip aunties"..hahahaha
now..im alone in the hotel room and be here till friday noon...hurgh..
my group is really fast and we finished ahead from others but we need to wait for others before moved to second stage. it was easy-peasy for me since i did the coding for the pilot study before. same questions, same answers but different students and waaaayyyy to many booklets.

I am a Bigfoot Cinderella and Yes I have found my Prince Charming :)

i'm feeLing...

im feeling all goeey, giddy, wobbly...watever ..u named it. whenever i'm nervous..my stomach aches. huh! i think i need to pray that i'll be all okay..im super excited but super nervous too..
i am ready but...ouch my stomach aches again..what a funny girl!