Spymama @ Mamakshop

Our environment is at risk. I’m sure everyone would have known it by now. I try to do my part by using less electricity, watching tv and using less plastic. I bring a green bag or two each time I go out. I recycle many things as well. I even made garbage enzyme from last year’s Tangerine oranges’ skin during the Chinese New Year! Yeah, enough to let it last till this coming Chinese New Year! I am also thinking of finding a way to refurbish my extra room. I want to rid it of the old aircon and use a small fan instead. I wonder if there are ways to have a green study, one that has more books than PCs, few or minimum electrical items and minimal plastic products. Maybe recycle papers, bare walls and no lamps unless it’s those energy saving bulbs. What do you do to help save the earth?

Are you a Chilly Padi addict? I am! Chilly Padi is those little mini chilly that is also known as ‘bird’s eye chilly’. Why do they name it this way? And why do they call it Chilly Padi? Wonder if it’s because it was grown side by side with Paddy plants or is it because they look as small as Rice Field plant? Sigh, I do not know but my friend who is caucasian asks me such questions.. hehehe There are many different varieties, some are very small, some fat-ish smallish and some are just very big and long. Which one is spiciest, I wonder? My friends from Malaysia tells me the stout fat ones are spiciest but I really can’t tell.. I thought the Thai varieties are quite spicy.. yummy!

Last night while having dinner, there were strangers peeking through our dining room window that opens out to the corridor. Ooh, how I really detest such people, they don’t even give me some space and privacy during my dinner time.. bah! Those people, guess what they were up to? One of the two was a young man, not more than 25, perhaps. He wanted to sell some Walls’ ice cream and this way of door to door selling does not agree with me. In fact it is illegal in Singapore and not authorized by Walls themselves, I’ve heard. The worst? They’ve tried all sorts of tactics from touting, hard selling to pleading. This time they went a bit too far! He brought along a young man, whom he said is diagnosed with ‘down syndrome’ and this boy wants to sell and earn pocket money. If it is true, I do sympathize but then again, I believe there are authorized community help that actually do help the disabled in making money and not this way… I have not really open up my main door in the past months because of these door to door sales and some of them are really such a nuisance, really. I wonder if I should start closing my door again and install some wireless security systems or a camera like those new condominiums or apartments.. And I should really draw the curtains in my dining room too!

I read in the news that economy is peaking up now. I am crossing my fingers, of course. Many people in Singapore were out of jobs or unemployed, according to statistics when retrenchments took place. Few of my friends I knew also cut costs by keeping to a strict budget when it comes to spendings and bill payments. My close buddy actually decided to sleep ’sans-aircon’ for few months and saw the big difference in her utility bill. Another lady I know surrendered some insurance policy and went for term life insurance instead. I was tempted to follow suit actually. She has a different perspective because all her children are all independant and working now, financially stable. That is the reason why she decided to surrender the policies and get all her hard earned money but invest in different types of investment to ensure that she is living life now and also hoping that the local economy peaks up faster. Spending is a sure way of increasing demand for things, increasing productivity on goods followed by more jobs for all.

My kitchen has been flooded! When I release the stopper in the sink, the water seemed to gush out onto my kitchen floor instead of flowing down into the drain. Why is that so? Also my water filter fixed to the water tap seemed to be choked too! You don’t get flowing water anymore and they are similar to having someone connecting an extension pipe (stealing water to avaoid meter readings. Can such a thing happen? Perhaps I need to call up the company to ask them to come over for a general check.. sigh.. Without a water filter, I probably need to boil water in the mornings.. My kettle is out of order.. maybe use a saucepan instead.

I hate packing! NOPE, I’m not moving house but I’m moving stuff around the house a little bit. I need to clear many many things just as well.. sigh.. too many stuff, too little time and I am such a keeper of stuff that I ended up keeping more things that I have thrown and taken back again.. Oh Dear.. what should I do? If only I had a magic wand so that I just need to wave and all the stuff is gone, just like that… I think I need to purchase large boxes like those shipping box because they are hardy and hold up better. Nowadays boxes have grown to be thinner and do not last long. I used to buy those big carton boxes from the post office for parcel delivery because they can hold books and heavy items. Maybe I should pop by the post office tomorrow..

Running a small business is not as simple as everyone thinks. There’s lots of licensing, permits and approvals. Although basically Singapore is the place where you don’t have to worry much about ‘red tape’, you still have to make sure you go through everything legally. I need to look for my agent for some insurance quotes. It’s basically for business purpose because everything has to be done properly for protection for each staff, management and also assets. I wonder if I will need to call her up again or she will get back to me.. Then again, lately her sales has not been too good so I presume she will be looking for me in no time at all!

Few months back, I remember reading up about mesothelioma. Before then, I had no idea what it was because the name alone sounded like a tongue twister. So now when a friend who was doing some research about it, straight away I could explain it briefly basically what it is. Just in case you haven’t heard of this, it is actually a medical illness, a sort of cancer that is caused by the exposure to asbestos. Many people who work in roofing and construction work would be openly exposed to materials like asbestos. So much can be done to prevent and treat mesothelioma even though hope for a cure is slim. All we need is to raise the awareness for this cancer because it is usually only being diagnosed after 30 years and latency period may take up to 50 years! Let’s prevent it before it is too late.

Spypapa was busy lately. He draft down a list of stuff for me to help him buy at the nearby hardware shop.. I thought that was pretty easy. I’m not pretty much good in hardware stuffs but I know the difference between a nut and bolt, no problem. A wrench and a screwdriver, peanuts.. As I looked further down the list.. I found that he wrote something just a little too alien to me.. err… clamps. What are they?? I found myself googling around before I understood what they were… So now I know the difference between a clamp and clams!! Clamps are pretty much a device to secure objects to prevent movement. I wonder if those glass door locks are classified as clamps too… hmmm

My high school reunion-gathering is scheduled in February. Another friend here in Singapore is comtemplating going. Frankly, I do not wish to go as I am so tight financially so am trying to save some money. ASAP. I wanted to bring my kids to watch Alvin and the Chipmunks in the cinema but I had no time. I wanted to bring my girl to watch those popular kids programme like Karate Kid, Avatar and even more. Friends who have visited me lately have commented how on Earth did I manage to lose so much weight. Some even commented that I should share my newly found secret on those website that reviews weight loss success stories The thing is, no need anything oral nor other diet ways.. All I need to maintain is to work extra hard! No need liposuction nor pills at all..  If you read the papers, it’s gotten scary lately.