Taking turns to ✈️

So nice that they can take turns to travel while I’m stuck here. So envious. 

Changed a common phrase to this : When one luggage zipper closes another opens 🤣. Hubby just got back few days ago and in few days time che-che is going for another short holiday alone. She did ask me along lah! Just for certain reasons I decided not to go tho my heart is very itching to go.  

Hubby left his luggage on the BS floor since he got back, and I had to tidy it up today. Asked che-che which luggage she’s bringing, so I can bring it down and then put someone’s luggage into hubby’s luggage and store in the small space BS. Note —> it’s all their luggages. I don’t have any 😭.

After I did the measurements to make sure it’s within the size limit. Daddy asked her when he overheard our conversation the luggage she is bringing "how long are you going?" 😂 and continued with “I only carry a small bag when I went to 🇨🇳.” Che-che replied in cheekiness “if I go China I will also bring a small bag but if I’m going to 🇯🇵 it’s a different thing.” 

#bringsuchabigluggage#

Luggage out in yard area until she’s ready to pack 

This luggage is not hers, I bought it to replace the shared luggage for the 3 females when we go for family holidays. Then she claims it’s hers coz I (kindly) put her name tag on it when I let her use it to bring it to the States.

In the meantime.. I’m stuck here together with lil' one who can't travel 😥

Anyway, I’m still struggling to empty the phone storage space. Haven’t had time to do any iMovies of recent trip except one 20mins hiking. It’ll be a struggle for storage space if I make a trip. 

Not related to the post but tagging it in here. 

For own future reference - this is Delsey Freestyle - XL 82cm (around 32”)

Key Dimensions and Specifications

• Height: 82 cm (32 inches)
• Width: 55 cm (22 inches)
• Depth: 34 cm (unexpanded), expanding to 37 cm (13-14 inches)
• Capacity: Up to 143 liters
• Weight: Approximately 5.3-5.6 kg

🐣 Egg-cellent Day! 🐣

Coz che-che likes that onigiri in Japan so I’m trying to see if I can do that at home. Wish me luck! 

Procrastinated over curing the egg yolks, coz you know gotta make sure the day I cure the egg yolks we will have to eat the egg whites. 

Decided to do it today. Tried a new marinade recipe, tweaked along the way. I feel it’s still saltish so … have to see what che-che says. I’m going to make sure she eats them by tomorrow, all 5 egg yolks 😂, I’m not going to cure for more than 24hrs. I’ll probably tweak the recipe again or …… maybe …..

Finished curing her eggs at 1.50pm 

I have a blog post about Japanese soy sauce, still in the Drafts folder 🤭. (At least I didn’t lose that post, unlike the lengthy research like siao on soba is totally lost!! ARGH!) Always so difficult thinking what soy sauce to buy. The last time I bought one in Meidi-ya, it was so damn saltish! That’s why I resorted to using our low sodium soy sauce.

Che-che asked me last week if I wanted any soy sauce from Japan, she’s going to a place where they’re famous for soy sauce. Hmm…. Never get a chance to taste, how to buy? Anyway, I might look into it and see how. 

Saw a recipe. Recipe from Cook with Dana I can try next time? 

When I was looking for the recipe, I came across a few pages and this caught my attention from a manga Side Dish Which Matches Rice Well (ごはんのおとも) 

Seems like an interesting book, there’s two infact, maybe I can ask che-che to help me buy when she’s in Tsutaya or Kinokuniya?? 

 As I was storing che-che’s egg yolks in the fridge, I noticed the container that was filled with that little mouse’s eggs is empty. 

Then it’s on to boiling hard boiled eggs for lil’ one at 3+.

Two girls with different preferences. Sigh….. actually che-che likes onsen eggs but lil’ one insists on hard boiled eggs coz she hates egg yolks.

Marinade for lil’ one’s eggs is different. I didn’t prepare new sauce, will always re-use the same one for the second time before junking them away and preparing new ones. 

~ ~ DINNER ~ ~

Need to cook something with the egg whites from 5 eggs 

Wanted to do the 水蒸蛋 but we didn’t have any chicken stock 🤣. In the end it’s a dashi steamed egg with Chinese style mince pork

It’s white really! The lighting in dining area is warm 🤭

Not sure if solely egg white was the reason why the first steaming for 15 mins resulted in a watery part in the middle of the metal plate. I changed the cellophane wrap and wrapped up entirely, poking just 2 holes. Normally I leave a small opening whenever I steam chawanmushi in Ms Thermie. After that it was better. However it could also be the recipe. Normally when I prepare chawanmushi, it’s 1 egg to about 110ml of dashi stock. It’s a wrong assumption on my part as I don’t weigh the eggs. Based on what’s on the recommended ratio it’s suppose to be : 

Egg : liquid

1 : 2.5

For this dish it was a “I pray this works” cooking. My poor family! 

It makes no sense for 475g dashi. 

Initially I added only 180g dashi but after my cock-eyed eyeball felt that it’s too little so added another 80g. On hindsight, I should have only added 60g. Then again, how often do I weigh the eggs? The next time I cook this dish will use my agar-ration again. 

Links to help in my future cooking of 水蒸蛋 ：

1) One Happy Bite

2) The Woks of Lifetime 

Streamer from Mio

Last Thursday (21st) Mio sent me a message informing me that she has left my number as a form of contact for the postal services, and that she has sent a small package to che-che. 

Fast forward 5 days later, we received the parcel 🥳

So sweet of her to share 1 of the 3 streamers she picked up from the concert. She even made a deliberate trip to the city [which I found out later she had a fall otw there. Feel more paiseh she went thru so much.] to buy a yellow container (Kento’s colour) to put the streamer in. 

Needless to say, che-che was happy for this momento. Can’t go to the concert but she received something from the concert. Even though I teased and joked that “Aunty M also collects streamers from concerts just like you did.” Although I don’t like seeing her spending money on buying the CDs, cards from Family Club Store, rubbish from the secondhand shops I hope that one day she gets the chance to attend their concert. 

Tulips

13th Aug (Wed)

It’s been some time since I bought tulips. Was thinking that I should make a trip next week but since the gps showed that I’d be passing by FEF to my destination in Thomson Plaza, I thought I should drop by. 

What?! Increase price again?!?! No tariff here you know. 

Grabbed these two and I had to quickly leave this place for TPlaza

2hrs after I left FEF, only did I arrive home to arrange the flowers. By then my freesias didn’t look that good anymore ☹️

First time seeing a stalk with two flowers

Another stalk with two flowers

14th Aug (Thur)

Was walking in CS and felt that the vase at home will look better with one more type of flower. 

Bought yellow rose from CS 

15th Aug 

Admiring the flowers

16th Aug 

Too fast. Dunno why this time round the petals dropped so much faster 

Feeling shitty

Feeling shitty and needed to play music while doing housework. First few pieces of a fast track album didn’t help me until I played Han Seung Wook album. Yah, I wish everything is going to be okay. 

Even peeling eggs also look like shit 

ただ忙しいふりをしている (pretend to act busy)

In between clearing some pictures so dropping them into my messy and backdated blog entries, so that I can transfer and clear them from my phone.

And then coz I have short attention span, so l'm also transferring and deleting some pictures from my recent trip which i don't need for iMovie. I have to remind myself I have other holidays for 3 years which I have yet to do the same thing. I set a target for myself to finish up at least 2 days of the recent trip iMovie but ......

I got distracted again when the music is so nice and I need to post it here.

Can leave me in a secluded place with wifi so I can clear my iMovies and reduce my 38000 pictures in camera roll?

*edit* F#%^*! I must have deleted my long detailed solo month post when I was going in between doing all these. My readers are damn lucky to avoid reading the long boring bedtime story post. 

Few days later I will have to go solo again but nope I won’t be blogging on my solo days. 

厕所太香了

25th July (Fri)

The master toilet is overpowering alluring fragrant. With puns intended coz I broke the whole more than half bottle of Chanel Allure parfum when I was trying to place it on the sink top and I smack it against the side 😩😥😭 on Friday. H.E.A.R.T.P.A.I.N !! S$296 gone just like that! 😭 

Cleaned up the mess and left the tissues in the yard area for 香香. 

Came back home and scrubbed the floor with Dettol. The $296 perfume smell is 一分钱一分货 compared to the $10+. Now my toilet smells weird. 

26th July (Sat) 

Opened a new perfume. Do I need to bubble wrap this just incase the clumsy me break this as well? 

@ 6.48pm - When the smell in the bathroom is TOO GAGGING STRONG. Just imagine the strong smell when one walks past Hysses or Lush. More than half a bottle of eau de perfum NOT eau de toilette leh. More sim tia than anything.

I'll have to use my odour control blend essential oil.

Next is trying to find an extension plug and put a fan in the toilet. Hope this works!

Hmm… I think I made it worst when the fan, diffuser is in one confined space and the opened window is not exactly that huge to 💨🌬️ out. I was probably just circulating the essential oil in the toilet 😂. 

28th Jul (Mon)

Left the fan on in the toilet blowing almost 3 days. The toilet is a Chanel boutique. There must be a way, although I love this smell psychologically I think I’m going to be a walking timebomb who will die from inhaling poison. Will be an alluring death for me. I did a search on air filter then remembered I have 2 air purifiers at home. My goodness! How can I forget the items that I use during the haze, maybe it’s been too long since the PSI reached unhealthy range that I had to use them. 

Did some search into what’s in perfumes. And then I wonder if this is the reason why lung cancer is on the rise even with non-smokers? 

Does perfumes contain VOCs? 

Yes, perfumes often contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs are chemicals that evaporate easily at room temperature and are found in many household and personal care products, including perfumes, air fresheners, and cleaning supplies. While some VOCs are naturally occurring, many are synthetic and can have negative health effects.

Here's a more detailed explanation:

Perfumes and VOCs:

Perfumes are designed to evaporate and release their scent, which is why they often contain VOCs. These chemicals vaporize and travel through the air, allowing you to smell the fragrance. 

Health Concerns:

Some VOCs, especially synthetic ones, can cause various health problems, including respiratory issues, headaches, allergic reactions, and even more serious conditions like liver, kidney, or neurological damage.

Fragrance and VOCs:

Many fragrances, including those in perfumes, contain a complex mixture of chemicals, many of which are VOCs. These can be problematic even if the overall fragrance is perceived as pleasant.

Examples of VOCs in Perfumes:

Some common VOCs found in perfumes include phthalates, a-Pinene, ethanol, acetone, acetaldehyde, and camphor, according to Molekule.

Regulation:

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) and other regulatory bodies set standards for VOC levels in various products, including perfumes, to minimize their impact on air quality and health.

Reducing Exposure:

To minimize exposure to VOCs from perfumes, you can choose products with fewer fragrances, opt for natural or unscented alternatives, and ensure proper ventilation in your living spaces. 

I will need to check on the air purifier models tomorrow. 

29th Jul (Tue)

@ 12.11pm. Had to remove some items then climb up the ladder just to get pics of the air purifiers. 

Tefal PU6025, Rowenta PU2120 and then did a search which of the two can remove VOC. Somehow it only shows me Tefal has this filter but Rowenta doesn’t (even when I keyed the models individually). I thought it makes sense that the newer one I bought will have this filter but not the Rowenta. Thus I dragged out the hard to reach air purifier. The whole time worried if I’d fall down from the ladder and possibly hit my head and die inside coz the air purifier is so damn heavy and coz of the position I could only use my injured left hand to bring it down. Maybe before I fall down, I’ll probably lose strength and control in my left hand and drop the thing on my feet.

Wah seh! Filter super dirty. I didn’t change so bought new filters for two purifiers from Shoppee at 1.12pm. 

@ 5.33pm - oh my! Purple colour doesn’t look good

@ 5.57pm - colour changed to blue. visibly look positive that despite the dirty filter something is working. 

30th Jul (Wed)

Filters arrived today at 5.13pm. That’s fast! But I was wondering why the box is so small, suddenly I have a bad hunch that I must have purchased wrongly. 

I keyed in PU4015 instead of PU6025, I missed the numbers not by keying one wrong number BUT 2!! 🤦🏻‍♀️ Wasted $28.80 coz of my silly mistake.

Had to re-order the correct filter. Will arrive on 4th or 5th Aug. Changed Rowenta’s filters, cleaned the machine only to put back in bomb shelter to collect dust again. 

A little kapo on what is really inside my air purifier 

*update* Initially checked and they only showed me Tefal has VOC filter that’s why I grabbed the innermost hardest to reach air filter. But today I checked again, the Rowenta has it too. Strange. 

Efficacy :

I only had it turned on since yesterday’s afternoon and I almost can’t smell the perfume in the toilet

31st Jul (Thur)

Left it on until evening time Can finally clear it but I left it in the yard area temporarily until the filters arrive. Will change for both machines and then put them back into the bomb shelter.