Decluttering the Marie Kondo Way

4 / 4 / 194 / 4 / 19

Once in a while, when I feel edgy and just looking at my wardrobe or cupboards in the bedroom, living room and kitchen, makes me mad, I would start decluttering. I do not like looking at the mess especially when things are not organized. Clothes are not folded properly and kept orderly, too many things piling on top of one another and etc. Yes, I do have OCD but I have mellowed down over the years. Still, I do not like to see clutter everywhere.

Decluttering does not only mean that we are cleaning out the home for more space. It could also mean that we are creating more space for our mind. The act of decluttering is a way of generating fresh energy, creating mental and physical space for more clarity. We can also release some of those negative vibes that we have been holding on.

People often hang on to material belongings for security or comfort. Letting go of this emotional baggage would allow people to enjoy more quality of life. In my case, I usually keep things and not give away or throw them away because I am afraid that I may need them later on. Organizing gives me peace of mind and it makes me feel lighter. Decluttering is important for our mental health and for our soul. I did a round of decluttering Konmari style 2 months ago.

The above is my wardrobe and below is the chair where I ~~pile~~ keep all my bags. I think I need to #KonMari this weekend.

I always ask myself these questions when I am decluttering. “Do I need this? Do I want this? Do I use this?.” Then I would put them in 2 bags, one to giveaway and another to throw.

You can try this if you are feeling stressed out or overwhelmed. If clearing brings up uncomfortable feeling for you, please understand that you do not need to deal with them alone. You can also reach out for help. Talk to family, friends, or https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/counseling/councilor-vs-counselor-there-is-a-difference/. Do remember that you are never alone.

Always Remember To Check Your Monthly Phone Bill

3 / 21 / 19

I would like to share my experience here regarding my monthly mobile phone subscription with Celcom. My husband and I signed up for the First 38 package for RM38 a month. All these while when we received the statement, it is around RM80+. We thought this amount is for both our mobile phone package. Hence, I did not pay any attention to it until today when I wanted to check how much Celcom charged me for an international call I made earlier this month.

To my horror, I noticed that I am being charged RM1 for every SMS content that was sent to me from the number 27999. When I traced what kind of contents that were sent, I discovered that those were ads from Celcom itself! I did not subscribe to any of these and why were they sent to me and I have to pay for them? Utterly ridiculous!

Can you see the charges above? This is daylight robbery! My bill is around RM80+ a month which includes the RM38 package and all the sms! My husband’s bill is around RM40+ a month and his number does not have the SMS Content Services.

I have contacted their Customer Service to request for immediate action to Unsubscribe. I hope they will take action asap. I also asked for a refund and I hope they will look into this. Lesson learned – Always remember to check the monthly statement.

How To Survive When Life Gets Overwhelming

3 / 14 / 19

I am sure some of us struggle with some challenges on certain days. We feel stressed out by the daily life that cannot seem to unwind. When that happens to me, I would do a few things to de-stress myself and they are:-

1) Watch The Ellen Show on Youtube. I love watching how Ellen surprises her audience with acts of kindness. It is so touching and inspiring. Watching her shows put a smile on my face.

2) Go for a run. Nothing beats giving my heart a pump. Running allows me to spend some time with myself.

3) Deep breathing. I try to do some deep breathing to relax. I would inhale, hold, exhale and hold. I repeat this process about 6 times and it helps me to feel relax.

So, if you are feeling stress and need to calm your mind, you can indulge in a little me time by going for a walk or on a bike ride. I used to crave for cakes when I feel stressful but not anymore because I do not eat cakes unless I bake them myself because I am following the keto way of life. But hey, if you think that eating something sweet would make you feel better, then go ahead.

Being stressful and anxious can take a toll on our health. Just remember that things will change and this feeling will pass. If you need some extra support or wish to talk to someone, just check out here.

Reminder to myself

3 / 4 / 193 / 1 / 19

Latest Zara Love

2 / 27 / 192 / 27 / 19

If you don’t know already, I am crazy about Zara. I love their clothes, shoes and accessories. Zara’s clothes are very good quality and won’t go out of shape no matter how many times they have been washed. I was at their website yesterday and spotted these latest fashion range. I have a thing for puffy sleeves and blouses with ruffles or bow ties. I find that they add a little retro and flamboyant style to the blouse. I love that these styles are trending again.

Orange blouse with voluminous sleeve

Satin blouse with tied bow detail

Printed blouse with bow

Contrast Poppin Blouse

Shirt with Bow Collar

Can I buy them all?

Do You Enjoy Eating Alone?

2 / 25 / 192 / 25 / 19

Do you feel weird eating alone at a restaurant? Society has brainwashed people into thinking that eating alone whether at home or out means that a person is sad and lonely. There are people who feel uncomfortable sitting all by themselves and having a meal in a restaurant.

Honestly, I do enjoy having a cuppa or eating a meal all by myself. Once in a while, I like to have my food quietly. I do not have to make small talks and I enjoy watching people. I just did that one Sunday morning at a cafe along Jalan Gasing. I was waiting for hubs and missy for about 1.5 hours so I decided to have my scrambled eggs and mushroom breakfast and a cappuccino. No, I did not eat the toast *wink*. It was a nice quiet time for me and I had a nice time.

KonMari Method of Tidying Up My House

2 / 15 / 19

Almost everyone is following Marie Kondo, the Japanese organizing consultant and author of 4 books, way of tidying their spaces. She has been helping people around the world on how to declutter their homes into spaces of serenity. The KonMari Method way of tidying is by going from room to room and keeping things that only spark joy. Firstly, start with clothes, then books, papers, miscellaneous items and lastly sentimental items. She encourages that we only keep things that speak to the heart, and discard items that no longer spark joy. We have to thank them for their service and then let them go.

I started KonMari-ing just before Chinese New Year. I actually love re-organizing my things but my family gets really scared when I start doing it because they know that I would be ‘throwing’ things away, their things too, to be precise *chuckle*.

It is always a constant battle on what I should give away/donate/throw. The “What-ifs” is always playing in my mind. “What if I still need it later?” This is actually a rather scary thought which resulted in the accumulation of things that I do not actually need.

So I started with the kitchen drawers first and threw away many plastic containers that I have been keeping for years. Can’t imagine the things I have been collecting all these while. Gosh! It feels great to see my drawers looking kinda empty.

Some of the things from the kitchen that I gave away. Didn’t take photos of the rest of the stuff in that area.

Next is my bedroom. I have this big black garbage bag in the room for months. Whenever I see clothes that do not spark any joy anymore, I would put them in this bag to be given away. I usually pass them to the Salvation Army which is near my house.

Last night I took out 2 boxes of accessories and #KonMari them.

I really cannot believe how much I have spent shopping for clothes and accessories. By organizing and tidying my things, I am more mindful about what I should or should not buy in the future. Will be doing more #Konmari-ing from now on. It’s great to reduce and declutter.

Chinese New Year Angpow Packets For 2019

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Well, I have not been receiving many angpow packets this year. So far, I only have these:-

Angpow from Hong Leong Bank

Top left is from Tune Talk, top right is from Ambank and bottom is from JD Sports.

The ones above are from CIMB.

My sisters managed to get some from BIG (Ben’s Independent Grocer) and Traveloka and they will be passing them to me later. I like collecting angpow packets and over the years, I have quite a number in my collection. However, now that I am embarking on a #konmari journey, I have decided not to keep too many. Just one packet from a company will do. I have also given away many of the previous years ones.

A Nice Lil Surprise

1 / 17 / 19

When I got home from work 2 days ago, I was so surprised to see these gifts.

They were from my bestie. She knows that I eat strawberries and love little green plants. The cute plant is actually grown from seeds of dragonfruit and needs very little water and sun. The pears are for my family of course. I love getting surprises. Who doesn’t eh?

DIY Snack Bouquet For Birthday

12 / 13 / 18

My friend, Annie asked me if I could create a snack bouquet for her husband’s birthday. I have never tried making one before and I was afraid that I may not make one that is up to her expectation. She told me to give it a try and gave me a list of snacks that her husband likes to eat. Here’s what I got – Thumbs peanuts, chocolates and Hacks sweets.

I used kraft paper to wrap the bouquet and secured it with a burlap ribbon. Boy, it was not as easy as it looks as the peanut bags are kinda bulky. Hubs used a cardboard to do a cone shape so that the base is heavy enough to withstand all the snacks on top.

What do you think of this DIY Snack Bouquet for birthday?