To Noble Husbands Out There

Let me introduce you to one of the important device in the kitchen. It’s not electronics. Just a simple tool with a sophisticated mechanism. You’ll love it, trust me!

 

This is called a SINK STOPPER or TRAPPER. It is located in your wash basin and designed to stop leftovers from going into the sink’s piping system. Reason? To avoid putrid smell as well as blockage (Which later on will help decreasing the plumbing bills or attempts of DIY by yourselves).

So what do you do after you have washed the dishes and pots and pans? There will be items collected in the trap. And what you need to do is to take out the trap and just dump the items into the dustbin. After, wash the trap and the sink.

There! Now your kitchen sink is as shiny and clean and pretty as your wife left it!

The Hubby said this item was not included in the Gentlemen’s Guide Book. So, I’m just sharing this information for other husbands who are referring to the same book. :-p

A little more than six months now!

Marriage is just like dating. With the additional bonus you’re staying together. Day in. Day out. Sleeping with his the last face you see. Waking up with his back the first thing you see. It can become a pleasurable routine or it can be a boring repetition of events.

In addition to have your most loved, most cherished with you every single day, you have the house to take care. The bathroom to clean. The hall to vacuum. The kitchen to tidy. Not to mention fresh bedsheet every week (I couldn’t find time to do every three days, so weekly, even then The Hubby thinks I’m crazy). After all the cleaning and tidying up over the weekend, the only thing you want to do is sit back and be lazy for the rest of the day.

But wait, now that you have an extended family attached to the solemnization, you have visits to do and to receive. Which means, the weekly tidying up might not come to be. Which means, double cleaning (?) when you get back.

It’s tiring. My single life, I only had less than 1000sqft (minus my housemates’ rooms) to take care of. Now, it’s about 2000+sqft. Another reason why I miss condo living. ;-) If last time, it was only my clothes, which means, one machine load per week plus some handwashed items, now it’s probably three load. More to fold.

We have maids coming over occasionally, but I engage their help only when I’m truly exhausted and need major wash for the whole place. Because a day after the service, I will be doing the cleaning again. Reason: They don’t clean the way I do. So, to have them clean 75% of the dust and dirt is by all means still cleaning. Reason: They vacuum, but you can still see dust. So, it’s still assistance.

It’s tiring taking care of the house. I am truly amazed how my mother did it for over thirty years without maid’s help. Of course she’s a fulltime housewife, which means, she does a lot more a day than I can do in a week! Read Momster’s post here: CLEAN FREAK; because the way she was trained as domestic goddess is EXACTLY the same like I was. No kidding.

I haven’t begin cleaning the house’s sliding doors, windows and grills yet. That will totally shock The Hubby I’m sure. Not to mention the big garbage can outside the gate. My mom’s garbage can is cleaned each time the garbage collector comes. Seriously. All her pots can be substitutes for mirrors. Her stove is squeaky clean after each meal. You can practically lie down on her kitchen floor and sleep there. No icky, sticky feeling. Home in Gombak, always smell fresh and inviting.

And I want our house to be the same. I thrive in that living condition. I never knew I miss it so much until I come back home to a messy hall and overflowed plastic garbage in the kitchen.

So yes, married life can be a boring routine day in, day out. The question is not “why it’s becoming a routine”. The right question is “how to make this routine enjoyable”. That’s my take. And as to the how, I believe husband and wife needs to work together to make it work. Since both of us are working, it’s only fair that both of us take care of the piece of heaven that we’re living in.

I will not be sorry or apologise for being anal about house cleanliness. It’s just the way I am. And I know The Hubby appreciates it. And I know my parents-in-law appreciate it too. After all, it’s their son I’m taking care of. ;-) HINT! HINT!

Complains? Weeelllll… Don’t lie domestic goddesses! You complain and nag your husbands too, right? It’s inevitable. But husbands should know, when their wives put on that record to play, it’s because they care so much to make your living together more pleasurable. After all, what is married life if it’s exactly the same mess it was when we’re singles, right?

It’s tiring. But do it with honest heart, IKHLAS, it is worthwhile. Alas… we’re only humans. So, go figure. ;-)

FIFA 2010

Besides the vuvuzela, there’s another part of World Cup that I don’t fancy much.

It’s the following less intelligent dialogues:

TING TONG!
Girl (opening the door): Ma! Dua Mat Saleh!

The two Mat Salehs happen to be a couple of football players. One English, one Italian.

It is one of ASTRO’s advertisement for World Cup. I’m sure you’re familiar with it.

I mean who came up with such idiotic lines? Well, I’m sure I could look it up, just lazy to do so. The line is just racist to my opinion. Words are failing me.

I remember the first match we saw on TV when World Cup 2010 started. I immediately noticed the annoying sound. So they said it’s a tradition. So I guess we just have to make peace with it until the season finishes. Maybe, it’s a tool to collapse all the football giants this time around. Hmmm…. Suspiciousssssssssss…..

 

I can now use the oven!

The electrician came and the kitchen’s wiring is finally fixed! And The Hubby surprised me by asking them to fix the balcony wiring as well! As such, I am now responsible to find a suitable light fixture. Yeay! By the way, I love their work; so neat and nice! I’d recommend them!

The renovation next door is still on going. But nearing its end I hope. Soon, there will be peace and tranquillity again. Hehe… So dramatic.

I think sometimes, in the quest of getting our partner to understand our needs, we fail to remember that we have to understand them too. We forget that our actions will also make them feel uneasy or sad. And just because they are men, it doesn’t mean they don’t have feelings. They will never admit it though, because it goes against their nature. Such is the manly-man.

Women need words. Don’t lie and say you don’t ladies. Because with words we feel comforted. When words turn into actions, it makes us feel over the top. Some women are comforted just by words and promises. And even i the men never get around to do what they said, the women still hang to more words. And I said, some.

Men on the other hand, are not so into words. Especially giving them. Receiving, they like it because it makes them feel adored and wanted. When giving words, it means they have to bare their emotions and feelings. In other words quantifying their feelings and acknowledging them. While they feel uneasy, women feel happier when they receive it. Because like men, it makes us feel adored and wanted.

No one ever said relationship is easy. And living together means all your actions and facial reactions are observed almost 24/7. And hearts are easily slighted because of this. I’ve got a lot of improvements to make. And everytime I need to, all I have to remember is to be ikhlas in everything I do. And no one ever said that relationship is one sided. Both parties have to work on it. ;-)

Two Weeks of Silence

It has been a while since my last update. Let’s see… It’s week two into June 2010 which means I have been absent for two weeks! Yikes! Well, I’m here now, so let’s just recap two weeks of activities into this one post.

I have been practicing with Kak Anoi quite a lot, whenever I could. And I must say I like my amateurish products so far. I have not gone into post production yet. I would very much like to get the most from the camera and have little to do with Photoshop and such. :-p The Hubby has taught me some tricks to get quirky images as well. He he he… And he has just bought a set of lighting and stuff for a mini studio at home. And who else to become the model but yours truly. Har har har…

My goal now is to get the correct configurations for specific settings as well as good composition. So far I think I’m on the right track. Errr… Has to be verified by my sifoo lah kan?

The contractor and electrician will come by the house tomorrow morning to fix the wiring at the kitchen. Hopefully by end of the week I can start my devious plans. He he he… From there, we will see how far we can go.

Mak and Abah is leaving for Umrah in less than two weeks. There are few things that I need to prepare for them before they go. Alhamdulilah, my uncle and aunt is going with them, so at least they will look after each other. I am a little worried truth be told. I pray that their Ibadah will go smoothly and blessed by Allah Almighty. :-) Owh, they will also visit a couple of places in Jordan for a short while after the Umrah. I’m happy knowing that they will be able to see a little of the world.

Other than that, there’s nothing new. My blog has become boring“er” by each post, I think. I have some repressed feelings that need to be let out honestly. Ha ha ha… however, I have to take time not to just blurt everything out without reconstructing my words. Haih… how I miss the old days. But change is a necessary part of our lives, so I’ll adjust.

Owh, I think I was a tad rude to our neighbour. Well, it’s hard to smile when their house renovation is affecting my day-to-day living. Not only pieces of cement are all over the porch, not to mention the three times flooding, and the noise pollution over the weekend. Haiyaaa… I know I was rude while I was being rude, but I couldn’t help it! :-( It’s very frustrating. I don’t have maids to do daily cleaning like they do. I’m constantly trying to make the house to look nice and inviting, but I constantly feel that I’m failing. I didn’t know being a homemaker could be this emotionally taxing! Ha ha ha…

Anyway, the renovation is almost done. And hopefully things will get back to normal soon. And I hope she keeps her word when she told me that her contractor will clean the cement off the porch area when they are done. Otherwise, there’s a lot of billing to be done; to her AND/OR her contractor! :-p Boleh ke macam tuh? Ha ha ha…