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Thursday, May 22, 2014

Mar 2014: Back to Hong Kong...prepping home for new tenants

March.

Finally completely cleaned up the place for new tenants and fixed everything that is nitty gritty. Had to repaint n reseal the ceiling holes from change of lights. 





I missed my apartment, esp my awesome kitchen with my awesome Electrolux cooking appliances. I miss my unobstructed views without any neighbors looking in too so I can leave my curtains open all the time.

My new place may have some german made gears but it is not even half the quality of my Electrolux Kitchen appliances. Everyone commented how new my 4 year old apartment looked, especially the kitchen despite cooking everyday. White is definitely the color for me in Kitchen because it makes dirt and stains easy to catch. Well, what do you expect, I'm a slave to my own home and I lovingly clean up. No bugs, no creeepy crawlies, no grease.

Went off the Ikea and got some cool hanging light that allows easy access to
Bulbs for changing. Also could update the shade in years to come should it start to look yucky.

 A lesson learnt from renting my Sg apartment when tenants ruined my expensive lights coz they are too stupid to know how to access from top instead of bottom. To ensure max light spread, opted for open shade where the bulb could shine both directions top n bottom. Thought about those covered ceiling lights but the Thot of possible damage from breaking the cover during tube change by tenants turned me off. Not to mention the millions small insects that will lay dead inside the covers. So open shade save me clearing corpses too. Things to consider as a landlord. 

 Anyway, surprisingly the installation price is cheap. HK120 for first 1-2 lights, and for 5 lights its HK60 each. HK20 for removal for existing lights. I was gobsmacked at the low price and I am thankful that such prices still exists in Hong Kong which is a generally expensive place to live it. However, in comparison, I am unsure if i can still find such low price in Singapore anymore. Every thing is cut throat price these days back home. 




As for my new place....
My large empty rooftop awaits me to deck it up with awesome stuff. Things are happening but progressing slowly because it has been incredibly rainy in Hong Kong this year. Plus, the wind has been ridiculously strong as well and so those placid calm rooftop atmosphere is almost impossible to achieve. Things that I can put up there has to be sturdy and wind resistant especially facing the coming months of typhoon. I expect plenty of typhoon 8 this year since it has been pissing down Black rain already in May which is rather rare in the past years.


roof top

roof top

Sunset view from roof

Meanwhile, I had starting on my gardening hobby. People are often surprised at how much I'm into my plants including my man. Goes to show, no one can really know a person completely.

I have always harbored a secret love for plants. I just didnt have the necessary green fingers because I never did spend time to read up on care and my over zealousness with watering often kill them.  I dont like flowers as much as foliage actually. So cacti have been my best friend since I was in secondary schools. They often blossom and sprout many many babies, so much so that I dont know what to do with them when they overtaken the mother plant! When my man bought a plant back then in Singapore, I spent hours cleaning the dusty leaves and I was rewarded with it flowering, a complete shock to my man who never expected the green leafy thing to flower. hahaha.

So now, moving to our new place, I bought myself my first baby Mint plant. When I was away for 2 weeks plus to Phuket and Singapore, I didnt realise but aphids starting infesting my indoor Mint. Apparently not enough sun and air ventilation. Fed up, I moved it to the rooftop and cleaned every freaking leaf with cotton bud. Within a week, the aphids lessen drastically and my mint seemed to enjoyed the breeze and sunshine up there so I left it there.



One of those cloudy days over the Victoria Harbor.

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