Stressful modern conveniences

Within the last few days, three things broke down on us - the flush of both toilets in our home and, most annoyingly, my Blackberry. While many may find them merely small issues, they really are not if you're working within various constraints like time (baby is due anytime!), money and skill.

We first discovered that the toilet in our bathroom was leaking when we moved into our new place in December. We chose to ignore it as we were too tired to deal with it then. When our water bill came this month, we decided that we needed to fix it as it was not just leaking water but cash! So, three days ago, husband and I put both our wanting plumbing skills together to fix the leak. We found that the water pump was faulty. Motivated, we made our way to the nearest hardware store and purchased a generic pump which we hope will work. 

When we got home, we started taking the water tank apart only to find that we don't have the right tools to deal with it. So we called on some friends to see if they have the wrench we need. Finally one friend's brother owns one and we will pick it up tomorrow (sigh...delay = inconvenience=stress). But on the night we got home from the hardware store, I discovered that the guest toilet was also leaking! So now we have to see if we succeed in fixing the first one before we work on the second one...

A few evenings ago, my Blackberry went kaput. It wouldn't let me do anything except call the last person who calls me! While the handheld has served me well for over two years and due for an upgrade offer (by the telcom company), I decided end of last year to stick with it as it still functioned for what I needed it for. Unfortunately its demise was due. 

Finally got a new Blackberry at a decent price and was charging and setting it up last night when I discovered that it kept going into rebooting mode on its own! What a bummer! A search on Google confirms that it's pretty common problem with the model I bought. And worse, there hasn't been one solution for it - many users had to trouble-shoot and it's basically hit or miss. Some ended up returning the phone and some got a replacement that works. I spent most of today trying to figure out what's wrong with it and I MAY have solved the issue but it's still too early to tell. I'm keeping my fingers crossed...

The point of this entry, I guess, is an ask-out-loud question of why things, specifically supposedly  modern conveniences, always break down at the wrong time and the solution is always highly stressful. Are these unnecessary hassle that we bring upon ourselves? For example, why do I need a Blackberry now when I didn't even own a cellphone for the first half of my adult life? And why do have fancy pumps nowadays when the first generation toilet flushes worked just as well? Are our lives really easier and simpler with these "progressive" gadgets? Hmm...  

Thinning out

The last two days saw us cracking our heads (mostly me, really) trying to figure out how to fit all our stuff into our tiny new place. We dropped by the new place to do some measuring so that we can plan our furniture and move. What we saw depressed me. Though it was not the first time we'd seen the place but seeing it again reminds me of our imminent squeeze into a smaller space and the colossal task of moving.

We've been combing through the Ikea catalog (and the stores) and various local mom-and-pop furniture stores plus keeping ourselves posted on what's available on craigslist. Unlike most small-spaced apartments I've looked to for decor inspiration on apartment therapy, our new place has no closet or hidden storage space. My biggest challenge is finding a way to store my 20 pairs of shoes and 20 handbags...

Well, the solution is really obvious to all except to my tendency to deny: throw or give away as many as possible and only keep the ones I really like AND do use. Easier said than done BUT I am learning!

Improvise!

Trend guru, Faith Popcorn, predicted that this year it's cooler not to spend. Excess is out - excess spending, excess stuff, excess clamoring for recognized brands and labels - all out! As economies gradually slow down in reaction to the US market, I think that this is more of a necessity than a fad! Coincidentally, buying less is the motto that I've adopted as a new year resolution (again, out of need rather than choice!).

However, I'm not complaining at all. In fact, I think this restraint has been very good for our growth. Limiting the number of times we eat out has been beneficial for our health (we tend to eat healthily at home - salads, sandwiches) and as well as wealth - time wise. Eating at home saves us traveling time to and fro eatery and the wasted time we would undoubtedly spend window-shopping when we are out. Not eating out as often also helps us to appreciate more the times when we do.

This simple-living principle has also extended to how we approach things that are quasi-broken. Two evenings ago, our reading lamp which I like alot broke. Well, it didn't quite break enough for us to trash it (its base broke but otherwise functioning as it should as a lamp). So, I thought of a way to salvage it. I found that I've an extra vase and some smooth stones that have fallen out of favor. So, the result is wht you see in the pix below. What do you think?
Oh, sorry if I'm still in home decor mood but when we were in Ikea, we came across this lovely way to decorate with fabric - gave me ideas on how to use those sheer saris I have tonnes of!

Scaling down is hard to do

It was a decision most difficult for us to make but we have decided on an apartment that is half the size of where we are now. With the real estate market here still going strong, it does not look like we'd be able to get anything close to what we have now anytime soon.

It has been reported that moving is one of the most stressful events in one's life - and I believe it. When we moved to Singapore from the US three years ago, I lost tonnes of hair during those few months from stress! Now that my hair is finally growing back, we've to move again!

We need to move out of our apartment by the end of May but we really have to start packing now, in view of the amount of stuff we have. Times like these, we find ourselves asking, "Why did I get this leather jacket again?" when we come across our leather jackets all moldy from the lack of use and humidity here in tropical Singapore. Or, "What was I thinking???" as I'm rediscover my 3-inch stiletto black heels which I've only attempted to wear once - three years ago! You'd also hear me say to my husband caustically as I find his uncanny CD collection, "If only I knew you like this kind of music when we were dating!!!"

Anyhow, as a staunch believer in checklists, I revel in the fact that life-savers such as the Real Simple magazine exists. Their website offers tonnes of FREE checklists and resources. I've also been able to find exciting decor inspiration for small spaces from sites like www.apartmenttherapy.com. Finally, I'm able to put some of my design ideas for those fabric and saris that I lugged back from Madras, India to real use...yay!

Trimming our attachments

It's been almost three weeks since I made my last entry. One reason for the slack is because I've been traveling for work. I've just gotten back from an almost two-week trip to various parts of India. As always, I enjoy India despite the crowds, chaotic traffic and unpredictable hotel rooms. The cheap saris, woolen shawls and blankets plus the good Indian cuisine that come with the travel always trump the inconveniences in the end. Nonetheless, I am glad to be back and sleeping on my own bed next to the one I love! :)

However, a few days into the trip, we received a piece of bad news from our apartment's landlord - he's selling the place. This means, we have to look for a place to move into by May. But since May is a busy month for me, I'm thinking that we'll need to move by April. Yikes! That's just about three months away! So much to do and think about!

When we first got the news, both my husband and I sunk into depression. I know a lot of you might ask what the big deal is - well, it's just moving house! Yeah, it really is NOT a big deal but various factors have contributed to the shock of the news:

1) This is the first place that my husband and I have lived since we got married - so, there is a lot of sentimentality built in there. Our first couch, our first blender, our first dryer, our first dvd player, the list of "firsts" goes on!

2) We're paying peanuts for our present place. At the rate real estate prices are going these days in Singapore, it would be a near-miracle for us to rent another place at the same rate. Our existing budget means we have to settle for a much smaller place - possibly one bedroom less that what we have now and at a much desirable and accessible location (since we don't drive, being close to a trainstation or bus stop is essential).

3) Trimming our stuff - we presently have stuff that fill up a 2-story 3-bedroom, 2-storage room apartment. We also have a nice-sized balcony where I've started a little "zen" corner with bamboo plants and all. When we move, we'll have to throw out and give away a lot of what we have now in order to fit into a smaller apartment. Especially my lovely plants! I've poured so much of my affection into them! I won't have a storage-room just for my shoes and bags anymore!!! Argh!!!

However, as I contemplate the circumstance, I realize that it could be a blessing in a very saddening disguise. As where we are right now is not our final stop and we know for a fact that we are required to constantly move on, such a move would help us trim off our "baggages" and remind us (me, especially!) to not accumulate unnecessarily. Acts of trashing old things also remind me that I should never allow stuff to define who I am and how I feel about how my life is going.

So, having the time to think through the process and grieve through the pain of having to say goodbye to our neat little apartment, I think I'm almost ready for a change. In fact, I've gathered up the guts to throw away a bag-full of old shoes that should have been trashed two years ago! Yeah, sometimes, the healing, the good, comes after the surgeon's cut!

Have a good week, ya'll!