Power failure @ SG

For the first time ever, we experienced power failure at SG. This happened on 2nd Jan evening at my block. Owing , I was opting for a quick fix dinner. I had convinced Manu, Mahesh (Bro) and Appa that I make restaurant quality creamy Pasta. Even though I suspect that the tipping point in my favor was the excuse to open the Shiraz bottle which Mahesh had brought :)

As I was draining the al-dente pasta & finishing up the sauce, the music and lights went off! It took us a few seconds to realize that it is power failure. Being from the state with scheduled & unscheduled power failures, we know the protocol. First step was to check the fuse status. Second, but the most important step, is to check if the neighbors have power cut. Last step is to call PUB, the Singaporean version of KSEB and inform.
The truth is that, it was a relief when we saw the neighbors rushing out and panicking being unsure of how to handle this situation. Kind of a NUTS (No U Turn Syndrome) by fellow Singaporeans. But then, we decided to skip the informing part and enjoy the first power outage.
Glorious moment dawned when the men of the house agreed how useful my candle collection is. We lighted all of it and set around the dining counter, refilled the wine glasses and had a beautiful candle light dinner.
The timing was excellent.The power was back when we were getting ready for the pudding.

Only set back is I won't be allowed anymore to quote 'power-failure-free-Singapura' as a plus point.

My experiment with the wax!

When our parents were here, Dad found this beautiful book on candle making. He was browsing the library for a good candle making book, as Mom is very interested in this. On a weekend, we went "arts shopping" and made beautiful gel candles. I was so thrilled about it that later they sent me a big block of wax, to work on. Then on, making a square candle for our room has been in my to-do list. 

As part of making the weekend eventful, I attempted it yesterday. 

Since I don't trust myself to continue candle making, my thrifty mind does not want me to invest on 'must have' items like double boiler, wick holder or dedicated molds for candle making. 

I was saving the empty bottle of olive oil for quite a while to use as my square mold. I used a long tooth pick as wicker. Double boiler was an old sauce pan strategically held in place to get enough heat from boiling water in another bigger sauce pan! (Everyone says, never heat the wax directly on stove top)

If I continue to practice and perfect this, I will surely buy the gadgets soon. 

The only causalities were my last minute panic and screams to get assistance to keep my dummy wicker straight in the center. Of course, instantly Manu engineered a technique to solve the on-site technical glitches! (I think I made the right choice by marrying him)

It was fun making this beautiful little turquoise candle :) 

Cheer me up!

I am observing a new phenomena these days. The weekend is usually fun. But, as the week starts and we slip back into the normal schedule, I can feel the fun draining away & stress catching up. 
I attribute this to the extended commute these days. My present employer is doing quite well in Singapore. So well as to construct a new building. It has a new chic layout, compact desks, beautiful lobby, spacious balconies, all makes it good to go to work. The best part is the meeting rooms. They are spacious and bright and numerous. At least one side of the meeting rooms are full windows :-) Obviously, I am so glad because my work involves lots of meetings and it was struggle getting a meeting room booked in the old place. 
Now the 'But' part. The major issue is, the place is way too far from my home. I spend an hour each way in trains and bus. This commute directly eats into my home-time. No wonder I get so worked up. So far, Thursdays are the worst. That's when the weekly stress is max and weekend is not at the nearest. 
This Thursday, on my way back, I decided to stop by Harbor front and spend a solid hour to go see the people in the mall. I always felt that people look more beautiful  in the ambient lighting of this particular spacious mall. On the way to the cafe, I saw a small exhibition and I found this beautiful set of Kitchen towels. Its a gradient set of blue and green and turquoise & 100% cotton :-) Wasn't too expensive. Deal !! 

It was instant crush and I brought it. Immediately, I felt very happy and went home.
I can use the cafe-therapy next Thursday :-)
When I explained to Manu the reason why I was beaming when I came back home, his first reaction was disbelief! How can a person be so happy after buying kitchen towels ? I don't know, I never thought about it before.
Was it the instant satisfaction of spending money knowing that you get a desired output ? 
Is it the tangible element of the shopping results, in contrast to the intangible power inside your credit card ? 

Or was I unknowingly missing really beautiful kitchen towels ?  
What else am I missing ? Let me see where next Thursday takes me ;)

The new vase

 I tend to buy Orchids on a weekly basis. And other than the beauty, there are a few reasons on why I choose them over others.
1. We get to buy varieties of Orchids at a very reasonable rate in the markets here.
2. In my calculation, they are the most economic flowers, as they last for a week in the dining chamber. Later, when we buy new flowers, I trim the oldies a bit and I can move them to my kitchen shelf
3. They fit in the slim vase, which doesn't take too much of a space from the dining table.

I love the look of Orchids on wine bottles. Manu comments its coz I tend to buy only few flowers to save money! The narrow vase is always my excuse for it. Anyways, as I keep looking at them again & again, I realize that they deserve a better look and I chose the one with this beautiful green-brown. Only now I need to remove the sticker to make it look better.

Ladies, the easiest method (if the wine label is attached with a sticker adhesive) is to soak the bottle in warm water . I filled the bottle with water, capped it and then immersed in a bigger vessel filled with hot water. It peels of so easily.

And here it stands :-)