I'm not always a morning person, but I have a routine I stick to - because I want to use my abilities to make life good for myself, for others, and even my things.
Category: Stuff
[Books] How is the KonMari method related to purposeful living?
Kondo Marie, creator of the KonMari method of decluttering and organizing, has created not a cleaning method but a philosophy to live out. Her revolutionary discard-then-sort system is infused with the values of mindfulness, optimism, and simplicity, which then naturally overflow into one's everyday living.
What are the benefits of staying organized?
There are many benefits to being organized - more than just an organized space, having an organized life as well. Here, we list six such overarching benefits to living tidy and neat.
How is hoarding un-purposeful?
Hoarding can come in many different forms - physical, digital, emotional and financial. And they're all against the tenets of awareness, even if said hoards are supposedly tidy. True organization is simple and purposeful, and to truly deal with hoarding is to deal with the personal mindset and standards on things, vis-à-vis purposeful living.
TDY Week: Organizing
It's the Christmas rush, and we may be so caught up in something that we may be going all over the place. That's why this week, we're launching a series of posts all about organizing and keeping tidy - and this doesn't just apply to physical clutter from shopping. We'll discuss organizing across a broad spectrum, and apply it to purpose as well.
Going Christmas shopping? Buy local or sustainable
Even the things you consume can reflect your state of awareness! Especially this Christmas season, why not be more mindful of the things you buy - where they come from and how they are made - for gifts to your loved ones? Not only would you make your loved one happy, you'd also make a small-time business and their stakeholders happy: the best Christmas gift you can give them.
Away with disposables… plastic and paper, that is
Get out and good riddance, traditional disposables. These environmental hazards are now so ubiquitous establishments the world over are raising awareness one way or another. The popular solution nowadays is to provide incentives for using reusable things - but what if they themselves are environmental hazards? No fretting - there's sustainable disposables!
3 tips on making your soap bars last
It's possible and easy to make bars of natural soap last, thereby lessening frustrations that such things are either expensive or wear down quickly. Here are three tips on doing so, taken from Human Nature Marikina.
Care for money bills
Did you know that it also constitutes social responsibility to take physical care of your money’s bill denominations? Even a mild defacing of them will render them invalid, and thus needed to be destroyed, and thus needed to be reproduced, thereby ultimately adding financial and environmental costs to society just to keep the fiscal system running smoothly.
West Valley Fault Preparations Part 3: Kits and Plans
This third of three posts about preparing for the predicted Valley Fault earthquake that will devastate the Greater Metro Manila area discusses in more detail having your own emergency supply kit and detailed disaster plans for the family and workplace/school. I recommend assembling your own supply kit instead of a pre-made one that may lack some essentials or contain unimportant things relative to your own circumstances. Disaster plans must be mastered and practiced by all members.
Parking outside? Check for stuff… and children
Parking outside, even in relative coolness, can turn your car into a furnace with the sun shining on it. The risk of heatstroke greatly increases, so always be mindful if you have children and pets traveling with you in the car. Also be mindful of your things that can perish in extreme heat, such as foodstuffs. Especially this summer, be conscious of this!
Watch your electronics in humidity!
Take care of the humidity surrounding you and your electronics! Many electronics won't work well or even start breaking down if it's too humid or too dry. Also, using electronics immediately after transferring them from a cool place to a very humid one can cause them to short-circuit. Let it "cool down" for a short while before using it.
Have an umbrella with you all the time!
Have an umbrella, even a small one, at hand always, rain or shine. In rain, they keep you from getting wet; while if it's sunny and really hot, it can keep you protected from the heat.
Remove batteries when not in use
Take seriously your electronic devices' instruction manuals telling you to remove the batteries if the product won't be used for a long time. They can corrode or leak in your device, potentially damaging it - and your skin if you touch it - and thus cutting its life short.
The importance of orderliness
Orderliness and being organized is important as opposed to chaos and disorder. God Himself is a God of order, and from a practical viewpoint, it makes things simpler and smoother for us and others.
Tying shoelaces: An essential life skill
Know how to tie your shoelaces! Shoelaces are so ubiquitous that it has practically become a life skill to learn how to use them properly. They're a time-tested and time-honored way of lacing up shoes of all kinds, especially your office or dress shoes, boots, and athletic shoes.
Bring eco-bags with you when going shopping!
I invite you to bring canvas bags, or eco-bags, with you whenever you go shopping. They're more durable and useful than paper bags, which have replaced the plastic bags that are now banned in parts of Metro Manila.
2 pairs of shoe trees – a responsible investment
If you have genuine leather shoes, you should invest in at least one pair of quality wooden shoe trees to take care of them. The trees absorb moisture, thereby eliminating any interior damage and odors from your shoes - thereby showing you care for your things, your money's worth, and respect the shoemakers.
Have separate footwear at home
Aside from cleaning shoes regularly, I invite you to consider a separate footwear policy at home - a pair of in-house slippers just for the upper floor/s or the more sensitive rooms (such as bedrooms and bathrooms) - or restrict all shoes to the porch! This would also promote a clean air at home and reduce the need for more intensive cleaning.
Invest in a power bank!
I encourage you to invest in a power bank for your smartphones as they'll help you stay charged on the run for those important communications in the midst of high power consumption.
Clean your shoes regularly at home!
Cleaning your shoes regularly is one way to promote overall wellness even at home. This is because in cleaning them regularly, you also clean out dirt and bacteria, especially from the soles, that can bring about malaise to your home.
2 reasons to avoid using plastic drinking straws
I invite you to stop using plastic drinking straws as these are: 1) disposable items that become waste after just one use; and 2) bad for your health! Either use glass or steel straws, or avoid them altogether.
Bring your own food containers when taking out!
As another way of minimizing our environmental footprint, I invite you to bring your own food containers when taking out! Read on for a discussion.
1 utensil is enough!
How and why is using just 1 utensil for eating enough? Read on!
11 things to prepare in the face of a typhoon
So there's now talk again of bracing for a new "supertyphoon" to hit our beloved country (PAGASA will not officially use the super-typhoon classification until next year, according to its administrator Vicente Malano, as they will raise awareness on such first - although the US Navy already classifies it as such), comparable to 2012's Typhoon Bopha… Continue reading 11 things to prepare in the face of a typhoon
Beware the phantom power!
It's pretty well known that leaving an appliance or appliances running for too long can cause it to overheat and even explode, potentially causing a catastrophic fire that can spell the end of our home. But what about for those that aren't in use? Yeah, yeah, it may seem obvious that one needs to unplug appliances… Continue reading Beware the phantom power!
Saving yourself and the world, one pair of chopsticks at a time
Do you use chopsticks? I do, thanks to my Chinese roots, culture, and love for East Asian cuisines (Japanese and Korean rank among my top three favorites, Italian being the other). I also happen to love noodle soups the most, and we definitely use chopsticks there. If you, like me, frequently eat out at Chinese… Continue reading Saving yourself and the world, one pair of chopsticks at a time
Never immediately wash hot pans in cold water!
Our high school physics classes would teach us that things tend to expand in heat, and contract in cold. (Remember that solids have rigidly-structured molecules, liquids have rather loosely-structured ones, and gases have almost free-flowing particles. And that solids turn into liquids, and liquids into gases, the higher the temperature.) It may sound somewhat Ivory… Continue reading Never immediately wash hot pans in cold water!
3 Ways to Take Care of Your Things
We can't deny that we have so much things to get about in life today. Some of those we need, others we "need", and others yet we simply want. But regardless, there's one commonality I'd like us to reflect on for this post. Do we take good care of our stuff? We handle many of our things everyday,… Continue reading 3 Ways to Take Care of Your Things
The Dopp Kit
Now that I've written about the social responsibility underlying motivations for this blog (apart from the fact that I just love to write), I can go all social responsibility mode on you. As if I haven't. :p It was a bit of a surprise to me when I learned that being stylish is actually a… Continue reading The Dopp Kit
Aloy Chua 