Earthquake tips: what to do before, during, and after

Here's a link to help us prepare for the "Big One"

Clean Your Bathroom in 4-5 minutes

I got this from Real Simple but modified it a bit to make it more suitable for my bathroom.  I have yet to time myself though if this really just takes 4 minutes on a daily basis, and 5 weekly.

Minute 1: 

Drizzle toilet bowl with cleaner.  

Set aside products on countertops.

*Monthly: With a damp microfiber cloth or duster, swipe cobwebs from ceiling corners (stick the cloth on the end of a broom to reach) and dust door frames, tile ledges, moldings, shelves, framed art, and sills. Rinse and wring.

Minute 2: 

Spray mirrors with glass cleaner and rub in circles with the cloth.

Run a wipe over the vanity and the sink to pick up rogue hairs, powder, and toothpaste.

Grab a new wipe for the light switch, faucet handles, the wall behind the faucet, and any light fixtures.

Minute 3: 

With a fresh wipe, clean the top of the toilet tank, the flusher handle, and the lid.

Use a new wipe for the top and the bottom of the seat and the lip of the bowl—in that order.

Take one more wipe and do the base of the toilet and the floor around it.

Next, swish water around the inside of the bowl with a toilet brush and flush.

Minute 4: Move the wastebasket to just outside the door.

Sweep the floor to clean dust and hair from every corner, starting with the corner farthest from the door and backing out.

Empty the trash and you’re done.

Cooking Bacon Kani in Toaster Oven

Being scared of oil splatters, I've never really been a fan of frying food.  Then, I recently discovered that I can actually cook using a toaster oven instead - which ensures no oil splatters and is easier to clean!

Since bacon kani has been one of my fave dishes when eating at jap restos, I tried looking for bacon kani recipes online.  All of them, however, were fried, so I just modified this to portions that will fit my toaster's capacity :) Hope you guys enjoy! 

 Ingredients 

7 pcs crab stick

7 strips (or so) honey cured bacon

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp oyster sauce

3 tbsp brown sugar

1/8 cup water

salt and pepper to taste

 Instructions 

1. Defrost bacon and kani (to make things easier and faster, I defrost my bacon in the microwave for about 25 minutes, while soaking and defrosting the kani in a bowl of water for about the same time - I use this lag time to go back to bed or take a bath, etc.)

* While some recipes call for cutting the crab stick in half, I don't, as bacon and kani shrink when cooked.  You may or may not do this step :)

2. Wrap the toaster tray in aluminum foil - to make cleaning easier later on. 

3. Wrap bacon around the crab stick. No need to secure with a toothpick since the bacon will automatically adhere to the kani once heated.

4. Place the bacon kani in the toaster tray, heat for 10 minutes.

5. Remove the bacon oil from the toaster tray and prepare the sauce by putting the bacon oil, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and water in a saucepan. Let boil.

6. Flip the bacon kani and heat in toaster for another 7 minutes. This can then be transferred to a plate.

7. Once the sauce is boiling, add brown sugar and  garlic powder. Stir until sugar begins to caramelized and make sure that the sauce is thick enough.

8. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. You may add more sugar if you want a sweeter sauce.

Ideal Storage

We've been trying to clean and organize the house for some time now but haven't quite finished dealing with the papers yet.  After the not-worth-keeping papers have gone, we're planning to deal with the clothes next.

The plan was to purge (donate) then store the usable clothes.  Currently, I'm looking into getting one of these storages: Bamboo Charcoal Storage Box which costs about Php 800 for 2 pieces.  Following are its enlisted features, according to Ensogo:

• Features and Specifications:
  • Made of natural Bamboo Charcoal
  • Extensible design for more storage space
  • Moisture and smell absorbing ability
  • No chemical added for your healthy use
  • With invisible window to make things clear
  • Keep your stuffs tidy and organized
  Material:  Non-wovens
  Product Dimension: 58 x 36 x 32(cm) ~ 68.6 L
  Warranty: 7-day replacement

Food Storage Chart

I just found this great infographic on how long one can store food items in the ref / freezer.  Hope you find it useful as well!