Surreptitiously embarrassed...

The cleaning crew is here and I'm currently blogging from my balcony, with Crinkle in a kennel cab at my feet.

I'm feeling a little embarrassed because my housekeeping has been neglected for quite a while. I think it has to do with the fact that I keep my balcony door open (so it will be breezy for my cat, who's alone all day), and even with a screen door, the dust comes in. Plus Crinkle sheds a lot.

He also likes to chew cardboard and paper so sometimes when I come home there are bits and pieces all over the place. I don't think I get them all when I sweep. I used to sweep everyday: in the morning before I go to work and evening when I come home from work. It was never enough, dust flies in over the face of my determination.

Also, whenever my cat uses the litter box, he tends to spill some of the special sand onto the bathroom floor, which is done in shades of maroon. I couldn't quite get the sand off them (I need a better vacuum cleaner), so my bathroom floor is usually a mess too (white over maroon shows up every time, yes?)

And then, I never actually got the knack of finding the right cleanser for parquet floors. They are beautiful to look at and feels great under your feet, but wood requires special cleansers and special care. I already went to several stores looking for the right cleanser (consulted the Internet of course) and nada. So my floor kind of look the worse for wear.

Lastly, the mantra of organizing gurus everywhere -- a place for everything, and everything in its place -- is something I haven't followed. I have a shelf but it's an inefficient shelf for books because it's open and deep (I got it cheap and it's sturdy kasi) and so my books are stacked in three rows per shelf. They tend to get dusty. And my books don't fit in the shelf -- they are scattered all over the place... on my bedside table, on my desk, on my dining table, some are even on the floor. I need to take a page from Witchy and start selling them off, I won't be able to bring all of them with me to Canada anyway.

I'm thinking after today I'll do that Japanese thing and just go barefoot (or in socks) when I'm in my home. Maybe I'll just buy several pairs of fluffy slippers for me and any guests I may have when they come here. We'll see.

Anyway I'm here, feeling mightily ashamed of myself and trying not to show it to the three smiling girls who are toiling away inside my condo.

I don't think I will ever be a domestic goddess. I should just hire these girls to come in once a month and try to maintain order and cleanliness in between times.

*sigh*