Cook and Brew.

You might have heard a lot of times already about the research study on cleanliness comparison between a kitchen sink and a bathroom sink. Odd as it may sound but according to the study, kitchens are dirtier than bathrooms when it comes to bacterial contamination. The “Hygiene in the Home Study 2009″ held in Egypt exposes that, internationally, 90 per cent of kitchen cloths, 46 per cent of kitchen sinks, 38 per cent of bathroom sinks accounts the majority of the total bacterial count in most of the households. Wet and damp kitchen cloths and sponges harbor bacterial growth that is why it is imperative that the kitchen should not just be mere “cleaned”. It should be disinfected in the same frequency that we do on our bathrooms. We must regularly wash our hands especially before preparing the meal or cooking our food, and most importantly, dispense old cleaning cloths and replace them as often as possible to prevent from attracting bacterial growth and infestation.

With this study, people’s notion about bathrooms dirt may be changed. Especially with luxurious bathroom suites such as those from betterbathrooms.com, people might even lounge longer in the bathrooms now. They might even prefer doing their daily routines there like sleeping and dining.

I just heard a Christmas carol over the airwaves and I just could feel how the Yuletide season is seemingly peeping from not afar. Christmas season is my favorite holiday of the year. I love everything about the season from the Christmas rush to gift-giving, to yuletide foods, to christmas out of town vacations. I’m feeling lucky because the place we’ll be staying in Baguio on December has a wood stove elegantly designed as the firegalores.co.uk’s, we’ll finally get to experience roasting chestnuts while singing “chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping on your nose..“

The developer who’ll be building our dream home has finally shown us the perspective of our “little mansion”. I say little because its size is really small and confined in about 60 square meters lot area. Nevertheless, as small as it will be, we’ll make it a “mansion” inside by designing and organizing well the interiors. For now, while we prepare for the processing of our Home Loans, I’m busying myself scouring the web for space saving yet ultra chic designs especially for the kitchen, dining and living rooms. And here’s what I bookmarked so far…the so-called Ritual Evolution for the kitchen.

Conceptualized by Dario Grasselli for Whirlpool, this all-in-one standing kitchen is designed to address the need for urban society’s self-sufficient and practical kitchen. This will definitely fit and suitable for a cramming living space without taking out out the luxurious kitchen element and feel.

The Ritual Evolution is comprised of a washing area on one corner, a cooking central zone in one part, and the preparation and serving area on the other corner. The appliances are all situated on one long side for an easy accessibility and a swift utilization. The shape is very well thought of and designed such so the cook can freely move around the kitchen zone with much ease.

The cooking central zone consists of the induction cooktop and a combi oven. There’s also a warming plate in the middle of the table. The washing area on one corner houses the dishwasher along side with fridge drawer. The preparing area, just near the round table, composes of a large chopping board which discreetly houses a scale. This also adapts a color sensor technology for the tap for it to indicate the water temperature. The counter top, by the way, is made of stainless steel. LED lights also adorn this kitchen stand for dark and night time usage.

I’m not a great cook, in fact, I consider myself a struggling one but I think this design will transform me. It’ll make me an instant kitchen person since I’d be confined most of the time in the kitchen and get me hooked into preparing foods and cooking.

This is brilliant, but I wonder how much will Whirpool be pricing this one.

Photo credits to www.thedesignblog.org.

Filipinos are known for the custom of having close family ties. We naturally care for each family members that home for the elders centers and nursing homes are uncommon. For some married children, even if they have the means to live on their own, they would still prefer to live with either of the couple’s families or parents.

A family is one of the major factors or the basis of one’s happiness. It is also in this light that a kid’s values formation and development are immensely affected by his family’s circumstance or state. So it is imperative that a family must stand sturdy together at all times and remain joyous despite life’s troubles. It is said that families who spends more time together, especially during dinner, is an effective means to strengthen the bond of the family. According to research, dinner is the perfect time to connect with our family. The communication that occurs over meal time fortifies the parent-child relationships.

Every fourth Monday of September is Famealy Day as spearheaded by Lucky Me! with their advocacy of acknowledging the importance of family meals in strenghtening the family bond. So on September 28, 2009, be sure to be home early for dinner and eat together with your spouse and kids. Because as they put it, your children need more than just good food during mealtimes..they need you!

1. Places you would like to visit and why.
+ My spur of the moment wishes: France, Japan, Vietnam and USA.

2. Favorite things to munch on!
+ Chocolate mallows, siomai, pizza and a whole lot more

3. Favorite sites for online shopping.
+ Gymboree, Old Navy, Multiply and All Aboard Toys.

4. Things you have to get done this weekend.
+ Iron the laundry and clean the room.

5. Things that pop up when you google your name.
+ My flickr, blogs, Chian Mai travel site, wikipedia.