let there be light!

living alone meant that i've been okay living with stuff that don't work. so, i was okay with the toilet that didn't flush (buhos system na lang, tipid pa sa water!), the half washing machine - half manual way of doing the laundry, and a dark dirty kitchen.

when water finally arrived in bf, and i got my pipes fixed, things substantially changed. the toilet i can flush as much as i want to (but won't, since water conservation is something you learn when you've lived in water-less bf). the washing machine is now fully automatic. but, even if my dirty kitchen sink is finally fully operational (the faucet broke, the drain wasn't working properly, and a whole lot of stuff), i continued living in darkness. i figured, i can always do the dishes in the morning (where natural light could stream through the windows and screen door).

thing is, when i invite people over, they're usually so generous with help knowing that i live without a helper. so they say, let me wash the dishes at least. and since i've still to save up enough money to replace the faucet and knobs in the main kitchen, the washing will have to be done in the dirty kitchen ... the dark dirty kitchen. i initially put in a desk lamp in there, for some illumination, but it was weird ... i mean a desk lamp right beside the rice cooker and the over toaster isn't exactly chic. not that chic is the look i'm going for, but you get my drift.

so when i got a chinese lantern in the shape of a hot air balloon as a souvenir from last weekend's trip to clark, i knew this was my chance to do something for my dark dirty kitchen.

1. assemble lantern. okay, fine, this step simply involved stretching the lantern out and putting the metal thing inside. but it's still a step.

2. disassemble old lamp which was headed for the garbage and/or a neighbor's home in the event it's bought in a garage sale. this was an old lamp that was given to me by a friend. it went with NOTHING in my home, and it wasn't exactly something people wanted either. when i was thinking of something to put inside the lantern, i realized this would be perfect. so i removed the lamp assembly and transfered it to the chinese lantern.

3. hang. if you're accident-prone like i am, this might be a bit complicated. but thankfully i finished the project with minimal mishaps. my neck and back hurt for a bit though.

4. plug. since the kitchen light switch is precisely the reason why there's no light in the kitchen, the way to light this baby up would be to plug it. since the cord of the lamp assembly won't be long enough to travel from the ceiling to the plug, i threaded an extension cord from the top of the kitchen cabinets to the outlet on the kitchen counter. to light up the kitchen, all i have to do is plug the end of the outlet to the socket and viola, the dirty kitchen finally has overhead light once more!

i'm especialy happy with this project not only cause the kitchen is lighted but (1) because i am able to actually use a souvenir item and (2) i was able to utilize something that was headed for the garbage can. souvenir items are usually pretty on the trip but end up being dumped somewhere when you get home. this way, i get to see the lovely hot air balloon on a daily basis AND light up my dirty kitchen to boot.

of course i know it's weird to have a hot air balloon lantern in the dirty kitchen, especially if it doesn't exactly go with the decor. and it's actually weird to be plugging overhead light. i know i still need to get an electrician to get a more permanent solution to my problem. but for the meantime, i'm happy with my pink hot air balloon ... ☺ ... and the fact that the kitchen is lighted.

p.s. will post pictures tomorrow.