Sorli Mirror set of 4 from Ikea (Price in US: $ 9.99)

This low-maintenance set of mirrors come with double-sided adhesive tape, which pretty much means I can fix any quarter to any part of the wall (or walkway) I like, also—like most people—I can put them together to form a much-bigger quadrangle. It requires virtually zero skill to stick them, only trick is that if you happen to paste all of them together make sure the edges are parallel or you’ll end up looking pretty ridiculous in the mirror.

The fun part? I purchased 3 sets of Sorli mirrors (12 altogether) and started assembling them in patterns I wanted randomly. It’s pretty cool to exhaust my imagination (and also creativity…) for a couple of hours in my own room. I also have one along the walkway, one at the door of each room, and random areas like the kitchen and also the dining area.

Perfect for home décor, especially for those who can’t get enough primping! Just imagine, MIRRORS EVERYWHERE YOU GO! Now that’s what I call a healthy obsession…

5 out of 5 stars

FLIT bookend from Ikea (Price in Malaysia: between RM 3-6, price in US: $0.99)

This chrome-plated, galvanized bookend from Ikea is a 50/50 I’d say. It’s placed on both ends to support an upright row of books. Besides its contemporary design it’s also pretty functional to hold the books from falling over.

Boldly designed and also reasonably priced (between RM 3-6 in West Malaysia), this is one couple of anchors that holds everything in between ridiculously cramped! Now that’s the ONLY setback, when I attach the anchors to both ends it’s not easy to remove, so to throw in another comic or two would make it seem so darn crowded. Maybe that’s the whole purpose of having bookends—so that no books will fall off the shelves again!

This one will be perfect for home décor, in fact, the designers, K. and M. Hagberg, the guys deserve a standing ovation. As in practicality, maybe a 4-star should be sufficient.

Reference(s):

http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/50100035

Ordning Scale from IKEA (Price in Malaysia: RM 99, price in US$ 39.99)

This shouldn’t be my first post. Honestly. Because I shouldn’t be writing a virtually-flawless review at first. It sets a bad precedent, also spoils my own market. And I certainly don’t wanna sound biased on my first review.

Back to the scale. This piece of metal is a gem. The digital display slides in and out smoothly, and creates a compact circle perfect for storage. The numbers are *almost* always correct (provided you don’t temper with the surface before the display is on).

Drawbacks? Besides the price tag, I have to press the display for a while (5-7 secs) to turn it off: SLOW SHUTTER RESPONSE, that’s one. Also, the maximum load is only 3kg (approx. 6.6 lbs). Could do better.

Anyhow, this is a must-have in every household. I don’t use it in the kitchen but more on parcels that I need to ship out. It works wonders. I calculate my shipping fees solely on this lifesaver, but I wouldn’t recommend it for the use of anything heavier than 3kg (Yes, DO NO stand on it or the gadgets inside might pop out...). I’d give 4 ½ stars.

IKEA MALAYSIA—7,000 SKUs???

An Ikea fan (aka also one of their ‘financial supporters’…) is easy to come by here in Kuala Lumpur. The megastore in Mutiara Damansara is about the size of a football stadium. According to Wikipedia, the IKANO store in Mutiara Damansara is ‘the largest in Asia with a shop floor area of approximately 270,000 sq ft (25,000 m²). IKEA opened for business in the August 2003 featuring many affordable solutions, with over 7,000 home furnishing products’… though I’m pretty sure I heard somewhere that there’s a bigger store opened in Shanghai…or Beijing…not sure… :-)

I have quite a ‘collection’ of IKEA items at home. Basically, one can find almost everything under the sun at Ikea. A concept store that carries more than 7,000 SKUs, now that is something. From Ikea (which is what this blog will be writing about mostly) to hypermarkets like Carrefour and Tesco, from garlic press to high end sofa, this blog of mine will explore the perks and pains of operating small and seemingly-harmless daily items, and the ups and downs of owning a branded product.

Please bear in mind that these reviews are based on my experience as a user of all these items, only honest reviews are published, and that no presence of a third party is involved in my assessment.