Coptotermes

I'm finally living in my dream home now, but I wasn't counting on living with coptotermes. Termites! A week ago I was surprised to find debris in one of the cabinets. I cleaned it up and didn't think much about it. Last Saturday, the contractor sent a carpenter to fix some things and the cabinet door came away when Sweetie opened it. When they inspected it they came to the conclusion that it was termites. Yikes!

I immediately sent an SOS to the pest control company who's been servicing my Mom's home. They sent someone to inspect today and they confirmed that it was termites. They even saw some insects and said that it's the most destructive among the 4 common varieties that plague houses. They did say that it looks like it's still pretty new, but be wary because they bite! The good thing is it's only in that corner for now and it was detected early enough. 

This photo was taken late last year. It's now a gubat!

I guess that's the drawback in buying a renovated old home. The crew told us though that it may have come from the bamboo also. We'll never truly know and the best recourse is to address it immediately. Most of the materials of our home are "yummy for termites". We weren't there when the old house was renovated and we're just discovering all the materials used for the house. My friend who is a contractor said not to worry for now because I can just upgrade later on when things deteriorate. 

Well, now I really have an excuse to get the kitchen the way I want it. I've been browsing on Pinterest on functional features that will be useful for the upgrade. I'm still very undecided on how it should look haha. A friend though advised not to use granite because it apparently causes cancer (also quartz!). She said it's better to use synthetic. 

I super loved the clean, white look of the kitchen in our last apartment in Singapore.
I'm kinda torn between this and mixing in some color. Definitely want something neutral.

We have to resolve the pest issue first before doing any work. Good thing we discovered this before it got out of hand. I remember my Mom used to DIY pest control in her home. At some point it got out of hand, so I got an expert to address the issue. Most of the original materials used in her home are still intact. Her wood floors are much better actually than ours. The engineer who inspected the house said it's still looks good. I hope to be able to take care of my home like how my Mom did. We told Miggy though to force us to move to a smaller home when we become too old for a bigger space.

Well, Mondays are supposed to cover home, dreams and wishes. I know it's a headache to deal with pest issues, but I see it as a blessing. It's good we discovered it now than when it's wreaked more havoc. It's also good we've been working with a trusted partner for pest control (found them through a trustworthy friend). Well, as Kulas of Becoming Filipino always says, "Power on!"

P.S. My friend, Boss, pointed out that there is a miracle everyday. There is! So I thought I'd add clips of nice things we can reflect on everyday. Here's one from GodWhispers today -

#BeKind #StaySafe