I Survived One Month Of Housework

Hi,

My maid left for good one month ago and we have decided not to have a replacement since Jason is in his teens already.

Also, an 'Aussie' friend of mine told me to imagine that I have migrated to Australia and have no maid in the household....ha...ha.....

But we ordered 'tingkat' food for dinner during the weekdays as we do not really cook...!

It definitely needed some adjustments as we were so used to being served by Jean but now, we have to spend time to do all the household chores like laundry, ironing, mopping the floor, etc....

I used to read the papers first thing in the morning as I like to know what is happening locally and overseas but now I have to find time to read the papers and sometimes even just browse through them only........

Why?

And guess what is the first thing I do every morning?

Well, Jack barks at 7am for his food and I have to wake up to feed him before my neighbours complain about his barking especially on weekends......sigh

Walk Jack too else he will bark for it again around 8am....sigh

Make breakfast, clean up some plates or cups left overnight, do laundry as it takes about 2 hours for the washing machine to complete a cycle....... before I can sit down to read the papers!

There are days where I went back to sleep and if I am really tired, I may sleep for another hour or so...ha....ha......

I dislike cooking during weekends as while I can 'cook' ( after 4 years as an overseas student ), I feel pressurised to cook a decent meal for my family esp Jason as he is still a growing boy.

Anyway, I suppose it is just a matter of the whole family chipping in and getting used to it.

Any tips for my me..... drop me a line.....

David

Christmas Lights in Orchard Road

Hi,

I make it a point to take a stroll along Orchard Rd to enjoy the decorations and soak into the Xmas atmosphere....

This year is different too as there are new shopping malls like Ion, Orchard Central and 313 at Somerset.

Here is a short slide show of some photos taken that night.

Merry Christmas....!

David

Merry Christmas 2009

Hi,

We wish you a Merry Christmas and hope you have a wonderful day today....!

We went to Jack's Place for a special Xmas lunch there...... something that we have been doing for years ...... though we missed it for a few years.

We then watch the movie, AVATAR, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. You should watch it as there is a good storyline, action and good special effects or CGI; value for money as it is about 3 hours long.

I have also taken some photos of the Xmas decorations in Orchard Rd too...... will post them later.

Merry Xmas again.....

David

Touch Screen Mobiles - iPhone, Nokia, Samsung

I pre-ordered an iPhone from Starhub but then decided not to follow the trend for the sake of it.....!

The main features for my mobile besides making calls and smses, is to upgrade to a 5MP camera and to try out the touch screen mobile.

Another feature is also to have wi-fi so that I can check the stock market prices on the go , if necessary but no major or huge data download.

I was inspired by my Filipino maid who bought a touch screen mobile by LG and I thought I should have a go at the latest technology too.....ha....ha...... provided it is affordable.

Most of us used less than 50% of all the features on our mobiles.

I offer to buy Jason an iPhone which he talked about it a few times but he decided to stay put with his current Sony Ericsson mobile.

Our mobile plans are due for re-contract so we can upgrade our mobiles at a discounted rate and I was also given free vouchers of $100 and $150 for 2 of my mobiles.

I managed to buy a Nokia 5800 touch screen mobile for my wife and we are happy with it.

I wanted to buy this Samsung Jet but the black model is out of stock and they are now selling the special white edition with an increase in price!

I am surprised that mobile prices can also move up and usually during the the weekends, watch out for their advertisement on Sat papers and you will know what I mean.

So I have to go for the Samsung Omnia II now though it is more expensive and more features but then it went up by another $100 last weekend.....!


Well, wait and see again....sigh

So I am going to end up with no Xmas present for myself ......sob....sob...

David

Thorn In My Thumb

Last Friday, I was cutting down a bouganvilla plant that has over grown and reached the top of our awning in the backyard.

It is a thorny plant.

I was a bit too ambitious and one of the big branches fell towards me though I was using my left hand to hold it while I was using my right hand to saw it.

I lost my balance and in the process of steadying myself, I somehow came down from the chair I was standing on and luckily, I did not step on any of the thorny branches on the ground. But it happened so fast that the falling bracnhes must have brushed my hands.

I could feel a cut or two on both hands. I thought I cold have gotten it from the wire fence and I could also see a puncture hole or two made by the thorns....!

I could have gotten it worse when I think back on the incident; eg more deep cuts and also stepped on a thorny branch on the ground....!

Anyway, whan I cleaned up and took a shower, I could feel the water running over more cuts on my hands and even my right foot....!

I noticed a deep cut on my left thumb and it seems to have a small thorn inside it.

I took a needle from my sewing kit and tried to dig it out but it was pretty deep and the cut was a bit too deep. It was too painful to go further so I was prepared to have the thorn embedded in my thumb.

A week later, my thumb was still sore and the cut was still open, much to my surprise.....? But the skin seem not to be sore or sensitive so I decided it was telling me to have another go at digging out the thorn.

Guess what....?

I persisted in digging deeper and suddenly some liquid came out..... I think it is some sort of pus in formation so I took a tissue to squeeze out all of it.

And the thorn popped out, just like squueezing your pimple...know what I mean...?

After that, eventhough the cut was still opened but the pain was minimal.

So it looked like the body was rejecting the foreign item in my thumb and I think it caould get swollen with pus if I had not removed the thorn.

Phew.....

Just to give you an idea on how big the bouganvilla plant, here is a photo of the branches I have to saw to bring it down.

David

Jason Off To Vietnam

Jason's class won the Best Cass in both Sec 3 and 4.

A 3D2N trip to Vietnam was arranged for the students after their 'O' level exam.

When I sent him off early this morning, our Singapore Table Tennis team was also checking in at the same row for their flight to Laos for the SEA Games.

Initially, I mistook one of the officials as our local tour guide as she was standing next to the boys. It would have been embarrassing if I have approached her the tour guide assigned to us but I saw the Singapore Flag on her polo-shirt.

Eventually, we saw the whole contingent of the Table Tennis team and officials. I saw Feng Tianwei and Wang Yuegu.

Feng Tianwei looks nice and not so tomboyish.

Here is a photo taken of the boys just behind the Team Singapore at the check-in counter. It so happened that their class T-shirt is red in colour too, so it blended well with them...ha...ha....

Hope to post some photos and details of his trip next week.

David

Farewell To Our Filipino Maid

Mary Jean came to help look after Jason when he was 4 years old and after a period of 12 years, she has finally gone home for good.

Her main duties were to look after Jason, her primary duty, and housekeeping was secondary task. She connected well with Jason and Jason was hardly lonely when we were off to work.

We were comfortable with her caring for Jason during the day but once we are home, we took over from her and spend as much time as we could with Jason.

My Mum trained Jean during her first 2 months with us and then Jean was able to work with minimum supervision. Eventually, she could liaise directly with people like our laundry man and the air-con maintenance man.

When Jason entered secondary school, Jean did not have to 'mother' Jason so much but she was also looking after our 2 dogs, Jack and Ruby.

Since she has an interest to learn, we sent her for cooking, PC, making bead jewelry, entrepreneur class, ......

While she may not be the perfect maid and neither we, the perfect employer...... somehow, both parties have managed to compromise and get along during this long period.

Jean intends to set up some small business and may even get married, so we wish her the success in her venture.

Jason is taller tahn Jean now, sending her off at the airport last Sat afternoon.

We just chatted on MSN a few minutes ago and she has arrived safely in Manila but done with a bad throat, and staying with her brother there before she goes back to her hometown in Mindanao.

Thanks and good luck to you, Mary Jean.

David

St. Patrick Graduation Night 2009

Jason attended his school graduation night on Thu 19 Nov 2009.

He was given a medal for his outstanding leadership and service in Track and Field & Peer Support Board that evening.

Needless to say, Jas enjoyed the company of his teachers and school friends tremendously......!

Here is a slideshow of the photos taken during his graduation night :

Well, so happy for them ..........!

( There is no such graduation night during my school days......sob....sob...)

David

Holidays in Penang - November 2009

Hi,

After Jason's 'O' level exams., the family flew to Penang for a short holiday to visit his grandparents.

Here is a short slideshow of the trip :

Well, if you plan to visit Penang soon during the school holidays, drop me a note and I can give you some advice to help you plan for it.

David

Singapore Lions Roar In Thailand

Singapore Lions score 1 goal to beat the Thailand soccer team at their home ground,in their Asian Cup Group E qualifier.

The victory helped Singapore leapfrog Thailand into second spot in the group and revived their hopes of qualifying for their first ever Asian Cup.

Duric was the goal scorer but all the players did well.

I have met Duric personally during my days in RHB Bank and Duric is a very pleasant guy. He is a great soccer player too especially at his age!

Congrats to the Singapore Lions.........!!!

David

Michelle Wie's First LPGA Title

I am happy for her that she finally won her first LPGA title.

Michelle closed with a threeunder 69 for a total of 13-under 275, two strokes ahead of Paula Creamer in the Lorena Ochoa Invitational, and finished off the win in style, hitting a bunker shot within a foot on the 18th hole to set up a birdie.

She used to always want to play against the men and hardly made headway. But she attracted a lot of attention and sponsorship..... and that means $$$...!


My friend who has a daughter on a golf scholarship in US now told me that Michelle Wie's family has taken the right approach to generate the publicity leading to lucrative sponsorship even if she did not win any trophy then.

Opportunity comes once and you grab it to make the $$$.


Anyway, congratulations to Michelle Wie's win....!

David

Manny Pacquiao Won Again!

Filipino boxer,Manny Pacquiao, is first boxer to win titles in seven weight classes.

Pacquiao took the World Boxing Organisation welterweight crown from Cotto in Las Vegas on Saturday night when the referee stopped the fight in the 12th round.

He did us, Asians, proud.

I hope he will retire when he is at the peak of his career and not greedy for more victories.

Congratulations ....!

David

Fallen Tree

While I was away in Penang in Oct, the tree outside my house fell...!

According to my Filipino maid, she claimed that a huge delivery truck passed by and brushed against the branches sticking out.

The driver and passengers came out to see the fallen tree but no one from the 2 houses came out so they drove away.

Since the tree fell and landed in front of my neighbour's house, he called the authorities to remove it and it was done almost immediately.

Unfortunately, they also removed the lovely big fern growing on the tree.....sob...sob....

Installing IDE Hard Disk Onto SATA Port

Hi,

I am so happy that I managed to installed one of my old Samsung 80GB hard disk into Jason's desktop PC.

The challenge was that there was no more IDE port and I did not want to install it using the IDE connection that was already used for the DVD Rewriter since there are 3unused SATA port.

After some research on the Internet, I found that there is such a gadget to link an IDE to a SATA connection or vice versa.

So off to Sim Lim Square (SLS) to look for it.

I bought it for S$18 and after fiddling around with it, I got it working....!

Hurray...!

It was quite challenging as it did not detect the HD initially and then only managed to detect 32GB out of 80GB in the HD.

If you know how and patient enough, you can get reasonable help from the Internet and then you do some trial and error.

I managed to overcome all the obstacles and I met my objective of installing the old HD into Jas's PC to give him more disk space.

Earlier, I also did some housekeeping and salvaged some disk space on his existing HD too otherwise, the PC could not even do a fragmentation as there was not enough work space for it.

Well, I enjoy playing with the PC upgrade.

A few weeks ago, my Filipino maid asked me to help her go to SLS to get a DIY PC for her to bring home; ie pay the shop to assemble a PC. It was slightly cheaper by at least S$100 but the QC and installation was done by me after all the components were assembled.

I dare not offer to build it for her though I did it a few years ago and it was also given to her subsequently and I believe it is still working in his brother's home in Philippines.

It has rekindled my interest in building a PC or looking at the motherboards and CPU, etc.... but I have no excuse to spend $$ building one for the fun of it. So the next best thing is to look into upgrading the Jason desktop PC......ha...ha....

Over the past few months, I have also be shopping for notebooks for a friend at the PC shows. One is coming again later this Nov.

So if you got an old PC for upgrade or even an old notebook to dispose of, give me a call ........ hopefully, I can help you or salvage some components that I can use or play with.....ha...ha...

David

Budget Flights

Hi,

The following observations are based on my own travels to and fro Penang over the past 6 months; flying at least once a month on the budget flight.

I have flown Air Asia once but subsequently flew on JetStar as I found that the pricing and flight times suit me best.

However, I must also said that I prefer to travel by JetStar as I can use the aero-bridge at Pg airport whereas Air Asia requires their passengers to walk from the aircraft to the airport; ie you have to climb the stairs and walk on the airport tarmac. I do not like it as I have a bad left knee.

Also, though I have only flown on Air Asia once only, I observed that the JetStar air crew are more helpful and service oriented.

JetStar allows me to carry a hand luggage of 10Kg which is sufficient for my purpose of travel. It also allows me to choose my seat without any additional charge.

The other observation on the booking of such budget flights are :

- Watch out for promotions as I manage to get a special price of S$30 for both ways; but you may have to book during a very short window and very early like 3 months ahead. So u need to know your schedule way ahead..... but may work well for those who are retired and have a flexible schedule.

- Check the travel dates, time and prices of a few budget airlines for comparison

- Flying different day and even times may have different prices

- One day difference in booking your flight can mean an increase of S$20

But being budget flight, it is definitely cheaper than a normal flight; eg my average price for JetStar is abour S$80 compared to S$315 on MAS or SIA.

But, you will not be pampered and no food and beverage allowed unless you buy from them. So book the meals when you are booking your flight as it may be cheaper else be prepared to pay S$3 for a bottle of mineral water.

My elder brother and younger sister flew Air Asia from Melbourne to KL and KL to Pg to visit my parents recently. It was about 7 hours of flight.

So conclusion.......

In my opinion, for short flights and if you are quite flexible with time, flying by budget airline is acceptable.

But for longer flights, you may want to re-consider budget flight unless you are prepared to rough it out;eg you may not be able to sleep well as the seats are not that comfortable and you should bring your own entertainment like watching a movie on your laptop.

I am quite lucky to-date, as I have no problem calling their call centres and booking online. So far, only one flight delayed for 1/2 hour only.

My family and I will be flying to Pg in Nov by budget airline again.

David

Happy 83rd Birthday to Mum-in-law

Hi,

This is one of those rare occasions that we manage to celebrate my mum-in-law birthday as she is the type of person who does not want any fuss or inconvenience to her children.

She is as old as my own father who also just have his birthday in Oct too.

Since she does not want to go out for a meal, we bought her a birthday cake for lunch at her home as my wife and I visit her every Friday and buy lunch to share with her.

So Happy Birthday, Mum....!

Happy 83rd Birthday to Dad in Penang

Hi,

While I was in Penang, we also celebrated my father's 83rd birthday.

After my Mum's medical appointment, we went to have a western lunch at Secret Recipe at Plaza Gurney.




I must say that the service was excellent and the staff was very nice and went all the way out to ensure that we have an excellent dining experience there; eg. one of the staff even show us the way to the public toilet as we are not familiar with the place, they offered to put the ice cream back into the fridge since my Mum was away in the toilet,..

I asked a staff to help take a family photo and I mentioned that it was my father's birthday and she happily obliged, asking me to check the the photo is well taken else she can take another one.

Much to my surprise, the supervisor presented my Dad with a slice of cake and got the staff to sing him the birthday song.


We were caught off guard else I would have taken a group photo with them or even video it.

It was indeed a pleasant surprise and my Dad was still talking about it a few days later as his birthday actually fell on 19 Oct but we were celebrating it earlier.

Here is a photo of Mum waiting for a taxi to take us home. A very rare occasion too as she does not like to go out unless necessary.


We also got him a birthday cake and we have another round of celebration at home that evening.

Happy Birthday, DAD...!

David

My Penang Trip in Oct 09

Hi,

I flew back to Penang again to bring my Mum for her medical appointment and at the same time, sent my younger sister off to Melbourne.

My younger sister was back in Pg for a month to care for my aged parents, esp my Mum who is recovering from a mild stroke.

Here is a photo of Wei, taken outside Plaza Gurney after our 'makan' at the nearby hawker stalls. There was some rain earlier on and we saw a nice rainbow in the background so we quickly grab the opportunity for a great photo of it. Unfortunately, the rainbow was not very evident in the photo as it appeared like a white streak of light from the sea to the sky.....

Anyway, Wei looked good too with a very natural smile indeed...... so ok-lah!

BTW, Wei is a fantastic shopper too..... taking advantage of the Deepavali sale and also the strong Aussie $$.

David

Happy Birthday to ME...!

My family and I went for a western dinner to celebrate my birthday on 9 Oct.

Jas met us after school since he has no tuition that evening, so he appeared in his school uniform in the photo below.




On the actual day itself, I bought some durian as a special treat for myself too.








D24 durian....

I ate one box myself and shared another box with my dear wife, for dinner...!

Jack was also wanting to have some of it and was waiting patiently for it but he almost snatched it from the table when I got up to greet one of my neighbours.

Naughty Jack!

Anyway, he got to lick some of the leftover on the box and he enjoyed it too.....!

Also, birthday greetings and wishes to Soo Leng and Tatt Cheng who also have their birthdays in early Oct .......!

Singaporeans More Animal Friendly

My Paper reported that Singaporeans seem to have become better friends to animals.



Fewer animals have been abandoned and more adopted over the last 5 years at SPCA.

So if you are looking for a dog, you should drop by at SPCA and see if you could find a dog to adopt before you buy one at a pet shop or farm.

Yesterday was World Animal Day .........

Singaporeans Are Gracious

Hi,

I have been wearing a knee brace for almost 10 months now and it enable me to walk more than 1 hour without pain or having a need to rest.

But it is not always comfortable wearing it and I do not mind sitting down in buses or MRT trains instead of standing as I am still exerting pressure on both knees or more on my right knee.

When I am wearing long pants or jeans, it is not obvious that I am wearing a knee brace.

I was just telling my family that all these months even when I am wearing bermuda, so my knee brace is obvious to the public, I was never offer a seat in the buses or MRT train.

Why am I complaining suddenly?

Well, my knee has been playing up lately and I am feeling some pressure or discomfort when I have to stand too long.

But there was hope though, recently.....

2 days ago, a man tap me on my back and gave me his seat in the MRT train. Honestly, I gladly took it and said 'Thank you' to him, of course.

Yesterday, in a crowded train again, a young or a girl in her late teens also tap my shoulder and gave me her seat.

I was surprised by these two gestures and they were not sitting in the 'Priority Seat' section.

Well, in short, I think Singaporeans are a gracious lot and it just take them some time to show it..

David

COMEX 2009

Just before I left for my Pg trip, I managed to go to the Comex 2009 IT show held at Suntec City.

Initially, I wanted to buy a new photo colour printer but then decided to defer it to the next PC show in Nov 09 since I do not think that I will be needing it in the coming months and can wait a bit longer though the color printing by my current photo printer is a bit off.

Instead, I ended up shopping for a NetBook for a friend and also brought my Filipino maid to shop for her IT accessories as she will be going home for good in late Nov 09.

I managed to collect sufficient brochures and do an evaluation on the spot, and then got my friend's consent to buy her an ACER netbook as shown below.

I bought her a Ruby Red colour netbook and it looks good indeed....! I spent the evening and following morning setting it up for her. Needless to say, I enjoyed the shopping and playing with such a new toy.

So much to see that I was tempted to go back to have another look especially at the new models and offers.

It would not have seen appropriate if I did not buy anything for myself no matter how small it is.....ha.....ha.....

I chanced upon a set of earphones that I wanted and it only cost me S$10 whereas it was retailing outside for at least S$25 so I just grabbed it. I am very happy with it as I took it along for my Pg trip and it served me well and I am also using it now. Value for money if you look hard enough during the show.

So where got recession in Spore...? I guess most of us took advantage of the reduction in prices and the retailers have decided to sell more at a lesser profit as oppose to sell less at a higher profit. Possibly, newer models are coming out too so better to get rid of old models.

A good business model as it is a win-win situation for both the Buyers and Sellers!

So until the next PC or IT show in Nov 09 as I definitely have to buy my colour printer and I hope they will give a better price and freebies too.....

BTW, I have been helping friends to buy notebooks for the past 3 shows .......... but no excuse to buy myself a NEW notebook......sob...sob....

David

Queensbay Mall in Penang

Hi,

During my recent trip to Penang, I amanged to find some time to take my younger sister, Wei, to this new and huge shopping mall, Queensbay Mall.

It is quite far from home and almost near the Penang airport.

We took a taxi there and it cost me RM30 and for another RM5, it would have taken me to the airport!


We were there for 2-3 hours but only managed to grab a quick bite at a food court and then spent the rest of the time at the 4 floors of Jusco.


There are many more shops but we did not have the time......


My next trip in Oct then.....ha....ha.....












Wei is a great shopper indeed....!

But then with the Hari Raya sale on and the strong AUD, each piece of clothing worked out to be pretty cheap for her....

I bought a polo shirt for my dear wife too.....!

Last trip, I bought presents for the family from Body Glove... a very popular brand and was on sale too .....!

So besides the well known Penang food...... shopping can be great too when there is a sale on.......!



Wei was also shopping at places like Gama and Prangin Mall when I was there.

I told her to visit Plaza Gurney too with her friends.

So if you have no idea where to go for your holidays......... why not Penang!

Check out the JetStar budget flights....... I am happy with it to-date.

David

My Visit To Penang - Sept 2009

I flew back to Penang to take my parents for their doctors' appointments from 15 - 19 Sep 2009.

During my August trip, last month, my brother also came back from Melbourne to care for our parents for 3 weeks.

Some of you may know or recognise my tall brother too....!

This trip, my younger sister also came back from Melbourne to care for our parents for a month.

Sue, my elder sister, was also home for the long weekend Hari Raya holidays, from Kuala Lumpur.

Dad has gone for his usual morning walk so was not in the photo......

Mum waiting for her turn to see her doctor in LWE hospital. I was with her while Wei accompanied Dad to see his doctor for his annual follow-up on his colon cancer recovery.

After the visit to the hospital, Wei & I managed to visit the new shopping centre, Queensbay Mall, for some shopping. Sale as the Hari Raya holiday was just around the weekend.

Mission accomplished..... so here I am ...... leaving for home in Singapore again until next month doctor's appointment.....

Wei will be around for a month to care for my parents........ our rotation or I call it our 'Tour of Duty' .....ha.....ha...

David