I was away on business trip in Singapore for a project. It was a rush trip but I enjoyed it. It is really an experience to be in Singapore a week before Christmas. There is the “Commercialise Christmas” feelings in the streets of Singapore. A true eye opener for me. Of course, not forgetting the power of buying at Christmas time. It is just so crazy that people buy loads and loads of gift. I guess it is a way to get the economy going.

I wouldn’t say that things are cheap there after currency conversion, although there were lots of sales going on. I didn’t get anything for myself. I got toys for my children that they enjoyed. I wanted to source for a cheap Avent ISIS pump for some mothers who are breastfeeding but I could not get a cheap one. I bet, during Christmas time, they hiked up the price. There was one departmental store, Robinson at Raffles Place giving away 15% discount store wide. The price of the Avent pump with 2 small bottles was SGD87, with 15% discount is SGD74. Upon returning to office, my colleague told me that there is a free SGD20 vouchers for tourist on Christmas season. If he has given me that information while I was there, I can get the pump for SGD54. Sigh. :wall:

The Orchard Streets were just crowded with people. One thing that I dislike is there are lots of people smoking. Practically the streets were cover with smoke. I saw a couple of teenagers smoking too. At least, the government don’t allow them to smoke in air conditional stores. If I want to breath fresh air, need to pop into an air conditional store.

By the way, most of the hotels were fully booked. I was about to stay in 2 different hotels for a 4 days trip. Fortunately upon check in, the front desk could extend my stay. I stayed in Grand Hyatt. The room size is pretty normal. What I like the most is the Plasma TV and I wish I could take it home.

Surprisingly while I was there, I received a phone call from my credit card company, UOB Bank. Wow, they hunt me down. The officer called to check that I was really in Singapore making all those payment transactions. They did the same when I was in US. They provide outstanding service, even waive my annual fees on the spot, even though it was charged to my statement. If you want good service, go with them.

By the way, my hubby did an excellent job of babysitting my 2 children. He said “No Sweat!” Maybe because we trained the children well, both of them sleep by 9pm. My son was a bit “manja” when I got back. My gal was thrilled to see me, gave me so many hugs. I miss them too.

Happy To Be BACK!

Air Asia giving 2 millions free flight tickets and now it has 1.5 million left. I managed to book free air tickets to Kuala Lumpur for my family. Go visit www.airasia.com and congest it. Most free flights are available on Tue/Wed/Thurs. If you are fortunate, return flights are on weekends. All you have to pay is taxes and fuel.

Booking Period: 7 – 28 December 2005
Travel Period: 7 February – 10 October 2006

It is advertised all over the papers but everyone thought that it will be difficult to get seats, until your friends get it. Don’t wait, go search for it!!

I got a cheque from the government, can you believe it? 😯 I cannot. 😕 Two years ago, I receive a letter from the bank saying my bank account was deactivated because it was untouched for more than 5 years. 🙁 The money in that account will be transfer to an Unclaimed Funds, a Government body. 😡 The reason the money is untouched is because bank service used to be very poor and I don’t have an ATM card for that account. It was open for my payroll transaction for my first company. I never knew I had so much money in that account as my bank book was not updated. Double Whammy!!! :wall:

By the way, I didn’t receive any notice or warning about the deactivation of my account. :doh: Maybe my parents did and threw the letters away. They send it to my parent’s place in KL and I have been relocated to Penang. I only receive the last notification that said my account has been deactivated. Funny, my parents kept that for me. 😕

I asked my aunty to check for me in KL branch, she told me that I have to be in KL to process it and the likelihood of getting the money back is zero. Anyway, I called up my bank in KL to begin the process of claiming the money back. The officer told me to process it in KL. I told him that I was pregnant and cannot travel back to KL. The officer asked me to get the relevant documents and form. I did that and send to the officer by register post. Always remember to make a duplicate copy of what you have submitted. Later you know why. I email them to do follow up. After a while, I sort of forgotten about it until after 1 year passed. 🙄

One day, my email chat discussion group of moms was talking about unclaimed money as it was reported in the newspaper. Suddenly I remembered the unclaimed money which I thought I never going to see it ever again. 🙁 I email the bank customer service to check on the status, giving them all the references. The customer service directed me to another officer. I relay my problem to him and gave him the officer’s name who is working on my case. He told me the officer has resigned. :shoot: The bank doesn’t have any of my posted documents. I have to resend him the documents again. Fortunately I have the duplicate copies which the officer said it is fine. First the officer asked me to fax to them, later he send me a letter stating, he want the original copy. I did what I was told.

Finally the enveloped arrived yesterday and I got the cheque. 😉 It is an award for me, for my patience and going through so many red tapes to get my money back which was originally mine. 😎 Now should I frame the cheque or should I cash it? :clap:

Jasmine sent me a bean bag design from the craft book she bought. When I received it, I was very eager to start the project. I shopped for the cloth, found a few nice cloths with cartoon patterns. I got 3 sets. They were very cheap, only RM8 for 3 meters. For this project you only need 3 meters with 150cm wide.

First you need to draw the pattern on a piece of brown paper. Then you pin it to your cloth and cut out the pattern. You need to send the pattern to have the edges sown so that the thread at the edge will not shred. Later you join them all together using a swing machine. The tough part is sewing the zip. When you sew the zip, make sure there is no hole, otherwise the beans will spill.

Yesterday, I went hunting for beans but didn’t find any. *Frus* I don’t really know why, every time I want to look for something, I sure cannot find it here in the shops. Anyway I took the beans from my old bean bag and transfer it to the new.

Now tell me, how much this bean bag is worth?

Tada…the process & the product:

I am very impress with the Penang Immigration Office at Esplanade Penang. Yesterday I went there to renew my passport. I went there at 8:30am and I got everything done by 9:00am. They were pretty fast in servicing customers and the officers are pretty friendly. In comparison with 5 years ago, the officers were very fierce looking and they were wearing a “Service with a smile”. On top of that, I can collect my passport the day after. Great Job on the customer service improvement!

Today I was in the Honda Service centre cum sales office. There is this nut head salesman smoking in the air condition premises. Smokes fly all over the contain space. There were children waiting in the service centre too. All of us become secondary smokers. I walk into the manager office to relay this problem. He gave me a blank face and didn’t give me a positive response.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate smokers. I just hate smokers that make other people become secondary smokers, which are more dangerous. I have come across many cases where smokers secretly smoke in air condition premises like the shopping mall, the car park and in public transport.

The government is promoting the “Tak Nak” campaign but not enforcing the public sector to follow strict rules about not smoking areas.

If you know me, I will surely feedback this to Honda and the government bureau. Anyone can give me any more ideas where I can bring this complain to? Please leave the contact and email address.

I am back, back to work. 🙁 Hoping for a longer holiday. *Greedy Look* It was a great holiday in Langkawi. Two things that are real cheap there, cigarettes and alcohol. Both of which I don’t take. Imagine beer selling at RM1.50 per can. Drink till you drop. Other than that, Penang has it. The only thing that I bought back from there that is worth the money and cannot find in Penang is imported chocolates. YUMMY!!

Talking about chocolates, you really have to be careful if it is real cheap. I saw a shop selling huge bar of imported chocolates, priced at 5 for RM5. Wow, I could just give my colleagues 1 bar each. Some has liquor in it. I took a look at the back and the expiry date was 07 Nov 2005. What a let down??!!

I was away from Internet, TVB series (no TV8 & NTV7), newspaper, normal housework and the list goes on.

Itinerary:

Thursday – Nov 3rd
12pm – Flight (Delayed – children were hungry)
Check in Langkawi Village Resort
Lunch and nap
Played Sand
Dinner at a Seafood Restaurant
Hunt for petrol station and got lost for 20 minutes because the rented car tank was empty. Worst of all, Emily poo poo in the car. Mummy didn’t bring any diapers or tissue. Finally we found a petrol station, pump petrol. I washed Emily clean.

Friday – Nov 4th
Complimentary buffet breakfast in hotel
We went to Underwater world to visit the penguin, fishes, reptiles and souvenirs store.
Lunch & nap
Swimming & Spa. The children enjoyed the warm water spa.
We had steamboat for dinner.
Drove around the area and took a stroll.

Saturday – Nov 5th
Breakfast
We went to Mangrove Tour Oriental Village (Cable Car, 7 Wells, Telaga Yatch Club). We didn’t go for the Mangrove Tour for the safety of the children. Maybe when they are older.
Lunch & nap
Shopping in Kuah Town
Dinner at Thai Restaurant
More shopping.

Sunday – Nov 6th
Breakfast.
Pack and relax.
Drove around.
Duty Free shopping.
Flew back

We reach home at 2pm, send all the children to sleep. Later at 4pm, we have to rush to Timothy’s school for his prize giving day. Read more in the next blog.

Timothy did enjoyed the experience of flying & Emily wasn’t sure.

Plane View:

The Resort:

Underwater World:

Food:

End of the Trip:

Everyone is into Photoshop, let me share a very useful tip that my hubby used, to do the picture above. This is the easiest way to select a person or an item in the picture. You can throw away the magnetic lasso after learning this.

Instruction here: Photoshop Cropping Object

Giant Hypermart finally landed in Penang. Not sure when will it open but the structure of the hypermart is complete. I will be looking forward to shop there. Hey it is only 5 mins drive away from my home. I heard that this will be the last hypermart approved in the Penang Island. Now we have Tesco, Carrefour (not on the island), Makro and Giant.

Tell me what are the best buy items in Giant Hypermarts? Milk powder? Diapers?

I hope you will join me for this petition that I received today. How can someone be so cruel to the animal?

If u recall lately in the news that a pup was left to starve to death in a pet shop “WWP” in SS2. The owner disowned the pup coz he had bought a sickly pup, while the pet shop ppl refused to care for him coz they had already sold him off.

And so the poor pup was tied under the stairwell near the fire exit and left to die. How cruel can one get?! It is sad to see a pup in poor health but even more heartbreaking when one is PURPOSELY left to die. Both owner and petshop ppl are at fault and here is a chance to create an awareness that cruelty to pets is a BIG NO NO!.

SPCA needs our support and each one of us fwding this mail and adding ur name to the petition will help. So guys, it’s just a click away to saying “I Care”.

Please sign the SPCA petition at www.spca.org.my. As you may be aware, the SPCA started a petition to the prime minster to raise the cruelty fine from RM200 to a significantly higher fine of around RM10,000.00. The petition, which included the signatures of supporters, was supposed to be handed to the prime minister in October 2004. However, this has not happened, as we only managed to raise 20,000 signatures. Due to the insufficient number of signatures collected during the first phase of this petition, the SPCA is entering a second phase in hope to collect at least 100,000 signatures locally and internationally.

Therefore, we are now entering a phase II stage of the petition whereby we would like you to join our effort for this cause. Please download the petition forms. Kindly photocopy it and distribute it for signatures to be collected. The more names we have, the better.

On behalf of the animals, thank you very much for your support.