PC Show is here again 30 May, 2007
Posted by dear1dear2 in Consumer Electronics, Dear1, Shop till you drop.add a comment
Tomolo is the start of the PC Show 2007. It seemed not long ago that I bought a wireless keyboard and mouse set from the last computer fair, now it’s here again. It’s true. In fact, Singapore hosts 4 computer fair each year, which makes for a computer fair every 3 months.
Now, everyone will think things will be cheap at the computer fair. This is not really the case. One has to be very selective on the products if he is out to get a great offer. More often than not, prices will be exactly the same as those sold in Sim Lim Square. Perhaps the biggest difference is that they will throw in some free gifts. But most of the time, such free gifts are quite useless, like a trolley for transporting ur new printer.
Sim Lim Square used to be open even during a computer fair and many a times their prices is equal if not cheaper than at the fair. This prompted many to visit SLS during the fair time so as to get a better offer and to avoid the crowd. This worked for a while, but I think due to the excessive volumn of sales generated at the fair, nearly all the vendors at SLS will pack up their stores and bring all their wares and employees to the fair to do their business. Well, at least u dun have to decide whether to go SLS or the fair to get a better deal now, since they’re all there.
Normally, the big players such as Creative, Sony, Samsung, etc, will have some attractive offers going at the fair. They have the money muscle to make such an offer whereas the lone vendors cannot. Hence, I think it’s a good idea to get some cheap and branded goods at the PC Show if there’s a need for it. For me, I think I’ll just be getting an extra mini SD card.
Finally, there’s this big crazy sale towards the end of the show. Remember I mentioned that prices at the fair isn’t much cheaper than normal prices? It’s true, except for the last hour on the last day. Normally, this is 7pm onwards on the Sun, last day of the fair. This is because the vendors would normally incur extra expenses on logistics to move all their wares back. So it makes more sense for them to sell it off at a lower profit. They still make profit, just a very small one, eventhough it seemed that they’re selling things dirt cheap. I’ve been to this once, and things are really really cheap. And u gotta be fast, cos there’re many people there to scout out these crazy sales as well.
Right, let me plan which day I shall make a trip down to the fair. I’m only going to get 1 flash memory card, let’s try to keep it at that. :D
-Dear1
Great Singapore Sale 29 May, 2007
Posted by dear1dear2 in Dear1, Shop till you drop.add a comment
This year’s Great Singapore Sale came at just the right time, namely, just before the GST increase from 5% to 7%. Sigh… Anyway, I mentioned some tips on GSS yesterday, let’s continue talking about it today.
The thing about Singapore is that there are sales all year round, just at different times. So, a 3-days-only 20%* storewide sale at one of the shopping centres is not uncommon at all. The * normally indicates that storewide doesn’t really mean storewide. Normally, electronic items are excluded. Same goes if there are any jewellers in the store.
The period of time where all departmental stores will have their sales at the same time is festive seasons, primarily Christmas and Chinese New Year. But then, such sales are normally only applicable to department stores like Isetan, Takashimaya, OG, Robinsons, etc. The smaller stores and neighbourhood stores normally dun join in. This is where GSS comes into the picture. During the GSS period, all types of merchants in Singapore, big and small, will have their sale at the same time, and this just means great news to the shoppers.
But do take note that state-of-the-art and latest fashion are seldom sale items. Most shops usually will take this opportunity to clear their old stocks. These doesn’t neccessarily mean bad news for the consumers. It really depends on how u select ur items. For me, I prefer to go for items that are one step behind, so that the product can be tested and proven on the market before I purchase it. So it becomes beneficial for me to buy discounted and off season goods.
Also, Dear2 wants to add that shopping for size sensitive items should be done at the first few weeks of the sale, if not the first few days. Example of such items are shoes, dresses, bed sheets, bras, etc. Items that are not sensitive to size like accessories, toys, electronics, make-up, etc, can be left towards the end of the sale.
Looks like it’s time for Dear1 and Dear2 to add lots more items to our house. We really should get everything we need to get for our house before the GST kicks in. Right now, the big items we’re lacking includes a bookshelf, a sofa bed and a night stand. I wonder if the furniture stores are joining in the GSS. Must go and find out.
-Dear1
Missing in blogging action 28 May, 2007
Posted by dear1dear2 in Dear1, Internet & Blog, Slice of Life.1 comment so far
Haha… Dear1 and Dear2 have been missing in action for 4 of the last 5 days. If u have read our earlier post, u would have learnt about our intention and ambition of writing at least one post per day, sometimes more if there is overflowing inspiration. So what is happening now?
Up till last Tuesday (22 May 07), I thot we were well on our way to only our 2nd one post per day month since our creation last Nov. Discounting Nov 06 itself as a half month, that is only going to be our 2nd full post month in 6 months. Not really a fantastic record. But now, even that hope is dashed for this month. But no worries. We will continue to work hard and instill self discipline.
Last Wed and Thur, both Dear1 and Dear2 worked until very very late. Overtime. We both reached home after 12 midnight and hence couldn’t write a post for that day. On Sat and Sun, it was quite the opposite. After a hard week’s work, it’s finally the weekends and we had such a good time with each other that it totally slipped our minds that we have to write a post. In addition, last weekend is the beginning of the Great Singapore Sale.
YES! The GSS is here! So many things to buy. The sale worth waiting for. And over at Robinson’s, it’s the sale *truly* worth waiting for. Buy buy buy! This is a wonderful time to spend our vouchers that we received during our house warming. Dear2 mentioned that if there’s anything that we want to get during the GSS, we must get it early, because that’s when all the stocks are available and so are all the colours and sizes. Towards the end of the sale in July, only the XXXXXL will be left.
Now, back to our topic on work. Yes, both Dear1 and Dear2 work until late at night. Dear2 works late no because she wants to, but rather because the nature of her work is rather time sensitive and therefore she has to work overtime to finish them. Dear1 works late because my productivity increases at night. In fact, during the morning and day, I can hardly get any work done, too many distractions (eg. people talking too loudly). As such, I go to work at about 10am, and knock off much later, typically after 9pm.
加油加油！
-Dear1
Curtains are ready 25 May, 2007
Posted by dear1dear2 in Dear1, Reno & Furnishing.add a comment
Oh, I just realized that I haven’t talked about our new curtains yet. Hehe… Here it is. And here is the website of the company from which we got our curtains: http://www.goldenleaf.com.sg/
The website offers a lot of information regarding curtains. There are also a lot of pictures so you can have a good idea of what each type of curtain looks like. There’s also a page on their previous projects, old and new, so u can take a look at the choice of curtains or blinds with different deco. Yup, and blinds too. There’s venetian blinds, roller blinds, roman blinds, wooden blinds, etc. All these information can be found on the website.
But nothing beats going down to their showroom to take a look. There, u can take a look at all the fabrics available and I tell u, it’s mind boggling. Too many types of materials to look at. Besides that, u can also take a look at the actual curtain or blind on display to get a better idea of how it will look like in ur home and also the mechanisms by which they operate. Just be prepared to sit down there for more than an hour to go through all the possibilities.
Next, there will be an arrangement to go to ur place to take measurements. Here, there is something to take note of. After installing our blinds, we realized that we prefered the blinds to be mounted above the window grills so that it can completely conceal the grills. However, since we didn’t know of this choice earlier, the measurements taken for our windows is for installation at the same level as the window grill, just under the beam. And there’s just this small little gap that allowed the top edge grill to be seen, which we find unsightly. So this will be something we’ve learnt and will apply the next time we ever do blinds again.
The installation is quick and sweet. About 1 hour is all it takes and no dust. Believe me, there’s practically no dust incurred for the installation. 2 holes for each of our 3 windows means 6 holes altogether and no dust. Apparently, the drill comes with a built in mini vacuum that sucks up all the dust before they disperse. Very handy, and the installation worker is good with the handling of the equipment.
For the record, we bought 2 roller blinds for the 2 bedrooms and 1 roman blind for the living room. The roller blinds were printed with large flowers to add a little flavour to our plain walls. Very nice. So far, we liked it alot. There’s a choice of the transparency of the material used for roller blinds. From very transparent to totally opaque. Choosing the totally opaque one will block out all light, meaning u can’t see outside, outside also can’t see u, very private. The wind also cannot come in and u won’t know day from night since sunlight is blocked too. We chose a semi opaque one that allows some light to pass through but only as diffused light, meaning, people outside can see the room is lit but won’t be able to see anything inside. This also allows a bit of wind to flow and helps the ventilation.
That’s it. Do consider all these factors when choosing ur curtains.
-Dear1
NDP tickets up for ballot 22 May, 2007
Posted by dear1dear2 in Dear1, Shop till you drop.1 comment so far
Surely all Singaporeans will know what NDP stands for! :D For the sake of non-Singaporean readers, NDP stands for “National Day Parade”, which implies that it’s our nation’s birthday… again.
For the past countless years, NDP has always been held at either the National Stadium or the Padang. Up till a few years ago, when it was announced that the National Stadium is to be redeveloped, people thot nothing more of it than a place to watch soccer matches in the defunct Malaysia Cup and a place to host the NDP. Following its announcement, there was a huge frenzy to grab hold of tickets to watch the ‘last’ ever NDP to be held there. For some reason, the National Stadium wasn’t torn down that year and the NDP was held there again the following year, yet another ‘last’ ever NDP there. This ping pong went on for a few years, so much so that I dun even remember which year this whole redevelopment thing started. Now, I only have vague memories of always being lied to by the media and the involved parties not keeping to their word. Somehow, in the media, there’s always some ways of getting away with providing false information. Regardless, its finally going to be torn down now.
All these years, I’ve never ever gotten my hands on NDP tickets before, and so had never viewed the parade in the National Stadium (not that I’m going to miss it anyway). One very distinguishing characteristic of the NDP that separates it from any other forms of concerts, indoor or outdoor performances, is the goodie bag. Trust me, everyone is there for the goodie bag. First of all, the tickets are free, and second, there’s a huge goodie bag with lots of food, vouchers and usable items inside. Most importantly, the goodie bag itself is a stylish bag, normally in the shape of a backpack. Cool ya? That is if u dared to carry it out for everyday use. It is normally so brightly coloured that u won’t want to be seen on the streets with it. Secondly, everyone on the streets know that this bag is a free gift from NDP, so u won’t want to be spotted with one, else passerbys will think u r a cheapskate. Nonetheless, I still hope to get one cause I’ve never received one before.
So, this year’s NDP will be held on this floating platform that is still under construction at the Esplanade. Surely, it will be something different and interesting. Dear1 and Dear2 has sent our application for the ticket ballot exercise. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get some tickets this year and attend our nation’s birthday party as proud Singaporeans… and get the goodie bags.
-Dear1
9th Anniversary coming 21 May, 2007
Posted by dear1dear2 in Dear1, For Him For Her.add a comment
Oh no… Dear1 and Dear2’s 9th Anniversary is fast approaching, and I still dunno what to get for my dear. Each year, there are quite a few occasions that we celebrate, and gift ideas are starting to run out. To cope with the problem of diminishing gift ideas, Dear1 and Dear2 decided to chop some of the occasions that are of lesser significance to us. I think when we started out about 9 years ago, there are about 7-8 occasions that we celebrate. Gee…
One of the first to get removed from our list is Christmas. Haha… Seriously, it’s a time of joy and celebration, but to us, it’s just another wonderful holiday that we can enjoy time with each other and probably plan some simple activities for the day or even a short trip. But it’s not significant enough for us to prepare a present and buy an expensive card and eat at a five star hotel. Something simple like eating a log cake together will do just fine. The second to go is probably New Year Day, 1 Jan. We did welcomed the new year a few times but it really doesn’t mean much to us. On 1 Jan, we’re both probably more excited about each other’s birthday approaching instead. Gee…
Back to the topic, what should I get for my dear this year? I dun want to start a repetitive trend of buying a small diamond this year, then a bigger diamond the next year, and an even bigger diamond the following year, and the diamond just gets bigger each year after that. Okay, it’s a nice gift and something that girls would like, and it demonstrates the husband’s financial capability and willingness to spend on their wife. But! It lacks sincerity. There’s no thought in just buying a bigger diamond compared to last year. It becomes routine and mindless. Do I really want to do that? Does Dear2 really want that kind of diamond with feelings? I dun think so.
I’ll discuss our celebration plans with Dear2. After all, it’s our Anniversary so it make sense that we plan it together. We can even discuss about couple gifts since we’re both very fond of couple gifts. I think not every present needs to be a surprise. Some presents can be just as heartwarming if both parties has a say in its decision. Perhaps the one thing that needs to be prepared alone is the card, a card that writes the occasion into history and a photo of words that paint the memories of the day it was received.
-Dear1
Work work work 20 May, 2007
Posted by dear1dear2 in Dear2, Slice of Life.add a comment
Dear1 and Dear2 had an enlightening discussion earlier. Dear2 was complaining about the struggles in a ‘political’ environment, and the desire to leave such politics behind. Dear1 then commented that 90% of the people (only refers to same year cohort mates) wish to quit their job as well. ‘Wish’ is the word, and no action every taken. (Hmm… come to think of it, Dear2’s gang always tease Ms Dreamy that she has been saying about quitting the first day she joined her current work, and three years down the road, she is still complaining but stuck in the same chair….)
It seems that our generation of people all feels like changing a new job, be it in their first month, 1 year, or 3 years since their first job. The reasons can be many and varied, and I am sure you know some of them better than I do.
At the end of our discussion, here’s the summary of the points:
- One cannot derive happiness from work, that’s a reality
- Why do young people have the notion that you can find happiness at work? That’s because of what they feed you in school – Human Resource Management
- To motivate you to work, they tell you that you can find happiness at work. Keys words: to motivate you
- Conclusion: It’s all a hoax by sociologists.
Happy working.
- Dear2
Much More Home Living with Morries 20 May, 2007
Posted by dear1dear2 in Consumer Electronics, Dear1.add a comment
Haha… we’re back with much more home living with Morries, following our two earlier posts on Morries. Dear1 went to the same NTUC again and saw more Morries products on sale. Let’s take a look at them.
First from the left is a new Morries Sandwich Maker. I think it is those type of toaster that makes triangular shaped sandwiches. Personally, I dun like eating triangular sandwiches becos I think it is a waste of bread. Some people dun like to eat ‘bread skin’ but I liked it. It has a sort of charred flavour that makes it more delicious tasting. Anyway, for triangular sandwiches, normally people will cut away the bread skin before putting into this toaster, that’s why I dun like it. Second picture shows the same sandwich maker as the first picture but with the price tag so if someone wants to get one, u know the price. The third and last picture is the famous Morries box fan that I’ve talked about a few times. Go check around ur home, u may really have this box fan at home. Gee… Although the branding spelling is the same, I wonder if they’re one and same company. If they are, it means that they’ve abandoned their previous unattractive grey box design for this new stylish red. I can’t say if the quality has improved or not, but I say their marketing strategy has worked. But then again, they may be different companies.
Alrighty, that’s all for the Morries coverage report today. If I see more Morries products, rest assured I’ll take some pictures of it. :D
-Dear1
