Good Reviews On Olivenol

My mom recently read some good supplement reviews on this new supplement called Olivenol. It is said to be very good for people with skin allergies or eczema and joint pains. We dropped by the local pharmacy last week to check the price and were actually surprised to be told that they were fully sold out as most customers found it very good. I went back last weekend to get some and found that it was not only easier to find back home but much cheaper too. We'll be doing our supplement shopping from home for now!

Home Cooking

We tried our hand at cooking last weekend. We went out, got some little fish to fry and some vege. To my horror the fish were actually not cleaned and I had to clean them! Luckily hubs came to the rescue after a while. He also ended up frying the fish after he saw and laughed at how I was frying them from behind the wok cover! It turned out pretty alright although a little salty. Can't wait to try our hand at cooking again! Its a lot nicer than eating out.

Wardrobe Upgrade Needed

I've noticed that people in my office are very stylish. On casual Friday, we're allowed to wear jeans but no one here pairs their jeans with big T-shirts with company logos like my old office. Instead, ladies here wears pretty frilly blouses and men don smart men's polo shirts which make them look really smart and chic, even on a Friday. Just 1 month here and already I'm feeling the pressure to upgrade my wardrobe because dresses I usually wear out to wedding dinners or functions are worn to work here!

High Food Bills

I think I've had to resign myself to the fact that lunch here will always be expensive. I just came back from lunch with my colleagues and spent $10 on a bento lunch. I had dinner with an ex-colleague last night and she told me it seems like I had the fortune or misfortune to have a bunch of colleagues with expensive tastebuds! It certainly seems to be the case because my food bills are sky rocketing! Perhaps its time to consider packing lunch instead.

Online Scammers

Recently there has been a lot of news in the papers about people who get scammed when they cilck on an internet link that leads to the scammers' websites. Often, these sites look just like the original banking or payment sites they are trying to copy. The expert scammers often have a programme inside to copy the users password and login which they then use to wipe out the person's account. Its scary and a real intrusion of privacy which is why I'm very careful whenever I see emails encouraging me to click here!

Inspiring Event

We had an offsite event yesterday. This was the first time I attended one since I joined and found it surprisingly refreshing and nothing like what I expected it to be. One part of the day I particularly liked was their panel speakers of the leadership team which I personally found insightful and inspiring. What made it extra inspiring was that one of them was a woman who had reached the hallowed ranks of the leadership circle. I wonder how these people juggle both their work and home life to reach where they are today.

Used Cars An Asset

The prices of cars here have shot up tremendously since the Government announced the increase in COE prices. Owners of second hand cars have been putting up their used cars and used rvs for sale since that announcement as I heard they can actually get a profit on their older cars or minimise losses! Its a funny economy where a car can actually turn out to be an asset simply from an announcement made by the Government. At least our car prices back home are consistently high!

Free Trials

I recently saw in the papers an ad requesting for Caucasian men to come forward to a research company to participate in a diet supplements review programme. In exchange, they will receive a free supply of diet supplements during the trial period and blood tests. While it might sound attractive for someone who's trying to lose weight, I do have some reservations about trying something new that is untested and which I don't know the health impact of. Losing weight is good but maintaining good health is a lot more important!

Missing my Car

Murphy's Law sometimes really sucks! I wanted to bring the umbrella out with me today but decided against it when I had to juggle a few things in my hand. Well, guess what? It poured like anything the minute I got off the train! I had to run in the rain with a newspaper over my head and I think I must have looked quite ridiculous. Sigh, these are times when I really miss the convenience of my car :(

Save on Your Wedding

I'm heading off in almost one month to attend a long lost Uni friend's wedding in the beautiful island of Mauritius. She's marrying an American and coming back all the way to do her traditional wedding. She asked me for some advise since I had married less than 2 years ago and one thing I told her was to save on anything she could save on the wedding and spend it on a better honeymoon instead! Seriously, that is what I would advise most couples. Its easy to get carried away with lots of fresh flowers, beautiful personalised bridesmaid gifts and expensive wedding favours. Sure they add some charm to your wedding but at the end of the day, your guests will not remember them and worse might end up throwing away your carefully thought of wedding favors. So do yourself and your bank account a favour and save what you can on your wedding to benefit yourselves instead through a nice honeymoon or a nice home!

Car Prices Going Up

Buying cars in SG is a very different thing compared to home. They say our cars are expensive back home to protect the local car industry but after reading the papers and asking around, they seem to have the same problem with the COE they have to pay. The COE recently went up sharply to curb the car demand and amazingly I read that people are actually making profits from selling off their second hand cars! Imagine, a car is now actually an asset instead of a depreciating liability! I wonder if that means that cheap car insurance now will too be a myth..just like cheap car prices!

Expat Wives

I just spoke to my friend who left for HK around the same time as me and she seems to be really happy there. I never thought she would enjoy being just at home with her little boy as she was such a career woman prior to this but it seems like she's fitting into the role well and being a real domestic person now! She'll be visiting SG in June and I'm looking forward to meeting up with her and her boy then to hear more tales! Gosh..what wouldn't I give to be an expat wife too! :P

Broadband Promotions

We just signed up for our broadband last weekend but sadly seemed to have missed out on most of the promotions. We heard that a year ago, they were actually offering free iBooks with any broadband sign up! When we checked, they were not offering a single thing, not even laptops! Now that the iPad has been launched in the US and will be launching soon in Singapore, I wonder if any companies will try to entice people over with iPad promotions. What do you think?

Movie Tonight?

I can't decide if we should go catch Clash of The Titans tonight at the cinema. I know DH has been wanting to catch it for a while but I tend to be more inclined to a quiet night of some grocery shopping and another early night! :) But since I promised him a movie some time back, perhaps I should keep my promise and buy a couple of tickets for tonight's show. I only wish I can find a way to stop him buying popcorn sets to eat in the movie because I think they are responsible for my weight gain! I actually lost some weight when I was back in KL and he was down here simply because we did not go for weekly movie and popcorn sessions!

Property Shooting Upwards

Property here has been seeing a really scary upward trend that doesn't show any signs of coming down. I guess those who are selling properties are laughing all the way to the bank but its certainly bad news for people like us who are considering purchases. I was told once that the competition used to be quite good with developers offering ready built in wardrobes and kitchens to lure purchasers. The only thing you had to install yourself were the lighting fixtures! Well, hopefully the market comes down next year when we can scrap together some finances to put into a downpayment.

Home Cooked Dinner

The hubs got back from work early yesterday and cooked a dish for dinner out of whatever food we had left in the fridge which were eggs and tomatoes. It wasn't much but I was pretty touched by the effort he took to cook rice, that dish and to fry some keropok he bought me from his trip into JB. We ate dinner last night (with some extra dishes I bought on the way home!) in front of the telly while watching Face Off and I felt really happy! :) Wouldn't mind more of these sort of days!

iPad Launched!

I just read in the papers today that the iPad has been launched! I was rather taken in by it especially after I heard you can actually download ebooks from Amazon onto the Kibble software it comes installed with! Honestly, I'm a bit of a tech newbie and don't know much about techie stuff like ls2208 or POS systems but I've been really liking the stuff that have been coming out from Apple's design team. Does that mean that the iPhone might be winning over the Blackberry?! ;)

Singaporean Cinemas

The cinemas here are quite nice compared to the ones back home. They seem newer and are somewhat very empty each time we've caught a movie there! Perhaps its because we never catch movies when they're first out. One thing I find quite different is the lack of subtitles on the screen. True that they're less annoying when you're trying to watch a movie but I do in a way miss the amusing translations that sometimes come out! It always makes for a good laugh!

Tempting Offer

One thing I really miss in Singapore is the convenience of a car especially when I'm running to catch a bus or train or having to crowd on the peak hour MRT. We met DH's bro last weekend and he mentioned that he had put his second car up for sale at a price that seemed pretty good. I was very tempted but after some discussions with DH about the additional hidden costs a car will come with such as auto insurance, maintenance and parking, we decided not to get a car and focus on a bigger goal instead. Slowly but surely...

Bus Terminal Moved

I just heard that our bus terminal in Puduraya has been temporarily closed for 4 months for upgrading works. They've now moved it to far away Bukit Jalil! I previously bought a bus ticket back during the Wesak Day long weekend and am now regretting it because I have no idea where I'll end up arriving or how easy it will be to connect home. Had I known this earlier, I would have just bought a plane ticket or a different bus company which ends up somewhere in KL. The inconvenience just isn't worth it!

Driving Holiday

We're planning a nice long trip to NZ at the end of the year, most of which will involve renting our own car and following our own itinerary. Before we go, we'd better make sure we have enough drivers with eligible licenses and also check on additional coverage such as full insurance coverage and any roadside assistance services we can sign up for. It might cost a bit more but I always think it is better to have more rather than less coverage when driving in a foreign country where you are less familiar with roads and traffic laws.

Getting Wired

We're currently shopping around for a broadband and land line package for our new place. I've been looking online for deals but the current deals don't seem to be that great as they were several months back. A few months ago, I remember that the telecommunications companies were offering a free laptop or desktop with every plan you sign up with them. Oh well maybe just take a look to see what's out there and try to get the best deal possible.

Holiday Soon!

How exciting! I just got our tickets and itinerary booking for our upcoming holiday to Mauritius in May! :D I can't wait! Hopefully it isn't the wrong time of the month for me although I suspect it might be. Sigh...it isn't the right time when I'll be surrounded by the beach and water. I am really looking forward to attending my friend's wedding and seeing her again after 10 years and the wonderful buffets and fun at Club Med! :) 1 more month to go!