Cigarette Butt Again!

WTF, 3 times in one month, I wonder who did that, must be the same a$$hole, not sure which unit, so zhun always kena my aircon, f**king hell purposely aim at my aircon or what, I reported to NEA again, better come and install the spycam and catch that scumbag and fine him at least $500, no at least $1000.

See 3 Holes

See my 3rd report.

3rd Report to NEA

Actually on 30 Jul the NEA guys got come and stake-out but unfortunately never catch that f**ker, I think stake-out not so effective, install spycam easier, my area so many litterbugs, one shot catch and fine them all. I'm also a smoker, I don't understand why after smoking can throw out of the window, no ash tray? No trash bin?

Just Noticed SGX Clearing Fee is Cut

Source

Well it's not going to make a huge difference but it's better than nothing, it's cut from 0.04% to 0.0325%, so for small time investor like me, every trade I can save a few cents, a few cents also money lol.

0.04% of $5000 is $2.00
0.0325% of $5000 is $1.625

I think the purpose is to encourage small time investors to trade more, I think it helps, see now SGX is going up, more people are pouring in their money but I wonder how long this rally will last, good things never last long.

Bought 10 Lots of Cambridge Industrial Trust at $0.735

A few minutes before closing I quickly went in to buy 10 lots, tomorrow is exclude dividend date which means any shares that I buy today will be eligible for their recently declared dividend of $0.01251 per share, to be paid on 10 Sep 2014. I have no idea why but after looking at their price today, which is down 1.342% from yesterday, I have a gut feel that the price will go up tomorrow, and I will sell it within this week for a quick buck, let's see.

Received My First Adsense Cheque

See my last post when I finally hit 100 USD for payment to be released, I received it today, damn fast, I was expecting to receive it next month. And before I post it here, I checked the Adsense Terms and Conditions to ensure I am not breaking any of their rules.

"9.    Confidentiality
You agree not to disclose Google Confidential Information without our prior written consent. "Google Confidential Information" includes: (a) all Google software, technology and documentation relating to the Services; (b) click-through rates or other statistics relating to Property performance as pertaining to the Services; (c) the existence of, and information about, beta features in a Service; and (d) any other information made available by Google that is marked confidential or would normally be considered confidential under the circumstances in which it is presented.  Google Confidential Information does not include information that you already knew prior to your use of the Services, that becomes public through no fault of yours, that was independently developed by you, or that was lawfully given to you by a third party.  Notwithstanding this Section 9, you may accurately disclose the amount of Google’s gross payments resulting from your use of the Services.  "

Yes, I will not be breaking any rules if I am accurately disclosing the amount of money I am earning from Adsense, which means it's safe for me to post a picture of my cheque, so here goes.

$125.18 Singapore Dollars

The cheque is already converted to Singapore dollars which means I can just deposit into my POSB bank account without any charges.

My GST Voucher 2014

I won't get getting any cash or Medisave top-up, can only get the U-Save rebates, let's see how much I can get. From what I understand, U-Save eligibility is according to home size and limited to HDB flats only, and the smaller your flat, the more you get. Mine is a 2-room HDB flat, so let's see.

This is for U-Save.

Flat Type

Jul 2014

Oct 2014

Jan 2015

Apr 2015

Total Amount Per Year

1- and 2-room

$65

$65

$65

$65

$260

3-room

$60

$60

$60

$60

$240

4-room

$55

$55

$55

$55

$220

5-room

$50

$50

$50

$50

$200

Executive

$45

$45

$45

$45

$180

So I can get $65 every quarter until Apr 2015, total $260, not bad. And there's also a U-Save Special Payment, it will be paid in Jul 2014 and Jan 2015 in payments of $130 each, total $260.

This is for U-Save Special Payment.

HDB Flat Type 

GST Voucher − U-Save Special Payment 

1-room 

$260

2-room 

$260

3-room 

$180

4-room 

$110

5-room 

$100

Executive 

$90

I think this is helpful even though it's not a significant amount but it will surely help to loosen some belts.

Tomorrow No Need to Work!

Sit back and relax, watch some movie, play some games, smoke and drink a red can of Tiger beer haha, it's red because it's the NDP limited edition.

Smokes and Beer

Oh just now I watched Divergent, not bad but a bit overrated.

Most Effective Non-Prescription Cough Syrup

Remember I said I was sick and my wife also fell sick, we recovered from the flu and fever but our cough persisted, then I bought a big bottle of Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa and consumed for a few days but didn't get better, finally I decided to try Robitussin Ex syrup, I got better after 2 sips, my wife also got better. One bottle costs $8.60 at Guardian.

Robitussin Ex

Next time I'll just buy this and nothing else, the Nin Jiom also not cheap but not effective, I think it's more of a health supplement than cough medicine.

Went to Talk to Neighbour Above

Before I went up, I spoke to the an elderly lady living two units away, I asked if she heard any noises yesterday night and she said she didn't, I guess her unit is too far away. She told me the unit above mine is a Malay unit, since this month is their fasting month, they probably get up early to prepare for prayers, but I told her that surely they don't need to be awake from 12am to 4am, she smiled and agreed with me, I also asked whether they have baby and she said yes, no wonder we heard little footsteps running about, she also told me to speak to them nicely.

I went up with my wife, my wife was hiding beside, first thing I saw when I peeked in was a cute little baby watching television, there was no one else and the baby was knocking on the ground with an object, I can't see clearly as their unit was dark even when light was shining in, not sure why Malays like to have dark rooms, my previous owner is also a Malay, his unit was also very dark because he painted purple and dark green so the rooms look dark even when light is on, and now I know who is playing with the wooden ball, and all that knocking, the baby is the culprit! Hmmm, how to get angry with a baby, he/she is probably only 1-2 years old.

Then I saw a man in the kitchen, he has tattoo on both of his hands, damn scary, so I knocked softly on the door and I told him I am his neighbour living below, I said yesterday night was noisy due to knocking, he said it was his baby, I told him I understand but at 4am we also need to sleep, he said ok, I assume he got it and I left. I'm thinking why the heck were they awake at such late hours, even the baby, running around at that kind of timing, don't the baby need to sleep?

But one good thing is at least the baby don't make noises during weekdays, weekdays also make noise then no need to work, everyday go to work like a zombie, this morning I felt damn stoned, so damn tired, sigh, weekend also cannot rest.

2014 Hungry Ghost Festival

Just now my father dropped by with a package of offerings for the spirits, it's a combination of hell bank notes, Yuan Bao (Sycee), joss sticks and red candles, personally I don't believe but my father say regardless of whether I believe or not, no harm doing the offering. So me and wife went downstairs our HDB block, there is an open grass patch and there are two containers for people to burn the offerings, I think the spirits can only receive it after we burn it or something like that. By the way, according to the Lunar calendar, today is the first day of 7th month, 10 Aug is the 15th of 7th month, 15th is the day when the gates of hell open, so I think we are making an offering in advance.

Then just now when we were at the container, one Ah Ma was preparing her stuff, my wife kicked off the burning by dropping in the Yuan Bao, and the Ah Ma was mumbling and looking at us, heard from my father that she was speaking in Hainanese, we are Hokkiens so we have no idea what she was saying, then a young man came along and spoke to her in Hainanese, the Ah Ma sounded unhappy so we asked the young man what she was saying, he said that the Ah Ma came first and we cut her queue by burning first, my father then told her that the container is for public use, and I was thinking there's only her and us, and the container is so big, can't we share it, must one group burn first before another group start? In the end we shifted to another container, I really don't understand what's the problem, what cut queue, container so big and she wants it all for herself, more like selfish.

Anyway I was feeling edgy because I didn't sleep well yesterday night, the neighbour above made noises until 4am, I guess my HDB report didn't work, so what shall I do next? I can't be sleeping at the same time as they do, 4am, what the hell were they doing, I even heard kids running in the middle of the night, what were the kids doing up so late at 2am, 3am, sigh, next time buy house must buy the highest floor, if I'm at the top, people will be at my mercy, rather than I be at other's mercy.

Sold My 4 Lots of Sheng Siong at $0.70

Overall profit is $387.27, about 15.49% of the cost price, not bad. I sold because I don't think it can go any higher, anyway hard to say, every time I sell a stock, the price go up haha. Now I have some spare cash, not sure what to buy, everything seems so expensive, but I'm looking at F&N, if it can go below $3, I will wait and see, CIMB target price is $2.66 but I really don't think it's so worthless, their financials is good, and I think people scared to buy because they are worried that there is not much growth for F&N, but I like this company, I also like their products, see how, anyway I won't be buying anything anytime soon, just wait and see.

SAF IPPT Changes

Finally they did something about the IPPT, there are several changes and it's quite a long page to read, let me highlight the important ones that every NSmen will want to know, as for the details, you can click here.

• All changes will start from 01 Sep 2014, including the pilot implementation of the 3-stations IPPT.
• IPPT monetary awards increased, gold from $400 to $500, silver from $200 to $300, incentive pass from $100 to $200.
• NSmen will have 1 year to pass their IPPT, another year to clear their RT if they cannot pass, total 2 years.
• If you are in 9 months IPPT window on 01 Sep 2014, you will enjoy a 3 months extension.
• If you are in 3 months RT window on 01 Sep 2014, you will enjoy a 12 months extension.
• One-time reset of default offenses if you can clear your RT within current RT window+12 months.
• 3-stations IPPT are Push Up, Sit Up and 2.4KM run, maximum of 25/25/50 points respectively for a total of 100 points (refer to the details link for the scoring board).
• For NSmen, you need 51 points to pass, 61 points for incentive pass, 71 for silver and 81 for gold.

Sounds good right, my IPPT window was supposed to end in early January as my birthday is in April, now I can have up to April to clear my IPPT, more time to train, and also I can get $100 more if I can get incentive pass, not bad.

And I notice something that they have not mention but I think it's quite obvious, they never said anything about minimum score in each station, you know in our current system, let's say you do well for 4 stations and you fail at one station, and even if your total score is very high, you will still fail. I have friends who can score 20 out of 25, but they still fail because they cannot jump or run.

Whereas in new system, there doesn't seem to be any minimum score, at least they never say anything about it, I assume there isn't, which is good, this will indeed give NSmen the motivation to try, some people don't bother because they cannot pass one station so no point for them to try even if they can excel in other stations, with new system, at least people who cannot jump will surely rejoice but for those who cannot run, well, you have to focus more on running then. Sit up I think most people can pass la, no way you can fail unless your stomach cramp or what.

Finally Confirmed Renovation Flooring Price

My father informed me that his friend will collect $1600 for the flooring works, way below the amount that I expected, I set aside $2000 so now I can save $400. I also checked with my father whether his friend made a loss, he said his friend only collected about $200 for his own transportation and the logistic stuff, the rest are for materials and labour, so basically he didn't earn anything.

I think his friend also find it difficult to set a price, they are friends for 30 over years, if it was me, I think I would probably also find it hard to take money from an old friend, I won't mind absorbing all the cost if I can afford it. But of course we can't let his friend pay for everything, people do something for me, I must pay them accordingly, if they don't want to make a profit out of goodwill for us, fine, at least take the money to cover the costs, no such thing as do everything for free.

And now that I saved $400, I will give my father $100 as referral fee, and also just now I brought my wife out for a hearty lunch since she was always asking me to bring her to eat sushi, so we went to Sakae and I told her to order whatever she wants to eat, bill came at $78.01, eat until so full, but very enjoyable as we don't normally let loose and eat like crazy, once in a long time is okay. As for the rest of the extra money, I will save it up for investment.

Cigarette Butt Landed on My Compressor Again!

Bloody hell, this is the 3rd time since I bought this house, only about 2 months and I kena 3 times, I have no idea which f**ker threw it but I'm guessing it's not from the unit directly above because their window is closed but also hard to say, basket, I will lodge another NEA report, must bring this f**ker to justice, fine him pain pain.

3rd Time!

I lodged another report with NEA, f**king hell, I hope this f**ker kena cancer.

2nd Report at NEA

Really don't understand, I'm also a smoker, I have an ash tray at home, so after I smoke, cigarette butt throw where? In the ash tray of course! What the f**k, how come this idiot smoke already throw out of the window, power la, must fine him at least $500 to wake him up, my wife say go upstairs and check with them but what's the point, everyone will definitely deny, my way is to report to NEA until they cannot take it then they come and install the spycam and hopefully catch the f**ker in action and slap him with the maximum fine, this type no need to play nice.

Managed to Fix My Toilet Leak

Yesterday my wife was complaining of a leak in our main toilet, I checked and it was dripping a little so I opened up the cistern and found that the water level was higher than the drainage.

Unscrew The Flush Button

Flush Button Exposed

Remove the Cistern Cover

Inside the Cistern

The water will enter the cistern through the L-shaped piped, the red box is the water lock, when the water level reaches a certain level, it will push up the black ball, and it will lock that part so that water will stop entering, obviously it's meant to prevent the water from overflowing, and how strong the flush will be is also dependent on how you set this lock, you can release to raise water level so that flush will be stronger, or tighten to reduce water level but flush will be weaker.

The Water Entry Pipe

This is the big black ball that floats on the water, the red box is the water drainage to drain off excess water.

Black Ball and Drainage

Our dripping problem was due to the water level being at the same level as the drainage, so whenever we shake the cistern when sitting down, water will drip, but as you can see now, the water level is now much lower than the drainage so it won't leak anymore, what I did it was to slightly tighten the lock to reduce the water level and that's it, no need to call my father, I think if you engage plumber, they will probably charge you at least $50 for transport and service.

Channel 8 Crimewatch Just Now: Love Scam

A girl met a hunk named Adam through a social media, the girl fell in love with the guy, obviously because of his good looks and also because she thinks he is well-to-do, but she never met him in person, they only exchanged pictures.

So one day, the guy sent her his naked photo, showed her his private part and asked her to send hers, she agreed and did what he said. After a while, the guy told her that he wants her to meet his friend, she told her she only want him, and after some persuasion, she agreed to meet his friend.

She went to the meeting point and tried to contact Adam, then a guy approached her and told her that he is Adam's friend, she tried to leave but that guy took out his smart phone and showed her naked photo, that guy then told her to follow him and they went to a hotel. She was promised an exchange for her photos for sex, she reluctantly agreed.

After the event at the hotel, Adam contacted her and told her his friend had a good time and he also sent her naked photo, she was shocked and believed that Adam must have kept a backup. She went to the police, eventually that guy was caught, Adam was none other than the same guy who extorted her. End of story.

I can't believe someone can be so naive, so foolish. Do not succumb to threats, this is Singapore, if you sense any danger, just call the police, just shout for help. And don't meet strangers alone, bring a friend or family, if your "boyfriend" is so nice, I'm sure he won't mind someone extra. Think.

And this kind of sex predator scum bags should be hanged, our laws should be much harsher on them, what do you think jail term or caning can do to them, out of 10, how many will repent? Even if 9 will repent, you still have 1 sex predator and this trash will go around terrorizing innocent people, if it were up to me, death sentence if convicted, no appeal, put him in jail also waste taxpayers' money, waste my money, why the hell should I feed them?

Yesterday I Lodged a Report with HDB Regarding Neighbour Above

I was very hesitant, not sure if I should look for the owner directly or what, let me share our experience first and you'll see why I decided to get HDB to deal with it.

We moved into the house almost one month ago, wow, new house, so happy, but little did we know that the neighbour directly above has a plane engine for aircon, it's very old and rusty at the bottom, and the piping are exposed and dripping water all the time, it drips to our compressor, and I'm not sure what damage that might cause, but well, I'm also not sure what damage rain might cause, anyway that's not a big deal, the big deal is their compressor, I think it vibrates too much, so much that it shakes our ceiling, we can hear it in our bedroom, living room, kitchen, and toilets, it resonates throughout our flat and it's even worse in the middle of the night, and when I say it shakes our ceiling, yes it literally shakes our ceiling, we even removed the lighting cover in our bedroom or else it will make even more noise. Seriously I'm a bit worried that my ceiling might collapse if this goes on.

That's not the end of it, throughout the day and even night, even at 12am+, someone will drop a ball, I think it's a wooden ball, and then it will bounce a few times and stop, and then that person will repeat, it's really loud and annoying. And then last Saturday, at about 2am we heard people dropping and dragging stuff, some banging, it continued all the way to almost 3am and finally it stopped, then we probably fell asleep at 4am.

Guess how I feel, I don't look like I'm angry but deep inside I'm burning man, if I go up, I'm not sure if I can control my emotions and handle the situation amicably, but I just moved here so if possible of course I want to maintain harmony but this is something that everyone has to play a part, so I thought I might as well let HDB know, I'm sure they are very experienced with this kind of stuff and they would definitely know how best to deal with the situation.

And my HDB officer was damn efficient, yesterday night I emailed him, this afternoon he came down to my unit and gave me a call while I was at work, he told me that I just moved here, try not to sour the relationship and also this kind of issue is very sensitive, if not handled properly, people will be unhappy, then everyone will be unhappy, I agree and then he said he will speak to the unit above and hope they can understand, he also spoke to my neighbour beside, I think he was trying to find out if other units are affected.

Actually I don't mind compromising, they should stop playing with the ball, at the very least don't play with it at night, and stop whatever party they were having in the middle of the night, 2am man, weekend doesn't mean I don't need to sleep, this is residential area, not Zouk, aircon can slowly fix, best is to replace, it's so old and noisy, I think fix also waste money, heard from my mom that cleaning compressor costs around $500 or more, replacing I think also not cheap, not sure how much though, but if it were me, I think I will explore replacing compressor, if cannot, then just change the damn thing.

Neighbour Above Throw Cigarette Butt

This is the second time, first time the butt flew in to my room as I didn't close the window, I didn't take a picture that time as I was renovating, now it landed on my aircon compressor and it burnt through the foam shielding that my wife put on, lucky it doesn't cost money.

My Aircon Compressor

Closer Shot

Now I'm not sure who threw it, there are so many levels above me, I think even if I put a camera also no point, unless I put it behind my block aiming up, maybe can catch the culprit. Anyway I wonder what my options are, complain to town council? Call police? I wonder if they will bother since I cannot identify the culprit.

I hope this f**ker kena cancer, smoke more, die early please, scum bag litterbug.

Update: I reported to NEA under Fire Hazard and they referred to SCDF, wow. Anyway I hope they install more cameras to catch these f**kers, fine them until their underwear and panties drop.

Report Fire Hazard

7 in 10 NSmen in 30s Fail IPPT

Source

According to the expert, most people fail at chin-ups, standing broad jump and 2.4KM run. Sit-up I think most people can pass, even plump people should have no problem because most people have ab muscles, just that cannot be seen unless you are very skinny or ripped, as for shuttle run, also most people can pass unless you leg pain or else very hard to fail.

Chin-up

Actually this one not difficult, should be the easiest to maintain, all you need to do is go buy those doorway chin-up bar, mount it up, pull everyday, starting cannot even do one never mind, everyday keep trying, do until you can hit one good chin-up or pull-up, but you got to have a moving target though, cannot just say today aim for one, one year later still aim for one, like that forever fail. Try one week aim for one, ten weeks aim for 10, it's possible, all you need to do is put aside 10 minutes everyday and just whack, do until your arm cramp.

Standing broad jump

A lot of people think you need pure "leg power" to pass, actually not true, I have one army friend who gyms a lot, he does a lot of squats, leg power he sure more powerful than me but he always fail at standing broad jump. It's more of a combination of leg strength and flexibility, your legs need to have the strength to propel you far, and your legs need to be flexible enough to pull as close to your chest as possible, your feet reach in front as much as possible to achieve maximum distance. This one you need to do squats to improve your jumping power, and you need to do leg stretch to loosen your leg so it's not that rigid. And of course it would be helpful if you are not bulky or fat.

2.4KM run

The best way to train is simply to run 2.4KM, at least once a week, make sure you are tired after each run, if you still have energy to sprint immediately after the run, then you are conserving too much energy, the trick is to distribute your energy so you can run at a consistent pace, I call it optimal speed, but in the first place, you need to build up your stamina, just keep running 2.4KM, eventually you will figure out how you should allocate your energy, man is built for running, we have been running since ancient times, just that urbanization made a lot of people forget how they should run.

But ultimately no matter what tips or tricks I give, the onus is still on you to show yourself the determination to pass.

Fragrance Moon Cakes at $19.90+ 3 Days Only!

• Qoo10 - [Fragrance] Traditional Mooncakes (Choice of 8 Flavours) : Groceries

Just Received the PR In-Principal Approval Letter

First thing that comes to my mind is how much will it cost, according to the letter, it says in order to get the PR, my wife needs to complete formalities, provide 2 passport sized photographs taken in last 3 months, $5 for 4 pieces at ICA building, do a medical checkup, should be around $50 for TB scan and HIV test, $100 for entry permit, $50 for 5 years re-entry permit (leaving and entering Singapore for multiple journeys), $50 for identity card, I think it's the blue card, so total is 5+50+100+50+50=$255, wow, kind of pricey but well, PR has its perks so I think it's worth paying.

Update: Just finished filling up the medical report part and remembered that my wife went for checkup in Nov or Dec 2012 when she renewed her LTVP so no need to checkup again since the report is valid for 2 years, the PR letter also say no need if the report was submitted to ICA no more than 2 years, so can save $50 ;)

Bought Our Sofa and My Office Chair at IKEA

Today my father came to finish up the kitchen cabinet, now it's fully completed, I think it looks really nice, all for $600, special price for me. And see the top used to be showing the pipes, now it's all covered up.

Kitchen Cabinet

He also built a small green cabinet to cover the rubbish chute, it is on the right door, left door can keep stuff and that cabinet spot used to be the kitchen sink, the washing machine spot used to be the ancient-looking stove, now it's all gone, see how much difference it made after we removed it. By the way this green cabinet is free, no need to pay money because my father used leftover materials to build it.

Custom-Built Cabinet for Rubbish Chute

After the cabinets were done, we went straight to IKEA and bought our sofa and my swivel chair. For sofa, we made our decision rather quickly because my wife was not sure which one to get, all seems nice to her, so I called the shot and bought a 3-seater black-coloured leather sofa for $899. I know it's good immediately when I sat on it, my wife also felt comfortable, so no need to think so much, just buy.

SKOGABY 3-Seater Black

I bought my swivel chair for $139, I think it is comfortable and I like it because I can sit crossing my legs on top, lucky I took a closer look and found this, almost wanted to buy another MARKUS brand for $299, that one is very comfortable but problem is I cannot sit crossing my legs because it has got armrests. And I don't understand how come some chairs were selling for $300+ to almost $500 and they don't feel comfortable at all, who would buy, I thought most important thing is comfort, no?

LILLHOJDEN Black

And if you are interested to see how my house looks like when I first bought it, can check out this post.

Oh and screw Courts again, I bought my sofa and office chair at IKEA, my microwave oven at OG, so congratulations on losing a potential buyer because you have no idea how you should run your business, bye bye and never see you again!

Don't Think I Will Visit Courts Again

Today me and wife went around looking for sofa, office chair and microwave oven, we visited IKEA but didn't settle on anything because we thought we should check out other places first, we ended up buying tidbits and stuff at their bistro section, they have all sorts of products which me and wife have never seen before. I grabbed a bottle of their citron and elderberry liquor, 3 packs of potato chips which I can't wait to try, a bottle of ketchup, yeah, the same one that they let you put on their hotdogs, I haven't try the hotdog though, my wife grabbed some strange tasting candy called Godis Lakrits, I really don't like the taste, and finally some fried onions, haha I love fried onions.

After that we went to Courts at their Clementi branch. We started at the home appliances section, a salesgirl approached us and I told her we will take a look first, somehow she kept on following us, everywhere we go she follow, wow, I just want to take my time to literally take a look, how difficult is that to understand? I know she's trying to be helpful but it's really annoying when you feel like someone is stalking you, I just want to slowly see the different brands, compare the prices and see which one we like, that's all, and if I need help of course I will ask for help, there is no need to keep following us. This is not the first time we encountered such a situation at Courts, if you click that link, although I didn't mention it in that post but that salesman also kept following us, is this part of their company policy or what, must follow the customer everywhere and never leave them in peace???

Next we went to the second level to look at their sofa and office chairs, their office chair variety was pathetic, just a few old looking chairs hiding in a corner and all felt uncomfortable, never mind, we looked at the sofa, wow, prices were ridiculous, all so expensive, even the uncomfortable ones also need $2000+! Who will buy? Anyway we were looking for a two seater, the cheapest and comfortable one we can find was a $599 display set, condition looks good, almost wanted to buy but when I saw the salesmen, wah really no mood, one was sitting on a chair shaking his leg and daydreaming, another was giving me a dirty look, think I no money to buy? Downstairs the salesgirl overzealous, upstairs the salesmen pissing you off, really ultimate experience, no wonder the store is like a ghost town even on a Saturday.

Anyway we went to OG at Chinatown, definitely my favourite place to buy home appliances, almost forgot about this place, we saw the same Panasonic microwave oven from Courts, same price at $129 but we got a pleasant surprise, the salesperson told us there is a 10% discount which means the final price is $116.10, see, better service and cheaper price for the same product, screw Courts. As for sofa and office chair, tomorrow my father will come to fix something for me, maybe I will ask him whether he is free to drive us to IKEA, he drives a lorry so it will be much easier for us.

My Wife Fell Sick

I was sick on Tuesday, I think I spread the virus to her but I have no idea how, I was careful not to share utensils or anything with her but somehow she still got it, now she's complaining of body ache, sore throat, cold, same symptoms as me and unfortunately the clinic at our neighbourhood is not available on Friday nights, so no choice tomorrow morning then I bring her to see the doctor.

But I think a lot of people are affected especially with the recent rainy days, must have helped to spread the virus, two people in my office also fell ill, I think during rainy days have to put on mask, virus everywhere.

PR Application Appointment have to Wait Up to 7 Months or More

After my wife learned of her successful application, she shared the good news with her fellow Thai friends who are also married here, one of them said she booked the appointment to submit documents but the appointment is 7 months later! I also checked with my colleague who is a Malaysian and he is interested in getting PR, he said his friend have to wait for 8 months just for the appointment!

I think too many people applying for PR, first time we applied the appointment is only one month away, nowadays so long, what if you wait 7 months for the appointment and then another 7 months for the outcome and they tell you rejected and you will be damn frustrated, long wait for nothing.

Stay Jobless Until You Land on Your Desired Job?

While surfing the net I always come across people who say they have difficulty getting a job in Singapore, I am very doubtful of that, if you look at our jobs bank, or any other job sites, you will see plenty of openings, across all industries, surely there must be one suitable job out there waiting for you, how can it be possible to remain unemployed. Other than job sites, you can also apply directly to the company, or you can just go down to their office personally and make an enquiry. Let me share my story.

Lesson 1: Don't waste any time idling

When I ORD in 2004, I was only armed with a PSLE, yes, I dropped out at Secondary 2, I was very naughty when I was a student, totally no interest in studies because I have no idea why I was studying, my peers knew they were going to be a doctor, pilot, engineer and whatever, me, I don't know. And that time O-levels was worthless, not to mention a PSLE but I knew I must not waste any time getting a job so I walked into my neighbourhood 7/11 store and asked if they have a vacancy and I got hired immediately.

Lesson 2: Lookout for opportunities be it job or education

I worked at 7/11 for about 3 months, and while I was there, I also took up a part-time ITE electronic course, then my classmate introduced me to work at a warehouse, the pay was much better, I can gross up to about $1400+ after OT, not bad compared to the $300 to $400 at 7/11.

While I was working at the warehouse, I dropped the ITE course after one module and took a diploma course at Informatics because I realized that the ITE path was going to take me a long time, my objective was to get a degree ASAP, Informatics offered such an opportunity, though at a much higher cost.

Lesson 3: Always find a job first before resigning

I stayed at the warehouse for about 1.5 years and I left because I found a job relevant to my studies, an IT job, my first IT job, it was recommended by my classmate but I only stayed there for about 5 months, and I left because I couldn't take the stress, too much to learn, nobody to ask, all by myself, really tough, that left a very bad impression of SME for me, but the good thing about it was I learned a lot, both technical and PR skills. The pay was not great but good enough for a total newbie in IT, I was paid $1200, lesser than if I work at the warehouse, but then the exposure was invaluable.

Lesson 4: Never lose your cool in front of your boss

After I left my first IT job, I kept looking for another IT job but I couldn't find one, most jobs required 2-3 years of experience or certain technical knowledge or skill which I don't have, and I only have a private diploma at that time, but I told myself I must not waste any time, so I searched the newspaper and found a handphone shop company looking for salesperson, and I took the job to sell Starhub mobile lines and handphones, salary was quite pathetic, I forgot how much but I didn't stay there for long, I got fired less than a month working there because I talked back to my store manager and that's it, they told me no need to go back anymore, shit job anyway but I knew my attitude was not good, I also forgot why I talked back to my store manager. But good lesson here, never lose your cool when talking to your boss, just nod even if you think you are not wrong because once you talk back you lose.

Lesson 5: Don't stay in your comfort zone

So after my first IT job, it took me another 5 months before I found my second IT job, pay was better than my first one, I got $1350 but the work was really tough, one-man show, one person manage a whole building of IT stuff and users but damn I learned so much in that 5 months that I was there but this time I found a job before I left. My boss asked me to stay and offered me $1500, my new job also offered me $1500 and it's more software related, I knew I must get out of the hardware and desktop support role, it's good for learning but no good to stay long and till today I'm glad I took the new job.

Lesson 6: Make others happy equals to make yourself happy

I stayed in my third IT job for 2.5 years, I felt like I leveled up a lot, I learned so many new things, mainly software stuff but I realized that the most important skill is still PR skill, no matter how good you are technically, if you cannot handle the people i.e. the users, then you will be in trouble. I also got my advanced diploma during this time. My salary also increased to $1930. I left because I dislike my supervisor, maybe my ego got the better of me, technically he was ignorant, he also cannot manage the users and I kept asking myself why the company got him to be my supervisor, in the end I left without finding a job as I couldn't stand seeing his face anymore.

Lesson 7: Doing business is not only about capital and ideas, it's also about the people you work with

And I was jobless again, I tried to start a business with a friend but we never got past the thinking stage, this idiot wasted so much of my time, he is the talk only but no action type, so I gave up and went back to looking for a job. It took me a while to find my next IT job and in the meantime I worked at NTUC FairPrice as a store assistant packing goods, shit pay but better than nothing.

After that I found my fourth IT job after 3 months working at NTUC, a stupidly easy job with good pay, $2000 to sit around doing nothing because whatever my supervisor asked me to do I completed very quickly, then my supervisor's boss marked me and asked why I was always so free, so ended up I had to do things slowly and act busy, so silly and tiring, they are just a small office so they don't really have much to do.

Luckily my big boss from my third IT job called me and asked me to go back, that ignorant supervisor left, I knew they would not renew his contract, who would want to retain such a smoker, so of course I accepted the offer.

Lesson 8: If you know this company is good, you can stop jumping

And so I stayed until now, got my degree, and today I am happy with my job, it pays me well, good benefits, gives me the exposure that I desired, boss, supervisors and colleagues are nice, what else can I ask for. Over the years I learned a lot, all these you can't find in books. And to whoever jobless out there, just grab any job you can find, stay on it until you find a better one, getting a shit pay is better than getting no pay.

Wife's PR Application Approved!

Wow, what a pleasant surprise when I log in to ICA iEnquiry today, I have been checking almost everyday for the past 8 months, finally today I see "Approved" and not "Pending", haha.

PR Approved!

I think it was approved this week but not sure which day because I have not been checking earlier this week as I was quite busy at work, reach home also forget, now we just need to wait for the official approval letter from ICA, should receive it soon.

Ahhhh, finally, by the way this was our second try, first time was in 2011 right after election, well you probably can guess why it was rejected, then we tried again in Oct 2013, finally we got it, thanks to whoever approved it, long wait though, Oct 2013 until Jul 2014, about 8-9 months.

Accumulated Daily$ 57.29 with POSB Everyday Card

I have been using the card since Apr 2014 and so far accumulated $57.29, I think that's quite a lot of savings, I can offset my credit card bills with that. Most of my savings came from Sheng Siong purchases, they have 5% rebate if I use my card there, damn good deal, I can also get discount for cigarettes and liquor, not bad.

Now I'm thinking of get a supplementary card for my wife since she also make purchases there, but I'm afraid she might not control her spending, a little bit worried haha, but I think it will be more convenient, if it's also an ATM then that means I don't have to give her cash, she can just withdraw by herself, hmmmm, got to think about it.

Finally Received My Chin Up Bar from Qoo10

I bought on 11 Jul and I received today on 15 Jul, delivery time not so bad, the product is what I expected, but looks a bit like second-hand lol but most important is that it is cheap and serves the purpose, looks doesn't really matter that much to me, only $13.89, cheap and good.

Packaging

Installation was a bit challenging, forgot how I did it for my previous chin up bar but anyway I got my wife to twist for me while I hold on, got to adjust so it doesn't look crooked.

After Installation

I think the same bar should be sold at around $20+ if you get it anywhere else, $30+ also have but I find it pointless.

On MC Today

Yesterday night was bad, I hardly slept at all, I think it was because I took the Panadol Extra, it contains Caffeine and I think that was why I could not sleep, it's more for day use to keep you awake if you want to continue working, better not eat before sleeping. And because I felt alert, the noise from above my flat is so loud and clear in the middle of the night, especially my neighbour right on top, their aircon is so loud, like the plane engine, theirs is an old aircon, I think at least 7 or 8 years old, the base of the compressor has rusted so badly and their aircon is leaking water onto my compressor, I had hoped that their aircon would break down so they would get a new one, so damn noisy.

This morning I went to see the GP at my neighbourhood for the first time, I can use my company healthcare card there so I don't need to pay any cash, I was there at about 8.40am, waited until about 9.20am then the doctor came, and waited another 30 minutes before my turn, I was the 4th patient, this doctor really takes her time to talk to patient unlike my previous GP, go in 1 minute come out. I think female doctors are much nicer, she also gave me a bunch of medicine, for cough, blocked nose, runny nose, fever, antibiotics and lozenges, my previous GP would probably just give me antibiotics, cough medicine and paracetamol.

Scrub Toilet Walls!

I just cleaned the walls of my small toilet, looks so much cleaner now but problem is the black stains on the floor is so difficult to remove, I think need to use cif cleaner, but I save it for next week, whole body ache like crazy, damn siong, like just run finish 2.4km.

Speaking of 2.4km, there is a track field at my neighbourhood, yesterday I ran 6 rounds which is 2.4km, the air there is fresh, I think it's a good place to run, next week I might try to run 7 rounds.

Bought Kettle and Tiger Brand Thermal Air Pot

I have been searching for a good flask to hold hot water, the cheap brands either don't work well or not durable and they are not that cheap, one for almost $20, there are smaller ones for $13 but it's too small, I need something at least 2 liters and finally today I found a good one at OG Chinatown.

I bought a Tiger brand thermal air pot which can hold 2.5 litres for $58 and a 5 litres non-electric kettle for $47.90.

And OG has all sorts of stuff, if you need to get anything, just go there, they have everything, pans, fryer, spoons, fork, clothing, pillows, mattress, bedsheets and etc.

Bought My First Item from Qoo10

My father didn't manage to remove the chin-up bar from my old room, he said it's too tight, I think it's because when I installed it I turned it too hard to make sure it doesn't give way. And now that I think of it, I have been using that bar for almost 10 years, too bad I can't bring it to my new home, but never mind, I have ordered a new one from Qoo10, can't remember how much I paid for my old one but this new one seems to be the cheapest I can find online. The bar itself is only $9.90 (after discounts), delivery is $3.99 so total is $13.89, not bad right.

• Qoo10 - NEW HEAVY DUTY FITNESS EXERCISE DOORWAY CHIN PULL UP BAR HOME GYM : Sports / Outdoors

There are also other fancy looking bars and they only cost a little bit more but to me a chin-up bar is just for exercise, whack and move on, no need to look cool or what and I'm doing it at home so who cares, just get the cheapest will do as long as it serves my purpose, anyway a chrome one also look nice.

Now the status is On Request, I think it means the buy order has been sent to seller, now I just need to wait for seller to send.

After Payment

Wife's PR is Still Pending

From October last year until now is about 8 months, I wonder when we can get the result, how come they need so long to determine whether my wife can get PR or not, or maybe too many people applying for PR, so much that they are overloaded.

But actually when I think about it, it doesn't really make a hell lot of difference whether she is on PR or LTVP+, yeah with PR see doctor will be cheaper, can get rebate for HDB, much easier to find work, renew every 5 years, what else, all these are not going to make a hell lot of difference because it's just too expensive to live in Singapore, and so stressful here.

I am dreaming of one day when I can rent out my flat, have some dividends from stocks, some income from this blog, and then I go live in Thailand at my wife's house, I will do some farming for income, but mainly to keep myself active, or probably teach people computing if there is a demand, and then take my own sweet time to enjoy life, go tour the countryside, everyday just relax, here not possible unless I am filthy rich but it's very possible in Thailand.

Going to Receive My First Adsense Cheque!

I have been running this blog since Feb 2011, finally I'm going to receive my first cheque, but it's not strange that it took me so long because if you look at my blog archive, you will see that I started posting regularly only in 2013, and it's only in that year that my earnings started to increase tremendously, so more posts obviously will bring in more visitors for me and I also have to thank my visitors for supporting me regardless of whether they are spammers or genuine visitors haha.

Initially I thought I would only get my first cheque at the end of this year but I got more visitors in recent months so it really helps with the earnings, I think at current rate, I can probably get one cheque every 8 to 9 months, by the way Google will send out a cheque when my earnings hit $100 USD, so it's around that amount every time they send, not a big amount but better than nothing and I will keep the money for investment.

Germany Destroyed Brazil 7-1

Totally unbelievable, lost in home ground and got thrashed, that's ridiculous, as ridiculous as how they lost to France in 1998, they had a really strong team and they still lost to France, but France had Zidane so that probably was the reason. This year Brazil really sucked, that's why I don't watch football much these days, all the really good players retired and the new players are lackluster, yeah Brazil had Neymar but compared to the greats, he is quite insignificant, greats as in Ronaldo, Carlos, Romario, Bebeto, Ronaldinho, those are truly greats, I wonder if Brazil will ever have players of those standard again.

Father's Friend Haven't Collect Money from Me

Renovation completed but never ask me for payment haha, my father asked him how much he refuse to say, do have to chase him, pay money also have to chase him lol. Anyway I prepared $2000 for the whole thing, my father say probably around $1500, any amount left I give my father for his help with doing up the kitchen cabinet. He also built a small cupboard for my rubbish chute to conceal it, can put things on top and there's two doors, one is for the rubbish chute another is to keep stuff, maybe can put the detergent i.e. the chemical stuff there.

I also asked him to build another cupboard, maybe a bigger one so I can put beside my fridge in the living room, can put rice cooker, electric kettle, glasses and jug of plain water there. My father say he can always build the wood stuff for me because his factory has plenty of materials not in use, usually buy already but never use or do already customer don't want to pay so it just sits there. Like that I can save a lot of money, if buy one decent cupboard at IKEA it will cost hundred or more.

DBS Rejected My Recurring Bill Request

Reason given is amendment not countersigned, I don't remember amending anything, or maybe someone tampered with the application form? Good that they check, what if someone changed the account to their account and I pay for them every month, nowadays many thieves and scammers, these people really scum of the earth, have hands and legs don't want to work.

Then these few days I saw the uncle again at my workplace, seems like he is living around there or something, why can't he just find a job? Really so difficult? Is it better or just easier to ask for things instead of working for it? Sometimes I really don't get it, some people say cannot find job, but there are so many job vacancies, what are they talking about?

Forgot to Switch Off Aircon at Power Socket!

If the power is not switched off at the power socket, the aircon will still continue to draw power because it is in standby mode, waiting for your instruction from the remote control to start running again. This is not limited to aircon, any electrical device is the same, so must always switch off at the socket to fully cut it off. I always switch it off, my computer, my handphone charger, everything, but sometimes I forget, I think once or twice is okay, won't make a lot of difference, best is still make it a habit so I can save money and burn less energy.

EZ-Link Top Up Surcharge

Source

Now if I top up using my ATM card, there is a $0.20 charge, but if I use their machines such as the general ticking machine then it's still free, I think from now on I will withdraw cash and then use their machine to top up, I know there is a ATM card only machine but I can't use that because my ez-link and atm is the same card, it doesn't work there.

Nowadays the prices of necessities keep going up, just a few months back they increased the public transport fees, now ez-link starts charging for top up, later public transport fees going to increase again, fortunately my salary still can keep up but I really don't know in the future, nobody knows but of course the government won't let us die, the worry is still there.

Ordered Gas for Cooking

My father say to use the Union brand because it's more worth it, so today they came to install for me, total cost was $107! But only for first time la, $20 for deposit, $45 for the head, $32 for the gas cylinder and $10 for the pipe. The guy also gave me a food coupon, no idea where to use it, can't find anything online, maybe only just launch, the valid date starts from 01 Jul 2014 to next year Jun, $4 food coupon, I think maybe can use at food centre but the coupon never say where, next time the gas guy come I ask him.

And so today we ate our first home-cooked dinner! Feels great ;)

Finally Can Sit Back and Relax

Spent the whole morning washing the floor, it was faster than I thought and we managed to get it done before 12pm, took our lunch and then went to buy some household stuff, TV antenna, carpet, dust pan, 3 pin plugs and etc. And then I setup my computer and the Starhub TV, arranged the dining table and fridge, now everything is set, feels like home!

Now let me sit back and enjoy the aircon and watch a movie ;), ahhhhhh.

Back Breaking Day

I spent the whole day finishing up with the painting, I can't say it's 100% complete but I'm just too damn tired to continue, some spots that are not so obvious I don't bother anymore, most important is the overall feel is okay which I think we have reached that level. So tomorrow we can finally commence with the washing of living room and kitchen, once that is done, the house will then be comfortable.

And today my father came to install the stove, tomorrow can order the gas, finally can cook, everyday eat out also sian, get my wife to cook me hash brown, eggs and hot dogs, oh today we went to eat at IKEA, morning is the best time to go because it's not so crowded, their breakfast was really good, they have a very different system to get the food, no need to order, just queue up, grab whatever you like and put on my trolley and pay at the end of the food line, anyway I grabbed the french toast with hot dog and baked beans, croissant with tuna, shrimp sandwich, 2 pieces of fried chicken wings, chocolate and butterscotch cake and 2 Sunkist orange juice, all for $16.80, eat until full and not so expensive, the same meal elsewhere in a restaurant will probably cost $30 or $40+, no wonder always so many people eating there, plus the food is fresh and tasty.

Renovation Mostly Done

Today my father came and installed the top part of the cabinet, the whole set looks really nice, he did it alone though, his friend supposed to help him but maybe busy and didn't come, anyway now left the shielding for the middle part, just need to put a smooth surface wood so that water won't splash on the wall.

His friend still didn't come to clear the leftover flooring materials, think he will come tomorrow but not sure what time, if can clear tomorrow then I can put my fridge and dining table outside, now I have an idea of the living room layout, just need the space to try it out. Because my living room is the long type, I intend to put the fridge by the wall, next I put the dining table then sofa facing the TV, the TV back will face the window, then just nice, have a pathway from door to kitchen, swee!

By the way the tempered glass dining table I intend to put outside, don't really like it as my computer desk, looks good but problem is a bit too big and bottom there's a small compartment so when I raise my thigh I will hit the compartment, very uncomfortable since I have to be careful, a computer desk is supposed to let me feel relaxed and not feel afraid to break things.

Tomorrow will go IKEA to buy some stuff, got to buy the towel bar so we can put our towels outside, my wife like to hang it on the wardrobe door, so annoying >_<.

Flooring Completed, Cabinet Halfway!

Finally the flooring is done, looks real good but they haven't clear up their tools yet, maybe tomorrow they will come and collect. My father came just with bottom half of the kitchen cabinet, it looks nice after he installed, tomorrow he will install the top half together with the sink and stove. I think what's left is paint up a bit more, install bathroom accessories and that's about it. The rest should be buying sofa, utensils and etc.

Flooring Almost Done!

Today the renovation guy finished up with laying the tiles and he did some patching of the cracks and the wall, I think he will probably do plastering for the walls tomorrow and finish up with patching the tile cracks and wrap up the whole thing, too bad he can't finish today but it's okay as long as I can see that work is done.

Not sure if I mentioned that my father got a free dining table with four chairs for me, anyway I setup the table as my computer desk, works perfectly, just the size for me, can put my monitor and still have plenty of writing space, I can even put my laptop if I want to, finally I have a big computer desk.

Then I got my wife a standing laundry rack, was thinking of the ceiling mounted type but she prefers the standing type because it's easier for her, the standing one was more expensive, two stands which can hold 6 poles costs $35 but my wife managed to get it at $33. I also found some advanced versions online which can go for $700+! I don't know why those are so expensive, doesn't look that useful to me, yeah it's more compact since you can keep it at the ceiling when you don't need it but the price doesn't make any sense to me, if it was me, I would just buy the J type, just mount it on and use forever, one set is only $20+.

Two Days and Two Nights in New Home

Two days was working so nothing much to talk about, first night was okay until it started raining heavily at night and the rain was hitting on the aircon compressor bracket and making "ding ding" noises, woke me and wife up and I went to work the next day feeling so tired due to lack of sleep. I told my dad about it and he said he will make a wooden plank to cover the compressor.

Yesterday night was great though, slept all the way till my alarm went off, woke up, brushed my teeth, drank some coffee and went to work. Was planning to take bus but it was always full so I took the train instead, faster and cheaper and even though it was also crowded but at least I can get in, it's just 4 stations to my workplace, speaking of which, my traveling time to work is now around 25 to 30 minutes, used to take around 1 hour and 15 minutes.

And finally today the renovation guy came to lay the tiles, he also hacked the stove area, I think he can complete the whole thing tomorrow, in time for my father to install the cabinet on Friday.