tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11790420604486562342024-03-05T14:21:13.188+08:00imAndystorm.com. Singapore Lifestyle. Travel. Food.Andy Kwanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17232831095193947495noreply@blogger.comBlogger512125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179042060448656234.post-28743464886358023112022-01-21T15:48:00.002+08:002022-01-21T15:55:52.298+08:00The Abode: Before and After<div style="text-align: justify;">It’s been slightly more than a year since I updated my blog about the house. I ended off in October 2020 saying I will update the before and after but i have been procrastinating for the longest time. Just like any other house, the longer you stay in it, the more things you are gonna have and it has come to one point whereby i realised i have to dedicate a couple of days just to shift things around just to get a clean nice interior shots of the house. Damn! I should have done it at the very beginning when the house was clean and neat (not that it is now not clean but still. There is so much more things in the house now, lol) </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I have always wanted to keep a set of nice tasteful interior shots like those we frequently see on FB nowadays and maybe one day the photos will come in handy when I decide to sell this place away. Over the half year I have been staying here, I got REALLY comfortable. I don’t really go out (then again better not with this Covid pandemic ongoing), I offered to host dinners and gatherings at my place so I don't have to head out. The only downside is that I have to clear up after each session. My favourite thing to do is nua-ing on my couch and catching up on shows in front of my 55” TV with a pint of B&J in hand. I stopped spending money on unnecessary stuff like branded bags and shoes, instead I buy things for the house, furniture, necessities and groceries. (and i gave up trying to keep track of my expenses, lol) </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">#Adulting really kicks in when you have your own place. When I get the electricity/ water bills and see that it’s more than usual, I'll start thinking like why - Is it the aircon, is the tap leaking, is it because I always leave the heater on etc. You’ll be asking yourself questions like, how frequently should you do your laundry, should you get a part time maid to clean the house, is it time to buy more shampoo and the list of questions goes on and on. Meals are another problem, especially for someone like me who doesn’t cook and even if i cook, it’s not quantifiable to cook for one. Increase in monthly expenses is another thing. The water bill, the electricity bill, the monthly maintenance fee for the condo, property tax, the internet, groceries, not forgetting the occasional aircon cleaning and part time cleaner etc. With all that said, I'm happy, and that’s the most important thing. <span style="text-align: left;">I can go on talking about my experience over the past 6 months forever but that’s not the point of this post. So without further ado, it’s time to see the final product of my humble abode. Drum rolls please.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> ---------------------- </b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> <u>BALCONY</u> </b></span><b>----------------------</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirvYlSndOu1c5akqJr32oPy9HiHuV-lewaLfpbqPgx82qeDYMzsWOGDr7HHMMsJtMESfk6yeXVNrc8ADQ17agTif-H8C5z5Y_21hcaM6aFYvHVAa0XM9qFb7oeohJ2_GdF0DL-Ki6s1q4/s1200/balcony.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirvYlSndOu1c5akqJr32oPy9HiHuV-lewaLfpbqPgx82qeDYMzsWOGDr7HHMMsJtMESfk6yeXVNrc8ADQ17agTif-H8C5z5Y_21hcaM6aFYvHVAa0XM9qFb7oeohJ2_GdF0DL-Ki6s1q4/s16000/balcony.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-d819e53c-7fff-188c-aa73-b59a4899f75f" style="text-align: start;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">The Balcony (before)</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">Firstly, I've got to say the balcony is HUGE. The pros is that it’s spacious which is why i use it as my dining space (since the interior can’t afford to have one), the sliding doors are sound-proof, (probably due to the proximity of the highway just beside the condo) and the balcony has these shutter grill which blocks out the sun and maintain privacy since the blocks are pretty near. The only con is that despite those grills, the rain still comes in and wet part of the balcony, why they never think of that. Oh wells.</p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjquYL6QhUu5eJuupEimOBAGQ_iCMy-HB1RWx7Lv62TgR9_uIF3gHMGsK4PAam_KVKLQZdxG2hUI1Uh-0UMFjdPzAkBlDanvAYvQxiTN8iJGJXk-TMbXAWnbXEX7b_bKywE3bBYga-uVBc/s1200/balcony1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjquYL6QhUu5eJuupEimOBAGQ_iCMy-HB1RWx7Lv62TgR9_uIF3gHMGsK4PAam_KVKLQZdxG2hUI1Uh-0UMFjdPzAkBlDanvAYvQxiTN8iJGJXk-TMbXAWnbXEX7b_bKywE3bBYga-uVBc/s16000/balcony1.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-c889adad-7fff-fe56-93c5-d3786e0b6962" style="text-align: start;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">One side is where my plants are and the other is the dining table and benches which are flushed to one corner so that they don’t get wet during heavy rain. It’s ideally for 4 pax but for bigger groups, I usually will shift the table to the middle and add chairs on both ends (tried up to 8 pax before!) There is also a power switch at the side, ideal for a steamboat. The balcony is actually one of my fav part of the house! <span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(77, 81, 86); color: #4d5156; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;">♥</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrCjbar6aB-hVIFoAAugGXfMzByXxCmS7LTA3rfTyIq4KgjIU_lBnNnFKfigxJKe07UHvpf33aY9XV3rBIYFXEd8cJPEwT1RTW2-l2PbcQZY1wLxARY-xFVDS7gC-_qpvZL3a02plpNc/s1200/balcony2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrCjbar6aB-hVIFoAAugGXfMzByXxCmS7LTA3rfTyIq4KgjIU_lBnNnFKfigxJKe07UHvpf33aY9XV3rBIYFXEd8cJPEwT1RTW2-l2PbcQZY1wLxARY-xFVDS7gC-_qpvZL3a02plpNc/s16000/balcony2.jpg" width="800" /></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">The Balcony. (after)</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">Overview of the balcony! There’s also a small ceiling fan installed so the balcony is really conducive for breakfast and dinner gatherings. You also get the view of the pool and the huge ficus trees right beside. Very resort feel. Oh! I also painted one side of the wall dark grey to match the overall theme of the house.</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> ---------------------- </b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> <u>BEDROOM</u> </b></span><b>----------------------</b></p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_qOIHJpXfMTm836c9aejOVUZlvFNcTdRZ9eRqsSSY12WBv2u_rLUwfVjSXZH31tisHteRv8kPtRqvu7jWjtUnCIGyEXCaP7mH4e60dRB4ig6Z2xLTYX9eD1v7zu2n8xIvavHeqfQayI/s1200/bedroom.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_qOIHJpXfMTm836c9aejOVUZlvFNcTdRZ9eRqsSSY12WBv2u_rLUwfVjSXZH31tisHteRv8kPtRqvu7jWjtUnCIGyEXCaP7mH4e60dRB4ig6Z2xLTYX9eD1v7zu2n8xIvavHeqfQayI/s16000/bedroom.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Before and After.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The bedroom was pretty spacious and it has this wooden "parquet" flooring (which my parents adore cos apparently the "best grade") but little did they know i intended to vinyl the whole house over, lol. Floor to ceiling windows which gives you the same view as the balcony. Revamped the room by giving the room a grey tone paint job. Took up the suggestion to paint the main wall different tones of grey to "elongate" the room, installed a black ceiling fan (ceiling fans are the best), "lego" lights, got a queen size "floating" bed and side tables from Castlery, installed black venetian blinds to complete the overall look of the room.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_eW7p3HRyYKJhaqoX27hJF55j42Qau5KKj4VmjidW7itSkZWQ2oGydoB6xJMH-4AqgVKKyu8k1J8_Avepv3ntyJlSIt3Yt5LTtqez8xjy3-9FqRi8WViEYuex8abGdOHL_D6YB6DFfcU/s1200/bedroom2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_eW7p3HRyYKJhaqoX27hJF55j42Qau5KKj4VmjidW7itSkZWQ2oGydoB6xJMH-4AqgVKKyu8k1J8_Avepv3ntyJlSIt3Yt5LTtqez8xjy3-9FqRi8WViEYuex8abGdOHL_D6YB6DFfcU/s16000/bedroom2.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Before and After.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The room originally came with a frosted glass door (super eww, like a work meeting room) and a fully functional wardrobe which looks pretty decent. Transparent door and even has a built in lighting system but... i chose to demolish it to make space for a simple work station plus i already had the intention to use the additional room as a walk in wardrobe. Bought an iMac but didn't arrive in time so i refunded it, got a a monitor, a good keyboard and connected my Macbook to it instead. Saved quite a bit with this setup :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi30cWsBOJv_rv9FT4kTLHmOZvx8kuFW_CqhFraLHF3Yz0SXqkrII1DQm-B7NBm3MrOWcteCYKtVAVEd0WMhIZA__F3IDMAhMfDiiPGlCcXJKSyxbg-MjqhL7k5hpRJ24_7v2v4Lp4BvM0/s1600/bedroom3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="1067" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi30cWsBOJv_rv9FT4kTLHmOZvx8kuFW_CqhFraLHF3Yz0SXqkrII1DQm-B7NBm3MrOWcteCYKtVAVEd0WMhIZA__F3IDMAhMfDiiPGlCcXJKSyxbg-MjqhL7k5hpRJ24_7v2v4Lp4BvM0/w800-h1067/bedroom3.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Some visuals of the room. Aseop showcase thanks to housewarming gifts. hahaha</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmA1dP8Orr3mpsvudnuJ2A1QEzxBKb_7hihMUlM4gFfFTaqxCo7ZO3fMQd6eVdA8oOKKF9yGNVnuLxD4AEToHaGT97m6KiFRjbmTt1DLraYbTWSGwa4KjXRk9086uV_R4DeUZtYHPGshA/s1600/bedroom4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmA1dP8Orr3mpsvudnuJ2A1QEzxBKb_7hihMUlM4gFfFTaqxCo7ZO3fMQd6eVdA8oOKKF9yGNVnuLxD4AEToHaGT97m6KiFRjbmTt1DLraYbTWSGwa4KjXRk9086uV_R4DeUZtYHPGshA/s16000/bedroom4.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> ---------------------- </b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> <u>KITCHEN</u> </b></span><b>----------------------</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnZflilV-y0f6-U6Iu5dIXDGMz9jonaEfityWBXlnZ-remE32VNRkUcoSEHINxE2XYFzi0IDC_y3A9zlYuwAUQCxE8fcUwU6VSPdPFyUB-5IyvxxPwdDFSWCh54nZREDCbWXnTFY4za-Y/s1200/kitchen.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnZflilV-y0f6-U6Iu5dIXDGMz9jonaEfityWBXlnZ-remE32VNRkUcoSEHINxE2XYFzi0IDC_y3A9zlYuwAUQCxE8fcUwU6VSPdPFyUB-5IyvxxPwdDFSWCh54nZREDCbWXnTFY4za-Y/s16000/kitchen.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The original kitchen was fully functional with ample storage space but the colour did not suit the theme of the house so i did some research and consulted a few companies. some suggested to re-fabricate and replacing the doors to the colour i want, some suggested re-doing the entire kitchen (super costly) but at the end i found a company that does "vinyl wrapping" and they took 2 whole days to "wrap" every part of kitchen to this black wood colour which i absolutely love and it matches the overall theme of the house. A job well done.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil7Vm_d_joBamla4zfKAtTyVKwxDq2kLZMcWpAPMBCopWbDs6FidR-PxdjhPBQdKld7_S24TXTug6DVNPCZf3_NqYfsYCJIk9BjRK0kQ7C__D-3tyblLioGtITmXhS-YVc1zZdukKbi1M/s1700/kitchen2-down.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1700" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil7Vm_d_joBamla4zfKAtTyVKwxDq2kLZMcWpAPMBCopWbDs6FidR-PxdjhPBQdKld7_S24TXTug6DVNPCZf3_NqYfsYCJIk9BjRK0kQ7C__D-3tyblLioGtITmXhS-YVc1zZdukKbi1M/s16000/kitchen2-down.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Some visuals of the kitchen. So glad that the interior is of a wood colour.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> ---------------------- </b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> <u>BATHROOM</u> </b></span><b>----------------------</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4KeAWyg5c9xkHdgEIG7RDLfDsUsehErfN_GUk_S_xg7mUzzB5Z0gOvpN5yxTNTgN8r15VHBaSBUw8WehInZl4Ks5AZ6qWBopUKDIsYtbr6q2ni4e78GvYaaokj7wmBRntXfyUgxdy29I/s1200/bathroom.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4KeAWyg5c9xkHdgEIG7RDLfDsUsehErfN_GUk_S_xg7mUzzB5Z0gOvpN5yxTNTgN8r15VHBaSBUw8WehInZl4Ks5AZ6qWBopUKDIsYtbr6q2ni4e78GvYaaokj7wmBRntXfyUgxdy29I/s16000/bathroom.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The before.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhih_XF9FjujcUPIt1WcjEu-6kTrhHx1cqF6PhbvwKhW3iEeIgz5ztJj83EONQ5Fruq5j2ClBzh8HYosa_n2IsqvSiIq4iJP0tQykCD6JtctyKcN4A7JO-uLr9bBXmjIVvR1Mb0HyxgAgw/s1200/bathroom2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhih_XF9FjujcUPIt1WcjEu-6kTrhHx1cqF6PhbvwKhW3iEeIgz5ztJj83EONQ5Fruq5j2ClBzh8HYosa_n2IsqvSiIq4iJP0tQykCD6JtctyKcN4A7JO-uLr9bBXmjIVvR1Mb0HyxgAgw/s16000/bathroom2.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The After.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Not sure if you spotted the difference but i re-tiled the wall which was originally brown but i wanted it to be grey so i chose this stone textured tile for the wall. Originally i wanted to revamp the whole toilet but it was pretty costly to redo so i gave up the idea and made minor changes. The original colour of the basin area was the same colour as the kitchen but the company quoted me like another $300-ish to change it to the black wood so i said no, and got a similar vinyl wrap from Lazada at like 10 bucks and DIY myself, lol.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWRXIx30R5G4Y5ZM1Og3lWL-RcxRG7d2fEjzy0O6cjoBRQ4gWSBfATWlkHIBvGB0dw4IHjQOyqpopPkDbY6cww0zvAmJ-hBdIiEMPf86YXe-cjMG_bPLBNiO4ovA_eCWnUXtMTOEjXgU/s1600/bathroom1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWRXIx30R5G4Y5ZM1Og3lWL-RcxRG7d2fEjzy0O6cjoBRQ4gWSBfATWlkHIBvGB0dw4IHjQOyqpopPkDbY6cww0zvAmJ-hBdIiEMPf86YXe-cjMG_bPLBNiO4ovA_eCWnUXtMTOEjXgU/s16000/bathroom1.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My bathroom is not connected to my bedroom like most condos because i have this pet peeve of not wanting my guest to go through my bedroom in order to use the bathroom. The configuration would either to have 2 point of entry (meaning one from the living and one from bedroom) or have the bathroom separated from the bathroom, which is what i got in the end. Thank you to all those friends for getting tonnes of Aseop products as house warming gifts to make my place insta-worthy and 'showroom' quality. hahaha</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> ---------------------- </b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> <u>WALK-IN WARDROBE</u> </b></span><b>----------------------</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ihh1HAEg_LQMNym90qUeSHhzK3avFSqQzCBooIdGRsC0OMKIK57aCocwG8IivEEzpY4GvQnXjU_6HizHuRRMCR4V8mVbqW76rN7csRfta8iUt54aoFzwMTWzbnMAV5dKTr13LXWYMUk/s1200/study.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ihh1HAEg_LQMNym90qUeSHhzK3avFSqQzCBooIdGRsC0OMKIK57aCocwG8IivEEzpY4GvQnXjU_6HizHuRRMCR4V8mVbqW76rN7csRfta8iUt54aoFzwMTWzbnMAV5dKTr13LXWYMUk/s16000/study.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">When i was house hunting, i knew i had to get a 1+1 unit because a 1 bedder would be too small (and i always imagined having a walk in wardrobe to house all my clothes, bags and shoes, lol) so i was pleasantly surprised to find this unit with a decent spaced +1. The room already has an air con, and could honestly be used as a children room with properly planning. I know of some neighbours who use the room as a dining space and some chose to seal their +1 entrance and created an opening to connect their bedroom and "walk in wardrobe" which sounded nice but i feel that it will difficult to sell it as 1+1 in the future... </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anyway i wanted an open concept walk in wardrobe so i did some research and found a company which does modular pole system wardrobe and when i visited their showroom, i was immediately drawn to their most premium system which was in black metal and wood colour. Spent some time deciding on the components of the system based on my needs and budget. The wardrobe system is no doubt the most expensive installation of the entire house. My ID suggested the vinyl flooring to be place in the herringbone pattern so it looks and feels different compared to the living and bedroom. Got a full length mirror (in wood and black again) from Castlery and a couple of poufs from FortyTwo for guests to sit on when they visit.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8IJu-gMHp2J8NuqL2IlRDeoat5OnYPg3WXWVcvZjFS4_8OPUy_-4YBkoh8WvNASgEIDnTOdhZ0mMgcW-mnljoJ0Hk06697OAUHfabLh_bb-sk_9dI8Q0-p5HAnBeqZ8z2WQ_my5sz34/s1200/study2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8IJu-gMHp2J8NuqL2IlRDeoat5OnYPg3WXWVcvZjFS4_8OPUy_-4YBkoh8WvNASgEIDnTOdhZ0mMgcW-mnljoJ0Hk06697OAUHfabLh_bb-sk_9dI8Q0-p5HAnBeqZ8z2WQ_my5sz34/s16000/study2.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I love the open concept look and i get to display some of my fancy shoes and bags :D</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> ---------------------- </b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> <u>LIVING ROOM</u> </b></span><b>----------------------</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Last but not least, the main area of the house. I'm not sure if i mentioned this in the earlier part of the post (this post was drafted throughout 6 months, lol) but i kinda knew the theme i was going for when i bought the house and i knew exactly how i want to design it. (anyway if you haven't figure by now, i was going for the industrial theme) So let me go through each part of the living room now:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXhL1sDxc_ZYrnVAyGI3i-_VFiFqeBxjZxDz9RcroA0EhqoLo-vg-7HAqxm9qVuAlkZpbUBSgTDJOLO_Qf2UHqms0BbINJkcsr5UpxFMHBIgH5FWTRBecBST1oWB3TtmlocqohS5tqcfw/s1200/living2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXhL1sDxc_ZYrnVAyGI3i-_VFiFqeBxjZxDz9RcroA0EhqoLo-vg-7HAqxm9qVuAlkZpbUBSgTDJOLO_Qf2UHqms0BbINJkcsr5UpxFMHBIgH5FWTRBecBST1oWB3TtmlocqohS5tqcfw/s16000/living2.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The living room initially came with this inbuilt feature TV wall (left) that i would say, <i>practical</i> because it was quite well designed with areas for display and the unique and smart thing about it is that the TV could be rotated to cater for both the bedroom and living room. The door to the bedroom was this frosted door which i felt was too office/ toilet-like so i knew immediately i would have to get rid of it. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">When my parents first visited the pre-reno house, they were lamenting and nagging on why i would want to remove the feature wall or dismantle a fully functional wardrobe and even vinyl/ tile over the expensive looking marble flooring. I had a hard time trying to convey my ideas to them and i gave up explaining, lol.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I demolished the TV feature wall and build a new wall to divide the living room and bedroom. With that new wall, i hung a 55" inch TV and got an industrial looking TV console to fit the whole theme. (I actually bought a 43" TV initially but when it was delivered, i felt that it was too small and decided to sell it immediately and got a bigger one. So glad i did cos i now spend a lot of time in front of the TV. Phew) </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRCBzZS6rUWhGaMxZeMCdz9ZfHQsAZbtwKLdc0hzb5y0tBQKZnrjqJ6aYTpIHnWiFPdUmDyHFwq5eaAaM73i2xY_NKb6lW_gcGYSEY3Enrw0vKcSGN5PqwVwZAamJnef9qxOQpyrBsK-k/s1200/living.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRCBzZS6rUWhGaMxZeMCdz9ZfHQsAZbtwKLdc0hzb5y0tBQKZnrjqJ6aYTpIHnWiFPdUmDyHFwq5eaAaM73i2xY_NKb6lW_gcGYSEY3Enrw0vKcSGN5PqwVwZAamJnef9qxOQpyrBsK-k/s16000/living.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Removed the <i>obiang</i> looking chandelier fixture (which my parents brought it home and immediately installed it in the dining room, lol) and installed a matt black ceiling fan. Ceiling fans are so underrated tho, i mean it save space and provides such a good flow of wind in the area. The designs for ceiling fans nowadays are so modern and would definitely fit into most themes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anyway, for the other side of the wall, i wanted to do this concrete panel thing (exactly the same design as what you see in the right photo) but it was so costly to install it. Each panel cost $400 and i would need 15 panels, meaning it would cost me $6000. In the end i did some research and went for the wallpaper option for just a few hundred bucks. Same outlook at a faction of the price, objective accomplished. *flicks hair*</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJDxDp8ojPYWI4d73F5LR6TffsjAvYogEO7k5r-PbJlLYBzA4dg-zb9VWzlgIohWH8DCIm41mnduX-0GL8qptzFURnSdIMTXe9lWg5d_boZzvrUSyx6Ci1NsC8MrcOvNTVtBz_n78U0FU/s1200/living3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJDxDp8ojPYWI4d73F5LR6TffsjAvYogEO7k5r-PbJlLYBzA4dg-zb9VWzlgIohWH8DCIm41mnduX-0GL8qptzFURnSdIMTXe9lWg5d_boZzvrUSyx6Ci1NsC8MrcOvNTVtBz_n78U0FU/s16000/living3.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I wanted my place to have the cement screed effect and my ID managed to source for these unique huge pieces of concrete vinyl which i'm absolutely satisfied with. Vinyl tiles are usually long rectangular pieces of which the joint lines would be pretty obvious, but with these huge square pieces, there are lesser joint lines and made the concrete flooring looks realistic in both real life and in photos. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As for the walls, i had it cement screed for the entire place. The thing about cement screed is that you never know what the final effect will be like until it dries and over time, it will have little cracks here and there (which i honestly don't mind since it adds 'flavour' to the place) The cement screed was additional cost on top of the painting of the unit. On second thoughts, i should have considered textured paint instead since it's probably cheaper and better lasting. There was supposed to be a sealant to coat it the walls but the ID and i discussed and decided not to do it in order to maintain a matte and smooth finish on the wall.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9A0YyS04iuD8KTLJIDg6fR3JhkYcZySSwiRu2L7A_oDjgC-HxIfV1sWisOzhNjjIotZbcAk_kbF-dfNP9A7FAe1WHxKKnnZR-ijy5HC6iTYxvH9I5_yEUd9i1b76htMjACYkR6irYW4Q/s1200/living4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9A0YyS04iuD8KTLJIDg6fR3JhkYcZySSwiRu2L7A_oDjgC-HxIfV1sWisOzhNjjIotZbcAk_kbF-dfNP9A7FAe1WHxKKnnZR-ijy5HC6iTYxvH9I5_yEUd9i1b76htMjACYkR6irYW4Q/s16000/living4.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Very curated furnitures and pieces to fit the whole theme. Only brown, black and grey for consistency.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As for the doors to the 2 rooms (walk-in wardrobe and bedroom), i chose to install these tall black tinted glass doors instead of going for the conventional door. Lesser privacy but doesn't matter since i'm staying alone but i like that it turns almost transparent when i turn on the lights and reveal the insides. In fact, there were a few times i banged into them and had to stuff my head into the pillows cos it was so painful.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0qx5Qss9dsAjC3DY0VdCaskNko3FoCOyty2n6LXKey2Y84dbGxQkm6HitZZoYd3q_1_6L-TWdvv0xThqoNi1nHQlrPVnvDCZYkJk0mdC0u_s0XQHrKq8TrvMbM1EVkD8fRLp0kw-oc2Q/s1600/living6-down.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0qx5Qss9dsAjC3DY0VdCaskNko3FoCOyty2n6LXKey2Y84dbGxQkm6HitZZoYd3q_1_6L-TWdvv0xThqoNi1nHQlrPVnvDCZYkJk0mdC0u_s0XQHrKq8TrvMbM1EVkD8fRLp0kw-oc2Q/s16000/living6-down.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">As for lighting wise, i opted for track lights with exposed conduit pipes, which was apt for the theme. Also got a standing lamp from Castlery, which i knew immediately i had to get it even before renovation commence. My furnitures were mostly from Castlery or IKEA, with a few pieces from HipVan and FortyTwo. There is this set from IKEA (Fjällbo) which i bought almost every single piece in the collection as it look very industrial and affordable. I've got to say online shopping really changed the way we shop.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8xOPtBnWz-q9P2tT2SyjTTjj9uo0Ir0iuRE_-k-WEcT-5xEhCMeKe_0runVin_PkqlzO3UN20-TCQZ22ARdmTzwrbLrrNbfFw64fkUH_I1WVzRK110kiZmSY5ogaJ5ftvQJo-HqfNx5c/s1200/other.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8xOPtBnWz-q9P2tT2SyjTTjj9uo0Ir0iuRE_-k-WEcT-5xEhCMeKe_0runVin_PkqlzO3UN20-TCQZ22ARdmTzwrbLrrNbfFw64fkUH_I1WVzRK110kiZmSY5ogaJ5ftvQJo-HqfNx5c/s16000/other.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">1000% matte black bear brick as house warming gift and monstera plant i got from the nursery downstairs.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Oh! I just want to add that the house is smart home integrated and i learned so much through research and realised with the right devices and apps, it's actually quite easy to setup and you probably only need to setup once at the very beginning (unless you add new items) So my lights, air cons, fans, robot vacuum, air purifier etc are all connected to my google home which i can control via voice or through the home app.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">With that said, i'm finally done with this blog post which was delayed for a really long time but i'm so glad i completed it and i managed to journey down the process of owning my very first abode.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">Signing off, </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEit5WMfDu89dtKAMP05XA8QDJ4TnDHYJyi7yctVBPBnTH1ynzOGBZaBwL0ZMtqR3Y9G7k1GeDZ_Xrsvs9VbH6sL_WPf6D5Dnkoj1rIrnLxPsnZOLf15y4SJws0ZC1F7CCVdyoooeV_Dz0i6RbEzyATFzxWEWDrB7znWMpptfDg4XBdBLG8Gkg82sIBu=s200" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="48" data-original-width="200" height="48" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEit5WMfDu89dtKAMP05XA8QDJ4TnDHYJyi7yctVBPBnTH1ynzOGBZaBwL0ZMtqR3Y9G7k1GeDZ_Xrsvs9VbH6sL_WPf6D5Dnkoj1rIrnLxPsnZOLf15y4SJws0ZC1F7CCVdyoooeV_Dz0i6RbEzyATFzxWEWDrB7znWMpptfDg4XBdBLG8Gkg82sIBu" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>andystormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959328546554301590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179042060448656234.post-36530535517450369462020-07-17T00:05:00.028+08:002020-10-29T15:30:45.445+08:00The next Milestone.<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>[Updated 29 Oct 2020, 4:00 pm] <i>Note: This is going to be an ongoing blog post for probably the next 3 months so do refer the timestamp to know if there is any update.</i></b><br />
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Blogging might or might not be a thing of the past since everyone is now mostly on Instagram or Tiktok but a blog will never lose its purpose. I started out this blog in 2008 to record down moments of my life, my travels, my thoughts and my milestones, and here's to the next one.<br />
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For the longest time, I've always wanted a place of my own. Over the last few years, i have been browsing casually on Property Guru but it was not that serious until last year after i came back from Sydney. Going back to the same small (yet comfy) apartment every single night and lazing on the couch while watching Netflix with pizza was one of the simplest yet satisfying thing to do (especially during winter!) At the end of the trip, i told myself, "<i><b>Maybe it's time.</b></i>"<br />
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I started the whole process of understanding the procedures of getting a place in Singapore. In particular a Condo because in order to get a HDB, i need to be either <b>1.</b> Married or <b>2.</b> Age 35 and above, which i am neither. After a couple of meetups with a few friends to learn more about the process, i decided to do up a blog post which i published last December - "<i><a href="http://www.imandystorm.com/2019/12/owning-resale-condo-before-35.html" target="_blank">Owning a (resale) condo before 35.</a></i>" I was honestly quite happy to get feedback and comments that the post was easy to understand and it helped to spur certain readers/ friends to consider getting a place of their own as well. So that was in December 2019.<br />
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In between the months i also got my friend-agent to set up some viewings here and there to get an idea of how certain places/ unit layout look like in real life but it was mostly meh.<br />
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Then the whole Covid thing came. Then Circuit Breaker, and now Phase 2.<br />
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I continued to look for a place that was within my criteria such as budget, location, layout etc. It was honestly not easy because we all know the better the location, the more expensive it will be (and more expensive doesn't mean you get a bigger space.) There were a lot of things to consider. At the same time, throughout the months i also setup a folder on my iPhone named "<i>House ideas</i>" where i saved photos/ inspiration of how i want my future house to look like, and the kind of furniture i want, the overall feel and theme of the place etc.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRLAcue5RAD0ASXUs4zpDV9cRYMnGF5WNI8wVyYxTUc-0x3Ql0XCaBL0cWdXCm69lAfZwJ2MkOOGrakOc_CWbgywxOxt-o4gbHNs9JN8NgCIXMkBw_1jrGsmZovoFWT7IbpG2eb_u3pp4/s1600/phone2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="770" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRLAcue5RAD0ASXUs4zpDV9cRYMnGF5WNI8wVyYxTUc-0x3Ql0XCaBL0cWdXCm69lAfZwJ2MkOOGrakOc_CWbgywxOxt-o4gbHNs9JN8NgCIXMkBw_1jrGsmZovoFWT7IbpG2eb_u3pp4/s1600/phone2.jpg" width="800" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Couple of weeks back, i saw a listing of a unit which looks pretty decent and it was located in the development which i really like. The location was not bad, walking distance to a couple of train stations, it's about 5 to 6 stops away from my current workplace, i really liked the environment and vibe of the whole estate, the price stated seem decent (and negotiable) so i arranged for a viewing and brought along a couple of good friends with me so they can help to assess and turned out they even helped to ask questions which were pretty important when getting a place! (like the sun direction, lol) So glad i brought them along.</span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7L-aX3eL29FDfp2O5HJDEbCis7xj8fEkGandqi02dbd0y6eEbTkjhiEaKGuGbjVKVN5abLRO2qHK4wWTSvPXnmTW8aiIxrFGPSCgZFZ3e6nqlf4VMikfH7nCcIOZCFjlhDFZu5JggaWA/s1600/house.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7L-aX3eL29FDfp2O5HJDEbCis7xj8fEkGandqi02dbd0y6eEbTkjhiEaKGuGbjVKVN5abLRO2qHK4wWTSvPXnmTW8aiIxrFGPSCgZFZ3e6nqlf4VMikfH7nCcIOZCFjlhDFZu5JggaWA/s1600/house.jpg" width="800" /></a>
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What i really love about the viewing was that the unit was clean and vacant. So when i entered the unit, i was able to visualize what i could do with the apartment (remember the 'house ideas' folder?) The owner explained the place well and i sort of could foresee myself living in this space, after the revamp of course.<br />
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I needed some time to consider and went to talk to a couple of my close friends and Oh! I also had to talk to my parents and they were slightly taken aback by the decision. They started asking weird questions like, "<i>Are you unhappy here?</i>", "<i>Are we giving you any stress?</i>", "<i>This house we are staying in is gonna be yours eventually</i>" I was like LOL i cannot deal with this but in the end i approached them separately to tell them it's like an investment plus it is my goal to own a place before i turned 30, then assure them it will take some time to transit and i'm not going to stay at my new place 24/7 immediately blah blah blah. Phew.<br />
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The last step was to setup a meeting with my financial advisor (FA) to talk about reallocation of funds, and way forward. That session was honestly not easy because despite my whole comprehensive excel sheet (<i>which i tediously prepared the night before</i>), there were still some resistance because of the whole Covid-economy downturn situation but towards the second hour, he seem somewhat convinced (or maybe not, i hope he is not reading this. lol) and we concluded that if this is what i want, let's go ahead and start the whole process.<br />
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<b>Day 1:</b><br />
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Texted the seller with my seller with my offer (<i>a couple of thousands off what he was asking for as i had my own considerations</i>) By the same evening, the offer was accepted and we kick-started the process by putting down the "deposit", also known as "Option Fee" which is 1% of the sale.</div>
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<b>Day 3:</b></div>
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Met up with a mortgage broker (recommended by my good friend) He seemed really sincere and explained the different type of loans clearly so i decided to go ahead with him and at the same time, engaged the lawyer that recommended who will help to process everything till the completion of sale in October.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKvVDPX52jE7wQuWIX_SLY1noTCGUaZ8e6RWNSbZCLEKt8fyvkOxdjjjX9Na7bv6jwy0909zVDm6pC2w4SoT-3OOQAYhD90l4HjbyRfvuqPEH68YueWBAcbACRgfru7KhgOg5HMROzhQ/s1600/OTP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKvVDPX52jE7wQuWIX_SLY1noTCGUaZ8e6RWNSbZCLEKt8fyvkOxdjjjX9Na7bv6jwy0909zVDm6pC2w4SoT-3OOQAYhD90l4HjbyRfvuqPEH68YueWBAcbACRgfru7KhgOg5HMROzhQ/s1600/OTP.jpg" width="800" /></a></div>
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Seller came over to my place that night to pass me the first official document and said, </div>
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"<i>Congrats on your new place</i>" Shit just got real, it's official.</div>
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So now i have the next 2 weeks to settle what needs to be settled. Mainly getting the bank loan approved. Getting my FA to reallocate my funds, prepare a cheque for the next 4% (also known as exercise fee). I'll also have to pay the Buyer Stamp Duty (BSD) which is basically a 5 digit tax amount to the government. </div>
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/xiaoheartpain.<br />
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<b>Day 10:</b><br />
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One week into the exercise period and today i was informed that my bank loan was approved! Made an appointment go down to the law firm this Saturday to "exercise the option" and i have to bring a couple of things such as my IC, the original copy of OTP document and a cheque book. This is the part when you start forking out the 5 figure sums and there are 2 options to pay it. Obviously it's not as easy as paying via PayNow or Paylah! where you can just use the app and transfer on the spot. The 2 methods are via cheque or this thing which i just learnt called the "<i>Cashier Order</i>"<br />
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I don't think most of us have a cheque book lying around so it's either you request one from the bank. OCBC charges a $10 fee and delivery of the cheque book via 5-7 workings days. I honestly don't see why commoners like most of us need a cheque book but still, good to have i guess.<br />
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As for the other option, you can go to the bank and request for a <b>cashier order</b>. What the bank does is basically prepare a cheque on your behalf (and it will cost $5 per check) The amount stated on the check will be immediately deducted from your bank account and will be held by the bank. The only 2 ways that the money will be released will be either <b>1.</b> The recipient stated on the cheque cashes the cheque out or <b>2.</b> You yourself bring the cheque back to the bank and have it returned to your account (admin fee of $5 applies. IKR, wth. Own $$ still need to pay a fee...成何体统!) So i requested for 2 cheque. 1 for the 4% exercise fee and 1 for the BSD.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigjj8-zaDbqhVjlO3RZQBquZCkDCiETAChDfWq7ziWYhgp9SmgbcjWsP90kckONT0qGYJxb0vHW564_IXhR1ei4lB8w6-_gwjvJftv8uqSeHmcXeQcYleurz_HbfsRbAQaHBhwZN4eviI/s1600/reno.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="1540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigjj8-zaDbqhVjlO3RZQBquZCkDCiETAChDfWq7ziWYhgp9SmgbcjWsP90kckONT0qGYJxb0vHW564_IXhR1ei4lB8w6-_gwjvJftv8uqSeHmcXeQcYleurz_HbfsRbAQaHBhwZN4eviI/s1600/reno.jpg" width="800" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">( I google imaged the above photo)</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Recently I've been spending a lot of time looking at renovation ideas and was deciding between having to engage my own contractors or hire an Interior designer (ID) instead. Both have their pros and cons and i would think that sourcing for my own contractors will be a much cheaper option but it also means that i have to handle all the coordination and make sure they do a proper job, which honestly can be quite tedious and taxing if i have a few reno works running back to back plus hello, i have a full time job. LOL</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Just sourcing for one simple glass door over the past few days i want to die already. (<i>Anyway a glass door is really expensive omg. Like $600+???</i>) I haven't venture into finding a contractor to tear down a certain feature and building a wall. *facepalm* So now i'm actually having second thoughts about doing everything myself.</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">On a side note, i'll be getting my keys on 08/08! Huat date! *insert pineapple emoji*</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><b>Day 15:</b></span><br />
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Going back to the law firm (again) tomorrow to submit the final documents. Last update i mentioned about the cashier order and guess what? The name reflected on one of the cheque was wrong *<i>facepalm</i>* Not my fault, the lawyer firm's GM didn't indicate the full recipient so i had to go back to the bank and spend $5 to cancel the cashier order and another $5 to make a new one. TMD, waste my $10. (The lawyer fee cost me $2288 fyi.)<br />
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Over the past few days, i have been talking to a few IDs and contractors. Gosh, it's so tiring trying to explain my requirements over and over again. Most of the time i'm just telling them what i want (instead of letting them design, kinda defeat the purpose of getting an ID but still) and getting them to quote me for the works. So what i did after the first few was to give the rest a set of photos with all my doodles and comments, and i told them if they are unsure about any of the images, just call me. Rather than i explain one by one.<br />
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When the first quotation came (surprisingly costing only half of my budget), i was like can i just go ahead with this. The items are definitely marked up, like i wanted this feature paint wall which the ID quoted <b>$950</b> but i got a quote at half the price by a contractor. So obviously i will remove these smaller items from all the quotations and engage the external contractors instead. But still, i will patiently wait for more quotations (like every other home owner) and compare them, check their reviews/ portfolio before deciding on one.<br />
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At the same time i'm also starting to look at furniture. Been browsing online stores like <b><a href="https://www.hipvan.com/" target="_blank">Hipvan</a></b>, <b><a href="https://www.fortytwo.sg/" target="_blank">Fortytwo</a></b> and taking screenshots of items which i'm considering the new place once the reno is done up. I think over the next few weeks i will just visit some physical showrooms as well to take a look at furniture.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>08 Aug 2020:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I lost count of the no. of the days but i know today is 8th of august which is 08/08 and it seem like a pretty auspicious day and it's also officially the first day i took over my new house! Went over after lunch to film a couple of short "things to do when moving into a new place" videos which includes:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWIDjV7FvIOgop8yNFSTDMPdlsYFc9YX3BG4XKZXkYObqvALEGcYjjl62fYKt3AuLXNa6R4KMYrVpAvAmdZ7eOYJj5DJeXnBAGHiGGRDZESYwx571Xm-lc5mIc291z6B3TdwyPTukYVEY/s2048/B573E3E4-64C3-4BCE-8EFB-511EFEF46A14-035D7385-9597-4170-B0E5-DA288321D038.jpg" style="display: inline; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1362" data-original-width="2048" height="533" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWIDjV7FvIOgop8yNFSTDMPdlsYFc9YX3BG4XKZXkYObqvALEGcYjjl62fYKt3AuLXNa6R4KMYrVpAvAmdZ7eOYJj5DJeXnBAGHiGGRDZESYwx571Xm-lc5mIc291z6B3TdwyPTukYVEY/w800-h533/B573E3E4-64C3-4BCE-8EFB-511EFEF46A14-035D7385-9597-4170-B0E5-DA288321D038.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">1. Rolling of pineapple into the house. LOL</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">and some other "rituals" like carrying auspicious items into the house (in my case, fruits), opening of all windows and doors to allow the air to flow through and also turning on all water taps and electrical appliances. I spent some time just sitting there staring at the place and it just felt so surreal. It's like, i did it. I really did own a place of my own at the age of 30. I still have to go over to take measurements and take some "before" photos so that i can do a comparison after renovation is done.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRRaDxjavpzyEjwWRjJuc1pgSrr-mprZe1nEWtENAJyaxqR1ljxJ4N9TFTy7bZDCH4q2qo_zFiTGFhbeaZppw1r5_5Hw9O3wWbm1DXctcQB7PIVmPw5YTuMA9n0fQrsTBS2ruXGrlJ53g/s2048/68D5C58F-4161-4077-83CF-C7F2AD5EDAF3-B35EE699-2B1E-4849-9CED-708F155E5E5A.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1428" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRRaDxjavpzyEjwWRjJuc1pgSrr-mprZe1nEWtENAJyaxqR1ljxJ4N9TFTy7bZDCH4q2qo_zFiTGFhbeaZppw1r5_5Hw9O3wWbm1DXctcQB7PIVmPw5YTuMA9n0fQrsTBS2ruXGrlJ53g/s640/68D5C58F-4161-4077-83CF-C7F2AD5EDAF3-B35EE699-2B1E-4849-9CED-708F155E5E5A.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Went over to a couple of places such as DAISO, IKEA and Giant to get some cleaning supplies as well as temporary furniture such as table and chairs so that at least there is decent place to have meals and stuff for the time being. The cleaning part was crazy (there is still a lot of things to clean...) Gosh, now i know why people hate doing household chores. I'll probably be heading over to the place over the next few days to continue cleaning and take measurements so i can start sourcing for furniture during the renovation period!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Met a couple of IDs and got quite a number of quotations over the past few days so i'm taking this long weekend to decide on which ID to go with. There are quotations that were (surprisingly way) below my budget and there are those exorbitant ones so i really have to scrutinize through each line item, read reviews and then finally engage one company to do up my place. Hopefully renovation can start in 2 to 3 weeks time!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>12 Aug 2020:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After looking through 5 quotations from 5 different ID firms, i finally decided on one. Not the cheapest among the 5 but i chose them due to the rapport i had with the ID (and also the firm came up with a few designs which went viral on FB) Went through a few rounds of refining the quotation and met the designer to sign the contract as well to pay the deposit. Phew, the last few weeks has been crazy. Note: I still have a full time job. LOL</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivnlpOzN15xNQ3sA8VL7x2LTrPsMGEKP3kcZQxpkA9APKvG6Ci2HTvkUDugUIdqIzYW9mnPW5YbrZFO-uAfXpeG_ck-l4eiW2c5wib0RC3K_8-D1-MT5jwcxK0_4kKmkPMOuhAmHJFlFY/s1197/2ddee167-a3b3-465a-a7a7-88831002f624.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1005" data-original-width="1197" height="537" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivnlpOzN15xNQ3sA8VL7x2LTrPsMGEKP3kcZQxpkA9APKvG6Ci2HTvkUDugUIdqIzYW9mnPW5YbrZFO-uAfXpeG_ck-l4eiW2c5wib0RC3K_8-D1-MT5jwcxK0_4kKmkPMOuhAmHJFlFY/w640-h537/2ddee167-a3b3-465a-a7a7-88831002f624.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now that i paid the deposit, the ID will then move on to the next phase which will be to do up the 3D design of my space so i get a better idea of how the after-reno will look like. Only when i'm satisfied then they will commence with the renovation. They will also provide a tentative timeline on what kind of works they will commence at the different phases. On top of all these, i still have get a permit from my condo to do renovation.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>25 Aug 2020:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Projected date to start renovation is actually on the 1st of Sep which is exactly one week from today and... i foresee there is gonna be a delay. The 3D is not out yet (and bound to have edits), then still have a site meeting with the electricians and we are still awaiting approval from the condo (the permit was just submitted today...)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZcWhtmsDqRmRL3cHEYV-mYjyJQRRBO05LqNHwmx1sp7yNxXiVYhf28IPDWwAgNNKlREsEwLMcJ7duP4bwGUqTC4GpjpIolZCRNWpNMQ9NANrEHc3hWRPU2Uzi4cXDmOlRcXw2TSN9sKw/s1599/d0554cf3-d96f-4c9d-960e-07f232307007.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1083" data-original-width="1599" height="676" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZcWhtmsDqRmRL3cHEYV-mYjyJQRRBO05LqNHwmx1sp7yNxXiVYhf28IPDWwAgNNKlREsEwLMcJ7duP4bwGUqTC4GpjpIolZCRNWpNMQ9NANrEHc3hWRPU2Uzi4cXDmOlRcXw2TSN9sKw/w1000-h676/d0554cf3-d96f-4c9d-960e-07f232307007.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(This is what i have been doing during my free time, lol)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the meantime, i have been looking at furniture, which i have more or less confirm what i'm getting for the house. Taking measurements and making sure everything can fit nicely and according to the theme. Made some purchases along the way in advance because of certain promotions which i came across. For example, Haylee was having a flash sale of $50 OFF due to National Day so i bought it and delivered it to my current place. Can save $50 leh, why not right? Who knows when is the next time they gonna have a promo again. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On top of that i also bought a floor lamp and mirror from Casterly, which was also running a promo at that time. I can only buy the smaller items though. The bulky items like bed frame and sofa have to wait until the house is ready, which is probably only in October. Along the way i also bought some basic items for the house like cups, utensils, a mop and some decorative items.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At the same time, i have also been liaising with external vendors to do up certain portion of the house as part of the interior design. Basically, it means that i found cheaper alternatives to certain items that the interior designer has quoted. For example, i was quoted by my ID say $800 to $1000 for a glass door which i intend to install for my walk-in wardrobe, but one of my friend recommended her friend who owns a glass business and is able to do it at $600. Of course I'll choose to go with the $600 one right. In the end I'm doing glass doors for my 2 rooms.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On top of that, i also engaged vendors to do up my walk-in wardrobe, wallpaper, kitchen and a few other stuff. The amount of coordination is crazy. But at least i have my ID to settle the main bulk of the work. Imagine i just so decided that i will not go with an ID and do everything on my own, i think i will just go crazy. LOL</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>14th Sep 2020:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The past 2.5 weeks has been crazy and guess what, renovation have yet to start since the last update * insert face palm* Like i mentioned earlier, the projected date to start was 1st Sep and i expected delay <b>but</b> i totally did not expect 2 full weeks of delay, LOL Partly it was also because the ID was doing up the 3D to give me an idea of how the after-reno should turn out and if i was unsatisfied or wish to change anything, we can discuss before reno officially starts. Just gonna share a couple of the 3D rendering here:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxkoUeBA5FwAN3AS8sVz1wBbpvmDhuBwqz5HSHQRg8hE1Z5AZlUc7DEM16OX9r9-6K2yr_xoTuQ8602e_Lq-8f8ILx_U1Me-8MzvpRHBHVB1EL6LfY-MBC-Q0P9YH6McYgp5Gr9ZnGNpg/s1442/3D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="721" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxkoUeBA5FwAN3AS8sVz1wBbpvmDhuBwqz5HSHQRg8hE1Z5AZlUc7DEM16OX9r9-6K2yr_xoTuQ8602e_Lq-8f8ILx_U1Me-8MzvpRHBHVB1EL6LfY-MBC-Q0P9YH6McYgp5Gr9ZnGNpg/w625-h313/3D.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><i>These are not completed yet but the general idea is somewhat there.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;">I was really excited when i saw the 3D rendering and i was like, "<i>wow my house could possibly look like this</i>" Of course the furniture is plucked from the ID's software catalogue but i think myself and ID are quite aligned in terms of what kind of furniture would fit the overall theme so i'm not so worried. The placement and stuff is based off the hand-drawn layout you guys saw earlier in this post. Part of me also feel that i shouldn't place my expectation too high like the final place is gonna 100% turn out like the images so i'm giving it a bit of discount.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Met up with my ID to choose the flooring, tiles, wall colour over the past week and today we did a site visit with the electrician. The quotation came up to <b>$1.6k</b> and tbh i got a shock. I didn't expect the figure to be so high but apparently it's normal. All the small little items might not cost much on its own but when everything is put together, it became a huge sum (just like shopping at NTUC, lol) This $1.6k is all electrical work like shifting/ creating new power points, concealing of unsightly wires etc, installation of lighting etc. <b>EXCLUDING</b> the physical lighting/bulbs so over the next few days i have to go source for my own lightings.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Halfway during the site survey just now, my ID casually said, "<i>tomorrow we are starting with the hacking</i>" and i was like "<b>TOMORROW???</b>" I was like woah. So unprepared, like the day is finally here??? I then spent the rest of the day shifting everything into the store room. Armed with a drill, i removed the curtains, dismantled the rails, kept the existing TV and wiring, kept all the kitchen stuff blah blah blah. Ready for renovation.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Over the 9.9 sale, i also made a few thousand bucks worth of purchases (saving some $$ along the way cos i was religiously collecting vouchers, lol) I bought my bed frame, my sofa, my dining table, some appliances and arranged the delivery to be around the 3rd week of October when renovation should be more or less there. Had to arrange with my external vendors (door, wardrobe, wallpaper just to name a few) to set installation dates and i hope everything can be done by my birthday next month! *cross fingers*. Over the next couple of weeks, i will drop by my house every now and then to see the progress and also take some shots to update this post! :)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>22nd Sep 2020:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Renovation has officially started, even though I still felt that the progress is slow but my ID has reaffirmed that we will completed everything by 10th October, which leaves me about a week for the external contractors to complete the final touch up for the house. The whole idea is to have the place done up (90%-ish) so I can spend my birthday this year assembling the remaining furniture to complete the space! (Might sound boring but I think I will enjoy my day at my new place, hehe) Prior to renovation, the workers laid all these protection sheets all over the house to prevent damage into areas like the door, the kitchen, the floors etc.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU4p2s3RJEhx2xkwfLQ_pnuIcY8CaAEpPRjdQHohyphenhyphen0uW-OyIxBZpSqfRYYmesYGlogx9taVWfu3Mz8XuQqPFYNGkxvhvFwTGsM9sHp1pTbnSzviyoDg9OSLYFF6YADHlPvQTcHOqkAlb8/s1200/IMG_8596.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU4p2s3RJEhx2xkwfLQ_pnuIcY8CaAEpPRjdQHohyphenhyphen0uW-OyIxBZpSqfRYYmesYGlogx9taVWfu3Mz8XuQqPFYNGkxvhvFwTGsM9sHp1pTbnSzviyoDg9OSLYFF6YADHlPvQTcHOqkAlb8/s16000/IMG_8596.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The whole TV console wall removed! It's a pity to some but it doesn't fit the overall theme that I want.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7hxYqNfEwsWbF8jN3EhextZwHlRMHp8aFX3A5VO0Nvi8nOhiTs57UJKHs1vL6etEoazUxMWryFG2djdFGat6dQRm1J5830Q5naAzLGh_WWg9umrqERdKaZ1ivNDC6PmHLdWf1ZTEv4bA/s1200/IMG_8597.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7hxYqNfEwsWbF8jN3EhextZwHlRMHp8aFX3A5VO0Nvi8nOhiTs57UJKHs1vL6etEoazUxMWryFG2djdFGat6dQRm1J5830Q5naAzLGh_WWg9umrqERdKaZ1ivNDC6PmHLdWf1ZTEv4bA/s16000/IMG_8597.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I also removed the <s>full functional</s> wardrobe! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's a little wasteful also but I have no use for the wardrobe anymore since I'm converting the study to a walk in wardrobe. Removing the wardrobe in the master bedroom will make space for shelves and also a study table. Suddenly without the wall and the wardrobe, i suddenly feel that the house is so much more spacious. But then again, the next step would be to rebuild a new wall because I still prefer to have a proper bedroom with walls.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrbormnAM9nGpx8syA6UeEwpkSbgbMua-to-A9v8DqShQ4uFiOz-qCwRRxATLaqct4Wrcw8uot8MiG2P4NokDaAF6jKcp2mZPt531-KJ2tLAfWjubxD0qVGugi86fToHPzOs4uTOUmoTE/s1200/IMG_8743.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrbormnAM9nGpx8syA6UeEwpkSbgbMua-to-A9v8DqShQ4uFiOz-qCwRRxATLaqct4Wrcw8uot8MiG2P4NokDaAF6jKcp2mZPt531-KJ2tLAfWjubxD0qVGugi86fToHPzOs4uTOUmoTE/s16000/IMG_8743.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Materials got delivered a couple of days back to reconstruct a brand new wall! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: right;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: right;">They are also going to retile the toilet shower wall to this grey stone tiles which I picked at the showroom. It's currently this brown marble which I decided to replace so it fits the overall theme of the house. (Hmm, I realized I have yet to show the "before" in this post... I'll probably do it at the end where I will do a side by side comparison of the before and after) After this will be electrical works, then wet works (cement screed-ing the walls and painting) then we have the overlaying of vinyl for the entire house, installation of lights and fans, then the external contractors will start coming in to finish up the rest of the place. i.e. the wardrobe pole system, the glass door installations, the wallpaper installation and oh ya, the re-laminating of the kitchen cabinets!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: right;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: right;">On top of that, the furniture will also arrive one by one throughout the week. Omg, it does sounds like there's a lot more work to do and I only have 3 weeks left till my birthday. It's also almost time to make an appointment at the lawyer's to complete the final step of the house transaction.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: right;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: right;"><b>6th October 2020:</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: right;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We are now into October and here are some updates! Went to the law firm yesterday to submit the final (and biggest) cheque to seal the deal because it's finally the date of completion tomorrow! So by right if i didn't take over the place 2 months early, tomorrow will be the official day I would collect my keys at the law firm but the previous owner and I discussed and since they have already vacated the place, I don't mind taking over the place early so that I can start renovation first. So we got our lawyers to do up an indemnity form that I will cover the maintenance fee, the utilities and prevailing property tax.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anyway, reno is scheduled to finish this Saturday, 10/10 - which means that there is literally 3 more working days before it's done. But the thing is... i just went to visit my place just now after work and it feels like it's 40% done? I honestly have no idea how the rest of the reno will be complete within the next 3 days. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Before i go on, here are some photo updates:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8dSnq4-6AlJ2quXPx_8VTna_NTrEN247a6sTko3usMj5xnSAxFwl-VOKJnekmBk14YYm3E6WcV7zuciEyJdlyGPAJ4FeW-TnPbykXeXX-Be7xeDqwBueG64_Bljof2jFF3Cu7z3IfqMc/s2048/IMG_8892.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8dSnq4-6AlJ2quXPx_8VTna_NTrEN247a6sTko3usMj5xnSAxFwl-VOKJnekmBk14YYm3E6WcV7zuciEyJdlyGPAJ4FeW-TnPbykXeXX-Be7xeDqwBueG64_Bljof2jFF3Cu7z3IfqMc/s16000/IMG_8892.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the earlier update, they hacked away the existing TV wall and now they reconstructed a brand new wall in its place but had to do a couple of amendments to it. Firstly it was too thin so had to add another layer so that it's thicker but they had to use partition (which means the wall will be hollow on the bedroom side) and I was concerned if the wall won't be strong enough in case I want to mount something on the wall in the future. So they re-did the wall by adding some plywood inside for support.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeXBNAGEvr_fSl107UxMvEwganOt5erGPW3iKO-poac0kMc3FZPezaz_-g2JMAnFSn2Zy_cfmxPOwVhbBGhZL1XuGmiVEDH-cHM6-yKlDipwv40PBnmHn4NtUAAEZtKAy4IrkaLfSSKeY/s2048/IMG_8924.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1386" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeXBNAGEvr_fSl107UxMvEwganOt5erGPW3iKO-poac0kMc3FZPezaz_-g2JMAnFSn2Zy_cfmxPOwVhbBGhZL1XuGmiVEDH-cHM6-yKlDipwv40PBnmHn4NtUAAEZtKAy4IrkaLfSSKeY/s16000/IMG_8924.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Phase 1 of the electrical works completed. </div><div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I bought all my lightings from Shopee by the way. I will talk more about the lights when it's up. So anyway within the next 3 days, they have to tile the bathroom wall, creed and paint the entire unit, vinyl the whole place and install all the lightings and power points. So if everything goes well, Saturday will be the general washing before handing over the unit back to me. Then next week all the external vendors and furniture delivery will come in throughout the week. There is the wall paper installation, the glass door measurement, installation of ceiling fan and the re-lamination of kitchen cabinets.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ahyphenhyphenaKnvjB8IMxDOcRVdWDHOTiwiuZannuWlyKQoE0YZ1Gn77zG2Tp722QzmwghqPcdJG4LH_F2kr34tkxed-ofTx0gqNuDbSPP02wLh-4Egdx0pbbk0LNYMOF9KOHahI2J2fOAZEBl8/s2048/IMG_8894.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ahyphenhyphenaKnvjB8IMxDOcRVdWDHOTiwiuZannuWlyKQoE0YZ1Gn77zG2Tp722QzmwghqPcdJG4LH_F2kr34tkxed-ofTx0gqNuDbSPP02wLh-4Egdx0pbbk0LNYMOF9KOHahI2J2fOAZEBl8/s16000/IMG_8894.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The place is like a warzone now, LOL</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>08th October 2020:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The place is officially mine! What a milestone. 2 months just passed like that. I still remember rolling the pineapple on 08/08, the frequent visits to the law firm and that hectic period comparing IDs after IDs and getting quotes from everywhere, phew. I still remember just 2 weeks ago I was complaining about the slow progress for the renovation but now it seem to be going at a much quicker pace, it's like every day there are works and I see changes here and there. Just visited the place yesterday and the place looks kinda different now. The renovation is about 75% done and my ID promised that it would be done by the 10th (which is in 2 days time) /excited.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnbNDzP7ShJW-weCLfZt_IjFOvkwWGmdayZrmXK22EoZCcIebeL4GtgCGnyh7Tg1dP4nuSpVwvtObDsFDZEmdaKqjD_dwe41LQevsD7kSal2me59e1kA5zCu3AxCZkCekG-YyN6AXGg1A/s1280/paint.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnbNDzP7ShJW-weCLfZt_IjFOvkwWGmdayZrmXK22EoZCcIebeL4GtgCGnyh7Tg1dP4nuSpVwvtObDsFDZEmdaKqjD_dwe41LQevsD7kSal2me59e1kA5zCu3AxCZkCekG-YyN6AXGg1A/s16000/paint.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The rooms were painted and I'm really pleased with the selection of colour. The greys were just nice and not over bearing. My ID proposed to do a half half for the bedroom and I was like sure and I'm so glad it turned out well.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4MweHk-Fq_ObwVQkOxSWvYj54jlp7xBlIewifeNgeA9N07m_JtvArtSQIx82QtJWmJxkQz3HujuiIq5xotLKPdnEck3_9tycw9fF1tItuQyECCnmoPtfFOiCU_AyWiWklPk-H_CcQios/s1280/screed.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4MweHk-Fq_ObwVQkOxSWvYj54jlp7xBlIewifeNgeA9N07m_JtvArtSQIx82QtJWmJxkQz3HujuiIq5xotLKPdnEck3_9tycw9fF1tItuQyECCnmoPtfFOiCU_AyWiWklPk-H_CcQios/s16000/screed.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They also did the cement screed in the entire living area. It does not look flattering in photos partly because the house is pretty dark (yet to install lighting) and apparently the cement is still fresh and has yet to dry and they have yet to "seal" it with a layer of don't know what. I really hope the cement screed will turned out how I imagined it to be (I paid so much for it leh, lol) I could have just painted it normal and save some money.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3SmKRzutQQtW_Etpnw7sG_sEzPVLth7Wnf-qoRX0AT2YCHJngyl3ts4LPxlBkRgCondS5n4RecsRQ33dnVCBFOW7aF_CDpjbwFsaH2s6fTWCxDcGhfk-Sa2ObkdUR99IhUpaBr4ajavE/s1280/toilet.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="858" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3SmKRzutQQtW_Etpnw7sG_sEzPVLth7Wnf-qoRX0AT2YCHJngyl3ts4LPxlBkRgCondS5n4RecsRQ33dnVCBFOW7aF_CDpjbwFsaH2s6fTWCxDcGhfk-Sa2ObkdUR99IhUpaBr4ajavE/s16000/toilet.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I also had my bathroom wall tiled with grey stone to compliment the entire grey-industrial theme of my house. At first I did not do anything to the bathroom because it was pretty costly to change everything from wall to the floor and I was also told that if I were to change the overall look, there is a need to change all the fixtures (basin, shower, toilet bowl etc.) as well. So nah, in the end I just paid that $700 to change the brown wall to grey stone, good enough for now. I'll show the before and after next time then you guys see whether it's worth it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Tomorrow they will complete the rest of the renovation which is to overlay the entire unit with the vinyl that I picked, plus they will install all the electrical and lightings. I'll probably go over and see the end result after work tomorrow and also to take some photos to update here. Saturday they will do some painting touch up here and there and early next week they will do a general post-reno cleaning and I will have all the external vendors to finish up the rest of the place.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>10th October 2020:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I've got to say I'm quite surprised at how fast things moved during the last week of renovation. So today is supposed to be the day that all renovation should be done and my ID did deliver her promise! (even though there are still some rectification works to be done) but all in all, the major works are all completed. We decided that we should delay the general washing to the following week only after rectifications are completed. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Regardless, I can now safely move on to the next phase which is for the external vendors to start coming in from next week onwards to finish up the rest of the house.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhodPEOEzRSUb2QEceMvwdIitDEcu5mW6iFEA6is38MSkEKUL_1raHj-eHnk4fY5Y8x4I87i54xDP9tE_uUXim4HnXxu2yG9SINXht-2aK3rBzZoQ5VfNdAY2NtksZTeFMxtHQgYRtoBxY/s1200/floor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="752" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhodPEOEzRSUb2QEceMvwdIitDEcu5mW6iFEA6is38MSkEKUL_1raHj-eHnk4fY5Y8x4I87i54xDP9tE_uUXim4HnXxu2yG9SINXht-2aK3rBzZoQ5VfNdAY2NtksZTeFMxtHQgYRtoBxY/s16000/floor.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Vinyl flooring has been laid throughout the entire house. (The floor is still dirty in the photo, i will show the clean ones next time, lol) Black wood Herringbone design for the study/ walk-in wardrobe (I love it!) and light concrete design for the masterbed room. Out of the 3 different vinyl designs i chose, i was most satisfied with...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZJMU7XNwwTEhuheybHGq3Z__UEUD3R55n7ttiN3N9cZw-gOO8xe5sa5-y-uJlyOWj2TWP44OoB8LHd7AFZNJ_wxErQ4HjZo8TXwpMgVRNF92ECj07e665toVI-Kjmktk-0ONJjIBXdFU/s1200/IMG_9011.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZJMU7XNwwTEhuheybHGq3Z__UEUD3R55n7ttiN3N9cZw-gOO8xe5sa5-y-uJlyOWj2TWP44OoB8LHd7AFZNJ_wxErQ4HjZo8TXwpMgVRNF92ECj07e665toVI-Kjmktk-0ONJjIBXdFU/s16000/IMG_9011.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The living concrete vinyl! It's exactly how i imagined it to be!! It's not the typical kind of rectangle long vinyl which you will see the obvious joint lines but mine is some kind of huge square pieces put together. With the flooring done, i would see the obvious change in the entire house and i was so happy at the overall outlook :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh04dkOQuOzwc0Fp3w_NkICUjZ14EidFVrVlXrh_i7CPtC9EJKpPr6ubAVGCu0yVVpkqmnrdtVhKJV6WFzKuWgu91J4IONvRBPsxiH9AeLopPJ1s2xnY4M2nSgsXK9xXrFCgxlKbss6tR8/s1200/conduit.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="752" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh04dkOQuOzwc0Fp3w_NkICUjZ14EidFVrVlXrh_i7CPtC9EJKpPr6ubAVGCu0yVVpkqmnrdtVhKJV6WFzKuWgu91J4IONvRBPsxiH9AeLopPJ1s2xnY4M2nSgsXK9xXrFCgxlKbss6tR8/s16000/conduit.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Electrician also came to complete the ceiling conduit pipe design and they kindly helped me change all my existing switch to black and installed my smart switches as well (the <i>Legrand</i> matt black switches were bought from Shopee) Now with the ceiling conduit pipe design up, i could totally get the whole industrial feel.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgycWbdYOJ9bdL1wZDCQJDE9GITKpJAZYezWFUzge3gHeKgWGc-2Ui0AmkQtMd39fkP2uV7guwDHVbyze-Z-87ghWLLtaWhizJVMWZdS2e7dJ4IERwG-grkKD4nBmhx0OKkIbH8_eFJ_pE/s1200/335CC221-EF3B-481B-8D66-9B5EC371EC29.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgycWbdYOJ9bdL1wZDCQJDE9GITKpJAZYezWFUzge3gHeKgWGc-2Ui0AmkQtMd39fkP2uV7guwDHVbyze-Z-87ghWLLtaWhizJVMWZdS2e7dJ4IERwG-grkKD4nBmhx0OKkIbH8_eFJ_pE/s16000/335CC221-EF3B-481B-8D66-9B5EC371EC29.JPG" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I totally love how the conduit pipe links down to the wall switch!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So there are certain switches in the house which i changed to smart switches so that when the wifi is up, i can configure to use google assistant for voice control. Speaking about WIFI, i was doing my research on the various broadband plans available and i finally decided on Starhub as they was running a promotion of $34.90/ month (<i>for OCBC card members, usual $39.90/ month</i>) which is the cheapest among all the plans, and i somehow feel that the "bigger" brands are the more reliable one. They will be coming down to install it next week! YAYYY</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-1-3qggRn7zXCHp6UC20kvD9GIj8GKoBhMgh9h9nI1uRBOgBj-4xUCf_zU2ZjXHmxkIXOetclTVMLYSX6XYEin5re2y-kM-IaiaiYL7csLZ4UwNyK2hJEDtivlP950FETyL7LLKI9-A/s800/recti.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="642" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-1-3qggRn7zXCHp6UC20kvD9GIj8GKoBhMgh9h9nI1uRBOgBj-4xUCf_zU2ZjXHmxkIXOetclTVMLYSX6XYEin5re2y-kM-IaiaiYL7csLZ4UwNyK2hJEDtivlP950FETyL7LLKI9-A/s16000/recti.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Earlier on i mentioned about some rectification works to be done before general cleaning and it's relevant to the BTO defect checks. So the above are some of the nitty gritty that i wasn't satisfied with. Cracks here and there, never plaster the wall properly, never paint certain parts of the wall etc. But my ID was very apologetic and immediately arranged for the contractors to rectify them so kudos to her!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now that the reno works are done, the following week will be pretty busy and I'm looking forward to see house transform further! Next up, wall paper, walk in wardrobe, ceiling fan, kitchen and glass door installation! Oh! and not forgetting furniture delivery throughout the entire week as well! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>14th October:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Busy day. Vendors after vendors throughout the entire day but everything went very well. In fact, i don't know how but out of the 4 vendors, 3 called to ask if they can reschedule to earlier and it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. When one left, another came almost immediately and by late afternoon, the last vendor which was the cleaning company that my ID engaged came to clean up the entire house. Everything was back to back.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhh0bvmL9FmvUae-A5gUHQZBVMeREI_NI3JoUN_FJUciXKSmbolcZy4gULPI0Cq4QWRYJunfZIQKn2Q2CvO6na0dlc_GHG3sVhgzE99bEF1gQa7rz6dSNIevOQ5oGIq-dNic02b2SVVU/s1280/ceiling+fan.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhh0bvmL9FmvUae-A5gUHQZBVMeREI_NI3JoUN_FJUciXKSmbolcZy4gULPI0Cq4QWRYJunfZIQKn2Q2CvO6na0dlc_GHG3sVhgzE99bEF1gQa7rz6dSNIevOQ5oGIq-dNic02b2SVVU/s16000/ceiling+fan.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The day started early in the morning when <b><i>Everled</i></b> came to install the 2 matt black ceiling fan which i bought from them. (the fans even came with free installation!) One for the living room and one for the bedroom. I was really pleased at the design and size that i chose! Everything was chop chop done within an hour. Thumbs up!</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYYm44hUcaskkexG92S7QSoxKzCKbiTgioM6dB9oxuU_TPXKP03DfOc8_LTiT0OYu-8dOvosDJKNtMfmth69vFRFfkj9rhaIPY-3sIJyogMP70SWX3d6EA3VsdfMGgJ_9QqrBP6iqIy_k/s1280/wallpaper.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYYm44hUcaskkexG92S7QSoxKzCKbiTgioM6dB9oxuU_TPXKP03DfOc8_LTiT0OYu-8dOvosDJKNtMfmth69vFRFfkj9rhaIPY-3sIJyogMP70SWX3d6EA3VsdfMGgJ_9QqrBP6iqIy_k/s16000/wallpaper.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Shortly after the Everled guys left, the wallpaper guys from <i><b>Wallhub</b></i> arrived. I was really excited for the wallpaper to be up because i feel that it would complete the whole outlook of the house. Another reason is because i only communicated to the sales rep via text on what design i want and i did not really get to see the actual design in real life. (I've been to their showroom once prior but it was purely just browsing and enquiry)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So when they unroll the wallpaper, i heaved a sign of relief because it's exactly what i wanted! The colour tone, the size, the details. The installers were very professional and i was so amazed at how quickly and seamlessly they put up the wallpaper. When i posted an IG story on it, some people even thought the wall was real tiles, lol. By the way, the wall would have cost me a few thousand bucks if i were to do the real thing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid4IwWsV3zvvZ7cD-eQac7lQf6kR52tFzxoBbq2OIBYkX5hNn_Jw6FGlt6lJa_b09pypr2y7xlZCzK3MEJyE4YRr8eOEtdm1S0JvNQAhSI8QR6g_PXx6WyQT6d5OhDatjtxtiPkKYjhG8/s1130/wardrobe.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="1130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid4IwWsV3zvvZ7cD-eQac7lQf6kR52tFzxoBbq2OIBYkX5hNn_Jw6FGlt6lJa_b09pypr2y7xlZCzK3MEJyE4YRr8eOEtdm1S0JvNQAhSI8QR6g_PXx6WyQT6d5OhDatjtxtiPkKYjhG8/s16000/wardrobe.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Just when the wallpaper guys were packing up, OPSH arrived. The funny thing is, they were scheduled to be the first thing in the morning but they later ask to come in the afternoon instead. Heng ah, if not the house would just be filled with everyone from different companies at the same time.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">When i first bought the house, i knew the study would definitely be converted into a walk-in wardrobe (I honestly can't think of another use for the study room. I could have saved quite a bit of $$ and get a 1 bedder but nah, the place would be too small for my liking) I did my research on open concept walk-in wardrobe and narrowed down to OPSH which specializes in modular pole system wardrobe. I even made a trip to their showroom prior and was immediately drawn to their most premium setup. LOL</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After much enquires and chat with the sales rep, Alvin , i made the deposit on the day itself (even before i engaged an ID at that point of time and i was offered a 5% GSS sale at that point, hahaha) Worked with Alvin to come up with a design that suited my requirements and the day finally arrived for them to install it! There's shelves to display my bags, display my shoes, racks to hang my clothes, a vanity area with mirror, a trouser rack and more, everything in walnut and matt black finish which fits the theme of the house. Words cannot describe how pleased i am with the final result and till today, everyone that came to my place was just awe by this setup. It's not exactly cheap, in fact it's the most expensive thing i paid for in the house but i definitely felt that it was worth it. I've been promoting it so much to my friends that i can work for them already, lol</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>14th October 2020:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Redo-ing a kitchen is not exactly cheap and there are a lot of works to be done so i did my research and came across a company that specializes in re-laminating existing kitchen carpentry. Prior to renovation, i got them to come down to my place to do a site quote and decided to engage them to change the outlook of my kitchen.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Initially it was this peach colour which obviously doesn't suit my industry themed house so i picked black wood to complement the rest of the house. Fast forward a couple of months later, it was time for installation!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5jENtBqxbzGmGpph7Mm9Gws_oCpOBvQAF0l7pYkeSi0IsxwIWab6cG_69kZrJGK1bPxa79ncScsDBEZYq7t7iOiy-Ob3YLTj-ivfyWtnkwidn4SFbTrkteikWerADELus7vrYd-5Q1E/s2048/Kitchen.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5jENtBqxbzGmGpph7Mm9Gws_oCpOBvQAF0l7pYkeSi0IsxwIWab6cG_69kZrJGK1bPxa79ncScsDBEZYq7t7iOiy-Ob3YLTj-ivfyWtnkwidn4SFbTrkteikWerADELus7vrYd-5Q1E/s16000/Kitchen.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So what they did was to remove every single cabinet door and wrapped it up with the vinyl wrap, and after which they went into the detail such as the frame. Basically any part of the kitchen that has the previous colour will be overlaid with the new black vinyl wrap. The whole installation took 1.5 days in total. The workmanship was very good and i was very pleased with the overall result.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After the kitchen was done, i felt that the overall outlook of the house was complete! There were only 3 main colour in the house. Wood, black and grey, exactly how i envision it to be from the very beginning.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>29th October 2020:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's been about 3 months since i started this blog post to update on the progress of the house! I've got to say the entire process is not easy and is an ongoing effort. As of today, the furniture are all up and the outstanding items are the venetian blinds which i ordered (and will take 2 weeks to be delivered), the 2 glass doors yet to be installed because the door handle i wanted is OOS, no rush since i don't exactly need doors for the room to begin with, and finally some drilling for curtains and shelves to be done throughout the house.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> With that said, here's the overall look after renovation:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNvZKnj2_ypJPHwqUulbpFyAwTpBjOXRFrNyLkdIgYKgY_HrJENtXkSSQb4Ln1uNfY3OgWE4oVrfKYqiMyrgEVteabGn3HostnLi5bzzZf2Q52Trg8g74erM9WlRs-0VvC5HRYIAed19k/s1280/final.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNvZKnj2_ypJPHwqUulbpFyAwTpBjOXRFrNyLkdIgYKgY_HrJENtXkSSQb4Ln1uNfY3OgWE4oVrfKYqiMyrgEVteabGn3HostnLi5bzzZf2Q52Trg8g74erM9WlRs-0VvC5HRYIAed19k/s16000/final.jpg" width="800" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(missing the balcony, lol)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I mentioned before that i would do a before and after comparison so what I'm going to do next would be to put the before and after photos side by side so you guys can see the difference. In the meantime, you can also checkout my IG stories highlight (if you haven't) to follow my house journey from the very beginning!</div><div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">Till the next update! </div>
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<br /></div></div>andystormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959328546554301590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179042060448656234.post-56807334268275345412020-05-27T00:11:00.001+08:002020-05-27T00:18:57.881+08:00Content Creators.<div style="text-align: justify;">
I recently received a campaign brief over email on an upcoming ambassador program (revealing on IG really soon!) and had some food for thought which i decided to pen down in a quick blog post.</div>
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After reading the brief, i suddenly got reminded on how challenging it is to be a content creator. (I'm not using the term - <i>influencers</i> cos <b>1.</b> I'm personally not a fan of the term cos it's being used too loosely and <b>2.</b> I can go on and on rambling about the "influence" people actually have and the actual effectiveness of what they produce. Maybe i will talk more about it later in this post) </div>
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Ok, back to being a content creator.</div>
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I must really applaud the ones who actually spend time creating good and useful content that delivers the message across. I'm not talking about those pretty/ handsome faces who just hold the product and take a selfie with it kind and then post the photo with some caption which no one reads. *<i>cough</i>* "influencers" *<i>cough</i>* I'm referring to those puts in the effort to come up with a concept in line with the brief that they got from their clients. At the end of the day, they are proud of what they came up with.</div>
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(I'm probably gonna offend some influencers in this post but whatever lah.)</div>
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These content creators are different from celebrities. Celebrities when they endorse a certain product, they just have to appear on set and do everything as directed because there is a whole team behind that already conceptualized the idea and all they need is someone of influence a.k.a the celebrity to bring out the brand/ product. I'm not saying they no effort but they also need to pose or act and they are obviously good at their craft.</div>
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Content creators might or might not have a team, but they are usually only a one man show which means he or she does everything from liaising with client, coming up with concept, plan outfits, select location, self "photo shoot" (sometimes even using self timers cos they are alone), then selection of photo(s), post editing, thinking of content/ caption and i'm sure there are more things on top of those that i just mentioned. All for just a post. Be it just 1 instagram photo, a video or a blog post. </div>
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The amount of effort behind the scene can be tremendous and it can get really stressful when there is just no inspiration <b>plus</b> there might have a deadline to meet. At times as a content creator, you might even ask yourself, should i just pose with the product like some people and get over and done with? Honestly speaking, there are a couple of times i did that due to pressure and i was filled with regrets after. To the point that after a couple of months past the campaign, i decided to delete the post away because i'm not proud of it. </div>
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<i>(I keep using the word "they" but i also actually meant myself lah, HAHAHA. I've done countless of campaigns with brands on my blog and i know how difficult it is. So i'm giving myself a word of encouragement through this blog post. *gives myself a pat on the back*) </i></div>
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I really applaud those who made it big through their efforts because they truly deserve it. In local context, we have YouTubers like NOC and Jianhaotan, or bloggers like Jemmawei and DreaChong and even though there are some debate on whether some influencers deserves the fame and what comes along with it but what we cannot deny is the effort behind the scenes in creating content that we see online now. They are the true influencers. How many of us dare say we can sell out a product offline?</div>
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Even if you have 20,000 or even 50,000 followers online how much influence do you really have? (as we all know, numbers can be inflated anyways) Is it based on your number of average likes per post? That might be used as a KPI for clients but probably only you yourself know how much influence you have exactly or when you have something to prove it. Like when DreaChong collaborated with the shoe brand, Superga and it was so successful that several media outlets wrote about it and people actually set a reminders on their calendars to go down to the stores to get the shoes that she designed together with the brand. How many the so called "influencers" now can achieve that?</div>
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I'm not saying the rest of people (including myself) have zero influence but i just felt that like what Uncle Ben in Spiderman said, "<i>With great power comes great responsibilities</i>" Make good use of the platform you have not just for personal gain, but think of how you can use it to deliver certain messages better and be proud of what you put out to everyone. </div>
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Am i sounding too serious? Am i making any sense? Anyway, just food for thought. Ciaos.<br />
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andystormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959328546554301590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179042060448656234.post-43153933721755645682020-05-05T14:36:00.004+08:002020-05-05T14:37:19.258+08:00Sydney Travelogue (Part 2)<div style="text-align: justify;">
Like i said in my previous post, the photos might not be in chronological order. It's actually based on the photos that i have taken throughout the trip, which is not exactly a lot compared for a 2 weeks trip. I usually take photo of <i>everything</i>. Anyway if you have read Part one of this Sydney Travelogue, you can click <b><a href="http://www.imandystorm.com/2020/05/sydney-travelogue-part-1.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>. I actually might have missed out quite a bit of places I've been on this trip but you can checkout my Sydney highlights on my instagram - <b><i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/andystorm/" target="_blank">@andystorm</a></i></b> for the videos i compiled daily throughout the trip :)</div>
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A trip to Sydney would never be complete if you did not visit the Blue Mountains! I remember i took about 2 hours to reach the place via train and prior to that, i bought scenic world discovery pass which gives me unlimited access to Skyway, Walkway, Cableway and Railway. The blue mountains is also the place where you get to see the iconic - <i>Three sisters</i>. There is a whole story behind the three sister but it's essentially an unusual rock formation representing three sisters who according to Aboriginal legend were turned to stone.</div>
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I would highly recommend making a day trip to Blue mountains because you really get to experience nature as a whole package, and not in a conventional way. You get to go in the world's steepest railway and feel the thrill of a 52-degree incline, you go on a 2.4 km stroll along the Scenic Walkway through an ancient rainforest, take the Scenic Skyway which is suspended 270 m above and lastly the Scenic Cableway which is the largest aerial cable car in the Southern Hemisphere. I can totally see why this place is such a tourist attraction and i enjoyed every single minute of my day trip there. The steepest railway is really something!</div>
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The best weather is when it's cold but you can still feel the warmth of the sun.<br />
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Being kiasu Singaporean, i went back to Black Star Pastry in town early in morning just to have a slice of their famous watermelon rose cake (AUD7.50). The rose flavor was really nice and refreshing. I even went back a couple of times just to have it again (despite the price) but there was once they only had the whole cake left (expensive and obviously i don't think i can finish everything myself) and there was another time everything was totally sold out. In the end i only had the cake once throughout my whole trip :( </div>
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I also had this grand plan of posting one instagram photo a day and because i had a lot of time during the trip, i could afford to go back to certain places to take certain shots (even tho transport is crazy expensive) and the above was taken at Darling Harbor because i wanted a shot with the yachts and sea. The photo turned out not bad right! Anyway the whole ig plan failed because i was lazy to post on certain days. LOL </div>
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Recommended by one of my ig followers, which i thought the pancakes was not bad! The mains was a bit meh. One of the days when i returning back to my apartment, i actually bumped into Dave and Jin at the train station! The thrill of having someone familiar in a foreign country and to think they were staying at the same area, we then decided to meet up again for a dinner and i brought them to Pancakes on the rocks.</div>
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Back to the north shore to take more ig worthy shots. There are a few mode of transport in Sydney and taking the ferry is one of them. There were times i would take a stroll across the harbor bridge and there were times when i felt lazy and decided to just take the ferry across. The ferry trips were always nice and enjoyable! :)</div>
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Can i just spend a moment to talk about my whale watching experience. (Sad. I realized i don't even have a single photo of the whales) Anyway, seeing a whale in real life has always been in my bucket list and whale have always been my spirit animal so can you imagine my excitement when i realized i can fulfill one of my bucket list in this place that i initially never thought of coming? I booked my whale watching trip and was hoping (and praying) that i could see a whale breach - meaning they would jump out of the water to send a message or something. I mean, wouldn't it be such a magnificent sight to see something so big leap out of the water to create a huge splash?</div>
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So that day we went out to the sea on a small boat and finally reached the spot where there is potential sighting of whales. Waited for quite a long while before we spotted something but it was such a quick moment to see their fin out of the water. No breaching, meh. There were dolphins swimming right beside our boat tho but nah, that's not a highlight. Honestly it was not what i was expecting, pretty disappointing.</div>
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So the following day, Dave and Jin went to whale watch after my recommendation since they wanted to something to do and GUESS WHAT. They saw a couple of whales breaching throughout their 2 hours and even managed to capture it on video! I was like what??? <b>So i decided that i'm going to book another whale watching session.</b> This time i spotted a couple of whales, the highlight was seeing two whales swimming together side by side and their tail out of the water. But, still no breaching. Oh wells. End of story.</div>
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There were 2 zoos for me to visit but after reading the reviews, i decided to go for the offshore Taronga Zoo. Being offshore, there is this lookout point that gives you an awesome view of Sydney CBD and the full harbor bridge. I think Taronga zoo is a better option because it's open aired (not so sure about the one at Darling Harbor) and ohh, there is also a cable car within the zoo that brings you to different part of the park!</div>
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One of the most famous cafes in Sydney and this place is so pretty and whimsical! The place is so pretty that Disney often collaborates with the place to do promotion on their films and events. It's not the easiest place to get to if you don't take a taxi and it's a long walk in from the nearest station. (Thank god the weather was good) You can expect this place to be really packed regardless of which day you go because there will be lots of tourists taking photos here and there, everywhere was insta-worthy i would say. There was also a queue at the cafe and it took us a while to get a table for 2. The food was alright, pretty and decent. Recommended!</div>
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Sydney fish market was one of my favorite place for the trip! Just simply walking around, looking at different kind of seafood, looking at what people are having, the vibe is just so refreshing and different. I had 3 of these torched scallop with cheese and rice and it was simply one of the best thing i have had in this trip! On top of the scallops, i also had Lobster with fries and you know how lobsters are expensive in Singapore but it was so affordable there! So fresh and delicious, you have no idea how happy i was when i was there. LOL</div>
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Made a day trip to Bondi beach which took about 40 mins from my apartment. Bondi is one of the more famous beach around and there is this scenic walk called the Coogee coastal walk which takes about 2 hours. One of the reasons why i wanted to visit Bondi is because of this swimming pool at Bondi icebergs. I have always seen amazing drone shots of this saltwater pool and wave crashing into the pool so i had to see it in real life. There's a catch tho, there is an entry fee of AUD5 to enter iceberg, regardless whether you are using the pool a not. Anyway the weather is super cold and it's insane to be swimming during winter.</div>
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Some people will choose to dine there but the food is not exactly cheap at the iceberg club restaurant so i did further research and found out there is actually a small hidden shack called "<i>The Crabbe hole</i>" and they serve simple breakfast and drinks. It's located within icebergs <b>BUT</b> if you tell the guard (<i>or cashier, whatever you call the person at the entrance</i>) that you are not swimming but getting food at The Crabbe Hole, chances are they will just let you in without paying the entry fee! I had the best seat overlooking the pool with my simple breakfast of toast with peanut butter accompanied with 2 perfect soft boiled eggs and a cup of hot chocolate. </div>
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Feeling so satisfied.<br />
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This pretty much sums up my 2 part Sydney travelogue! During first few days i was enjoying how slow time passes and pretty much was back in my apartment at about 7 pm since the skies was dark and everything was closing by then. But towards the end of the trip, it felt like time was passing really fast... i guess it's the same for any other trip. I really enjoyed myself in Sydney throughout the 2 weeks, from the awesome weather, to my groceries run, the activities i did and even just within my small little apartment munching on strawberries while watching Netflix and editing my daily instagram videos on my couch under the blanket.</div>
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There was almost a point because i was so comfortable with the life there that i was convincing myself that maybe... i can actually take a break and come to Australia to study for 2 years, and maybe stay even longer until i run out of money or something. What a difference two weeks in a foreign country can make, LOL The trip gave me a lot of insights, which also made me start looking for my own place when i came back to sg.</div>
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Till the next time we get to travel again. </div>
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In the meantime, stay safe! </div>
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andystormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959328546554301590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179042060448656234.post-29861720068924664782020-05-03T17:41:00.003+08:002022-11-21T14:18:37.174+08:00Sydney Travelogue (Part 1)<div style="text-align: justify;">
Today is Sunday and I woke up wanting to do something productive so I decided to start writing on my last Sydney trip. I know i know, i have yet to even finish writing about my trip to Japan (and I'm still considering whether to write on Korea) but i realized the longer I delay, the less vivid the memories will be and I will have trouble writing about my trip, which explains why till today i still can’t finish my Japan travelogue :( </div>
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So I have decided to do a short and simple (probably) 2 post photo travelogue to sum up my Sydney trip. But before I start, let me just share on why Sydney. Every year I would plan a long trip (2 weeks or more) and it would usually either be over my birthday period or over the Xmas/ NYE period for countdown but last year I decided to make use of the National day long weekend to go on a long trip. I wanted somewhere that I can survive alone, with enough attractions and places of interest for me to do at least one activity a day and probably somewhere I have never been to before. I mean if you think about it, I could easily go to places like London or NYC to fulfill these requirements but I felt that it’s not the right time to visit those amazing places. </div>
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Then one morning, I woke up with a random thought of Sydney in my head (I'm serious!) Honestly I’ve never thought of going to Sydney (no idea why) but that morning I just grabbed my phone and started to do some simple googl-ing on Sydney and i was like - <b>THIS IS THE PLACE</b>. It fits my description exactly. A modern city, very much like Singapore but at the same time, you can connect with nature by traveling out within a couple of hours. I could even go on a whale watching tour and see a real life whale (which is in my bucket list btw) I then texted a few friends and they too agreed that Sydney would be a good place for me.<br />
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Next thing I did was to book my flight tickets via Singapore Airlines (<i>It was on promotion, felt as if all the stars were aligned</i>) and over the next couple of months, decided on my AirBnB and started planning my itinerary. Even the exchange rate was a good SGD1 to AUD1.07! Fast forward into August, it was time to fly to my first “ang mo” country (I’ve been to Australia but that’s for work but that’s not counted, lol)<br />
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After an 8 hour flight, I arrived in Sydney, bought my opal card and made my way to my AirBnB located at Darlinghurst via train (first time seeing a double decker train!) When it comes to selecting my accommodation for the 2 weeks in Sydney, the one key thing i was looking at was location. I wanted somewhere central, not too far from the places of interest, somewhere i can still walk back if there are no more public transport. Found this nice 1 bedder apartment which is about 8 mins walk from the nearest station and was within my budget.<br />
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Prior to the trip, i did some research during my free time and sort of decided where are the places I would want to visit, what i want to do and also pre-bought some of the tickets via <b><a href="https://www.klook.com/en-SG/?aid=28269" target="_blank">Klook</a></b>. Do note that the sequence of event might not be in chronological order as i didn't really take much photos during the trip.On one hand i was trying to insta-story every moment, and take lots of photos since it's my first time in Sydney (<i>and everything is so beautiful!</i>) but after a couple of days in i was feeling it and felt that i was not enjoying the moment fully because of all these social media updating and stuff so i told myself i would take quick short video snippets (basically ig story format but not edit and upload them cos it takes time) but only compile and edit them into a short video when i'm back at my apartment. The end result turned out great!<br />
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First day in Sydney was pretty much free and easy and I gave myself more time to settle into my apartment (I sound like I'm moving there for good, lol) Decided that I should visit the iconic Sydney Opera House and see the place with my own eyes. (Technically i could have visited the place on Day 2 since I booked a walking tour but still.) Had fish & chips along the harbor and took an evening stroll along the iconic harbor bridge which connects Sydney CBD to the North Shore. Really enjoyed the walk as the weather was a cool 14 degrees. It's quite amazing to see famous landmarks in real life after seeing images of them for the longest time.<br />
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If you know me well in person, you would know that i'm a brunch person and Australia is like the ultimate brunch destination for me. I could easily walk into any cafe at any time of the day just to have a hot drink, or order from their all day brunch menu. The weather was just perfect. It was cold but there was still sun and all you want to do is just embrace the weather by sitting outdoor and having warm drink and food.</div>
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Every time when i go to a new place, i would always want to learn something new about the place and for Sydney, i booked myself a Sydney Opera House walking tour which gives me exclusive access to places within the opera house and the tour guide will also share about the awe-inspiring architecture, and wonderful history this landmark has. The tour was very informative and everyone had a headphone issued to us so we could hear the guide clearly wherever we are. I learnt so much about the place within that hour or so!</div>
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Across the bridge was the north shore where there is an old school carnival theme park called the Luna Park. Trust me, when i say old school, i really meant old school. The games were simple and funny, the prizes were the most random (that i have no idea what to do with it except to give it away, lol) but best of all, entry to the park is free. You can get passes/ tokens to play the different rides, the game stalls and also get carnival food alike the candy floss and popcorn. The whole place just gives you a rustic old school vibe, like those old movies where there is a clown who kidnap kids and is the ultimate killer kinda feels. Like the movie "IT" lol</div>
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I remember after 3 or 4 days in, i was craving for Asian food. For meals every day was either brunch, pizza, fish and chips and i was like, i need RICEEEEEE and my one of my friend recommended me to head to Sydney's Chinatown to curb my craving for asian food. Upon reaching, i felt like i was transported to another place. Everyone was asian and almost everyone speaking in either mandarin or cantonese. There was a sense of familiarity and i almost felt like i was not in Sydney, LOL Decided on this stall that had roasted meat hanging at the front and i ordered this plate of Char siew and chicken drumstick rice that cost <b>18 bucks</b>. Ladies and gentlemen, don't be surprised. That's the typical price for asian food in Australia. Expensive but worth it.</div>
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Another day of awesome weather and awesome Eggs Benedict.</div>
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I love going seeing animals and creatures and one of the main reason for coming to Sydney was actually to experience the balance of city life and nature. Like i mentioned earlier in post, the way i planned my itinerary is to have one main activity a day so i planned for a day visit to the Aquarium, a day visit to the Zoo, a day out for whale watching (in fact 2 days for this trip), a day to a wildlife sanctuary and all these would actually take up 5 days of my entire trip already! For aquarium, i visited the Sea life aquarium located at Darling Harbor. It was honestly quite meh but what really surprised me was how they managed to house the entire aquarium (and a freakin' zoo and Madame Tussands just right beside) at this seemingly small area. </div>
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Another night of asian food craving so i did a quick research online and found this Thai restaurant called "<b>Chat Thai</b>" and i had probably one of the best $18 pineapple fried rice i ever had in my life, it was so good omg. On the right in the famous <i>Australia's most instagrammed dessert </i>- The watermelon and rose cake which i told myself i die die must come back another day during this trip (but i must arrive early, probably just before opening hour) to try it because the queue was so long and it's often sold out daily.</div>
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andystormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959328546554301590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179042060448656234.post-10463536587146686872020-04-13T17:37:00.001+08:002020-04-13T17:52:12.008+08:00Instagram-worthy spots in Bali!<div style="text-align: justify;">
Amidst the Covid19 pandemic that we are all facing now, i'm not so sure if this is the best time to be doing to a travel-related post because who knows when is the next time we get to travel again uh. But then again, most of us are now working from home (or "working from home" if you get what i mean) so i thought why not update my blog since the last time i updated was Christmas last year. </div>
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So for the past 3 months before the whole Covid thing got really serious, i made a couple of short trips to Bali and thought i should share some of the ig-worthy places i went and the shots i took which you can reference from the next time you visit Bali to spice up your ig feed! When it comes to a short getaway, the first place that would come up to my mind was Bali. I mean the air fare there is affordable, there are tonnes of beach clubs and cafes to chill at, cultural and interesting places to visit, the food (and drinks) are reasonably priced, all in all it's a good getaway from city life - which is why i love the place so much.</div>
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I have a confession to make. Usually before i travel to a particular place or destination, i would search on Instagram on the places to go, what to eat and even where i can get the best angle to capture ig-worthy photos. I would then save the photos into an album "for future reference" (In other words, try and recreate them) Admit it or not, Instagram has totally changed the way we travel.</div>
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Accommodation wise, i stayed at a couple of places here and there but the 2 more memorable ones in terms of stay would be <b>Hilton Bali Resort</b> at Nusa Dua and <b>Artotel Haniman</b> in Ubud. Didn't bother to stay in a fancy hotel when i was in Seminyak because 3/4 of the time i was out somewhere, but for the record, i stayed in this hipster hotel called <b>Dash Hotel</b> and it was very good for the price i paid <$100 a night. The location is very good and central, walking distance to literally anywhere, the room is spacious and comfortable and they have an awesome ala-carte buffet breakfast which you can order to your <strike>heart</strike> i mean tummy content.<sgd100 ala-carte="" and="" awesome="" breakfast="" buffet="" die="" distance="" everywhere="" for.="" is="" literally="" location="" morning="" nbsp="" night="" p="" the="" to="" walking="" was=""></sgd100><br />
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<i>Hilton Bali Resort, Nusa Dua</i></div>
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If you are those that just wants to chill in your hotel and not do anything in Bali, i would suggest you for those high end resort hotel because they have everything you need. I was upgraded to an ocean view room (what luck!) and got late checkout because of the AMEX card i was holding and the experience was like no other. I spent most of the time chilling by the pool reading my kindle and ordering food and drinks from the bar throughout the day. Hilton is definitely more expensive compared to normal hotels (duh, it's international 5 stars) but i would say it's totally worth it.</div>
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<i>Artotel Haniman, Ubud</i></div>
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If you are looking for an ig-worthy hotel to stay in Ubud, <b>this is the place</b>. You can find a photo opportunity at anywhere in the hotel. Be it in your room (which is awesome by the way) or by the pool, or even the cafe where you have your breakfast, every part of the hotel is so tastefully designed! It's nothing like the "Hilton experience" because the entire estate is rather small with only 22 artsy rooms and a small pool but for <$100 a night, this is probably one of the most affordable and best place to stay in Ubud.</div>
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W hotel, Seminyak</div>
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I did not personally stay at W hotel for my trips but i visited the place to enjoy their pool facilities and dine at woobar. The place is a long walk from the main road so i would highly suggest taking the buggy. The day beds at the main pool area are reserved for hotel guests only so in order to use their pool, you would have to enter from Woo bar (which also means you have to at least order some drinks) The pool was great, the food i had was great. If you went to most beach clubs and looking for somewhere quiet to chill, W is the place!</div>
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<i>Kynd Community, Seminyak</i></div>
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This place is a plant-based cafe in Seminyak (in other words, vegan) The to-order at Kynd community is their famous smoothie bowl (priced at idr85k) and you get to customized the letters on top! You can write your name or you can go with the default "<i>Bali</i>" or " Be <i>Kynd</i>" which i did (<i>because writing your own name on the smoothie does sounds a lil' narcissistic, lol</i>) I also had the paradise pancakes which was really good as well.</div>
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<i>Sea Circus Restaurant and Bar, Seminyak</i></div>
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If i had to describe this cafe with one word, i think it would be whimsical. On the outside is where tourists flock and queue to take their ig-worthy #OOTD shots with the cute circus animals mural background, whereas on the inside, they serve a colourful menu of their famous tacos and more. We were supposed to go in and try 1 or 2 dishes but we ended up ordering a table full of food. We had the tacos (of course), the crispy calamari with ginger soy dipping sauce, a smoothie bowl (i love a good smoothie bowl), cheese quesadilla and their party churros (as seen in the right photo)! So pretty omg.</div>
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<i>Cabina Bali, Canggu</i></div>
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I'm sure you have seen photos on instagram of people having meals from a huge floating basket inside the pool. Well, this place is famous for it. Cabina Bali offers the "floating brunch" experience from 8am to 3pm, starting at idr195k/ person. There are different packages to choose from. Basically if you want the ultimate ig-worthy photo and don't want your floating basket to look empty <strike>and pathetic</strike>, go for the highest tier package. (Gurllll you are already there, just do it!) It's not really that expensive honestly. At idr550k per couple, that's 55 bucks in Singapore dollars for 2 person, you get 4 drinks (2 hot and 2 cold), <i>FLOWER DECORATION</i> (cos we need to fill up all the empty spaces, lol) a fruit platter, a plate of 3 beautiful looking tropical toast, 2 mains, 2 desserts and 2 mocktails. <b>That is a lot of food for 2 person. </b>Take lots and lots of photos (we all know only 1 shot will make it to ig) and slowly finish everything in the pool. Or in my case, i got the staff to help move everything onto my day bed after i took the photos because how does one eat properly in the pool???</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYmSVV88zkkD2F8D-c3ubh9q9UAG5CA2pRqGcEH9ZTY6kfmCel6AZ0ypUJKtDyLWWl_WNljIx7ZC_Y8FX-AasuQcho3VpOws4zQsGk8FBdYy0vy81C08mGQtqVLDBvvfV3urUxli2evvY/s1600/fika.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYmSVV88zkkD2F8D-c3ubh9q9UAG5CA2pRqGcEH9ZTY6kfmCel6AZ0ypUJKtDyLWWl_WNljIx7ZC_Y8FX-AasuQcho3VpOws4zQsGk8FBdYy0vy81C08mGQtqVLDBvvfV3urUxli2evvY/s1600/fika.jpg" width="800" /></a></div>
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<i>Fika in Bali, Seminyak</i></div>
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Chanced upon this cafe as i was walking back to the hotel, thought the interior look rather nice so i told myself that on the last day of the trip, i would go in and have brunch. Boy, the food was AMAZING. (<i>the photos did not make it to my ig feed because i was lazy to take photos of myself on the last day. lol</i>) but i just want to share on this not-so hidden gem. The cafe design is so simple and modern, i love it that it allows natural sunlight to flow into the place, the staffs are friendly and attentive but let's get something right - The focus is definitely on the food. Everything was simply delicious and well presented. Special mention to their Mango sticky rice dessert with pineapple caramel and puffed rice.</div>
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Next up we have the beach clubs which you can literally spend the whole afternoon chilling. I love it that you can just lie there under the sun (or in the shade), listen to the music and order whatever food and drinks, once in awhile go into the pool. It's the perfect chill life, like you don't have to bother about anything else.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHXaYA0xEwWLFfyfWa8ViNInuPM1MgszoDHVn_0qDOXb2FbaMpqUYejv8FDf8QDIQVguU9_yhPMEqyATImHhqh2084A7gWJLRqCBebbHm9dy8zDgrqz5P3gOesObjwIjDvZ-4376WJdw/s1600/tropicola.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHXaYA0xEwWLFfyfWa8ViNInuPM1MgszoDHVn_0qDOXb2FbaMpqUYejv8FDf8QDIQVguU9_yhPMEqyATImHhqh2084A7gWJLRqCBebbHm9dy8zDgrqz5P3gOesObjwIjDvZ-4376WJdw/s1600/tropicola.jpg" width="800" /></a></div>
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<i>Tropicola, Seminyak</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitc1QF8q4GZQ1vcTCZjNNbfCXTMQntUwID7JqieWKwfjYR3CvsGIfwxYgB1kIyegtwX5nkJ-8-S9GNsOxddFludSQ6ge7KmVI50iOfm2ex2AsreqsICc8ytdLO98ZKJL6ImL56lkTUozo/s1600/miss+sippy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitc1QF8q4GZQ1vcTCZjNNbfCXTMQntUwID7JqieWKwfjYR3CvsGIfwxYgB1kIyegtwX5nkJ-8-S9GNsOxddFludSQ6ge7KmVI50iOfm2ex2AsreqsICc8ytdLO98ZKJL6ImL56lkTUozo/s1600/miss+sippy.jpg" width="800" /></a></div>
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<i>Mrs Sippy, Seminyak</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSmbk_FamhQagSoFRDTc_4X-1lz9oTYEYlXsHUQlob1ouEPIbAARbrb4oTq4bJo07hMtZUaaNjWZcCIYMhTqiALT3U8AHuReu83xG-qq3xWEmYWNWv8G2nV80oeky8smZP5IMFK09Xs50/s1600/cafe+del+mar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSmbk_FamhQagSoFRDTc_4X-1lz9oTYEYlXsHUQlob1ouEPIbAARbrb4oTq4bJo07hMtZUaaNjWZcCIYMhTqiALT3U8AHuReu83xG-qq3xWEmYWNWv8G2nV80oeky8smZP5IMFK09Xs50/s1600/cafe+del+mar.jpg" width="800" /></a></div>
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<i>Cafe Del Mar, Canggu</i></div>
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Other notable places includes <i>Potato head Club</i> (left) <i>Garden Gangsta</i> (Right)</div>
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<i>Tegallalang Rice Terrace, Ubud</i></div>
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Bali is not all about cafes and beach club but there are also notable places of interest such as the Tegallalang Rice Terrace. Ubud is generally a very zen place, best for those eat, pray, love kind. I spent an afternoon at the Rice terrace area, trekking the fields a little, got a meal and ice cream and also did a mainstream Bali swing (<i>which is everywhere in Ubud by the way</i>) I mean you would have seen it at least once on instagram. It's not exactly fun, it makes you feel nauseous actually. (or maybe it's just me) The cost is from idr10k up, depending on the "package" which can include other photo spots like the famous bird nest. Some even provide dress rental so you get the whole flowy look on the swing for the ultimate ig photo. People like me put in a bit more effort in post-editing by editing away the safety harness so it looks au-naturel. HAHAHA</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRuBi9IVms1egpZPakdW5lIQBuKy_clveRBrgmmshPXfO2_EXH9mqgVThW70VUcjwfhLVd-n3NGlARmm5Wp_359BgwG-0_0n90o5tBBjU2omXeifp5VoleRQKYXuTQ9zpHV3dcDg9RUE/s1600/waterfall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRuBi9IVms1egpZPakdW5lIQBuKy_clveRBrgmmshPXfO2_EXH9mqgVThW70VUcjwfhLVd-n3NGlARmm5Wp_359BgwG-0_0n90o5tBBjU2omXeifp5VoleRQKYXuTQ9zpHV3dcDg9RUE/s1600/waterfall.jpg" width="800" /></a></div>
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<i>Kanto Lampo waterfall</i></div>
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Waterfalls are one of the must visits in Bali and the most famous (and crowded) one is probably the Tegenungan Waterfall, which i chose not to go because i think most tourists will flock there so i did some research and decided to get my driver to bring me to Kanto Lampo waterfall instead. Entry to this waterfall cost idr10K and it takes about 15 mins to trek down. When i saw the waterfall in real life for the first time, it was really quite a stunning view to behold. It's different from the other waterfall where you see a huge stream of water fall down in unison. This waterfall cascades down this rock formation which makes it unique. What most people will do is to climb to the middle of the waterfall and strike a pose, totally worthy of an ig photo, and yes, you still have to queue...</div>
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Alright, that's all i have for my Bali post! Hopefully you guys manage to get some insights on where to visit, be it whether to capture that ultimate ig-worthy shot or just looking for interesting places to visit in Bali! I really really hope this Covid19 situation can be over soon so that we can all go back to our usual life, start traveling again and explore the world.</div>
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In the meantime, stay safe! </div>
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andystormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959328546554301590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179042060448656234.post-12020228102411332192019-12-25T12:03:00.002+08:002019-12-25T12:03:35.350+08:00Owning a (resale) condo before 35.<div style="text-align: justify;">
Before I go on with this post, i just want to say that this is not some kind of investment or marketing blog post whereby how i <s>boast</s> share about how I made my first million dollars through investment or being some shady eBay seller. *cue 10 secs youtube ad with some guy holding his phone going - Hi, my name is xxx and i’m the top 10 xxx seller on xxx* Ok enough on that, back to business. </div>
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So apparently from what i think (and based on stats), the readers of this blog are now young working adults and majority here are those that have been following my blogging journey for the longest time (Gosh. I feel so old now!) so I thought maybe I can share on what I've been up to at this stage of my life and who knows it might be of relevance to some of you. As the title states - owning a condo before 35. </div>
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If you are ever thought of owning a condo, you are either in 1 of these 2 categories - #1: single and unable to get a HDB until age 35 or #2: Attached/ married and looking to get a condo, be it because your combined salary is above the HDB cap or you just decided that BTO/ resale HDB is not what you want and would like to stay in a private property. </div>
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Before I go on, you need to know that you need to have a substantial amount of cash on hand (we are looking at 6 figures) before you even think about getting a private property. When i first embark on this journey, I thought all I needed was to have enough to pay for the down payment of the apartment (technically not wrong) but there are still several terms and timeline one should understand when getting a resale condo. </div>
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If you noticed, I mentioned the word - resale for a number of times before in this post because there are 2 types of condo you can get. <b>#1: Resale</b> (Built, Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP) and ready to move in) or <b>#2: New development</b> (launched, yet to build and will take an average of 3 years before getting your keys) If you are looking to move in immediately or within the next 1 year or so, then option #1 would be what you are looking at. If you are a newly wed couple or in a steady relationship and intend to get married in the near future, then you can look at both options. In my case, i’m looking at option #1 because it has always been my personal goal to own a place before I turn 30 and i intend to “downgrade” to a HDB flat after I turn 35 (if i’m not married) but who knows what the future might entail, maybe I might be too comfortable staying in my condo that I decide to not downgrade? You never know, haha. </div>
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So the process for getting a resale is much simpler and faster than a new launch because the place is ready and available <b>BUT</b> it also means that the moment you move into your new place, you will have to start repaying the monthly mortgage loan. That is one main difference between the 2 condo options. <i>(If you guys are interested, i might do another post on the new launch/ development process)</i></div>
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Before I go any further, I would advise that you think through about embarking on this journey, simply because there is going to be a lot of money involved. Just to put it out quickly, after getting the golden key to your apartment (yayy!!!), you will start repaying a monthly mortgage of a few thousand dollars, there is also renovation cost (depending on how extensive you want to revamp your place). You still have to get furniture and appliances which is another few thousand dollars. On top of that, staying in a condo also means you will have to pay the monthly maintenance fee of a few hundred dollars. There are also monthly basic utilities bills like electricity and water. Ohhh! And miscellaneous like WIFI etc. Gosh. As I was typing this paragraph, I'm already having second thoughts about getting my place, lol. </div>
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Ok fine. Now that you have reached this stage of the post, let’s talk more about money. Obviously I'm no crazy rich Asian with a few million dollars to spare so it’s important to know each fee and process before getting a place. </div>
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Firstly, you need to determine what is the price range you can afford to look at - by using a simple online housing loan tool. The amount of loan you can get will be based on your monthly income. Say if your salary only allows you to loan $600k and your apartment is $1mil. Be prepared to have enough cash on hand and CPF. Piece of advice, don’t overestimate and go for something which you will struggle to repay. </div>
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So now let’s say you have calculated your loan, and we are now looking at a potential 1 bedder + 1 study apartment which cost <b>$800,000</b>. After viewing, you love it and decided <b>this is the one</b>. This is when the whole process will start. </div>
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<b>Option Fee (1%) - $8000 </b></div>
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This is also known as <b>THE deposit</b>. So after looking through a few places and finally found your dream home, it’s time to reserve it. By paying this 1%, the seller will reserve their unit exclusively for you for the next 14 days. Do note that for whatever reason you decide that you don’t want to buy the unit anymore, the option fee will be <u>forfeited</u>. (Gosh. Make up your mind!) </div>
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<b>Exercise Fee (4%) - $32000</b> </div>
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Things will get serious from here on because you have committed to buying the unit that you have put a deposit for. It’s time to exercise the option by putting in another 4% of the unit’s price, which makes the first 5% ($40000) of the process. You will have another 14 days to pay this 4%. Payment will be made in cash. </div>
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<b>Buyer Stamp duty (3%) - $18600 </b></div>
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Buyer stamp duty is a tax on the purchase or lease of property. It’s beared by the buyer (you) and are documents that are prepared and sign whenever you buy or sell property. So to put it simply, it’s a tax payable to the government to process the transaction. It’s not exactly 3% of the purchased price but there is a table on how the BSD is being calculated: </div>
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First $180,000 - 1% </div>
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Next $180,000 - 2% </div>
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Remaining amount up to 1 million - 3% </div>
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Amount exceeding 1 million - 4% </div>
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So in this case, we are looking at: </div>
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First $180,000 - 1% ($1800) </div>
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Next $180,000 - 2% ($3600) </div>
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3% of remaining $440000 ($13200) </div>
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<b>Total: $18600 </b>(bye bye $18K, sobs.) </div>
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<b>Lawyer Fee - $2500 </b></div>
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This fee is inevitable because you need a lawyer to do checks and make sure that everything is in place. This $2500 cannot complain, it’s for peace of mind. It’s like going to the temple and pray that everything goes well. In this case, you are forking out money to ensure everything goes well. LOL</div>
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<b>Downpayment (20%) - $160000 </b></div>
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Now, this is the part where most people will have trouble and also the part that deters people from getting a private property (there are still tonnes of reasons tho) For a 20% downpayment for a $800,000 property, we are looking at $160000. Thankfully, this amount can be paid using both cash and CPF. Unless you have $160k cash lying around, I would think most <s>commoners</s> i mean people will use a combination of both cash and CPF. Say i have accumulated $80000 of CPF throughout my years of working, I would then use a good $60k to offset the down payment (20k for rainy days, I'll come to that later) and use $100k of my cash savings to pay for the flat OR then again, you could wipe out as much CPF as you can (in this case, $80k) and pay the remaining via cash. </div>
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<b>Monthly repayment of loan to bank - remaining amount for 30 years at 2% interest </b></div>
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At this stage if you have settled the above, I would say that you can comfortably call this apartment your new home and can get ready for renovation and furniture shopping (plus a whole new set of things to worry about) but don’t forget that because unlike getting a new launch/ development, you have to start your monthly repayment of loan almost immediately. So for the above scenario of a $800,000 apartment with $600,000 loan from the bank, you can expect to pay about $2000+ a month.</div>
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Once again, thankfully this loan repayment can be paid via cash and/or CPF which leads to my earlier point of keeping CPF for rainy days. Say now you decided that you are going to do a 50/50 monthly repayment for your housing loan meaning $1000 cash and $1000 CPF (since you and your employer are contributing to your CPF fund monthly anyway) but suddenly one day you just decide you want to look for a new job, or decided to start a business and will not have a fixed monthly income, you can use the so called “rainy days” CPF money (remember the 20k from earlier?) to pay off the monthly loan for the time being. </div>
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With that said, let’s do a calculation of how much cash you would need to have on hand before deciding to buy a $800,000 private property. </div>
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<b>Option Fee (1%) - $8000 </b></div>
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<b>Exercising Fee (4%) - $32000 </b></div>
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<b>Stamp duty (3%) - $18600 </b></div>
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<b>Lawyer Fee - $2500 </b></div>
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<b>Down payment (20%) - $100000 (excluding $60k via CPF) </b></div>
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<b>Total: $161100 </b></div>
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So yea, that’s the amount of cash on hand you need to have before embarking on this journey of owning a (resale) private property. New launch/ development adopts a different approach as they would take 2 to 3 years before getting the area up so payment is progressive throughout the years. I might share on that depending on the response of this post so if you are really interested, do drop me a DM on ig @andystorm! </div>
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Then again, it’s a choice. The people around me have been asking me, “If you intend to downgrade to a HDB eventually, why get a place now and not wait till you are eligible?”, “Why not get a new development since it might be cheaper and you get a brand new flat in a few years’ time?”, “So expensive for a one bedder, you sure you want anot?”, “next time can sell and earn anot?” and the list of questions just went on and on. Well, all i have to say is that it has always been my personal goal to get a place that I can call my own (btw it’s not like my parents are chasing me out or what, lol) and I have set a new timeline for myself (used to be before I turn 30 but i realised i needed more time to think and plan properly.) </div>
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I have already started house viewing and in fact, I really like the environment and units of the first development (p.s: condo = development) I visited but I still feel that I should look at more options and there is no rush into getting a place. Really excited (and somehow scared) to embark on this journey but I'm quite sure at the end of day when i finally get the keys or lay on my new couch, this will be one of the most meaningful and fruitful milestones in my life.
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Onward to 2020, </div>
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andystormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959328546554301590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179042060448656234.post-36813726317729650432019-11-12T17:28:00.001+08:002019-11-12T17:29:24.182+08:00My Lasik journey with Shinagawa eye centre!<div style="text-align: justify;">
I still remember as I was growing up, my parents would always nag at me whenever i play my game boy in the dark or read my story books under dimmed lights on the bed and they would always say that if I continue to do this, “my eyes will spoil” At that age, it didn’t mean anything to me, all I wanted to do was to do things my way so I didn't listen to any of their advice. Fast forward to primary 5, I start to realise I couldn't really see clearly what was written on the whiteboard (i was already seated in the first few rows because of my height) and the next thing I know, my parents brought me to prescribe my very first pair of spectacles.<br />
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<i> Yea, that’s nerdy me in Primary 5 with my very first pair of spectacles (and 1 missing tooth, lol) </i></div>
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I still thought it was quite cool to be wearing spectacles to school, especially when i changed my glasses to the frameless kind (which was in trend then!) and I wore them proudly the first day I got them. I still didn’t realise the seriousness at that point, my degree continued to rise and I was literally changing a new pair of glasses every year. But as I grew up, I started realising the inconvenience my myopia was bringing me.<br />
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For 19 years, i woke up every single morning with blurred vision and i had to reach out for my specs to start the day. Whenever I get off a cold bus, my glasses were fogged up and I wouldn't be able to see for a good 5 to 10 seconds. Whenever I eat something hot, the steam would just fogged up my glasses and it can get really irritating. Whenever I go for a haircut, I would pray that the haircut would turn out well because I couldn't see what the barber was doing to my hair and the moment of truth was when I put on my glasses at the end of the session (I'm sure some of you can relate to this) and the list of inconvenience can go on and on.<br />
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Oh, one more very important thing! When i see the cool people wearing their sunglasses on a sunny day, I wish I could be like them but I could only lament at my myopia and suffer in silence. LOL<br />
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<i>In case you are wondering, the above photos were taken about 9 years ago, with contacts on.</i></div>
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As I grew older, I was introduced to contact lens and I still remember the first time I tried was at some shopping mall atrium when i was… I think 18? (or maybe even younger?) They were giving out trial lenses for customers to try on the spot and that night I tried and tried until my eyes turned red but the moment i fitted the lens in, I knew that I would want to correct my vision one day.<br />
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At that point of time, I was still young. No money for lasik (I was already doing braces and didn’t dare to demand lasik from my parents. What a problematic child, lol) and my myopia has yet to stabilise so I relied on dailies (one time use contact lens) As they were more expensive compared to the monthly ones, I would only wear it on special occasions when i know i will take a lot of photos and also whenever I go overseas for holidays.<br />
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Fast forward a few years later, I joined the aviation industry and even though I finally have the money to correct my vision, I couldn't due to the nature of my job. *facepalm* It was only until I moved to a new workplace and I decided to embark on this journey to correct my vision (finally after more than 10 years!!!)<br />
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3 months back, I went to <b><a href="http://www.shinagawa.com.sg/" target="_blank">Shinagawa Eye Centre</a></b> to do a pre-lasik assessment to determine whether my eyes are suitable for laser surgery. So apparently, not everyone can undergo lasik procedure. There are instances whereby people go to a lasik clinic wanting to correct their vision only to be told that their eyes are not suitable. On top of that, there are several methods of lasik so a pre-assessment can also determine which method(s) are suitable for your eyes.<br />
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<b>As a guide, you should:</b><br />
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<li>Your degree should have stabilised </li>
<li>No eye disease </li>
<li>Within the suitable range of myopia </li>
<li>Not pregnant </li>
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Upon entering the clinic and registering my interest to undergo lasik, I was briefed by one of the staff on the different tests that i will be going through.<br />
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I went through a series of comprehensive tests which checked my myopia, cornea thickness and a few other components. Do also note that there is a need to dilate your pupils for some of the tests and you will experience blurred vision for a couple of hours. The entire assessment will take about 2 to 3 hours in total and after which you will meet the doctor who will recommend you the type of lasik method suitable of you to go for.<br />
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<i>(I was actually quite nervous on whether I can get the green light to do the surgery. Imagine after so many years only to be told I can't do it. LOL)</i><br />
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So for my case, I was recommended by Dr Lee Sao Bing the <b>Intralase Lasik method</b> which is a blade-less method to create the cornea flap and due to my cornea thickness (which is slightly below average) I was also advised to do the cornea cross-linking which strengthens the bonds in the cornea.
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After the tests, you can then schedule an appointment date with the front desk for the procedure.<br />
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Fast forward a couple of weeks later, it was finally the day to get my vision corrected. You know how some people get really nervous when it’s time for them to do their surgery. I was like, <b>LET’S DO IT!</b> LOLOLOL You have no idea. I’ve been waiting for this day for the longest time.<br />
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We did one last eye check to determine whether I'm good to go before being assisted by the nurse to don the surgery gown and hair net. The nurse then proceeded to put some numbing eye drops and I was ready. Met Dr Lee who went through the procedures that will be happening inside the surgery room and i was then ushered to the surgical room.<br />
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What I was really thankful was that Dr Lee was being very assuring throughout the whole process. He was like “<i>Ok andy, we are going to start on the left eye. Keep your head still, look straight.</i>” in his most soothing voice and the next thing I know, “<i>Done. Now moving on to the right eye.</i>” There were some burning smell but I felt no pain at all (probably due to the numbing eye drops which I put earlier) Each eye took like maybe 5 mins? After each eye was done, he fitted a special contact lens which acted as a bandage for the eye.<br />
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The time spent inside the surgery suite took at most 30 mins but the actual lasering only took like a few seconds.<br />
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Chop chop.<br />
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After the procedure was done, I was ushered to the resting area where the nurse briefed me on a “care package”. Inside consists of a couple of eye drops (both antiseptic and vials of daily eye drops) , eye shield to protect your eyes (and prevent yourself from rubbing your eyes while you sleep), a roll of tape (to secure the eye shield) and some painkillers (in case I need it). I was also briefed on the do's and don’ts after surgery as well as some of the side effects of which I might experience during the recovery period.<br />
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It is recommended that you go home immediately after the surgery to rest (because your vision will still be blurred) so my good friend came to fetch me and i took a long nap that day. Woke up in the evening and I was quite surprised at how i could almost see clearly already. I actually did a 3-day vlog documenting my recovery process and it’s already up on my Instagram highlights (@andystorm) so do go watch if you are interested!<br />
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The following day I woke up with perfect vision (I felt like spiderman. If you remember this particular scene when he woke up with clear vision the following day after bitten by the radioactive spider, lol) There was no need to reach out for my spectacles anymore and i could see clearly. It took me awhile to gather all my thoughts and welcome this life changing moment. Not exaggerating! HAHAHA<br />
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Went back to Shinagawa eye centre for a review with Dr Lee the next day who then checked my eyes and removed the contact len “bandage”. After it was removed, my vision got <b>even</b> clearer. Dr Lee then gave me some advice on how to care for my eyes and gave me the green light to proceed with my usual routine. In my head I was like, “This is it. No more wearing of spectacles” I then proceeded to dump my current spectacles into this jar at the entrance of the clinic before I left.<br />
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Did i mention that i experienced zero pain? So apparently the <b>Intralase Lasik method</b> which i did promotes quick recovery, the time taken for the procedure is shorter and it’s painless!<br />
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Throughout my recovery phase, I did experience dry eyes every now and then, especially when I wake up every morning. There was one morning I woke up with really really itchy eyes (but I kept reminding myself that I can't rub my eyes) so what I did was to whatsapp the clinic (Yes, they have an official whatsapp number for all queries) and was told that it’s normal, i just have to put more eye drops because my eyes were too dry.<br />
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But all in all, i could function as per normal within 2 days of the surgery!<br />
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<i>Thank you Dr. Lee Sao Bing and Shinagawa Eye Centre team! </i></div>
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It’s been 3 months since I did my lasik surgery and I've got to say this has to be one of the best decisions I have ever made. No more wearing of spectacles, no more buying of contact lenses, and it’s so much more convenient doing physical activities like sports and gym. I still put eye drops whenever my eyes feels dry.<br />
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Now that you have read my experience, if you ever thought of doing Lasik, I would recommend that you go for the pre-Lasik assessment test to determine if your eyes are suitable first. Shinagawa eye centre offers pre-Lasik assessment test at just <b>$22</b> and hold monthly Lasik forum at Hilton Hotel Singapore. Check out their <b><a href="http://www.shinagawa.com.sg/" target="_blank">website</a></b> for their latest date for Lasik forum.<br />
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<b><u>Shinagawa Eye Centre </u></b><br />
<i>501 Orchard Road,
Wheelock Place, </i><br />
<i>#05-15
9am to 5.30pm </i><br />
<i>Tel: 6738 8222 </i><br />
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That’s it for #andystormlasikjourney!<br />
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<i>P.s: I still wear spectacles at work from time to time but those are non prescriptive PC lens which reduces stress on your eyes by cutting brightness and glares of displays. On top of that, it reduces the blue light emitted from our electronic devices (which causes eye strain)
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Now with perfect vision, </div>
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andystormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959328546554301590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179042060448656234.post-49171844895928649032019-08-17T13:54:00.004+08:002019-08-17T13:54:26.179+08:00Walking On Sunshine! - Beauty and Dining<div style="text-align: justify;">
I'm not sure if you guys heard of this place called "<i>Walking on Sunshine</i>" but i first knew about them when a video of them went viral on FB. Every time i go to Orchard Central, i will pass by this quaint and pretty place filled with lots of plants but i have no idea what exactly this place is about. It looks like a salon on one side and it looks like there's a cafe on the other. Is that a barber shop as well? Are these shops all related? Well, recently i was invited down for an experience and here i am sharing it here with you guys!<br />
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<b>Walking on Sunshine </b></div>
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<i>Orchard Central, 181 Orchard Rd, #03-07, Singapore 238896</i></div>
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Basically this place offers you a one stop beauty and dining experience. For beauty, they provide hair services which ranges from cut, colour, perm, treatment and more, there's also a barber which does gentlemen haircut, beard trimming/shaping, and a nail and foot care section for your pedi/ pedicure and other services. For dining, their cafe serves a wide range of Korean healthy food and dessert. One interesting fact is that they serve complimentary salad or pastries with beverages for all their salon customer! + point!</div>
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I was invited for a food tasting session to try out some (ok, maybe not some after you see the amount of food photos below, lol) of their dishes in the latest menu. Here we go!</div>
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For toasts, i had the Avocado Toast (left) and Mixed mushroom toast (right)</div>
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One of my favourite dish/ dessert that day was the Soufflé pancakes (it takes awhile to prepare but really good and fluffy but recommend to have it straightaway while it's hot. Has a good mixed of berries and nuts!) On the right we have the Barbecue Pork Ribs, big portion, tasty and definitely worthy for money!</div>
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Tried 3 different pastas - Squid ink Seafood Spaghetti (left), Bulgogi Beef Cream Fetuccini (right) and Salmon Aglio e Olio (not in photo) My favourite out of the 3 is definitely the Bulgogi pasta! I'm not exactly a fan of beef but the beef went really went with the cream for this dish. Highly recommended if you can't decide what to have for your meal. The salmon Aglio e Olio dish was a little dry for me tbh.</div>
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Gluttony me with a whole lot of food in front of me :| (P.s: I love their ade drinks too!)</div>
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I also had the Beef Salami Pizza! I was so full that afternoon gosh. It started with the toasts, then the mains and of course, ending off with the soufflé pancake dessert! I've got to say everything was pretty tasty! :D</div>
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A couple of days later, i went back to <i>Walking on Sunshine</i>. But this time to try out their hair service at the salon. I was introduced to Gene who brought me to my station (which was beautifully decorated with plants, with natural sunlight coming in) I really love the open concept of their salon and it just feels different stepping in compared to any other salon out there. Very welcoming and makes you feel at home.</div>
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I opted for a haircut with a one tone dye since i'm flying off to Sydney for a 2 weeks trip the very same day. Like what i mentioned earlier in the post, they serve complimentary salad or pastries with beverages for all their salon customer! (I was secretly xiao happy that i got to taste their lemonade ade again, lol)</div>
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This was my view when i lay down while getting my hair washed. LOL</div>
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I was really satisfied with the service that Gene provided and had a good experience at Walking on Sunshine! The entire experience felt very "complete" because i got to try both sides what they are known for. If you are looking to try their hair services, i actually have <b>3 x $50 off</b> cash voucher on hand (for colour services and perm services only) so if you would like them, do drop me a DM on my instagram @andystorm and we'll see how i can pass them to you before you go for your experience!</div>
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For more information on Walking on Sunshine, you can checkout their website - <a href="https://www.walkingonsunshine.sg/">https://www.walkingonsunshine.sg</a></div>
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Signing off! </div>
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andystormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959328546554301590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179042060448656234.post-56599064711338504982019-07-13T12:54:00.000+08:002019-07-13T12:54:37.326+08:00Time to unsubscribe to Lazada LiveUp?<div style="text-align: justify;">
I’m not sure how many of you reading this are LiveUp subscribers but if you are, you should continue reading this article to know what exactly you are paying for now that new changes have been implemented (since July 2019) If you are hearing the term “LiveUp” for the first time, it’s “<i>a unique lifestyle membership programme for the digitally-savvy Singapore consumers that's all about more discounts.</i>“ </div>
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I’ve been a subscriber ever since the programme started in 2017 because they offer free delivery and 5% rebate on <b>ALL</b> orders on Lazada. I buy A LOT of things from Lazada, like you have no idea. Sometimes I buy simple items like cable organiser, tempered glass for my iPhone, stationeries to big purchase items like my gaming chair, phones and even my Nintendo Switch. </div>
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Not only that, the program also offer discounts and promotions with brands that they partnered with, like Netflix, Grab, Chope etc. All these partnership benefits are secondary because what really matters to me (and most people) would definitely be the free delivery and rebates. Literally anything else is a bonus for me. </div>
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Can't remember how much i was paying for the annual fee but it was definitely worth it. Till date, i have saved $207.30 from shipping, and $227.58 worth of rebates. Grand total of <b>$434.88</b>. (The Lazada app keeps track of the amount you saved) I kept promoting LiveUp to my friends because i truly believe on how much you would benefit/ saved from this program. My friends would also ask me to help them get certain items from Lazada so they can save on the shipping while i earn the rebates. </div>
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<b>But now.</b> *<i>cue drama music</i>* </div>
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Firstly (as of 1st July 19), the subscription fee for LiveUp is either you pay $5.99 a month or $59.90 a year (16.67% off) I don’t remember paying as much as $60 previously. Ok, i just did a quick search online and concluded that i paid $28.80 (promo rate) for my first year and revert to $49.90 for subsequent years. So now there is an increment of $10 which i would be more than willing to pay if i were to weigh the pros and cons (and if the benefits remained the same) </div>
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<b>BUT</b> the most drastic change which everyone should take note of is:
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No more free delivery (<i>you might still get free shipping, depending on the product type, order size and shipping duration. But most of the time, no.)</i> Rebates (4%) are only for purchases made from LazMall or Redmart. Now tell me, what’s the point of continuing? You increased $10 for the subscription fee but removed the main catch of the entire programme. There is an increase in rebate cap from $30 to $50 (I remember the cap used to be $50/month btw) but how often do people like me shop for items from LazMall or RedMart?<br />
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Meh.
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<u><b>There are also other partner deals included as well: </b></u></div>
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<b>GRAB</b>
$3 off every 3 non-promo rides (Max of 3 $3 rewards per calendar month) </div>
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<b>FOOD PANDA</b>
Free delivery (worth S$3) for orders over S$20 (Up to 8 times per month) </div>
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<b>SISTIC</b>
LiveUp-exclusive discounts to the hottest shows in Singapore </div>
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<b>ANYWHR</b>
$88 off any Anywhr trips
AGODA
$30 off hotel booking
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<b>CHOPE</b>
Get bonus 100 Chope-dollars on top of the regular Chope-Dollars awarded per reservation (Up to 15 times per LiveUp membership year) </div>
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<b>NETFLIX</b>
Activate 2 months of Netflix for every LiveUp membership year </div>
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<b>STORYTEL</b>
2 months FREE subscription </div>
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With that said, it’s up to everyone to decide whether this fee of $59.90 a year is worth it for you. Well, as for me, I’ll be unsubscribing from LiveUp this month. Especially since i had a recent case whereby i didn’t get a rebate for my purchase of $629 because the item (which was ordered at end June) but was delivered in July when the changes were just implemented. The rebate would have easily been <b>$30</b> ($31.45 based on 5% rebate or $50.32 based on 8% rebate if paid using CitiBank card. Max capped at $30) But no. The Lazada agent say he/she is very sorry cos the item was tagged as delivered in July so no rebate. *roll eyes* </div>
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This post is not to encourage LiveUp members to unsubscribe but it’s more for awareness so you know what you are paying for. As for those non-LiveUp members, if after reading this post you feel like you stand to benefit from the program (say you are like an avid RedMart user), please feel free to subscribe. Sorry, i don’t have an “influencer” promo code, HAHAHA</div>
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andystormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959328546554301590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179042060448656234.post-49869866177172139402019-06-20T16:36:00.005+08:002022-11-21T14:06:00.852+08:00Japan Travelogue Day 9: Universal Studio Japan! <div style="text-align: center;">
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At the rate i'm doing my Japan travelogue, i probably can't make it in time to finish before my Sydney trip in August. Lemme try to catch up as much as i can before everything piles up (even further. Gosh, i have yet to write about my Korea trip too! *<i>face palm</i>*)</div>
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Universal Studios Japan has been on my must go list ever since Harry Potter world was introduced. Prior to the trip i even went online to source for HP apparels and accessories so that i can dress up as a Hogwarts student during the visit *<i>insert embarrassed emoji</i>* In the end i got myself a Harry potter tee as well as Gryffindor scarf. Really wanted to get the robe as well but i think it will be too much of a hassle when i go on rides and stuff, lol. So glad i thought of getting the stuff online instead of at USJ because everything is so expensive there (and i'm probably just gonna wear everything once.)</div>
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I have read so many so articles and blog posts on how to prep myself prior to the visit to USJ. Like how you need to arrive really early and wait for the gates to open, which route to run to get timed tickets for Harry Potter world (at the same time ignoring everyone else along the way) so in the end i decided that since it's my first time there, <b>I SHALL GET THE EXPRESS PASS.</b> I wouldn't want to miss a thing or any ride so i told myself since i already saved on the JR pass (refer to previous pass) i shall spend on this theme park that i've always wanted to visit. Little did i know that ticketing for USJ works differently from USS.</div>
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*<i>Cue drama music</i>*</div>
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In Singapore, you just have to pay for your entry ticket + express pass which gives you access to all rides for one time but for USJ, the cost of your express pass is subjected to #1: the number of rides you wish to go for. #2: the season that you will be going (Regular, peak or high peak) and there are a lot of different combinations for your express pass. Let me use mine as an example. I got my tickets from <a href="https://www.klook.com/activity/46604-universal-studios-japan-e-ticket-osaka-qr-code-direct-entry/?aid=28269" target="_blank"><b>Klook</b></a><b> </b>prior to the trip<b> </b>which allows me to skip the queue and enter the park with a QR code. Admission is SGD94 and i chose the <a href="https://www.klook.com/en-SG/activity/3407-universal-studios-japan-express-pass-osaka/?aid=28269" target="_blank">Express 4 pass</a> (regular season thank god) which gives me access to <b>4 rides</b> (<i>which includes Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey</i>) and it cost me a total of <b>SGD222</b> in total, which means my express pass costed me <b>SGD128 </b>for 4 rides. The queue time for each ride is about 1.5 to 2 hours. Say if i were to get the Express 7 pass, it would have cost me <b>SGD230</b> (<i>regular season, excluding admission price</i>)</div>
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Worst case scenario, high peak. Admission will set you back at <b>SGD103</b> and express 7 pass will cost you a whopping <b>SGD285</b>. Total damage: <b>SGD388 </b>(i think you would rather queue, lol) Do plan your trip to USJ properly. I would say the express 4 pass is pretty worth it and helped saved quite a lot of time. I managed to go on all the rides in the park and i'm not sure if i would be able to if i didn't get the express pass... </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO04IlaKRCtUMiFl1dt3NTRHaY-oNVbI-32UH1wGvqm3NFMtNNgEkVh_CA8naCqoYD7qIrnVBUEeB4O79XVq3w3d0hlhXncLcEGQnTSSFVEBW8s8RF0oE0wS5dSGJjDEdBWmqOZiZS-Z0/s1600/02D21553-80D2-421C-B809-28AF8B648A8A.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO04IlaKRCtUMiFl1dt3NTRHaY-oNVbI-32UH1wGvqm3NFMtNNgEkVh_CA8naCqoYD7qIrnVBUEeB4O79XVq3w3d0hlhXncLcEGQnTSSFVEBW8s8RF0oE0wS5dSGJjDEdBWmqOZiZS-Z0/s1600/02D21553-80D2-421C-B809-28AF8B648A8A.JPG" width="800" /></a></div>
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Try and go as early as you can. I read online that the opening timings are subjective and not according to what is stated on their website, lol. By being there early, you might actually be the first few to go on the ride. JUST RUN FOR ANY RIDE because all of the rides are popular. I just went for a random ride and it ended up being the Hollywood dream: Backdrop... which is the roller coaster that rides in the reverse direction *<i>facepalm</i>* So much for a first ride early in the morning.</div>
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I know going to a theme park is all about queuing, exploring the place and enjoying the rides but i think for USJ, as crazy as it sounds, i think it's good to read up prior on what rides they have, have a list prioritising which ride to go first and plan your time properly because it's that serious. HAHAHHAA</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyK3dE5lpyEA9kMOOdkdmC6RFynh0yoSMDgOB77V8kXUcSyzt_Hu-m7ft2YVVHpMHH1GAEqLrKJo4VzFo-oMP139iChPnmVc-_fzMH9PSq_Kg9beHlNBosA2nqTGhRMLYVCOuqr8qxAVQ/s1600/C4978F29-8746-4AC0-AA5C-34A817FC18B6.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyK3dE5lpyEA9kMOOdkdmC6RFynh0yoSMDgOB77V8kXUcSyzt_Hu-m7ft2YVVHpMHH1GAEqLrKJo4VzFo-oMP139iChPnmVc-_fzMH9PSq_Kg9beHlNBosA2nqTGhRMLYVCOuqr8qxAVQ/s1600/C4978F29-8746-4AC0-AA5C-34A817FC18B6.JPG" width="800" /></a></div>
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I'm not going to go into the details on each rides but i'll just be sharing on my experience at 2 parts of the park - The minion park as well as Harry Potter world. But trust me, all the rides are worth going. Flying dinosaur was amazing, i queued 2 hours for it but it's worth it. JAWS is an all time favourite, Spiderman was awesome. Just skip the sesame street world or something, especially those kiddy rides. Time waster.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFDXdgp77MBqJrJaASrqJr_uzYEnUIyWXIc2s509cY1Upiq2-rMyK-iCuFr3bhGrREBNM2QJhY9KMGhIsSc40KKQd5351vnsbp-O1a83C-dBPNhendKgxAyAz8SofYA5fzvOnYltOKXM/s1600/7A298D13-1CEE-48F5-A3C3-9DAEA1D926CD.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFDXdgp77MBqJrJaASrqJr_uzYEnUIyWXIc2s509cY1Upiq2-rMyK-iCuFr3bhGrREBNM2QJhY9KMGhIsSc40KKQd5351vnsbp-O1a83C-dBPNhendKgxAyAz8SofYA5fzvOnYltOKXM/s1600/7A298D13-1CEE-48F5-A3C3-9DAEA1D926CD.JPG" width="800" /></a></div>
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Minion park was such happy (and insanely crowded) place!</div>
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Just had to queue up to get one of these expensive ice cream macarons because it's minion design. LOL</div>
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Bought both the popcorn bucket available. One halloween theme (left) and the one with the teddy bear (right) I don't even want to recall how expensive these things were. But it's really quite cute lah. LOL</div>
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Game stalls to try win huge minion plush! (thankfully we didn't play cos we already spent so much in the park) The popular "<i>Despicable Me Minion Mayhem</i>" ride was included in our express 4 pass so we managed to skip the queue for this fun ride! In case you are wondering what were the other 2 rides which was included in our express pass, we had a choice to choose between JAWS or Terminator (<b>chose JAWS</b>) and Spider-Man or Hollywood Dream (<b>chose Spiderman</b>) Probably skipped >5 hours of queuing.</div>
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Look at the amount of Japanese dressed up as minions! So cute omg. So apparently i heard that the locals usually get the annual pass so they can visit the park anytime. (I honestly would too if i'm a local) Sometimes not even for the rides but just to spend time together as a family or picnic with friends, which kinda explains the dressing up. "Hogwarts students" were also everywhere and the period i went was also halloween so there were locals dressing up as witches, zombies etc as well. So much effort and very cool!</div>
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The route into the Harry Potter world was incredible for a potterhead like me. The rows of trees and the soundtrack playing at the background, not trying to exaggerate but i could literally feel tears swelling up because the feeling is just so... magical. To be able to experience in real life what you have always been reading and watching half your life, it's probably something that only true potter heads can understand. </div>
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Everything is done up in great detail. From the moment you step into the Harry Potter world through the forest, seeing the crashed Ford Anglia along the way and entering Hogsmeade and finally seeing the castle right in front of your eyes. The feeling is indescribable. The only downside is that the main ride is in Japanese so i have no idea what the characters were saying but nevertheless the ride was still awesome! </div>
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I just had to order the chilled butterbeer in a special mug (which i have to pay so much more and bring it to the toilet to wash it) Now it's just resting at one corner in my room collecting dust, lol. The butterbeer tasted like... a sweeter version of root beer? I brought the mug all the way to the front of the castle to get the ultimate shot. Might as well right since i already paid so much for the mug. Must make it worth it! LOL</div>
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They also have the infamous Honeydukes, Ollivanders (which i missed, dammit) and even dine at places such as Three Broomsticks and Hog's head! Oh ya, i also did the castle walk and i was screaming inside because everything is happening in real life!!! I can't wait to visit Harry Potter studio in London!!!</div>
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Everything inside the merchandise store is so expensive. The scarf itself is like 4,800 Yen (60 bucks! omg) and the robe cost 14,000 yen ($176?!?!) I really salute those who bought their HP wear from the store. My <s>fake</s> gryffindor scarf only cost like $12 from Ezbuy? Anyway i decided that since i'm already there... i might try on the whole set and take some photos. HAHHAHA Ok lah, the quality of the stuff are so much better.</div>
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Just before we left USJ, i requested to visit Harry Potter world one last time because i wanted to see how it looks like at night. (I didn't want to leave with regard, lol) so we went back and it was practically empty? Could take so many nice shots like the one above without any humans. They also have the "<i>Expecto Patronum Night Show</i>" at the castle which we missed also, i can't remember why... Oh wells :(<br />
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*opens YouTube to watch the show. LOL*<br />
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Dinner was at some random ramen stall. This post pretty much sums up my experience at Universal Studio Japan! It was crazy fun and i would definitely come back again if the opportunity arises. Unknowingly, it's been 1.5 years since my visit to Japan and i really miss the place. So many good memories...<br />
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I'll be back, </div>
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andystormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959328546554301590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179042060448656234.post-35506021466879424472019-04-19T21:08:00.003+08:002022-11-21T14:07:51.025+08:00Japan Travelogue Day 8: Getting to Osaka (without JR pass), Kaiyukan Aquarium and Tempozan Ferris Wheel!<div style="text-align: center;">
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It's time to move on to the second part of this Japan travelogue. For the next couple of posts, i will be covering on Osaka and Kyoto! But before i go on, let me just share on the planning process for this transit from Tokyo to Osaka. The easiest and the most convenient way to travel from between Tokyo and Osaka (or anywhere else in the region as a matter of fact) would be to get the popular Japan Rail (JR) pass.<br />
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There are a lot of different JR passes available and it can get really confusing but it really depends on the regions you want to visit to decide which is the most suitable pass to get. The most popular pass would be the <a href="https://www.klook.com/en-SG/activity/1420-7-day-whole-japan-rail-pass-jr-pass/?aid=28269">all-in JR pass</a> which cost <b>SGD$358</b> for 7 days validity, <b>SGD571</b> for 14 days validity and <b>SGD$731</b> for 21 days validity. My first thought was - <i>Gosh, the airfare and accommodation is already quite a sum and now i have to pay a few more hundred dollars to travel around? How much is this trip going to cost??</i><br />
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Me being me, i decided to research intensively and read articles after articles online, using the JR calculators available online and found out that the <s>expensive</s> JR pass would be worth it <b>IF ONLY </b>you are traveling <u>to and fro</u> Tokyo - Osaka because the 2 way trip cost would have amounted to almost the cost of the 7 day JR pass. Most people would fly in and out of Tokyo via Narita or Haneda airport so getting the JR pass will make sense. <b>BUT</b> if you book a multi-city trip like me meaning - flying into Narita and out from Osaka, you then only need to buy a one way train ticket!<br />
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<i>*Did a quick search on Singapore Airlines and it cost SGD<b>$808</b> to fly in and out of Tokyo and SGD<b>$821</b> to fly into Tokyo and depart from Osaka. That's only 13 bucks difference.</i></div>
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The next thing now is, how much are you willing to pay for your one way ticket? The fastest would be via the <b>Nozomi train</b> - 2.5 hours at ¥14,450 (SGD$175) or the slower <b>Platt Kodama</b> - 4 hours at ¥10,500 (SGD$127) I chose the latter because for an additional 1.5 hours on the train, i saved <b>SGD$48</b>. If you make the effort to take an early train, the 1.5 hours shouldn't matter much and that $48 that you saved can be used to offset some other things like your meals or attraction tickets. (Not forgetting that you are also just paying $127 instead of the $358 JR pass by getting the multi city air ticket!) So proud of myself. *flicks hair*</div>
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It's important to read up on Platt Kodama train as well because there are certain conditions to fulfil and you have to make a trip down to 1 of the 4 JR offices to purchase the train tickets at least one day before use. Oh! Your train ticket also come with a drink voucher which you can exchange at the train station. Cheap thrill, lol. For more info on Platt Kodama, here's the official website - <a href="https://www.jrtours.co.jp/kodama/english/">https://www.jrtours.co.jp/kodama/english/</a><br />
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*I'm not sponsored by JR or any entities for the information above.</div>
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The lovely AirBnB that we stayed for the entire week in Osaka.</div>
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The owners were very friendly and we communicated via line to send us directions and weather information even before we arrived in Japan. Not only that, they waited patiently for us at the apartment and made sure we were comfortable before they left. There were snacks on the table and even a folder full of information on Osaka, attractions and even eateries around the area! On the last day, they offered to hold our luggages at their own place as our flight was at night. So thankful to James and Tammy! :)</div>
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First lunch at a restaurant beside our AirBnB - my favourite Katsu with egg! </div>
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Because we took the early Platt Kodama train at 7.30am, we arrived in Osaka at around 1pm which leave us ample time to explore Osaka on our first day! First stop was to visit the famous Kaiyukan Aquarium!</div>
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I'm a HUGE fan of zoo and aquarium and i was particularly excited to visit Kaiyukan because they host a couple of WHALE SHARKS. Whales are like spirit animals and it's in my list to see them in real life (preferably in the wild but this will do for now. lol) I was so so so mesmerised by these gigantic creatures. </div>
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But i have to be honest and say that i was a little underwhelmed by their size. I mean i always expected whales to be huge (<i>Well, technically these are sharks but still.</i>) These whale sharks are huge but i expected them to be even bigger. Like the size of a bus or something, lol. Not complaining since i spend at least a good 30 mins alone staring at these majestic creatures swimming round and round in the aquarium.</div>
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One day i will visit Cebu and swim with them. Also, i can't wait to go out to the sea to whale watch when i'm in Sydney this coming august! I hope i see something amazing!!! *cross fingers* Please please please.</div>
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Bought the admission ticket bundle which comes with a ride on the Tempozan Ferris Wheel, one of the world's largest Ferris wheels. The skies was already dark by the time we exited the aquarium. (The skies tend to turn dark really early in Japan) The sight of the Ferris Wheel lightings is just wow. So pretty!</div>
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The entire ride is about 15 mins. Enough to take photos and enjoy the amazing view of Osaka.</div>
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Would you prefer the day view or the night view from attractions that allow you to see from a height?</div>
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We decided to head over to the famous Dōtonbori, the main tourist attraction to get our dinner. Not gonna cover much on this place (yet) because i'm quite sure it will be covered in one of the new few posts. In fact, we didn't walk much because we decided to head back to your AirBnB for an early night because the next day is... highly anticipated UNIVERSAL STUDIO JAPAN!</div>
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Right on track, </div>
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andystormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959328546554301590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179042060448656234.post-17532128752738655862019-04-08T00:08:00.002+08:002019-04-08T00:09:25.569+08:00Japan Travelogue Day 7: Meiji Shrine, Harajuku, Hachikō and Robot Restaurant!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Day 7 in Tokyo, this trip is probably the longest time i've been away for a holiday (<i>at that point of time</i>) I'm not sure if i mentioned earlier on how this 2 week in Japan is planned. Basically 1 full week in Tokyo, then transit to Osaka for another week with a couple of day trips to Kyoto in between the days. So this is going to be the last post on Tokyo before transiting to Osaka! Most people will probably get the oh-so-expensive JR pass for trips like this but i did intensive research and managed to save half the amount without the JR pass. I'll share more on the next post! As for now, Day 7. That's one week in Japan already!</div>
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Woke up early in the morning (as usual) and decided to walk to the nearby McDonalds for breakfast. </div>
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First stop of the day - <b>Meiji Shrine</b>. I always feel that when visiting a new country, you need to experience the culture. It shouldn't be all about shopping and attractions. Like for example, when visiting Bangkok for the very first time, one should visit the floating market and the 4-faced buddha. When in Seoul, go visit the Gyeongbokgung Palace and learn the history. Basically somewhere which allows you to learn and gain more knowledge along the way. This way, you will learn so much more from traveling. After which, you can do whatever you want the subsequent time you visit the same destination.</div>
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Different ways of writing prayers and wishes at the Meiji shrine.</div>
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When walking towards the shrine, you will be greeted by barrels and barrels of sake and wine along the side of the pathway. The colourful sake barrels are presented as gifts to the shrine by sake manufacturers. If you are looking for a place at Meiji Shrine to take your OOTD or insta-worthy shot, this long stretch of barrels will make a really good backdrop as you can see from the above two photos :D</div>
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I'm not sure if i mentioned this in the earlier post but i've always wanted to visit Japan for the longest time. I have this saved album on my instagram and inside this album are a collection of photos which i remind myself that if i ever go to Japan, i MUST find the place and take a photo there. The above is one of the those places - <i>Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku by Hiroshi Nakamura</i>.<br />
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The entrance is this kaleidoscope of mirrors which makes every shot taken there so interesting. I was so excited when i saw the actual place right in front of my eyes. Next thing i did was to start posing to get my instagram shot (so typical i know...) Just look at the photos above. The reflection of the street omgggg.</div>
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Takeshita Street. The most famous shopping street in Harajuku!</div>
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You will never miss the famous crepe shop when you are at <span style="text-align: center;">Takeshita Street! Basically there are a couple of touristy thing to do (mostly snacks to try) and having a crepe is one of them. There is soooo many combination to choose from and i got myself a strawberry cheesecake crepe. It was sooooo good :)</span></div>
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Harajuku is also one of the place in Tokyo where you will find fashionable teenagers. It is the center of Japan's most extreme teenage cultures and fashion styles, but Harajuku also offers shopping for adults and because this place is a tourist attractions, it's usually packed with people.</div>
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Another famous snack is this giant rainbow candy floss from Totti Candy Factory. I did a quick search online and found out that this candy floss cost 900 Yen which is about SGD11. I would actually consider since it's a good photo prop, now i a bit regret not getting it. (lol) I'm not so sure about finishing the whole thing tho, the size is gigantic and you can't really carry it around and eat along the way cos it's so crowded (plus it's rude to eat and walk at the same time in Japan)... and also doesn't all candy floss taste the same???</div>
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Freshly fried Calbee! This is also one of the must eat because it's fresh from the fryer! Deep fried on the spot and you get to choose your toppings like the typical hot and spicy, cheese, salt and butter and even have your chips drizzled with Royce chocolate!! As much as the Royce chocolate seem tempting, i had the harajuku special - <i>Maple Syrup with Cream chees</i>e (330yen, SGD4) I also ordered a serving of the Calbee sticks, fresh from the fryer too! With that said, Calbee+ is a definite must try when visiting Harajuku! </div>
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The famous Hachikō statue in front of Shibuya Station.</div>
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Went back to the famous Shibuya crossing to have a view of how it is like in the day. There are a couple of good spots (for example Starbucks) to watch the magic of Shibuya crossing but these places are always filled with people so it's not that easy to secure a spot to take a photo or video. So... i went to do a quick google and found <s>an unorthodox way</s> to get a really good view from high up. It involves sneaking into a hotel and getting into a guest lift so that you can make use of their access card to get to a certain level. The view from the hotel was amazing and i managed to get a really good time-lapse of the crossing.</div>
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Last activity of the night was a visit to the famous Robot Restaurant. (<i>Special thanks to KKday for sponsoring the tickets!)</i> I had no idea what to expect from this show but apparently it was hyped as one of the best experiences in Tokyo so i was kinda excited that night. Not so sure about the restaurant part because all we bought was popcorn and drinks. I think they got sell Bento sets but nah. Not interested...</div>
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It was quite a show! Totally beyond what i expected. I don't even know how to explain what i watched and i'm quite sure this can only be found in Japan. There is so much going on with all the dancers, lights everywhere and these huge ass props that i don't know how they store them backstage. It's really quite an eye opener. If it's your first time to Tokyo, you might want to consider spending that $65 to catch this show! This basically sums up my one week in Tokyo! </div>
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In the next post, it will be about transiting to Osaka and spending a week there. Half way through this travelogue! がんばり続ける! No idea if whatever i just pasted make sense because i just google translate "keep it up" and they gave me these. HAHAHHAHA</div>
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Half way through! </div>
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andystormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959328546554301590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179042060448656234.post-44014858739954310792019-03-28T17:57:00.003+08:002019-03-28T17:57:43.358+08:00Japan Travelogue Day 6: Tsukiji Fish Market, Oedo Onsen Monogatari Onsen theme park and Shibuya crossing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When holiday-ing in Tokyo, you pretty much have to start your day early because there is so many things to do. During my 2 weeks in Japan, i was waking up daily at 7am on average and getting out of the house by 8 (or even earlier) but then again, Japan is 1 hour ahead of Singapore so actually if you think about it, it's actually quite normal. <strike>So contradicting, whatever.</strike> </div>
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First stop of the day, the famous <b>Tsukiji Fish Market</b>. <i>Do take note that at time of writing, The inner market of Tsukiji Market closed on October 6, 2018 and moved to a new site in Toyosu where it reopened as <b>Toyosu Market</b>. Tsukiji's outer market, on the other hand, did not close and will remain in business.</i> So i'm not exactly sure if it's still worth going. Maybe the famous Tuna auction moved to the new market.</div>
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Anyway, if you intend to go experience the tuna auction thing, you have to be there super early to queue. But to be honest, i'm not interested, and in fact, i'm not a fan of raw seafood so i can easily give this place a miss. But being first time in Tokyo, i thought i should just pay this place a visit early in the morning... </div>
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First stall that caught my attention was this Tamago stall. For whatever reason you don't know what Tamago is, basically it's Japanese omelette, \made by rolling together several layers of cooked egg. This tamago is made on the spot and each slab cost a 100 Yen (SGD1.20) It's the <b>MOST DELICIOUS</b> tamago i ever had in my life. It's warm, eggy, seasoned so well and one slab is definitely not enough. I can totally understand why it is so popular, especially amongst tourists. Definitely a must try when at Tsujiki Market.</div>
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Lots and lots of fresh seafood stalls which i'm not very interested. </div>
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Decided to have our lunch at the market and 90% of the stalls there were selling raw seafood related dishes (like duh!) I was so sian because i'm really not a fan of raw seafood. I don't know why but it's the texture is just yucky to me. Then i convinced myself that MAYBE, MAYBE the quality is different in Japan (<i>after all Japan is famous for their sashimi and sushi what</i>) and i might just convert to a raw seafood lover after having an amazing ultra fresh salmon sashimi rice bowl. </div>
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Didn't happen. I gave my whole bowl away after tasting the first slice. LOL</div>
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A rare appearance of the <b>800 Yen </b>(SGD9.80) slice of melon! Which i didn't get again. *<i>smack forehead</i>*</div>
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<b>Odaiba Ōedo-onsen-monogatari</b></div>
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<i>2 Chome-6-3 Aomi, Koto City, Tokyo 135-0064, Japan</i></div>
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How can one go to Japan and not try their onsen. Most people would opt for the private ones at their comfort of their own room but we decided to travel all the way to Odaiba for the Onsen theme park. Yea, a theme park. Not one with rides but basically a place where you can eat, rest and soak yourself for the entire day. I got my admission tickets prior to the trip from <b>KKday</b> for about $20 per person (<a href="https://www.kkday.com/en/product/19888" target="_blank">Click here</a>)</div>
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Before entering, you have to queue up and collect your <i>Yukata</i> (summer kimono) as it will be your main attire in the theme park. 4 designs to choose from, they got the fancy ones as well as normal looking ones.</div>
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On top of that, you will be given a tag which you will use it to pay for food and games.</div>
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After changing, you proceed to the main hall where you are transported to a festival dated back in Edo period where everyone is in their yukata or kimono and roaming around the village. There are game stalls, souvenir stalls, food stalls and even an arcade with claw machines. The thing about paying with the RFID tag is that it's hard to keep track how much you have accumulated along the way and will only see the damage after leaving the place. LOL We had crepes, mains and played a few games here and there :)</div>
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Of course, not forgetting the main purpose of being there - The Onsen. So for the onsen, you have to get out of your yukata, bring along a small towel and proceed to one of those little shower booths to cleanse yourself before dipping into one of those onsen pools. It was a little awkward at first being naked with so many people but you will get used to it with time. Lots of pools including natural hot springs, open-air bath, steam bath, silk bath and more. It's really quite nice and relaxing spending the entire afternoon there.</div>
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We were super hungry after the onsen session and decided to leave for downtown Tokyo. That's when we had our very first Ichiran experience. I have heard and read so much on this famous Japanese ramen and i was so thrilled to finally try it! I have no idea why but there was no queue that day so we ordered our ramen through the vending machine and was ushered to our booth. Each bowl of ramen cost <b>890 Yen</b> (SGD11), and one thing that i really like is that you get to customise your own ramen, like how flavourful you want the broth to be, how much garlic or onions you want etc. I love it so much! (<i>in fact, Ichiran was my first meal i had when i went to Hong Kong</i>) They should totally have it in SG, confirm popular one.</div>
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Decided to end the night by visiting the famous <b>Shibuya crossing</b>. It was drizzling at night and everyone was carrying their transparent umbrella. It was quite a sight to behold. Like some scene from a movie. I also realised 90% of the people in Tokyo carries a transparent umbrella on rainy days. No other design or colour and it's not those foldable compact kind. Of course i had to get one in Japan too! LOL</div>
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The funny thing is that, because everyone is carrying the same transparent umbrella, it's very easy to get mixed up. There were several occasions where i had to leave the umbrella at the rack outside a store and when i exit, my umbrella isn't there anymore. Someone must have mistaken it and took mine, as a result... i took someone else's instead. HAHAHAHA and it happened throughout the 2 weeks i was in Japan! I just kept exchanging my umbrella. Sometimes i get those lousy quality ones, and sometimes i get the really good and sturdy ones (<i>which i will be very unwilling to "exchange", lol</i>) Anyone experience the same?</div>
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Doing the touristy <i>photo-in-the-middle-of-shibuya-crossing</i> thing. After few attempts, LOL</div>
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I probably have about 4 to 5 more posts left for this Japan Travelogue and after the next one, it's probably going to be on Osaka and Kyoto! I'm actually enjoying the process of recalling what happened during the trip and i can't wait to visit Japan again :D</div>
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Till the next post, </div>
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andystormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959328546554301590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179042060448656234.post-84249054905333926742019-03-21T23:30:00.000+08:002020-05-09T16:05:53.472+08:00Japan Travelogue Day 5: Sensoji Temple, Pokemon Centre and Kura Sushi!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Gosh, it's already 2019 and i realised i have yet to finish my Japan travelogue (<i>which happened in 2017 and i'm already back from my Korea 2018 trip!</i>) My last post was dated in October which means i did not touch my blog for a good 4 months due to personal reasons. I honestly cannot remember the exact details on what happened during the trip but i'm still gonna try my best to finish this travelogue and move on to Korea. Readership has obviously decreased but i've made up my mind to continue updating this space, not just for the remaining readers but for myself to document all my travels. Without further ado, Day 5!</div>
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Breakfast was at <i>Matsuya</i>, a fast food restaurant chain. Their breakfast set is one of my favourite breakfast in Japan because it's value for money and very filling. The set above is just 450 Yen which is about $5.50!</div>
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First stop of the day - <i>Sensoji Temple</i>. Miss my blonde hair. (shoutout to <i><a href="https://blackhairsalon.com.sg/" target="_blank">BlackHairSalon</a></i> for the sponsor!)</div>
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Sensoji Temple is located at Asakusa station and this temple is Tokyo's oldest temple, and one of its most significant. Definitely a must visit for first timers to Tokyo! The above is an interesting way of drawing a fortune tell and if you got a "bad fortune", you tie it to this railing thing to leave the bad fortune behind. Not sure if it's a real thing or just a nice way to make people feel better after getting a bad note.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj4yZM1hcwPEBhjoD4aJIADNBxCLFe9UWkgCypPF1oOusyBn7bcSTTDEMHxUZ_9QHaad_7Vg5q13XANCIfBrIl9L_Hhyt1Q0ZIInIruuT7TI2jU2DuAf1C8Lc4_4D1wpKABl27S0Bq2QQ/s1600/E7E4BD24-6C95-4717-9984-9E025024FB16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj4yZM1hcwPEBhjoD4aJIADNBxCLFe9UWkgCypPF1oOusyBn7bcSTTDEMHxUZ_9QHaad_7Vg5q13XANCIfBrIl9L_Hhyt1Q0ZIInIruuT7TI2jU2DuAf1C8Lc4_4D1wpKABl27S0Bq2QQ/s1600/E7E4BD24-6C95-4717-9984-9E025024FB16.JPG" width="800" /></a></div>
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Before you go into any temple or shrine in Japan, there is this cleansing ritual at the entrance. There is a proper way to do it (read it <a href="https://matcha-jp.com/en/201" target="_blank">here</a>) At the end you have to let the water flow down to wash the ladle.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-DQBmPwd5o5JGDIHyTH6hi6949V_EsXK8QPC6BC47DfxDVMtqGrbIFgNSjsD0wuSriQLS1pmHKzw2RJIfZCjjj1hbSTsE9bCw9qTkH0eycB2mwdVDUdIY0u-B2dZRuFdVFwgJtsTDI4/s1600/B889DB15-30CC-42B3-985C-B5CE44DA2257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-DQBmPwd5o5JGDIHyTH6hi6949V_EsXK8QPC6BC47DfxDVMtqGrbIFgNSjsD0wuSriQLS1pmHKzw2RJIfZCjjj1hbSTsE9bCw9qTkH0eycB2mwdVDUdIY0u-B2dZRuFdVFwgJtsTDI4/s1600/B889DB15-30CC-42B3-985C-B5CE44DA2257.JPG" width="800" /></a></div>
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It was drizzling that day but it didn't stop the tourists (including ourselves) to visit this famous temple.</div>
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Tried this famous (and expensive) Cremier ice cream but it was too milky for my liking. The cone is made of this biscuit that tasted like the 白い恋人 snack. Another snack that i research online that i should try is this Strawberry Daifuku. I was so looking forward to trying it but little did i know that it's filled with red bean. Sian, i'm not a fan of red bean at all. I also saw melon fruit being sold at a whooping <b>800 Yen</b> (SGD$9.70) per slice and i told myself it's too expensive, i will see if i can find cheaper alternative elsewhere. I didn't see or taste any throughout the entire trip and sadly, it was one of my regrets of this trip.</div>
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At Asakusa, there is also the famous <i>Nakamise Shopping Street</i>. It's definitely a must-go after visiting the temple. The entire street is lined with lots of souvenir stores and food stalls. (not forgetting tourists since this place is famous) I suggest you visit on an empty stomach so that you can try all the delicious street snacks!</div>
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I just had to get this Obanyaki because it's shaped after the Magikarp pokemon :D</div>
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Next stop, <b>Akihabara</b>! This area is know for it's electronic retailers and the in place for manga, anime and video games lovers. We were not huge fan of these but we came to this area because we wanted to visit the owl cafe. But along the way to the cafe, there were several of these huge multi storey SEGA store which houses tonnes of claw machines - which was our ultimate weakness in Japan! Gosh. I don't even want to think about how much we spent on these machines. But i've got to admit that it's easier to play compared to Singapore. The staffs are super friendly and they will even help you adjust the position of the you till you win the toy after seeing that you have spend quite an amount (and effort) on the machines, hehe.</div>
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Spotted Saizeriya and decided to have it for lunch!</div>
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<b>Forest of Owl</b></div>
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<i>4 Chome-5-8 Sotokanda, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 101-0021, Japan</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRUz_cMMgkmcMAwDz9xv5JbQqdes2VMCkz15L7h-e8_c7dMI_aGzvj4fOln_-riIeSBXIYrNv-77fHyoqj9VAi8znqTqDGzqS9XUva6TuiJIBIgUrgkMv-vAAy75UTVSfBXPqxjvp0ujM/s1600/D45B830F-E8D1-4AAA-94A1-3CCA169A0CE9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRUz_cMMgkmcMAwDz9xv5JbQqdes2VMCkz15L7h-e8_c7dMI_aGzvj4fOln_-riIeSBXIYrNv-77fHyoqj9VAi8znqTqDGzqS9XUva6TuiJIBIgUrgkMv-vAAy75UTVSfBXPqxjvp0ujM/s1600/D45B830F-E8D1-4AAA-94A1-3CCA169A0CE9.JPG" width="800" /></a></div>
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As you already know, japan have all sorts of cafes and one of the interesting few are the hedgehog (which we went earlier in this trip) and also the owl cafe. Entrance fee to the "Forest of owl" is <b>540 Yen</b> (SGD$6.50) and it comes with a drink.</div>
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So basically after disinfecting your hands, you get to roam around the place where you get to see all sorts of owls in one place. You usually will spend about 45 mins or so taking photos of them (or trying to take one with them for your instagram) and it's a fun experience! I mean how often do you get to see an owl??? </div>
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Went over to Sunshine city to visit the famous Japan exclusive Pokemon centre. (Not so exclusive anymore now that it's going to open at our very own Changi airport) There is sooooo many things i want to get from the Pokemon center but i kept reminding myself the amount of useless toys i have at home and not forgetting the new ones we won from the countless claw machines throughout Tokyo. Gosh. Enough.</div>
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<b>KURA Sushi</b></div>
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<i>〒171-0022 Tokyo, 豊島区 Minamiikebukuro, 1 Chome−19−5, Gビル南池袋01</i></div>
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This is definitely a must go when i planned my itinerary because this place is famous for their Gachapon conveyor belt sushi! We queued for <b>1.5 hours</b> by the way. The queue number are called out in Japanese so we had to ask for help from those in the queue and got them to let us know when it's our turn. </div>
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The sushi are all priced at <b>100 Yen</b> (SGD$1.20) so it's very affordable and the quality of the sushi is also good. You can also order more items from the iPad and it will be delivered to you via the train system. </div>
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Basically it's like our Genki Sushi in Singapore.</div>
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The only difference or the thing that makes this place unique is, for every 5 plates you eat (and drop the plates into the slot) you get a chance at the gachapon! A video will start playing and you have to watch it to know if you won the Gachapon. The chances of winning is quite low by the way but it's the whole experience that makes it worthwhile to pay this place a visit. Anyway the toy inside the Gachapon all quite useless one. LOL I think the game also makes you want to eat more so you can try and win a toy?</div>
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A preview of the toys (<i>mostly won from claw machines</i>) for the day. *<i>smack forehead</i>*</div>
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Great. Finally another post down. A lot more to go to complete this Japan travelogue (which happened in 2017 now that i think about it. Tian ah.) I still have a Korea one to go and i'm hoping i can finish everything before i go for my Sydney trip in August. </div>
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Till the next post, </div>
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andystormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959328546554301590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179042060448656234.post-84041184955465064692018-10-22T23:36:00.003+08:002018-10-22T23:46:06.107+08:00Funsiamo - Singapore's first and only DIY baking studio!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Recently i was invited to the opening of <b><i>Funsiamo</i></b>, which i totally have no idea what it was about but the invitation wrote something about a baking session which i was what i always wanted to do so i immediately RSVP and locked the date in my calendar. Fast forward a week later, i arrived at the store located at Suntec and i was straightaway handed an apron and the baking sessions begins - <b>without any instructions</b>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW78xGXc22vLZvGUpg-HRr1mSuPQxSS-1ysqV3zfVi3n-yiw3y57iy5VAX0_bIhedc3H93IvaXOCD9K2g1zhWneiTsMqqUTaOMJhzP5csLx6LegCgakEILmGgTaS7BVF_0Tefg2YlpLbE/s1600/IMG_8745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="803" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW78xGXc22vLZvGUpg-HRr1mSuPQxSS-1ysqV3zfVi3n-yiw3y57iy5VAX0_bIhedc3H93IvaXOCD9K2g1zhWneiTsMqqUTaOMJhzP5csLx6LegCgakEILmGgTaS7BVF_0Tefg2YlpLbE/s1600/IMG_8745.JPG" width="800" /></a></div>
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...and that's what Funsiamo was all about. <b>Singapore's first and only DIY baking studio</b>. Originated from Taiwan and now here in Singapore. (<i>In case you are wondering why Funsiamo, it literally means "Have fun together!" from the word "fun" in English and "we are" in Italian</i>)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIXgn1Tdnw1bC9zq2OcoivoMBjcVjDcNQBPl572m8tQoKh5UrPI3kof2yQ6yfHpf34IRf7MgzqrhjYbY78VTzHNy7bVgq4eZCOE-eD2jMV6rX1IXXWM9MAIa62M5LlnmXAu_mWbe0700/s1600/IMG_8867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="753" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIXgn1Tdnw1bC9zq2OcoivoMBjcVjDcNQBPl572m8tQoKh5UrPI3kof2yQ6yfHpf34IRf7MgzqrhjYbY78VTzHNy7bVgq4eZCOE-eD2jMV6rX1IXXWM9MAIa62M5LlnmXAu_mWbe0700/s1600/IMG_8867.JPG" width="800" /></a></div>
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So all you have to do is walk in, choose from a wide range of recipes such as cakes, tarts, macarons etc and all the ingredients and tools will be made available by the studio. Everything is DIY and you will be equipped with an iPad with instructions on how to construct your cake from scratch.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPmZkVH6IGPl2c7csHRVEMVx9ApuTY8n3etqSCxdwmluUxdU5jLAveJOIUgJGacN7PQbQxgSx-EIlUtFNDb79ALWLUqmT1Yv3NZdAhaaU2Np6xuGSL8O57tUJpCcR2v6N8OLxgz452Xfs/s1600/bake5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPmZkVH6IGPl2c7csHRVEMVx9ApuTY8n3etqSCxdwmluUxdU5jLAveJOIUgJGacN7PQbQxgSx-EIlUtFNDb79ALWLUqmT1Yv3NZdAhaaU2Np6xuGSL8O57tUJpCcR2v6N8OLxgz452Xfs/s1600/bake5.jpg" width="800" /></a></div>
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Everything is available. Either in the fridge or from the tray below your workstation. All you have to do is follow the instructions on the iPad closely and nothing should go wrong. *<i>cross fingers</i>* (Well, if you watch 'Nailed it' on Netflix, you would know that it can be a total disaster for some people. LOLOLOL)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Q5SFXEFdQefj8RKTxDHchqomJH10q9uJzEzlSIQALRdWpnwSXOsnFuQxSA1FTYDOwD_RlJItM43qea8LueJHzDvRVq1yDE6fX55XL4E-tHOao9sWOHkVhs4GasH8CWj9YYv5180zEi0/s1600/bake1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Q5SFXEFdQefj8RKTxDHchqomJH10q9uJzEzlSIQALRdWpnwSXOsnFuQxSA1FTYDOwD_RlJItM43qea8LueJHzDvRVq1yDE6fX55XL4E-tHOao9sWOHkVhs4GasH8CWj9YYv5180zEi0/s1600/bake1.jpg" width="800" /></a></div>
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In a typical baking class, you usually start with a chef demo and all the ingredients are nicely prepared for you in the correct quantity, which probably explains why baking classes are always so expensive but at Funsiamo, you immediately start after donning your apron. Follow the instructions on the iPad down to weighing the exact grams of each ingredient and follow the steps. I was given a choice of either the rainbow cake or Valrhona Banana Chocolate Cake and i chose the chocolate cake. Well it's more photo/ insta-worthy and it seem more challenging compared to the rainbow cake. #challengeaccepted.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZsI6K73hXco4IrB55n-hXw_9HnQTtZv3e6lzFEBqnbnLhOmasA6vksKbbSM3wtyNIl62h9EsSKi6SCekP1Z-G9WmCuDTIu7iq1Tfkk29gd5xOgFkyWXNjXlZbUvICXn0W7NX-GW4JrIo/s1600/bake3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZsI6K73hXco4IrB55n-hXw_9HnQTtZv3e6lzFEBqnbnLhOmasA6vksKbbSM3wtyNIl62h9EsSKi6SCekP1Z-G9WmCuDTIu7iq1Tfkk29gd5xOgFkyWXNjXlZbUvICXn0W7NX-GW4JrIo/s1600/bake3.jpg" width="800" /></a></div>
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I missed a couple of steps at the beginning because i didn't read the instructions properly -__- I think i was supposed to put in and mix the wet ingredients first followed by the dry ones or vice versa but i dumped everything into the mixing bowl all at once. Even though it's DIY, there are still staffs on site to guide you or teach you how to use the electric mixer and oven, so don't need to worry so much. Just have fun! :D</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxxKCTWtjJifSbQFn-46qmDVlXt3zrjvsPhK8ClyMxuAktdZ4RtdwrDJ0auHQHnzhJ7EbSCFoVAOop4BOJOqum1G8dcm04HGLaQKHQgT0l1GcDYwaepQRzV-om9nBxOYZKwppbg_l81E/s1600/bake4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxxKCTWtjJifSbQFn-46qmDVlXt3zrjvsPhK8ClyMxuAktdZ4RtdwrDJ0auHQHnzhJ7EbSCFoVAOop4BOJOqum1G8dcm04HGLaQKHQgT0l1GcDYwaepQRzV-om9nBxOYZKwppbg_l81E/s1600/bake4.jpg" width="800" /></a></div>
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As you can see, i was very focused at getting the drip as professionally as i can and then putting in the finishing touches and i was really proud at the end result! It looked almost like the one they had on display! (I was still quite skeptical about the taste tho) Looks not bad right! I mean the chocolate drip is a little untidy, the buttercream exterior wasn't well done but still! Not bad for a first attempt what, HAHA</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9oyuSjPccLuaUsgKk-sq_bCk7YFwBxgND2gbClwuJJ46Rx9Ug75vDp4HR6F4hCUWMi9xYuaZ71Th1zyDWRGbJzy2Wc3FhHe33KTnJRDhCgrxN-7vq6XVYPu9o0MILt6Yi6xzcOMedQE/s1600/IMG_9052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9oyuSjPccLuaUsgKk-sq_bCk7YFwBxgND2gbClwuJJ46Rx9Ug75vDp4HR6F4hCUWMi9xYuaZ71Th1zyDWRGbJzy2Wc3FhHe33KTnJRDhCgrxN-7vq6XVYPu9o0MILt6Yi6xzcOMedQE/s1600/IMG_9052.JPG" width="800" /></a></div>
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I posted a photo of my final product on insta story and everyone was like "YOU MADE THIS???" Wahlao.</div>
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I was really really proud of my creation tho. After you are done, the staff will pack your cake into this nice little box with ice pack and then tie it up with pretty ribbon for you to bring home. I went home and offered the cake to my family. We concluded that my cake looked better than its taste. Not sure if it's me or that's how the cake is supposed to taste like, lol.<br />
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With that said, i really enjoyed myself at Funsiamo and i would highly recommend couples and friends to give it a try! A baking session outside would easily cost close to $200 per pax but at Funsiamo, the recipe range from about $60 for chiffon cakes to about $120 for their fruit tarts and cakes which i think is pretty affordable! (<i>Note: You pay per recipe, not by the no. of pax</i>) It can even be an impromptu date because you can just walk in and start baking!<br />
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<i>Funsiamo is located at Suntec City, North Wing. #02-248</i><br />
<i>Website: <a href="https://www.funsiamo.com.sg/">https://www.funsiamo.com.sg</a></i><br />
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Have fun! </div>
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andystormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959328546554301590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179042060448656234.post-69290302460300204422018-09-30T15:19:00.002+08:002018-10-26T17:33:38.972+08:00Travel: U Zenmaya, Phuket<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
A couple of months back, Jetstar was having this sale so my friends and i were thinking of doing a short getaway to somewhere nearby. Wanted to explore somewhere new and we narrowed down our destination to Myanmar where we can also visit Bagan for their hot air balloon (<i>i didn't know there's hot air balloon in Asia until then, lol</i>) But after doing some research, we realised the expedition will cost quite a bit and it was also their monsoon season so we decided to postpone the trip and go somewhere else instead. In the end, we decided to get tickets to Phuket. I think the fare was only about $80 per person with tax?</div>
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The whole idea of this getaway was to relax and recuperate. So minimal activities, more rest, spend time at the beach etc. Accommodation wise, we initially decided to go for a normal affordable hotel since we will be spending most of the time out of the hotel (as usual) until we saw this particular hotel - <i>U Zenmaya</i>. I recall reading about this hotel when i was doing my research on Phuket a couple of years back and i remember it being quite exclusive and expensive. Each room has it's own jacuzzi and is facing the sea.</div>
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This time, we decided to splurge a little and book our 4D3N stay at U Zenmaya. The hotel is located at Kamala area, which is about 15 to 20 mins drive away from touristy Patong. Upon landing at Phuket International Airport, we went to one of the counter at the arrival hall to get a car to bring us to our hotel. If i remember correctly, it cost us 850 baht (SGD36) and the journey took about 45 mins.</div>
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Touted as a luxury hotel, U Zenmaya offers several privileges such as 24 hour check in and out policy meaning if you arrive at say 5pm, you get to checkout at 5pm. So you get to spend a full 24 hours a day in the hotel to enjoy the facilities such as the gym and infinity pool. On top of that, upon checking in, you even get to choose your choice of pillow and even the soap scent! This is something that i have never encounter before throughout my travels. Accommodation has never been a priority when i travel so i usually go the affordable and decent ones. I barely utilise the hotel's facilities as i'm out most of the time.</div>
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The room we got ourselves is the <i>Premium Deluxe Seaview Room</i> (35sqm) and it features a large personal jacuzzi on a private ocean facing balcony. They replenish the mini bar daily as well so we constantly had drinks to bring around the hotel. There are also another type of rooms which has a balcony that opens up to an infinity swimming pool. So i guess it's either the jacuzzi or the swimming pool.<br />
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If you ask me, i would say go for the jacuzzi because...</div>
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The hotel itself already has a gorgeous infinity swimming pool! This is the first time i spent so much time in the holiday on an overseas holiday. Half the time i was sitting by the pool reading my kindle, taking a swim once in awhile and i even dozed off a couple of times while listening to the waves. </div>
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It was so relaxing that we didn't want to step out of the hotel most of the time. There's a pool bar which has 50% off happy hour at a certain timing, the hotel food was pretty decent and affordable (SG cafe prices) so we practically had our meals at the pool for a couple of times.<br />
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Part of the reason why we didn't want to step out of the hotel was that it's not located at the main touristy area. There's a shuttle bus/truck which brings you out and back at every hour at just 100 baht ($4), but any other time we would have to call for a cab which would cost at least 400 baht ($17) one way. With that said, we went out a couple of times for meals and to visit Patong beach as well as Bangla street :D</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVAopOB6Wou2Atl_BsOq_9F-E1i_0Rxb3HTQjhT12o4fJIgsQyzHgPGgpbE3pQPLeOKzeIbqUFzCUY7gLzBFsSjxwjNW8wpKmA8xNpHNNPYBgPTFNVOS8KFXb53dur5NGx5LDcP78t6f0/s1600/219FB581-1F74-4951-9DC4-BD767B45FC5C.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVAopOB6Wou2Atl_BsOq_9F-E1i_0Rxb3HTQjhT12o4fJIgsQyzHgPGgpbE3pQPLeOKzeIbqUFzCUY7gLzBFsSjxwjNW8wpKmA8xNpHNNPYBgPTFNVOS8KFXb53dur5NGx5LDcP78t6f0/s1600/219FB581-1F74-4951-9DC4-BD767B45FC5C.JPG" width="800" /></a></div>
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Breakfast is provided at the hotel's restaurant and i would say they offers quite a wide range of food for breakfast. There is the bread and pastries corner with assorted jams, fruits and DIY salad spread, live egg station, buffet style western and local Thai food as well as hot and cold beverages etc. Definitely more than enough variety to cater to everyone. Love a good hotel breakfast spread <span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">❤</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivgLXOfEFRb-hUJY56HOTTLTt1sSpo0J4i3PKZn2nRQhMTtnjYyl3XrsQGn8zEDyhpKDULqPL7SfS-H_cltdRIkhTs3kOmrtVLYa169ZoQukaW7nfwllVb_W0PoluFHDuBEpAud7BAWZw/s1600/87EE5C9D-10D9-40F3-872C-BE13901425FB.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivgLXOfEFRb-hUJY56HOTTLTt1sSpo0J4i3PKZn2nRQhMTtnjYyl3XrsQGn8zEDyhpKDULqPL7SfS-H_cltdRIkhTs3kOmrtVLYa169ZoQukaW7nfwllVb_W0PoluFHDuBEpAud7BAWZw/s1600/87EE5C9D-10D9-40F3-872C-BE13901425FB.JPG" width="800" /></a></div>
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If you have been following my travelogues, you would know that i'm a sucker for buffet breakfast and i would wake up no matter what just to have my breakfast (only when overseas!) What i would do each time would be to firstly, take a stroll to see what are the different kind of food available, then start going to each area to take a bit of each and bring it back to my table. After i'm done, my table will be usually filled with plates and bowls. That's when i will start eating for the next 45 mins before going for the next round.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJm0ULLtBL9dvhCV9gCKcCOEKpA0biGBjLa5F32C3gY9f_j2RXNZkw-mq_7VTq-_xmqm2SCVYyKNdcPEPVRlF6BtPq2QznAqi6UGODw4XfHob3GsqJIve-GT2jmdoTGld91usp2aq7DY/s1600/2A1C8788-CFE7-4138-8D0D-6D59302800E8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJm0ULLtBL9dvhCV9gCKcCOEKpA0biGBjLa5F32C3gY9f_j2RXNZkw-mq_7VTq-_xmqm2SCVYyKNdcPEPVRlF6BtPq2QznAqi6UGODw4XfHob3GsqJIve-GT2jmdoTGld91usp2aq7DY/s1600/2A1C8788-CFE7-4138-8D0D-6D59302800E8.JPG" width="800" /></a></div>
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If you decide not to wake up early and join the crowd downstairs for breakfast, the hotel offers "breakfast <i>anytime, anywhere</i>" which literally means you can have breakfast at any time of the day and anywhere in the hotel. We decided to try the service on the last morning before we check out and decided to have breakfast in the room. (If you have more time and is "daring" enough, try and ask to have breakfast at some ulu corner of the hotel, see what they will do. Maybe they will set up tables and chairs. LOL) </div>
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I ordered my breakfast through the phone and had to answer a long list of questions because i ordered the "all-in" breakfast so i have to answer how i want my eggs to be cooked, the type of bread, down to the drinks. Both hot and cold. Everything else like fruits and cereals will come along with it. What a sumptuous breakfast on the bed. Perfect to create that pretentious breakfast-on-the-bed shot (which i did, lol)<br />
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With that said, this is one of the best hotel i have stayed in and it made me rethink the whole concept about paying more for accommodation and enjoying the facilities, even for local staycations. I guess from now on i will be looking out for hotel perks too! In case you are wondering, it cost me about $200+ a night for my stay at U Zenmaya. T<i>his is not a sponsored stay btw.</i><br />
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andystormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959328546554301590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179042060448656234.post-40836234096898104692018-09-19T18:36:00.002+08:002018-09-19T18:38:43.074+08:00Review: Creative Metallix!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
I have always been a huge fan of Creative products as they are of good quality and really affordable. Say for example my <i>Creative Outlier Sports </i>headphones. Ever since i got my first pair, i have never thought of getting any other brand or model because it's just so good in terms of sound quality and it fits my everyday use, be it for casual listening to music or when i hit the gym. I honestly swear by the product and managed to convince the people around me to try them! (They launched a lower end version - <i>Creative Outlier One</i> at $39! Super affordable for a good quality ear piece. Can consider if you always wanted a sports earpiece)</div>
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That aside, Creative recently sent me another of their bluetooth portable speaker to review (i'm already using their Roar and MuVo Mini, lol) <b>The Creative Metallix</b>. I secretly love that it's in totally black. <span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">❤</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4U_togIKKc-y_595egICLLXE3o03YSbWDFLn92j_HxwTNofIAJY_3prsYnjTF-TSZ51g9wPZ9iIJDga1DO8lAY4eOu9-AoYuiIi14sDgATU9mi0tPlxBYPB7nzE-iPlaqllQtwfqXM90/s1600/IMG_0494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4U_togIKKc-y_595egICLLXE3o03YSbWDFLn92j_HxwTNofIAJY_3prsYnjTF-TSZ51g9wPZ9iIJDga1DO8lAY4eOu9-AoYuiIi14sDgATU9mi0tPlxBYPB7nzE-iPlaqllQtwfqXM90/s1600/IMG_0494.JPG" width="800" /></a></div>
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The first thing will notice about the Creative Metallix would be the size. It's literally palm-sized and weigh just 205 grams, which deems it as ultra portable. I would say it makes a perfect speaker to bring on a travel, staycation or even out for a picnic. You will be shocked that it boost a remarkably long-lasting battery life of up to 24 hours! When i first read about it, i was like what? 24 hours??? That is something that i would not expect from a speaker of this size. I do know of speakers in the market that is at least twice the size of the Metallix but can only last for a much shorter duration.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj7YjBrBLJnsCpl1HjJorkrKhNjHpEf3ERmEUCXbSL6JsrWLuqyqrF8lP7a2lHQuoiCMlZrEAko_Dmk19bLAcABP45_nVZP_gqXnNacm_1CQk4HnMDDi2dm3bAN6Arhh8ChX5cMNFKS5k/s1600/IMG_0484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj7YjBrBLJnsCpl1HjJorkrKhNjHpEf3ERmEUCXbSL6JsrWLuqyqrF8lP7a2lHQuoiCMlZrEAko_Dmk19bLAcABP45_nVZP_gqXnNacm_1CQk4HnMDDi2dm3bAN6Arhh8ChX5cMNFKS5k/s1600/IMG_0484.JPG" width="800" /></a></div>
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Every time i do a "<i>tech review</i>" i have to do a disclaimer because i'm not a tech blogger and i won't go into the specifics of the speakers like what is stated on their website - "<i>furnished with an in-house tuned full-range driver with a hidden passive radiator for impressive audio and enhanced bass.</i>" To me, what really matters is that the sound that comes out of the speaker must be crisp and clear, with a good bass. I'm quite sure most people reading this blog will resonate with me because how many people actually knows what's a passive radiator and how it affects the sound???</div>
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An honest review from me, i would say the sound produced by the Creative Metallix is awesome, good enough for my standard. (<i>Damn. Very soon no company would want me to review their gadget liao. </i>HAHAHA) Oh ya! If you have 2 or more Creative Metallix (for whatever reason) you can actually pair them up for better and wider stereo sound experience!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin95LGqq4j60D5dg3CbymmxZmJozOq-LvWrOCP3KIeW3nHkTQV_kOiiJttDUry-TIvMXLpajW3iTxAhNemZ6O10YAb-hXmYxFzrdX74JxeWChFsgNg8lb7TnORV7QuIP-F4PUD1JgZmrA/s1600/speaker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="814" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin95LGqq4j60D5dg3CbymmxZmJozOq-LvWrOCP3KIeW3nHkTQV_kOiiJttDUry-TIvMXLpajW3iTxAhNemZ6O10YAb-hXmYxFzrdX74JxeWChFsgNg8lb7TnORV7QuIP-F4PUD1JgZmrA/s1600/speaker.jpg" width="800" /></a></div>
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The design of the speaker is very simple as shown in the image above. There are different modes which you can toggle between. Like <i>FM Radio</i>, which i feel is a long lost function which a lot of people would greatly appreciate, you can also play your own songs using the <i>built in Music Player</i> via Micro SD card, there is a <i>standard 3.5mm AUX-in port</i> for fuss-free wired connectivity and lastly, you can also use the speaker to activate <i>Google Now</i> or <i>Siri</i> to send a message or make a call (which you can use it as a speakerphone to take calls!) That's quite a lot of functions in a compact speaker isn't it?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtXzheMi4K_pDyA5XRhWEMjAJwwsIrUtXnxhs0xGiskMhQgXzf8CROtSXEWZwGMhC9M4C37xG-06_sXA2Mm44eC1q7ehs5_vRgPH4SEvLH-2x6mA9t6FMeeXj0V6nvat8Yjdr9cy3z67I/s1600/IMG_0489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtXzheMi4K_pDyA5XRhWEMjAJwwsIrUtXnxhs0xGiskMhQgXzf8CROtSXEWZwGMhC9M4C37xG-06_sXA2Mm44eC1q7ehs5_vRgPH4SEvLH-2x6mA9t6FMeeXj0V6nvat8Yjdr9cy3z67I/s1600/IMG_0489.JPG" width="800" /></a></div>
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Overall i'm really pleased at how this portable speaker pack such a punch and i'm in love with it's minimalistic black design. If you are wondering how much this Creative Metallix would cost, you will be surprised that it retails at just $59 on the Creative online store (<a href="https://sg.creative.com/p/speakers/creative-metallix"><i>https://sg.creative.com/p/speakers/creative-metallix</i></a>) AND it's on a promotion at just <b>$39</b>! Honestly i feel that this would make a great "<i>below-$50-budget</i>" gift, maybe can buy and keep for Christmas gift exchange first because i also have no idea when the promotion is gonna end. LOL Alright, that's all i have to say about the Creative Metallix! :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2fq2I0TMq3T2pd_C7CjfCESABRQ9LAkYAcXdL07rxjS2M6aKxI_BgF7HWOImpS7WuUvMiP-9os1ffIZDUg0e8WdW0aU2T-xla5zPgG8hK-6FvgqPU-bGE7PiLwtqqhZYvkOaAJS__veg/s1600/signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="48" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2fq2I0TMq3T2pd_C7CjfCESABRQ9LAkYAcXdL07rxjS2M6aKxI_BgF7HWOImpS7WuUvMiP-9os1ffIZDUg0e8WdW0aU2T-xla5zPgG8hK-6FvgqPU-bGE7PiLwtqqhZYvkOaAJS__veg/s1600/signature.png" /></a></div>
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andystormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959328546554301590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179042060448656234.post-89915500806407376592018-07-31T00:20:00.005+08:002018-08-01T23:16:16.859+08:00Weekend getaway to Kuala Lumpur!<div style="text-align: justify;">
A couple of weeks back , i went over to KL and i had the perfect excuse to make this impromptu weekend getaway - colleague’s baby 1st birthday celebration (the parents are Malaysians) The whole gang of us made our own transport arrangements and the fastest way to get to KL would definitely be via plane HOWEVER because a couple of us waited till the very last minute to book our flights, the rates were exorbitant (<i>probably due to the Hari Raya public holiday</i>) so we decided that we would take an overnight chartered car over on Friday night and take an evening flight back on Sunday - which gives us about 2 full days in KL!</div>
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The overnight car ride started at around 10pm and we eventually arrived in KL at about 3am. Checked into the hotel, immediately unpacked and went to sleep as we had to wake up early the next day. Not gonna mention which hotel as there is nothing much to rave about the place and it was not a very good hotel imo. Location wise, awesome (just a 5 mins walk to Pavilion) but the walls were thin and we could literally hear the music from the club downstairs through the thin walls. There were even drilling noise at 3am. Zzz Just in case you are wondering which hotel it is, here’s a little hint - "<i>First camera themed boutique hotel in KL</i>” </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQdpvOL9S2e4SAbcYz5grvEpgOga6SQ5vIkjWZzXUvNW9Nq1Pklm5wj964rQQU-9qTeQkeFbrYkAPUKhwQwsP5NIGq3UCLRDSXO0HxvzvVAYHLv3gP0yfkksZrCiz1YuSM-I7v99c2ryE/s1600/me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQdpvOL9S2e4SAbcYz5grvEpgOga6SQ5vIkjWZzXUvNW9Nq1Pklm5wj964rQQU-9qTeQkeFbrYkAPUKhwQwsP5NIGq3UCLRDSXO0HxvzvVAYHLv3gP0yfkksZrCiz1YuSM-I7v99c2ryE/s1600/me.jpg" width="800" /></a></div>
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Sharing on 2 cafes which i visited during my short trip to KL! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOQUKZ6Zm7f-z4UTU4RHMqJkNMCdr8Wa9euNLhXqdQCX_hyphenhyphenedh7FGu8CY8E23EnHI6pdXRMy6On96U60C9R4IZTgf-JUZVw_OqtB7xQVANHYe7aSt19O6bMd_n7W5bLcxy9GPioiZidW0/s1600/antipodean.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOQUKZ6Zm7f-z4UTU4RHMqJkNMCdr8Wa9euNLhXqdQCX_hyphenhyphenedh7FGu8CY8E23EnHI6pdXRMy6On96U60C9R4IZTgf-JUZVw_OqtB7xQVANHYe7aSt19O6bMd_n7W5bLcxy9GPioiZidW0/s1600/antipodean.jpg" width="800" /></a></div>
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<b> Antipodean Cafe</b> </div>
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<i>20, Jalan Telawi 2, Bangsar Baru, 59100 Kuala Lumpur, </i></div>
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<i>Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia </i></div>
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The last time I visited Antipodean Cafe was about 2 years ago and it had a lasting impression in my mind. What i really like about this cafe is that they serve great English food. The variety ranges from the typical breakfast set, pancakes, sandwiches for breakfast/ brunch to pastas and pizzas after 11am. There’s even cocktail and beer so basically you can visit the cafe at any time of the day. You don’t get a physical menu because the entire menu is written across the walls. The price is really affordable (especially after conversion and no GST!) </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGAsvFHbICrlP4unOffbW1OKPAr-TuAL65s62xACw0n3rJ1RIE5sQeiFXOMw9T8dapT_wZri0B-EXJu7kpnHg2Pc_92H0DBumqaddtrGXgXsL9Sb2diLhdns0fNizv20K63GUoimOY8d8/s1600/botanico.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGAsvFHbICrlP4unOffbW1OKPAr-TuAL65s62xACw0n3rJ1RIE5sQeiFXOMw9T8dapT_wZri0B-EXJu7kpnHg2Pc_92H0DBumqaddtrGXgXsL9Sb2diLhdns0fNizv20K63GUoimOY8d8/s1600/botanico.JPG" width="800" /></a></div>
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<b>Botanica + Co </b></div>
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<i>8, Jalan Kerinchi, Bangsar South, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, </i></div>
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<i>Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia </i></div>
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Before this trip, my friend from KL sent me photos of Botanica+ Co and i knew i had to visit this cafe/ restaurant no matter what. I’m a huge fan of places with natural lighting and Botanica + Co immediately made it to the top of my list of favourite cafes in KL because of the interior flora and fauna design and they also serve awesome food! The cafe is a little out of place so i would recommend you take a cab or Grab (in fact just Grab wherever you go in KL because it’s so cheap, lol) Despite being so full from our earlier brunch at Antipodean, we still ordered a Bo+Co fruit bowl and Chicken mashed potato bowl from their seasonal menu. </div>
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On top of that, we decided to order a carafe of their signature Bo+Co cocktail which makes a great Sunday afternoon drink. The drink is so light and refreshing and it's infused with fresh mixed fruits. I would definitely return to Botanico + Co to try out their other food items and also visit their new outlet at Alila Bangsar! </div>
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My return flight from KL to Singapore was booked via Traveloka. Long gone are the days where you have to open up tabs after tabs on your browser to compare fares and prices because of sites like Traveloka now readily help you to compare <b><i><a href="https://www.traveloka.com/en-my/malaysia-airlines" target="_blank">cheap flight tickets</a></i></b> and hotels with the most intensive search results. Not only that, you get to enjoy great promotions every now and then which helps you to save money (which also meant more $$ to spend on your trip!) </div>
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Booking with Traveloka means… </div>
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⁃ Getting a honest price as all prices listed are inclusive of all taxes, surcharges or payment fee. No more getting last minute shock of an increased price at the checkout page! </div>
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⁃ Unsure of which accommodation to get? With 2,000,000+ verified reviews from real hotel guests, it will definitely aid you in making the right decision. </div>
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⁃ In the event of overbooked rooms or problems with your booking, Traveloka will recommend a similar hotel for you at no additional costs. Or your money back. </div>
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⁃ With various payment option available, you can pay via Credit Card, Debit Card, Internet Banking or at 7-Eleven - with no transaction fee. </div>
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If you are in my situation where you need a flight from <b><a href="https://www.traveloka.com/en-my/flight/route/Kuala-Lumpur-Singapore.KUL.SIN" target="_blank">Kuala Lumpur to Singapore</a></b>, you can also source for <a href="https://www.traveloka.com/en-my/malaysia-airlines" target="_blank"><b>Cheap Air Ticket</b></a> via Traveloka! Above is a screenshot of return flights fare between KL and SIN for the month of August. The fares are really affordable and reasonable! :) </div>
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With that said, for those thinking of a destination for a short weekend getaway, why not consider KL? Go for a shopping spree at the Pavilion, cafe hopping (there are plentyyy to choose from!) or why not spend a day at the nearby Sunway lagoon which i did for my previous trip 2 years ago! Did i mention that flight time from SIN to KL is only 50 mins compared to the 5 hours via road?</div>
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Signing off, </div>
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andystormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959328546554301590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179042060448656234.post-34548901696054076902018-06-14T22:37:00.002+08:002022-11-21T14:09:10.949+08:00Japan Travelogue Day 4: Guide to DisneySEA<div style="text-align: justify;">
Following the previous post on Disneyland, here’s the follow up post to the next theme park, <b>DisneySEA</b>! As mentioned in the previous post, (click <b><a href="http://www.imandystorm.com/2018/05/japan-travelogue-day-3-guide-to.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b> to read if you haven’t!) I bought the <a href="https://www.klook.com/en-SG/activity/695-tokyo-disney-resort-1-day-pass-tokyo/?aid=28269" target="_blank">2 day theme park tickets via Klook</a> in advance (<i>note that the 2 tickets have to be use on consecutive days</i>) DisneySEA is exclusively to Tokyo only so i was really really excited for Day 2 because i have no idea what to expect!<span style="text-align: center;"></span></div>
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<b>DisneySEA</b> is located beside Disneyland so the same station to stop at applies - <b>JR Maihama Station</b>. Not sure if you can walk from the station to DisneySEA but we took the Disney themed monorail for <b>¥260</b> ($3) which leads you to the entrance of the park. Since we are already there, might as well go for the full experience!</div>
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Weather was so much better than the previous day at Disneyland even though there were still on and off drizzle from time to time. Even though there are a lot of information on the theme parks online, i tried my best to refrain from reading too much so that i don’t end up spoiling myself at DisneySEA. LOL</div>
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Remember the Micky popcorn bucket that i bought the previous day at Disneyland? This time i brought it along and i filled it to the brim with snacks that i bought from the supermarket! HAHAHHA #cheapo</div>
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DisneySEA also has the <b>FastPass</b> system in place and here are the must go rides:</div>
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- Journey to the Center of the Earth</div>
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- Nemo and Friends SeaRider</div>
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- Mermaid Lagoon Theatre (King Triton’s Concert)</div>
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- Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull</div>
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- Raging Spirits</div>
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- Tower of Terror</div>
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- Toy Story Mania!</div>
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I would say the most popular ride in DisneySEA would be the <b>Toy Story Mania</b>! Queue can be for as long as 3 hours and even though i arrived early in the morning and got my first FastPass at Toy Story, my timing was already for 5.20pm. So i would highly recommend for everyone to rush to get your FastPass for Toy Story first. Before the ride, I honestly had no idea what the ride was about and why it was so popular.</div>
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First ride of the day (<i>and the shortest queue at 30 mins</i>) was <b>Aquatopia</b> located at the Port Discovery area of the park! If you read my previous Disneyland post on the “<i>trackless ride system</i>” for the Winnie the Pooh ride, the Aquatopia is also one of the 5 rides in the world which uses the same system! It was really fun “floating” on water, avoiding everyone else on this ride, highly recommended!</div>
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Next to the Aquatopia is one of the newest attraction - <b>Nemo & Friends SeaRider</b> (opened on May 17) The queue was soooo long and since we had some time before the next FastPass, we decided to start queuing for it. We queued for about an hour or so, and was presented with a short pre-show on what to expect and next thing we know, we were ushered into the “SeaRider” which is apparently a 4D ride. LOL It was quite fun, maybe not the best ride for those prone to motion sickness but highly recommended for families who are familiar with the whole Finding nemo storyline.</div>
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Next up, <b>Journey to the center of the earth</b>! This is probably one of the highlight rides in the whole of DisneySEA. When you first enter the theme park (or even before) you will notice that a huge “volcano” sits in the middle of the park and that’s where the Journey to the center of the earth attraction lies. It’s honestly one of the best ride i have ever took in terms of the overall experience.</div>
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You get into the mine vehicle which literally brings you through the volcano down to the center of the earth (duh!), the effects, the different areas, everything was so elaborated and well designed. But because everything happens so fast, you don’t really get to stop and admire each area but leave it to your imagination. Awesome.</div>
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While wandering around the park, you might spot these talented “cleaners” painting portraits of Disney characters on the floor simply by using their brush and water. Do grab a photo of the images before they evaporates!</div>
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Another ride which i took the FastPass was <b>Raging Spirits</b> which is just a roller coaster ride with a 360 degree loop. Probably because it’s a thrilling ride that’s why so many queue for this.</div>
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Spotted Mr. Incredibles! (<i>Note: This post took me so long that the new Incredibles 2 movie is out today in cinemas, LOL</i>)<br />
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I really love meeting mascots! It’s like they gives out these positive vibes to everyone around them by being so cheerful and happy. Then again, i wonder if the person inside is like that or is it just plain acting because it’s their job. Hmm…</div>
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You know how Disneyland have their daily parade, DisneySEA does it over the waters on their float! During the period i was there, it was the Halloween event thus they had the whole Disney villain theme ongoing. Love it!</div>
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While wandering around, we chanced upon <b>Mermaid Lagoon</b> (<i>which we actually have no intention of visiting</i>) The area is themed to the palace of King Triton and is supposed to portray being under the sea. The rides inside are mostly kiddy rides and just nice when we were there, a show was about to start so we went in together with the crowd without knowing what it is about.</div>
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Apparently we went into the <b>Mermaid Lagoon Theate</b>r, and guess what. <b>IT WAS THE BEST SHOW EVER</b>. It’s basically a “under the sea" musical show with Ariel and her friends and it was so well executed even though i have no idea what they were saying in Japanese. I almost teared at how good it is (<i>i swear i’m not exaggerating!</i>) The standard is like those you need to pay for tickets to watch in the Singapore indoor stadium kind. I was so impressed that i always recommend it to whoever is going to DisneySEA to go watch it. LOLOLOL</div>
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In DisneySEA, tickets to shows such as the “<b>Big Band Beat</b>” at the Broadway Music Theatre are only available via lottery so you have to try your luck at this place called the “<b>Biglietteria</b>” and you may attempt a lottery for each show only once a day. So you go there, scan your park tickets at the machine and pray that you win reserved ticket(s) to the show. Good luck!</div>
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On top of the usual rides and attractions, there are game stalls inside DisneySEA as well. For the entire day I was lamenting on how every other person is carrying a huge Donald duck in their hands and how i wish i had one too, LOL We finally found the game store after roaming around. The mechanics of the game sounds easy but it’s actually quite difficult to win. Had to try a couple of times before winning it and i was a happy boy for the rest of the day! :D</div>
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At about 5pm, we finished visiting most of the must-go rides in DisneySEA and we headed back to Toy Story land to utilise our FastPass for the highly raved <b>Toy Story Mania</b> ride which i mentioned earlier.</div>
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Even with the FastPass, we had to queue for a good 15 to 20 mins before our turn but that cannot be compared to those queueing for up to 3 hours just for this ride. The interior of the ride was really interesting and colourful. The toys were larger than life and all of us were like shrunk to the size of a toy.</div>
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When it was our turn, we were ushered into the little carts. On a side note, the staffs inside the theme parks were really professional and regardless whether you understand japanese, they will just rattle off the safety procedures to you. LOL</div>
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I went on the ride without any expectations because i have no idea what it is about and that’s when the real fun begin. <b>IT’S AN INTERACTIVE RIDE </b>where you have to use the “toy gun” to play a mini carnival game whenever the cart stops in front of a screen. The more targets you hit, the more points you accumulate. It was soooo fun and being competitive me, i went trigger happy and tried to score as many as i can. Did i mention that we had to wear 3D glasses so everything on the screen seem to real and things were “flying” out of the screen. HAHAHA</div>
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The whole ride went on and on for a good 5 mins? (longer than usual rides in fact) and everyone had so much fun and laughter. No wonder it’s the most popular ride in the entire DisneySEA!</div>
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Our last attraction ride of the day in DisneySEA - <b>Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull</b>! This ride is also one of the popular rides in the theme park, you embark on a journey on this vehicle into the “temple” but the temple's vengeful guardian spirit, the Crystal Skull, is not happy about this and unleash his anger. It’s a high speed ride and like the Journey to the center of the earth ride, the details and ride was as amazing.</div>
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With proper planning, we managed to finish every single one of the must-go rides and attractions by 7pm which leaves us some time for dinner and get a nice seat for the final night show at the main harbour.</div>
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DisneySEA is famous for their exclusive characters which started from <b>Duffy</b> and now his friends. I even went to read up online on how this Duffy came about but not so much on the friends. I just feel like they created more characters like the rabbit and the cat to cater to the likes of different people. Then weave some cute story on how they link to Duffy. Smart move Disney, smart move.</div>
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I still think that Duffy is the cutest among all. Bought a few small Duffy and Shellie May (the girlfriend, lol) as souvenir for myself and some friends. Other than Duffy, the rest all have weird names tho. <i>Shellie May</i> (the gf), <i>Gelatoni</i> (the cat) and <i>StellaLou</i> (the rabbit) How did they even come up with the names???</div>
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The view was so amazing at night! It’s like everything came to life. In case you are wondering what camera i’m using for my trip, it’s either my iPhone 7+ (<i>for the not so good quality ones</i>) and my trusty <b>Canon G7X Mark II</b>. Not sure if guys can see the difference in quality tho.</div>
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Last but not least, the ultimate show to end the night! Music, water, pyrotechnics and fireworks. So impressive! I’m not gonna talk too much about the show because i suspect they change the show from time to time so by the time some of you go there, it’s a totally different show altogether BUT do stay for the show because it will complete your DisneySEA experience. Unless it’s raining.</div>
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With that said, this marks the end of my Disneyland/ DisneySEA guide. Time to continue on my Japan Travelogue! (<i>At the rate that i’m going… it might really take me a year to complete this travelogue, LOL</i>) I’m currently at Day 4, means 10 more days to go since i went japan for 2 weeks? LOL</div>
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<br />andystormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959328546554301590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179042060448656234.post-25497775371727947472018-05-16T12:47:00.001+08:002022-11-21T14:10:06.650+08:00Japan Travelogue Day 3: Guide to Disneyland Tokyo, Japan!<div style="text-align: justify;">
As i was planning my Japan itinerary, i planned 3 full days out of my 15 days to visit Disneyland, DisneySEA and Universal Studio Japan. The first Disneyland i ever went to was in Hong Kong, and it was quite a good experience (<i>i mean, how bad can Disneyland be!</i>) and i was really excited about the one in Tokyo!!! I was so thrilled to be able to experience the happiest place on earth 2 days in a row including the exclusive one and only DisneySEA. Oh ya, did i mention that i visited Disneyland on my actual birthday! </div>
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Before going to Disneyland, you actually have to do some homework so that you maximise your time there. There are certain must-go rides and if you do not plan your day well and head in aimlessly, you might miss one or two rides and not complete the entire park. Then again, it also depends on what kind of theme park go-er you are. If you just want to go in and explore, take photos, queue up for rides one by one, yolo your way through then by all means just go during the opening hours. </div>
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But if you are like me, ambitious and want to cover the entire park. You are at the right place because this post will probably provide everything you need to know about going to Disneyland!</div>
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Disneyland/SEA is pretty accessible as there are trains that leads right to the theme park. The stop that you should be looking out for is, <b>JR Maihama Station</b>. The journey takes about 30 mins from Shinjuku. You can also take a bus (<i>which might be cheaper at ¥1,000 one way</i>) but it takes about an hour to reach.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://www.klook.com/en-SG/activity/695-tokyo-disney-resort-1-day-pass-tokyo/?aid=28269" target="_blank">Get your tickets from Klook and use "ANDY5OFF" for 5% off!</a></i></div>
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You can get theme park tickets over the counter or simply get them online to avoid queuing. I got mine from <b><a href="https://www.klook.com/en-SG/activity/695-tokyo-disney-resort-1-day-pass-tokyo/?aid=28269" target="_blank">Klook</a></b> which allows you to get your tickets in advance! Simply purchase and use the e-ticket on your phone to gain entry to the theme park, totally fuss free. If you are thinking of visiting both Disneyland and DisneySEA, i would recommend you to get the 2-days Passport which saves you<b> ¥1,600</b> (SGD19.50) compared to getting separate park tickets. The only thing you need to note is that the 2 day passport have to be used consecutively, meaning 2 days in a row. </div>
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There are a lot of different kinds of park tickets so do check out their official website (<i><a href="http://www.tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/ticket/">http://www.tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/ticket/</a></i>) to find out which is more suitable for your itinerary. To give you a rough idea of how much the park tickets would cost, it’s about SGD$90 for a day pass and SGD$160 for the 2 days passport.
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It was raining the day when we went to Disneyland! When planning for your trip to Disneyland/ SEA, do checkout their official website (<a href="http://info.tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/calendar">http://info.tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/calendar</a>) to check the opening hours for that particular day you are visiting. Sometimes they open at 8, sometime 8.30 or even 9, so it’s very important to check before you go. It doesn’t harm to go there early as well because i read that people (<i>both tourists and locals!</i>) do queue up early in the morning even before park opens.
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Now that you are aware of the tickets, accessibility as well as opening hours, you are almost there planning your trip to Disneyland, the next thing you need to know are the rides and popularity. </div>
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<b>These are the must-go for Disneyland, Japan: </b></div>
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Pooh’s Hunny Hunt<br />
Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek!<br />
Big Thunder Mountain<br />
Space Mountain<br />
Splash Mountain<br />
Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters
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Which leads me to my next topic - <b>FastPass</b>. This has got to be the most brilliant idea that anyone has came up with to manage crowd control in a theme park. I can’t help but rave at how genius this idea is AND this system doesn’t cost the park go-ers a single cent (unlike USJ…) FastPass machine at popular attractions dispense queue tickets and allows you to return to the ride at a specific timing and gain entry to the ride within minimal queuing. </div>
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Scan your park ticket at one of the FastPass machine outside the attraction, and get one of these FastPass tickets. The next time you can get another FastPass ticket will be 2 hours later. With this system, you can manage your time in the park so much better and you don’t have to waste time queuing for every ride. </div>
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The recommended strategy to use the FastPass system would be to grab tickets to Monsters Inc. the moment you enter the park. 2 hours later, go for Pooh’s Hunny Hunt, then Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters or according to the must-go list i have above. If you intend to spend the whole day in the park, say 9am to 10pm, you will definitely be able to get at least 4 to 5 fast passes to the popular attractions. Being super kiasu, i set an alarm for every 2 hours, LOL </div>
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<b>FastPass attractions are:</b></div>
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Big Thunder Mountain<br />
Splash Mountain<br />
Pooh’s Hunny Hunt<br />
Haunted Mansion<br />
Star Tours: The Adventures Continue<br />
Space Mountain<br />
Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters<br />
Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek!<br />
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While you are waiting for your next FastPass chance, spend the 2 hours in-between queueing for something else and explore the rest of the park. At this rate, you should be able to cover the entire park :)</div>
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Throughout the day, do also checkout the board that tells you the estimate queuing time of the attractions because you never know if some popular rides have shorter waiting time, which means you might not even need the FastPass. As i arrived pretty early that day, i got into Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters within 30 mins!</div>
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The ride was quite fun! Basically throughout the ride, you get to use the “<i>Astro Blasters</i>” to shoot the aliens and gain points. Pretty interactive and fun! I wasn’t being ambitious at the game and took some time to snap a couple of selfies with the blasters, HAHAHA
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Being a huge Stitch fan, i just had to queue to enter the Stitch Encounter. An interactive show with an on-screen stitch. It’s the same as the one in Hong Kong Disneyland just that this is in Japanese. Totally no idea what was the Stitch saying. LOL
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The other thing that is probably catch your attention throughout your adventure in Disneyland would be the popcorn carts! These carts are spread throughout the theme park and they offer Disney themed popcorn buckets. Each cost about <b>¥2,800</b> (SGD34) I think the price varies with the design. You will definitely be tempted to get one for yourself after seeing everyone carrying theirs around!
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With the popcorn bucket, you get to refill your bucket at a discounted price of ¥520 ($6) and trust me, you would refill it non stop because there are 7 different types of flavoured popcorn throughout the park! I cannot remember how many times i refilled mine because i wanted to try almost all the flavours, lol. (<i>and you can also bring your bucket into DisneySEA the next day without being judged. Oh! You get the discounted popcorn rate at DisneySEA too!</i>) Come to think of it, this popcorn cart idea is actually quite brilliant!
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Bought the Micky popcorn bucket in the end and i love it so much! #bigkid LOL
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My FastPass tickets for <b>Pooh’s Hunny Hunt</b>! One of the top attractions in DisneySEA. You sit in this “honey pot” and it brings you around the world of Winnie the pooh. The really cool thing about this ride is that it’s “trackless”, meaning there is no track on the ground for your cart to follow. I read online that this is one of the 3 rides in the world that is trackless. The ride itself is also very interactive with a lot of things to see and admire. No wonder it’s a must go for Disneyland Tokyo!
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It was raining throughout the day so when the rain got heavier, we had to seek shelter and at the same time, find some food to eat! There are several must have snacks in Disneyland/SEA. Turkey leg is one of them! If you haven’t notice, i’m wearing my Stitch tee which i bought from BKK many years back, finally an appropriate day to wear it!!!
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Despite the rain, the highly anticipated parade went on as planned! It’s like every child (<i>and some adult’s</i>) dream to be able to see their favourite Disney character right in front of them! No wonder Disneyland is dubbed the happiest place on earth. I totally agree.
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The <b>Pirates of the Caribbean</b> ride which is essentially a boat ride which leads you through a pretty realistic journey through a story of pirates during the period of piracy, somewhat in line with the movie. Not a must go but still worth it to go in-between 2 hours FastPass interval.
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Totally enjoying my birthday at Disneyland despite the rain and soaked feet. LOL
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One of my favourite photo taken at Disneyland! There is the huge majestic castle at the back (Cinderella’s?), my super apt Stitch tee and my Mickey mouse popcorn bucket! Not forgetting my ash grey hair which i specially bleached just for this trip (<i>Thank you Black Hair Salon for the sponsor!</i>)
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We literally spent the entire day in the park. Had had one of their themed dinner in one of the restaurant and wanted to watch the night show (with fireworks) but because of the weather, they announced that there will be no fireworks that night. So saddddddd. Went back to our AirBnB to rest as the next day is gonna be another adventure. </div>
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Next post, DisneySEA! </div>
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andystormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959328546554301590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179042060448656234.post-81578079884755921382018-04-30T14:22:00.001+08:002018-04-30T14:26:51.146+08:00SOUL: Transform Wireless headphones<div style="text-align: justify;">
To begin with, i’ve always been a in-ear earphone person and there are 2 things that i look out for when getting a new set of earphone - <b>1.</b> Aesthetic and <b>2.</b> Quality. It has to look good and produce decent sound. Oh ya, Price is also another factor. I have never once considered getting headphones because let’s be honest, headphones are bound to attract attention (<i>especially on public transport!</i>) compared to earphones as they are usually huge and bulky and people probably think that you are taking your sound quality quite seriously. LOL
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZQVmhdc062STmOvrSalAcsmSCmnwQpaMa-6HO9EuWlkP7mNRJn4kwrQldoaWanH5AlwY-VQ1E2lahKEUK0ELcvFAEJiOYM8C31movDYb6F7rdLoEAqbsXS2mc_DwBMZCmViGayzpV_c/s1600/467B078B-EE02-4093-8C9F-1DF39E1609C8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZQVmhdc062STmOvrSalAcsmSCmnwQpaMa-6HO9EuWlkP7mNRJn4kwrQldoaWanH5AlwY-VQ1E2lahKEUK0ELcvFAEJiOYM8C31movDYb6F7rdLoEAqbsXS2mc_DwBMZCmViGayzpV_c/s1600/467B078B-EE02-4093-8C9F-1DF39E1609C8.JPG" width="800" /></a></div>
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When <b><a href="https://sg.soulelectronics.com/" target="_blank">SOUL</a></b> sent me their <b><i><a href="https://sg.soulelectronics.com/products/transform-wireless-performance-bluetooth-over-ear-headphones-for-sports" target="_blank">Transform Wireless headphones</a></i></b> (<i>my very first pair of headphones!</i>) i was really pleased at the design. It’s small and compact, no bulky headband or ear pads. The ear pads can be folded inwards for easy keeping. It’s available in 2 colours - Red or Black. The moment i took it out from its packaging, the first thing i noticed was the weight (155g) Touted as the “<i>Active Performance On-Ear Headphones with Bluetooth</i>” The sporty lightweight design will definitely not weight you down during your intensive workouts.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLDd7w6ETM54QNVEXPij8rzMqWj3dn7LINGiyDKsaziC-b4U1A-6AulbNPSLhXhBTgbekh58-v4KVOWYlCcoPZ8eIn9KOTIoj3QcCwfWUj61eUPIzUHVbSyNf7Mjs_4D0DR1xjhpC4NJc/s1600/4927F245-4E68-4E2B-B8C6-5195CEE846F5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLDd7w6ETM54QNVEXPij8rzMqWj3dn7LINGiyDKsaziC-b4U1A-6AulbNPSLhXhBTgbekh58-v4KVOWYlCcoPZ8eIn9KOTIoj3QcCwfWUj61eUPIzUHVbSyNf7Mjs_4D0DR1xjhpC4NJc/s1600/4927F245-4E68-4E2B-B8C6-5195CEE846F5.JPG" width="800" /></a></div>
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Did i mention that the ear pads are removable and washable? The Moisture wicking ear pads keeps you dry during your workouts. Definitely a plus point for those who are looking for a good design head phone for their active lifestyle and routines! Together with the nice packaging is the USB charging cable, an audio cable (<i>can someone explain why? Is it when there is no more battery, i can still use it to connect the headphone to my phone? Then again, my iPhone has no audio jack. Duh.</i>) and a carrying pouch.</div>
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Battery life is at a whooping <u>18 hours</u>! That’s the longest i have heard so far! Before the whole “<i>wireless</i>” concept came out, everyone was using wired audio products and we didn’t have to worry about battery life but now that we are all moving on with technology, battery life becomes one of the important factors to look out for when purchasing one of these wireless products. At 18 hours, this is probably one of the longer lasting headphones in the market.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggoo_DWu4ZL6jzbNB1UJ8QUwn2zsj8MM3okaT5wPWwM6-ZBOZpxZ3X_kUKCN68Ya6LLM-wYJZBOrh75DLkKYEVeGpC-fyWZbQu1PAkRoTeyg6Z4YmqXS7Xl3KXtbmADDRsSd-LW4T8biw/s1600/53E454DA-1F6B-4E8F-818B-3DD1BBDF474B.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="748" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggoo_DWu4ZL6jzbNB1UJ8QUwn2zsj8MM3okaT5wPWwM6-ZBOZpxZ3X_kUKCN68Ya6LLM-wYJZBOrh75DLkKYEVeGpC-fyWZbQu1PAkRoTeyg6Z4YmqXS7Xl3KXtbmADDRsSd-LW4T8biw/s1600/53E454DA-1F6B-4E8F-818B-3DD1BBDF474B.JPG" width="800" /></a></div>
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Obviously i’m not a tech blogger and your guys are probably not interested in the technical aspects of the headphones (<i>they are easily available online anyway, lol</i>) so i’m writing this review based on my own POV and i have got to say that the sound quality is not bad at all! Powerful bass with crisp clear audio. For someone like me who has no knowledge of audio, i was pretty satisfied with the sound quality. </div>
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I also finally realised why some people would opt to go for headphone instead of ear phones because it’s a total different experience altogether. The ear pads engulfed (<i>is that even the correct word to use, lol</i>) the whole of your ear and you get to immersed in the song or show, listening out to every detail of the sound. I tried watching Netflix with my new headphone and i was like “<i>Woah, i need to use this more often.</i>” </div>
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All in all, i would say the <b><i><a href="https://sg.soulelectronics.com/products/transform-wireless-performance-bluetooth-over-ear-headphones-for-sports" target="_blank">Transform Wireless headphones</a></i></b> would be a great buy for someone who is looking at getting their first headphone. It can be used anywhere, be it on the bed while watching your favourite K drama or working out in the gym. The Transform Wireless headphones currently retails at $169.90 on their online store - <a href="https://sg.soulelectronics.com/"><i>https://sg.soulelectronics.com</i></a>.</div>
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andystormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959328546554301590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179042060448656234.post-54667079681390092252018-04-15T12:57:00.002+08:002020-05-09T16:10:35.963+08:00Japan Travelogue Day 2: Kawaguchiko Station - Mount Fuji<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I’m finally back to continue on my Japan travelogue! I don’t know whether it’s bad luck or what but weather forecast for the entire week we were in Japan was rainy and one of the highlights of visiting Tokyo is definitely seeing Mount Fuji up close. I would definitely be disappointed if i didn’t get to see it, especially after hearing so many stories of people missing it again and again due to the weather. </div>
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Then again, even if the weather forecast was rain (<i>or even thunderstorm</i>), i think i would still go ahead with my plan and travel all the way to Kawaguchiko, with a glimpse of hope to see Mt. Fuji. I planned the day trip to be on Day 4 of my week in Tokyo (<i>forecast of rain by the way</i>) BUT just before Day 1 ended, i randomly decided to check the weather forecast again and guess what, <b>CLEAR SKY FOR THE NEXT DAY</b>. With a stroke of luck, the weather changed.
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I immediately took out my macbook and spent the next hour making changes to the itinerary. The fastest (<i>but the most expensive</i>) route via public transport to Kawaguchiko station will take about 146 mins (<b>almost 3 hours!</b>) and cost ¥3,310, which is about SGD$40. If you want cheaper fare, then the ride will take longer. For example, 187 mins for ¥2,590 (SGD$31) I cannot imagine myself taking the train for close to 3 hours and not seeing Mt. Fuji :( Did i mention that the above fare is only one way?</div>
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<i><a href="https://highway-buses.jp/course/kawaguchiko.php">https://highway-buses.jp/course/kawaguchiko.php</a></i> </div>
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Which is why i would totally recommend another option, which is to take the highway bus. <b>WARNING: VERY POPULAR SO BOOK EARLY!</b> A round trip from Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko and back will cost ¥3,550 (SGD$42) which is way cheaper than your round trip via public transport and also faster at just 1 hour 45 mins each way! However do book in advance as these buses are very popular. We were lucky to grab the last couple of seats for the next morning before they were sold out. Other than boarding from Shinjuku, there is also an option to depart from Shibuya.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilV8eRmzCLB8rnoKaFpnMmKnhw0dlShyYEjyIUMSuxXDTSNpaaTxT5Gc82gUMfQ6ZHjbD7RgZMAR6LxIA1z1ZPrEHRe5kfltcFnT916LJAJkzoRMcPQa7WISJ1fqxnlM7geUNY3kHGJD4/s1600/0A9FA724-6AA6-44CA-BEF1-AD47732E553C.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilV8eRmzCLB8rnoKaFpnMmKnhw0dlShyYEjyIUMSuxXDTSNpaaTxT5Gc82gUMfQ6ZHjbD7RgZMAR6LxIA1z1ZPrEHRe5kfltcFnT916LJAJkzoRMcPQa7WISJ1fqxnlM7geUNY3kHGJD4/s1600/0A9FA724-6AA6-44CA-BEF1-AD47732E553C.JPG" width="800" /></a></div>
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The seats were comfortable, and after passing by FujiQ highland (<i>the scary looking theme park with roller coasters</i>), we arrived at Kawaguchiko station along with the other tourists. There were several ways to explore the area, like following a tour to the different “stations” but i did some research and decided to go for the “<b><i>Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway</i></b>” to get a good view of Mt. Fuji. The place used to be called Mt. Kachi Kachi Ropeway but i have no idea they changed name until recently.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTSdRd4m46gHl8b3BAruCPlA_6nxZOAsNK5F_zCR9Dl8uPCNR-5XhEJhXXqFqg1h9SZLHgOq8AVSH_CYIpDcZhOb37TS-Q2tdtUbLkbFBNbUxWNNF07mW3qtqKu5hVb9l2QFPYeayLO60/s1600/4BD2B5A9-D7FC-468F-915E-F7ACAE72E2AA.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTSdRd4m46gHl8b3BAruCPlA_6nxZOAsNK5F_zCR9Dl8uPCNR-5XhEJhXXqFqg1h9SZLHgOq8AVSH_CYIpDcZhOb37TS-Q2tdtUbLkbFBNbUxWNNF07mW3qtqKu5hVb9l2QFPYeayLO60/s1600/4BD2B5A9-D7FC-468F-915E-F7ACAE72E2AA.JPG" width="800" /></a></div>
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It’s about a good 15 to 20 mins walk from Kawaguchiko station. There are no signs pointing you to the direction of the ropeway so it’s best to rely on google maps to bring you there.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfRbCB2uKNC0RAKITZ6PKouH5bD4Cj-fyTGKaJLglkg4RUwcRtwkb6hrI2Cg-HhUJ_MPnImQBrzdInQXp6pk0ioDS_OMwZkjJFHwWS85GkGqsL3m6J_xRXPMzReGP8DINjTrzfo6pquE/s1600/64294526-B8A8-4239-AD9C-51769EFFAEDA.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfRbCB2uKNC0RAKITZ6PKouH5bD4Cj-fyTGKaJLglkg4RUwcRtwkb6hrI2Cg-HhUJ_MPnImQBrzdInQXp6pk0ioDS_OMwZkjJFHwWS85GkGqsL3m6J_xRXPMzReGP8DINjTrzfo6pquE/s1600/64294526-B8A8-4239-AD9C-51769EFFAEDA.JPG" width="800" /></a></div>
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Since it’s early and gonna be quite a walk, it’s best to get breakfast from their 7-eleven and eat along the way. The above is one of my favourite onigiri. It’s this soy sauce based rice ball wrapped with seaweed and it has a full seasoned egg inside. Super delicious and filling. I think it cost about $3?
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Round trip entry ticket on the ropeway cost ¥800 (SGD10) which is pretty cheap for an admission ticket.</div>
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The concept is just like a cable car, just much bigger and it brings you all the way up so that you get a panoramic view over Lake Kawaguchi and Mt. Fuji.
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Throughout the different seasons in Japan, your view up the ropeway will be different. Like in autumn, you probably go through the golden colored autumn leaves!
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Hello Mount Fuji! I’m so glad to be able to see you during my first trip to Japan! I heard it’s even prettier towards winter where you can see the snow capped peak! I’ve always seen photos taken from planes where they flew past Mt. Fuji. What a sight to behold.
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Other than admiring the mountain from afar and taking a gazillion photos, there are other things such as like ring the “<i>Tenjo Bel</i>l” or Throw the “<i>Kawara</i>” clay cup but i will leave you to explore on your own. What everyone was really interested in was the “<i>Tanuki Jaya</i>” shop where they sell food and souvenirs for tourists. Most people will get the dumplings (shown above) which is like a warm mochi drenched in sauce or soy bean powder.
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During our visit there, they were selling limited grape soft serve which is a must get in my opinion. Very refreshing and delicious, even came with one huge delicious grape on it!
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Another novelty food was this “Mount Fuji” dessert which is something like the raindrop jelly with sauce and soy bean powder (<i>again</i>) It’s pretty lame but when you are a tourist, you just want to get everything to try. HAHAHA
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We spent about 2 hours at the top taking photos and eating before heading down.
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At the bottom of the hill, there was this makeshift fruit stall selling the most visually appetising fruits. Big juicy looking apples at ¥400 each, HUGE grapes costing up to ¥3000 (SGD37) a bunch which is almost the cost of our bus fare to this place! We bought the basic ¥700 bunch and it taste pretty good but i honestly prefer the sweet ones i had in Korea.
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Really nice and relaxing to take a day trip out of busy Tokyo in such a good weather. We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the area and admiring the surrounding, munching on our expensive grapes, LOL
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Returned back to Tokyo and headed to one of the JR Tokai Tour office to purchase our advance tickets to Osaka via Platt Kodama Shinkansen. A one way trip from Tokyo to Osaka cost ¥10,500 (SGD128) Sounds expensive but it’s probably the cheapest way to travel via the Shinkansen. I will explain more in one of my later post :)
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Being a huge fan of Tendon, i would definitely want to give it a try in Japan! Did some research and chanced upon <i>TENDON TENYA - 天丼てんや</i> which is a chain restaurant which serves both wallet and tastebud-friendly tempura meals. Not exactly the best but good enough.
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Ordered the standard bowl with a side of onsen egg. There are a lot of choice depending on what you want in your bowl. The “all star Tendon” will cost you just ¥720 with a side of miso soup. Definitely value for money! I don’t know why but i sort of prefer the one i had at Tanjong Pagar, Singapore. Slightly more expensive but the ingredients were a lot more and filling. </div>
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With that said, this is the end of my Day 2 Japan travelogue! Hopefully this post provided some insights for those planning a day trip to Mount Fuji! If you intend to stay over Lake Kawaguchi area for a couple of days, you can also checkout Gotemba Premium Outlets, Japan's most popular outlet mall, located in Gotemba City at the base of Mount Fuji, not far from Hakone. </div>
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If not, do stay at one of the traditional <i>Ryokan</i> (<i>traditional japanese inn/ guest house</i>) or hotels with an onsen which gives you a magnificient view of Mount Fuji. I just have to say this again, really really lucky to have clear blue sky for one of the days during our one week in Tokyo. As expected, the rest of the week were rainy. Even at Disneyland and DisneySea which i will cover in the next 2 posts! </div>
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Till the next post! </div>
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andystormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959328546554301590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179042060448656234.post-18185101235752175752018-03-20T00:58:00.003+08:002022-11-21T14:12:10.633+08:00Japan Travelogue Day 1: AirBnB, Hedgehog Cafe and Tokyo Tower!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qCSYr4I5s3E23un_eIfJllpih94iirLQDYdSfEMOfWY8piHpPrgRgJ_gguVxbnBINpSOHU2azFFfBI_kp796IaNPcS4R5DwuXEsvO35Nid_elaP080_wCv8hf24cWPjh66D4ZZVLPWM/s1600/d1title.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qCSYr4I5s3E23un_eIfJllpih94iirLQDYdSfEMOfWY8piHpPrgRgJ_gguVxbnBINpSOHU2azFFfBI_kp796IaNPcS4R5DwuXEsvO35Nid_elaP080_wCv8hf24cWPjh66D4ZZVLPWM/s1600/d1title.jpg" width="800" /></a></div>
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I’m finally back after 1 month to continue on my Japan travelogue. If i go at this rate at 1 post a month, i will probably take the entire year to complete this travelogue, LOL Just joking. Before i go on, i would like to thank some of you guys who reached out via social media/ email to comment on the previous post, really appreciate it! I will definitely finish this travelogue, just a matter of when :)</div>
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As mentioned in my previous post, i took a midnight flight and arrived at 8am the next day. Really good timing since we get to spend the full day in Japan. With that said, we didn’t plan too many activities on the first day since we had to settle administrative stuff like collection of tickets and settling into our AirBnB etc. </div>
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One common question most people will have in their mind when getting their air tickets would be whether to land in Narita Airport or Haneda Airport. Well, Haneda is definitely nearer to downtown Tokyo (14km) compared to Narita (60km) but it also depends on which airline you are taking and also the difference in fare you are paying between the 2 airports. My advice is, just take the cheaper one.
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There are several ways to get to downtown Tokyo from the airport like bus or train or taxi and i chose to take the <b><i>Keisei Skyliner</i></b> which takes about 40 mins. The train travels the speed of 160 km/ hour which is just slightly slower than their bullet train. It’s a direct train to either Nippori or Ueno station, and from there you can switch to the local train to get to your destination. Fare for adults is at 2200 yen (S$27) Affordable and comfortable. After which, you can just get your SUICA card which allows you to travel on public transport.</div>
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Like i mentioned in my previous post, getting an accommodation around the popular areas such as Shinjuku or Shibuya can get really pricey so in order to save money, it’s better to get somewhere nearby, maybe 1 or 2 stations away and best if the tourist areas are accessible by foot or a couple of stops away.</div>
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<i><a href="https://www.airbnb.com.sg/rooms/12718242">https://www.airbnb.com.sg/rooms/12718242</a></i> </div>
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It took me awhile to decide which AirBnB to go for, narrowed down to a few choices and i finally decided on the one above. Average out to be SGD100 a night (<i>Do note that AirBnB charge cleaning fee and service fee on top of your room charge</i>) The reason why i chose this place is because the location is good enough. The nearest station to my AirBnB is <i>Minami-Shinjuku Station</i> (2 mins walk) and <i>Yoyogi Station</i> (5 mins walk), in fact, i even tried walking back from <i>Shinjuku</i> (15-20 mins) and it’s still manageable! </div>
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The room has everything you probably need, a double bed, sofa, basic amenities, kitchen etc. They also provide pocket wifi for you to bring around if you don’t have one! Once you confirm your booking, you will be sent a “<i>manual</i>” on how to check in and operate the different remote controls such as the air con and washer. The convenience store is just nearby beside the station. </div>
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The only downside is probably there is no elevator so you have to carry your luggage when you check in or out. They mentioned that the room is suitable for 4 but i think it’s just nice for 2.
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There is also like a mini balcony with a not bad view but it was really cold and raining during the period.</div>
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After checking into the AirBnB, we unpacked some of our stuff and decided to head out to explore. But first, lunch. We didn’t know what to have for our first meal and decided to have a quick one at <i>Yoshinoya</i>. I’m personally not a huge fan of beef but everyone keep telling me i must at least try their beef bowl once because it’s so different from the ones in Singapore so my first meal in Tokyo was their signature beef bowl! </div>
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<b>It was so good. </b></div>
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I totally did not expect it. I’m not sure what causes it to be so good (<i>maybe the sauce?</i>) but everything goes so well together. The pearl rice and thinly sliced beef combined, it’s so value for money. No wonder it’s so popular amongst the working adults. They just come in, order a bowl of beef rice, gulped it down within 10 mins and leave. Not like us, we spent at least 15 mins looking through the menu before deciding what to get when we know we were obviously there for the beef bowl, LOL
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Explored Shinjuku area for the rest of the afternoon before heading to Ropponggi to visit...<br />
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<b><i>Harry's Hedgehog café </i></b></div>
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<b><i>Roppongi, 6 Chome−7−2, 岩堀 ビル </i></b></div>
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Before i go on, here are some info that you might want to know. They open from 12pm to 8pm. Last entry is at 7.30pm. Slot reservation can be made online and it’s best to book a slot, especially on Saturday, Sundays and Holidays. Fees are at <i>¥1400 for a 30 mins session</i> or <i>¥2800 for 60 mins</i>. For ¥1630, you get a 30 mins session with a cup of hedgehog snack (a cup of mealworms in case you are wondering what snack it is, lol) to feed your hedgehog. There are 2 outlets in Tokyo, one at Ropponggi and the other located at Harajuku.
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As we arrived on a Tuesday, we did a walk in and took the ¥1630 package. Sanitised our hands and was ushered to one of the stations with 2 hedgehogs in the tank. We were then taught how to hold them or use the gloves provided if we are too afraid to hold them. They can get really prickly when agitated! It was not easy trying to get them to stay still in your hand while being soft and cuddly. One of them even bit me and refuse to let go! In the end we decided to don the gloves and grab it fearlessly. <b>#doitforthegram</b> LOL</div>
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I have only been to dog and cat cafes in Singapore so when i know that i’m visiting Japan, i immediately went to search on unique things to do and visiting the hedgehog cafe was one of them! (<i>the other is the owl cafe which i will cover in my other posts</i>) These little fellas are so cute, especially when they curl into a ball when they sleep! In case you were wondering if you should spent more time with them and get the 1 hour session, i would say 30 mins would be more than enough with these guys. LOL Hedgehog Cafe, checked!
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Next up, we visited the <b><a href="https://www.klook.com/en-SG/activity/4911-tokyo-tower-main-observatory-ticket-tokyo/?aid=28269" target="_blank">Tokyo Tower</a></b>. I was deciding between the Tokyo Tower or the Tokyo Skytree. On Klook, The admission fee to the skytree is at $28 and Tokyo tower is at just $11. Well, i guess the price do play a part when i made my decision, lol. I also felt that the Tokyo Tower is more iconic as it has been there for the longest time and we always see it in posters and advertisements.
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<i><a href="https://www.kkday.com/en-sg/product/12271?cid=3695%C2%A0%C2%A0" target="_blank">https://www.kkday.com/en-sg/product/12271?cid=3695 </a></i></div>
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Got my tickets in advance from KKday. Went to the counter, exchanged my voucher for the my tickets. Skipped the main queue and totally fuss free. Definitely the way to go about when going overseas!
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As we visited the place in the night, all we could see were the lights of Tokyo, nothing much. I read that in the day when visibility is good, there is a chance to see the Tokyo Skytree and even Mount Fuji! There is nothing much to see but being a tourist and this is one of the tourist-y thing to do, we just decided to enter the tower since it’s just $11. Honestly, I’m more interested in taking photos of the tower from the outside.
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At the base of the tower is a variety of souvenir shops, cafes, restaurants and also the One piece indoor amusement park. I guess if you are a one piece fan, this park is probably one of the must go for you! One of the souvenirs to get is the famed Tokyo Banana. I’ve ate it countless of times, not a fan of it BUT that day i just decided to get a 4 piece box to remind myself how it taste like and i was kinda surprised! I’m not sure why but it tasted so much better than the last time i tried it when someone brought it back to SG! Is it just a psychological thing because i’m there physically in Japan. HAHAHHAHA </div>
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Anyway, we wanted to get a few boxes back as souvenirs for our friends and we did a quick search online that read that these Tokyo bananas are only available in Tokyo (<i>The exact words from the article was, “It’s called Tokyo Banana for a reason.”</i>) so at the end of our Tokyo trip before we transited to Osaka, we bought like 5 big boxes and brought it <b>ALL THE WAY TO OSAKA</b> in our luggage, kept it for another 7 days and guess what? We saw these Tokyo Bananas again at Kansai airport in Osaka. *<i>roll eyes to the max</i>* We only had like 3 days upon arriving back in Singapore to quickly pass to our friends before it expires. 天啊. So don’t make the same mistake as us, these souvenir snacks are readily available at the airports, be it in Tokyo or Osaka. So you can actually leave it to the last minute and get it from the airport. LOL </div>
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Wait. Is that why the Tokyo Bananas i had in Singapore are not that nice because it’s not as fresh?<br />
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Hmm…

You know how they say in Japan, you can just go into any random ramen store, have a bowl of ramen and it’s probably gonna be the best one you ever had?<br />
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<b>We tested the theory and I’ve got to say that it’s true!!!! </b></div>
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We were searching for a place to have late dinner and came across this store at a back alley near our place. It was empty and ordering is only via the ticket vending machine which had Japanese words all over it. (<i>In the first place we didn’t even know if the place sells ramen until we asked the owner, haha</i>) With our limited Jap vocab, we managed to get him to point to us which are the ramen buttons and which is the button to add an egg (“<i>Tamago</i>”, i know since i love the sushi. LOL)
 Randomly ordered one of their ramens.<br />
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It turned out to be one of the best ramen we ever had! The portion was huge, the soup was thick and flavourful, the ramen texture was just nice and the egg was perfect! Throughout the whole meal, we kept commenting on how good the ramen was. Warm and delicious ramen on a cold night. It was the perfect ending to the first day in Tokyo. I would totally recommend this place to you guys but i have no idea where it’s located :| Maybe you guys can try searching Araumi Ramen? </div>
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Alright, that’s the end of my Day 1 in Tokyo. It was forecasted to be raining the entire week when we are in Tokyo BUT we just decided to randomly do a last minute check before sleeping and we realised the next day is clear out of a sudden. We immediately adjusted our itinerary to visit Kawaguchiko for a chance to see Mount Fuji (<i>What’s a trip to Japan without seeing Mt. Fuji right!</i>) and that’s what the Day 2 is gonna be about :) </div>
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<i>Till the next post! </i></div>
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andystormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11959328546554301590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179042060448656234.post-72989868740895601032018-02-08T22:32:00.000+08:002018-02-08T22:43:08.004+08:00Japan Travelogue Day 0: Guide to planning your Japan trip!<div style="text-align: justify;">
It’s been a couple of months since i returned from Japan (<i>went last October!</i>) and i’m finally working on the travelogue. I’m not quite sure how many posts are there gonna be in total since it’s 15 days worth of photos and information <b>BUT</b> i’m quite sure the end product will be quite an ultimate guide for those first timers planning a trip to Japan! (<i>self praise, LOL</i>) This year’s tagline/ focus for myself is to “<i>Stop procrastinating and get the work done</i>” so I’m quite determined to finish the travelogue, even if it means i have to spare an hour a day before sleep to fill in some details or edit the photos. I took close to about 5000 photo throughout the whole trip! Not sure how but it will definitely take some time to filter through everything :|
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In this first post, i’m not going into the trip direct but instead i’ll be sharing how i planned prior to the trip like which airline i flew, the passes i used and other useful details to note. Honestly speaking, Japan is one of the hardest itinerary i had to plan so far and this is also one of the reason why i delayed going to Japan till now.
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<i>5 Wallich Street, #01-20, Tanjong Pagar Centre, 078883 </i></div>
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There are so many places to go, so many things to do, and getting around is not the easiest thing to do in the country (<i>due to their confusing railways</i>) and i took me about 4 months to plan my trip. Had to do my research online, source for sample itineraries and i even made a trip to the Japan Rail Cafe to consult the guide! If you have the time, i would recommend to spend an afternoon at the cafe, grab some food and consult the friendly guide at the booth if you have any burning questions about traveling to/in Japan.<br />
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At the same time, you might want to purchase your JR passes, sim card or tickets at their counter. Save the hassle and time but you can also purchase them via <b><a href="https://www.kkday.com/?cid=3695" target="_blank">KKda</a>y</b> (I did a whole post on how i utilised <b><a href="https://www.kkday.com/?cid=3695" target="_blank">KKday</a></b> to help me save time and money for my trip and i highly recommend you guys to check it out! <b><a href="http://www.imandystorm.com/2017/11/traveling-to-japan-with-kkday-your.html" target="_blank">LINK</a></b>)
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When it comes to getting air tickets, i feel that it’s important to forecast early so whenever there is a promotion, you can make use of it and save on the airfare! Even though my trip was in October, i bought my air tickets way in the month of Feb during one of SQ “<i>two-to-go</i>” promotion. A typical SQ return ticket to Tokyo would typically cost about $750-ish if you book early to about $1000+ for last minute deals.<br />
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To side track a bit, JR passes are usually recommended if you intend to travel out of Tokyo to other areas such as Osaka and Kyoto but you probably know that they are not cheap. It cost about $335 for a 7 days pass and up to $534 for a 14 days pass. No wonder they say it’s not cheap to go Japan because getting around is already so expensive… I did not want to spend that amount of money to get the pass so i did my extensive planning and decided to go for Multi city trip tickets for my trip to Japan, meaning i will arrive and depart from different cities. In this case, arrive at Tokyo and depart from Osaka. This way, i don’t really need the JR passes since it’s one way (<i>Note: JR pass is only worth it only if you do a round trip to and fro Tokyo</i>)<br />
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Usually a multi city trip would cost much more (<i>just did a quick search and the price is easily above 1K!!!</i>) BUT i managed to get <b>SIN - TOKYO</b> and <b>OSAKA - SIN</b> tickets at just $690 which is a steal and it’s during the year end season some more! Perks of booking the flight early. (<i>Side track a bit, i got my upcoming Hong Kong trip tickets at just $200+ on SQ. Booked last November, flying in March!</i>)<br />
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This is why i feel that planning ahead is really important.
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Hotels in Japan are quite expensive unless you are willing to stay at the outskirts of town and even if i pay an average of $100 a night, it would easily cost me $1.4k for my 2 weeks stay. Even still, it’s not easy to find a decent place for $100 a night, in fact at the point of time when i was searching for a hotel, the cheapest was about <b>$160/ night</b> which would amount to $2.2k just for accommodation alone. Before go on on where i stayed, let me share on how i usually determine which area to stay regardless of which country i travel to.
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What i do usually is to first determine the areas i want to visit, then print a huge ass map of the rail system (<i>in my case i have to print the Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka maps</i>) and start highlighting the areas and from there i will determine which are the areas i should stay so i can access to these places of attractions easily. This is quite a useful method and you also get to “<i>prep</i>” yourself on the directions and lines to take when you are there in Japan!<br />
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Like i mentioned earlier, Hotel is out of the picture for me since it’s pretty expensive so i turned to AirBnb and if you want those authentic local stay experience, Airbnb is probably the right way to go. I saw some really nicely decorated Japanese homes and was so tempted to try them but these places are usually located way out of town. Oh wells, maybe the next time. Popular areas like Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Shibuya in Tokyo and Namba in Osaka are definitely pricier, sometimes comparable to hotels. In the end, i chose to stay near Minami-Shinjuku Station in Tokyo and Fukushima Station in Osaka. In my upcoming travelogue, i will definitely share more on my accommodations in Japan!
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I would say the most confusing thing about Japan is the transportation. There are so many operators, different lines, different type of trains and even though i was in Japan for 2 weeks, i still took me some times to figure out how the train works. On the last day we were almost late for check-in at the airport as we didn’t know the train will split up and go different directions. 天啊. Like the train literally spilt up - Cabin 1 to 4 will head to the airport direction and Cabin 5 to 8 will go back to the local loop. The announcement didn’t exactly help because it’s all in Japanese, LOL<br />
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In Japan, there are several types of transportation cards and certain cards can only be used at certain areas. The most popular ones are Suica, Pasmo and Icoca. I won’t go in-depth on the difference between each card but you can read about them <b><a href="https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2359_003.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>. </b>These cards are available for sale at most places and they work just like our EZ link. Top up with credit, 500 yen deposit and expires if not used for 10 years.
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Throughout my 2 weeks in Japan, i had to rely on 2 apps (<i>other than google map</i>) on my phone to help navigate me around. One being “<b><i>NAVITIME for Japan Travel</i></b>” which was the ultimate life saver because it tells you exactly which platform to go and even which cabin to get on so that once you alight, the escalator/ stairs is probably right in front of you. There are options like cheapest, fastest route and how much the journey will cost etc. All you have to do is input the station you are taking the train from, the destination and the time you will taking the train. This app works brilliantly in Tokyo but was quite inaccurate and cranky in Osaka, not sure why. I would give this app like 4.5 out of 5 stars :)
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The other app that i use is the “<b><i>Rail Map</i></b>” which works pretty much like the previous map and provides the basic details like different routes you can take, how much the journey would cost etc. Just that it’s not as user friendly as the previous app. The overall map is really complicated but i feel that it's probably the most accurate railway map of Japan. It works pretty well in both Tokyo and Osaka. This app gets a 3.8 out of 5 stars from me!<br />
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As much as we rely on navigation apps, we would need at least 3G connection to stay connected and for Japan, there are 2 ways you can go about getting connected. First is to get a sim card. I got mine from the Japan Rail Cafe - $35 for 7.5GB, throughout 15 days. (<i>i think it's $35, can’t remember</i>) I feel that it’s better to have a sim card ready upon touch down so you can immediately navigate or find information online. If not you would have to find where exactly is the telco counter in the airport and waste time queuing and setting it up. The sim card i got from Japan Rail comes with detailed instruction (<i>both iOS and android</i>) on how to activate it upon touch down so it was pretty much hassle free.<br />
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Another option would be to rent a portable wifi egg before departing for Tokyo. I got mine sponsored from Yourwifi (<i>read my post <b><a href="http://www.imandystorm.com/2017/11/japan-day-x-black-hair-salon-x-yourwifi.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b></i>) Like i said in the post, there are pros and cons of getting a wifi egg. It’s definitely cheaper if you have more than 2 people sharing, the $35 that i spent on getting the 7.5GB sim card is equivalent to about 5 days rental of wifi egg with unlimited wifi but you also have to consider the battery life, the connectivity etc. The more people sharing the wifi, the slower the connectivity and everyone have to be within the radius to get the wifi signal. Thus it really depends on individual to decide which is better.<br />
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When planning a trip to Japan, you are bound to come across different kind of passes which is supposed to help to make your trip better. Some helps to save cost by providing bundle deals, some is for convenient sake to save time and you have have to do your research to see which one suits your itinerary the best. Other than the JR pass, there are also Osaka Amazing Pass, Hakone Free Pass and Kansai Thru Pass to name a few.<br />
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<b>Japan Rail Pass</b> (JR pass) is the most expensive yet comprehensive pass as it allows you to take unlimited travel on almost all JR trains nationwide, including bullet trains, limited express trains, local trains, some JR buses and the JR ferry to Miyajima. But if you are only traveling within a certain region, for example Hokkaido, you can opt for the JR Hokkaido Rail Pass. Details can be found <b><a href="https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2357.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>.<br />
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I mentioned that i did not want to spend $$ on the JR pass (<i>May i repeat, $335 for a 7 days pass and up to $534 for a 14 days pass</i>) but i did get the 2 day JR Kansai Area Pass ($52) which allows me unlimited travel within the Kansai Region. This pass allows me to travel out from Osaka to make day trips to Kyoto, Nara and even Kobe. Tip: You can purchase your JR pass in advance at the Japan Rail Cafe.
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Last but not least before i end this post and move on to the travelogue, here’s something you need to know about Tax Refund in Japan. <b>Let me try to summarise it -</b><br />
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<b>#1</b> - You will need your passport for tax refund of 8%<br />
<b>#2</b> - Minimum spending of 5000 Yen (excluding tax) to be eligible<br />
<b>#3</b> - Items are divided into 2 categories - General and Consumables<br />
<b>#4</b> - Min. 5000yen in either category to be eligible.<br />
(<i>Items of different category cannot be combined to reach minimal spending.</i>)
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The above is probably all you need to know. Some stores may be “<b>tax-free</b>” (<i>example - Uniqlo</i>) so don’t worry on tax refund, at the same time, some stores do not offer tax refund at all. For example i bought a pair of Adidas Sneakers from ABC Mart thinking i get to save 8% but no, didn’t realised until i paid. Damn it! Most stores would need you to bring your receipt to the tax refund counter and they will refund you the money in cash (<i>which i realised in turn make you spend more money! What sorcery is this???</i>) At the end of the process, they will staple the receipt(s) into your passport for verification at the airport customs counter.<br />
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I feel that the most silly thing is that your consumables will be packed into a clear bag and they are not to be opened at all. If your snack(s) or food which you intent to eat straightaway after paying is packed together with the rest of “<i>consumables</i>” then you can wait till you come back Singapore to eat it, LOL. Like whut? Anyway, at the end of the trip, your passport will probably be as thick as a book due to the tax refund receipts and by right, the airport customs will need to verify the items but it didn’t happen. I just dumped all the receipts away at the airport, just before immigration after i passed the customs counter.<br />
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Alright, that’s pretty much all i need to share before i embark on my Japan travelogue! I hope this blog post gave an insight on how i did my planning.
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