All Around Singapore

As Jeff has 4 days of leave this week, starting from Monday & we didn't have anywhere to go, we came up with a plan to visit places we've never been before or have been wanting to go but never found the time to.

26th Nov 07, Monday

I finally returned my uniform & ID. Then Jeff & I went to Golden Mile Complex. Nothing much there except a Thai supermarket that sells some Thai products. We got 2 bottles of my dad's favourite fried spicy shrimp. Woo... if you love spicy stuff, you'll love it. Super spicy!

27th Nov 07, Tuesday

We started off the day in the mid morning. Went to pick up Thomas (Jeff's friend) who happened to be off & whom we invited along. We went to Snow City for the very 1st time where the temperature inside the snow chamber is -7.4 degrees. Our breaths came out in smoky puffs & despite the thick gloves we had on, our fingers went numb from the cold. Subsequently, we got used to the cold & I could even walk around with the thick winter jacket tied around my waist. Unfortunately for me, I shredded my jeans while sliding off the slope & I had to get a new pair of pants. There was this make shift "stall" right outside JE & I just picked their largest pair at L size off the racks. There's no fitting room so it's either fitting or bursting. I used a method I learnt from Lifen, from my nursing batch many years back. Wrap the waistband of the pants around your neck. If it can circle around your neck nicely, the pants are of the right size. Luckily I managed to fit in & off we went to Vivo.

Had lunch at Carnivore, followed by Beowulf at the cinema. I don't exactly like the chair coz I find it too straight backed to be comfortable. What would a trip to Vivo be without going to Pet Safari? There was a very cute Westie (sold), 2 Yorkies, 1 Sheltie, 1 Rough Collie, 2 M. Schnauzers, a few CHHs, 1 Keeshond, 1 Chow Chow & 1 very cute Shar Pei. Oooh! Do I love extra skin folds!

28th Nov 07, Wednesday

Woke up very early at 5+ am thanks to Mr Ton who barked & scratched the door non stop. He was left alone in the computer room & he wanted out. I took a shower, played my Phoenix Wright & here I am, typing away in my blog.

Here's our plan. We'll be leaving for breakfast soon. We'll have "you tiao " & Kway Chap at Jurong then make our way to Discovery Centre. We'll then go to Tampines's Courts & source out any megadeals. LOL. Perhaps have lunch at Ikea? Swedish meatballs with the super yummy sauce, poached salmon... Mmmm...

Hair Cutting Turns Bad

I went for a haircut on Sat with Jasmine. The date was set long ago, even before I left my ex work place. It's located in the SW, near the business district area. She booked us for 10 am appointment, the time they opened. Her cousin is working there as a hairdresser. Jasmine booked herself with the lady boss & her cousin chose a male senior hairstylist for me.

It went off well enough. The hairstylist was friendly & he gave a lot of pointers on how to take care of my hair. I opted for a cut & soft bonding which he told me would finish by 2 pm & that I would be charged $180 for it. The price includes cutting. Jasmine just wanted a cut & she had somewhere to go, so she left at almost 12 noon.

The hairdresser who attended to me was a woman. Kinda pretty but that's all that's pretty about her unfortunately. I would put her age to be late 20s to early 30s. She had a sour face & it was blacker than the chinese tea they served me. I didn't think much about it & went on to entertain myself with my DS.

After washing away the bonding chemicals, she & another guy blew dry my hair. They then proceeded with "ironing". During which, they conversed in cantonese. I wonder if it's a curse being able to understand it. Here's how the conversation between them went.

Woman: Doing this customer really make a loss. Pay so little I'll just anyhow "giap". Don't need to do such a good job.

Guy: Wah, you're so bad!

Woman: I was never good before. (She glanced at me briefly at this point) No response means she doesn't understand cantonese.

After that sentence, I gave the guy a glance. Perhaps from that, they suspected that I understood what they were saying & the rest of the ironing was done in silence. After that, she applied another chemical on my hair to be left on for another 20 mins. When she did the washing this time, she was kinda rough.

At this point, my hairstylist came over to help blow my hair dry. He did some cutting & asked if I would mind waiting while he finished up another customer whose FIL had an accident & needed to rush off. Upon seeing me still sitting there, the woman asked my hairstylist in cantonese if he was done with me. (What, you can't wait to chase me away? Would I be so stupid to be still sitting there if it's completed?)

I'm very happy with the haircut. But the attitude of the hairdresser gave them a huge deduction in merit. I smsed Jasmine & told her what happened. I didn't hear from her for another few hours. When she finally got back to me, she told me that she had told her cousin about it. Jasmine told me that according to her cousin, this hairdresser has always been like this & that even her cousin can't get along with her. Her cousin then told my hairstylist what happened.

He sent an sms through Jasmine's cousin, through Jasmine to me. He apologised for the hairdresser's attitude & that sometimes she can be blunt & piss people off. He then said to go back to the salon if I needed my hair done & he'll make sure that I'll be in good hands. I don't know if I ever will though.

I told Jeff when he came to pick me up & he wanted to go back to "make sure the hairdresser can't go off the stage". But I stopped him & we went to have almond paste at the market nearby. I love the almond paste there. Not too sweet & it's quite thick compared to the watery version served everywhere else. But if you want soya milk, don't buy from hawker or markets. Their soya milk is often tasteless. I drink my soya milk without sugar so I know it's tasteless. Get from Mr Bean as their soya milk is thicker & has a soya bean taste (even the cold 1). But you do pay twice the price for it though. Off topic? No lah. Better end on a happier note.

Back To Old Self

Yeah, who else? Puggy lor. He was so guai on the night he came home from neutering. But the very next day, he became the devil he is again! He was already running about, jumping up & down the sofa, chasing after us & making a din during meal times. I got so angry I gave him a super hard smack on his butt. He gave a shriek & became quiet after that. Looks like he's 1 dog who won't have any change after neutering. Dang! Was hoping he'll be more tame & lazy. But I've already anticipated it coz both Ton Ton & Wang Wang didn't go through any behavioural changes after neutering.

Puggy Comes Home

We just brought Puggy back from the vet's. Like Ton Ton, he was mabok. Seems like the only one who recovered the fastest from the GA is Wang Wang. Anyway, we put him down on the living room floor & he swayed his way drunkenly to the pee tray where he peed a large amount of urine. Aww... what a good boy.

Puggy Goes To The Vet

Nothing went as planned. I didn't go to my ex work place again! Groans... I'm the queen of procrastination. We were at BPP yesterday & had dinner with Chong Han (Jeff's friend). Then I got the ingredients from Eu Yan Seng for making "Cha Ye Dan", followed by a visit to the DVD/VCD rental shop. The rest of the night was spent watching the VCDs.

I ended up having to bathe Puggy this morning. Before we left the house, he was still busy chasing Ton Ton & biting his legs & neck. I scooped him up & off we went. It was almost as if he knew something was about to happen.

He cried on the journey to TJV. Yes, I mean cried with all the works. Tears flowed down his face, he was making crying sounds that doesn't sound like his usual whinning & he started trembling. It was as if we're sending him to be butchered. I started talking to him, explaining that he needed to join the eunuch club for his own good & becoz he has 1 undescended testes. I told him that in no way are we abandoning him & that we'll pick him up a few hours later. It was almost as if he could understand me coz he stopped shaking & tearing & his whinning became lesser.

So So So Busy Plus Tired

Monday was busy meeting the buyers for this YT flat. Tuesday was busy with meeting the seller's agent for the BP flat that we're buying. I had planned to return my uniform & ID on Monday. It's Wednesday now & I haven't got around to doing it. Guess I got to do it tomorrow. Becoz... it's coming to 2 pm & I just woke up. I gotta fetch Jeff back soon.

Thursday, Jeff's off. There're several things to be done. I gotta bathe Puggy tonight in preparation for his sterilization tomorrow. I better go to my ex work place in the mid-late morning to avoid the stupid ERP charges. It used to be just PIE gantry at 50 cents. Then, another gantry was set up at BKE for 50 cents which started service on 1st Nov. Now, it's 50 cents for BKE & a huge increase to $1.50 for PIE just 2 weeks later. I'm very very unhappy about this!

Then gotta send Puggy to TJV between 12 to 2 pm. Perhaps we can go shop shop & walk walk after that. Can you believe it? Jeff has never been to Holland V! I would have thought that most people living in the West would have been there at least once. I haven't been there in years but it used to be a popular hang out place in Sec Sch years.

Oh well, I hope all these frenzy blows over soon. Too tired & too busy to enjoy my 2 weeks break.

Check This Out

Woah... I wish I can yodel like her. But in my opinion, the last 2 sections of yodelling was way too fast to be nice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKqu-JwqcfU

OMG! I found this searching for yodels.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMTx2vd527w

I tried yodelling while carry Ton Ton & he gave me the "WTF" look. LOL.

Stroke Of Good Luck?

Hey, the valuation for the flat we're aiming for is out! Best part is, it's way below our expectations! So it means that our HLE is fully able to cover. YEAH!!! Now just got to wait & see if owner willing to sell us or not. They were quite greedy. Initially, they said 30k above valuation negotiable. It's sort of a hot unit as it's very well maintained & fully renovated. So the moment their agent put up for listing, they received a few calls for viewing. All of the people who viewed offered on the spot.

20k was rejected. Then the next person offered 22k. He also rejected. Then he became greedy coz he wanted to see if people will offer even higher. So he rejected 25k as well. This was all on the same day. We wanted to offer 30k since that's what he's asking for anyway. But before we could do it, the owner now said he'll sell to whoever can offer him 35k. WTH? My agent friend gave the owner's agent a good scolding. You said 30k negotiable what. Now going back on your words some more even higher than before. The agent said he already advised the owners against it but they didn't want to listen. So greedy! The agent will let them know our offer of 35k. Hopefully they won't ask for 40k out of greed!

Then an agency I used to work under called me & asked if I would like to do some ad-hoc assignments. I didn't agree becoz they asked if I can work tonight. Too short a notice lah! But I wouldn't mind if I haven't got anything on. So I can always call them if I need extra cash. Hehe.

What A Headache! Financing A Flat!

My headache shows that I've learnt quite a lot compared with before where I know almost nothing. But it's a headache still!

To purchase a flat, you need your HDB Loan Eligibility aka HLE to be approved. HDB will process & come to a loan figure based on CPF contribution, not income. How do I know this? As most of you know, I've been working as an agency nurse since Jan this year. It means that only Jeff has CPF contribution. We were approved for a HLE amount that is probably only enough for a cheap 3 room flat. So I went with my agent friend to HDB on Sat to make an appeal for the loan amount to be raised.

HDB just called me at 8.40 am, informing me that they're unable to raise the amount becoz I do not have CPF contribution. To raise the amount, I'll need to have at least 3 months' contribution in my next job. By then, it would be end Feb already!

I can still purchase a flat that's priced higher than my HLE amount but I need to top up the balance in cash. How much cash? Cash above valuation aside (becoz this amount, like its name suggests, needs to be paid in cash anyway), we calculate by valuation alone. Valuation - grant - CPF OA amount - HLE amount = amount needed to be topped up in cash.

Example 1: Valuation for the resale flat you're getting is 280k. You're taking up a 40k grant for staying near parents. You have combined OA amount of 10k. HLE amount approved is 120k. So, 280k - 40k - 10k - 120k = 110k in cash top up.

Example 2: Valuation is 280k. Taking up 30k grant for 1st timers but not staying near parents. You have OA amount of 50k. HLE approved amount is 150k. 280k - 30k - 50k - 150k = 50k cash top up.

But there're also instances where you don't even need to max out your HLE loan amount. Say you choose to buy a cheaper flat.

Example 3: Valuation 200k - 40k grant - 50k OA amount = 110k. HLE is 150k isn't it? So you only take up 110k loan from HDB.

Headache right? Each time we view a flat, it's not just the location & whether we like it or not. We have to factor in the cash amount too. Say we're buying at 20k above value. Say we take example 2. We're short of 50k in loan. This means total amount needed to be paid in cash is 70k. If we're using example 1... 130k cash! This is excluding the 5k stamp fees ok! Crazy!

Weight Gain All Across The Board

Ok, so after weighing Puggy & finding him to be 6.9 kg, I went to weigh the other 2. Let's get on with the stats.

2 months ago...

Puggy: 4.5 kg
Ton Ton: 6.3 kg
Wang Wang: 3.9 kg

2 months later...

Puggy: 6.9 kg
Ton Ton: 7.8 kg
Wang Wang: 4.9 kg

Weight gain...

Puggy: 2.4 kg
Ton Ton: 1.5 kg
Wang Wang: 1 kg

Mind you, I put Ton Ton on a diet for the past 2 weeks. I just reduce his intake by a bit. Can you imagine what his weight would be like if I hadn't? :O Puggy is the scariest. He didn't grow any bigger. He just became fatter. He's smaller than Wang Wang in terms of body length. I would put him to be about DT's size. I think I can leave Wang Wang as he is. But the other 2 needs to lose some weight. At the same time, they can help me lose some weight. LOL. That translates to... walks & games! It's not like I have a lot of things to do. For the next 2 weeks anyway. :X Puggy is way too close to the 7.1 kg limit for the "cheapest" neutering cost. Got to make him lose a bit to be on the safe side.

The Hardest Thing To Do...

Is to say goodbye...

Today's my last day. The day started off just like any other day. Hectic start, late lunch, following up on things that needed to be done. Colleagues & Drs shook my hand, wishing me all the best. I felt an urge to cry as I informed the in charge that the resuscitator needs to be checked every Monday. 11 months. That's how long I've been working here as an agency nurse. This is the most enjoyable work environment to date. This chapter of my life has come to an end. I wish everyone at the clinic well.

Lately, I've Been Doing This & This

Lately, I've been playing a lot of DS, namely the new Phoenix Wright 3. If I'm not viewing flats, I'm at home playing it. LOL. Anyway, I'll update when there're definite answers. Right now, everything's neither here nor there.

Friday is my last day at my current work place. After working there for almost a year, I do feel a bit "she bu de". I'm taking 2 weeks off before starting my new job in Dec. I'm already making plans on how to spend my 2 weeks.

This Sat, I got to make a trip to HDB hub with Eileen (my agent friend) to see if we can increase our HLE amount. I'll try to be a bit more hardworking & bring the dogs down for walks. I'll try to complete the cross stitch that I've started on & put aside a long time ago. I'll definitely try my hand at the "tie dan" (metal egg). If it's nice I'll bring some to share ok?

Right now, I'm just relaxing. Catching up on my fav. anime, Naruto. Drooling over the super handsome Neji & cheering on my fav. character, Rock Lee.

OMG!!! We just weighed Puggy. Although he's still quite small size, he's heavier than Ton Ton at 6.9 kg!!! I nearly fainted.

Hanging There

Just to update, I viewed 2 flats yesterday evening. Jeff will be viewing it with me coming Sunday. Perhaps this time, we'll be able to close if everything's fine.

Now seriously thinking of sending Puggy to obedience class. Well, it's been on my mind ever since we got him. Just that Jeff has been against it, saying that we can train him ourselves. I just visited CD Trainers' website & found that I missed the enrollment for Nov. The next class will start in late Jan! Aw, shucks! Maybe it means that I should send Puggy for ka-cha 1st. Seems like there's high passing rate. I wonder if it'll be very sia suay if Puggy fails. :X

Stage 1: Cleared!

We finally got through the 1st part to selling this flat. We've skipped this step & went straight to signing the option. Yup, the indian couple finally agreed to pay the $1k. So now we back tracked & had the valuer come over today. She just left not too long ago. Now all that's left to do is to wait for the valuation report to come out. Selling part done, now we have to settle the buying part. There're 2 more rounds of viewing this evening. We shall see how it goes.

I feel satisfied. Sort of like having completed a mission, or in my case, part of the mission. Before all these came along, everyday is just go to work, come home, take care of dogs, play my DS, go out with friends etc. But now, I'm given a goal to work towards & suddenly life takes on some kind of a meaning again. It's no longer the monotonous daily routines. There're exciting things to look forward to again.

Alright, it's time to go now. Update again tonight on the viewing.

Going DIY

Well... for simple things lah. If you consider doing up the house with things from DIY shops going DIY, that is. :P I didn't know that it can be so exciting & fulfilling to patch up the faults (minor things that is). We had to put our heads together & think of ways to hide the cracks in the wall, the "extra" purple border on the ceiling & the white patch left over when we changed the air con 1 yr + ago.

Jeff replaced the door knob on the master bedroom door for just $9.90 - we got link points for it even! We got a tin of paint for the white areas where the old air con used to be but there's a very obvious difference in colour. So that's where my jigsaw puzzles come in. I have quite a few that I didn't hang up on the wall. I'll get some 3M hooks & hang my jigsaws over the areas. As for the "border" on the ceiling, I covered it using those fancy sticker roll. Voila! It looks so good I think I'll do it for our new house too. 2 of us going up & down the shaky ladder is no joke ok? All these work just to raise our valuation for this flat. Hmm... hope it pays off.

We have yet to confirm the 3 rm flat sale becoz the owner still can't get a flat. Our YT flat is still not confirmed sold yet. We finally came to an agreement for the sale of the flat but the buyers are not willing to pay $1k option fee to lock us in. They're worried becoz our valuation report is not out & that they'll be unable to afford the flat should the valuation be $240k & above. But based on the average, it should be around $230k. On top of this valuation, they still have to pay us the cash above. They're afraid that they'll have to forfeit the flat & the $1k should the valuation is above $240k. They actually offered us $100 to lock us in. My agent friend immediately said no. Becoz we are losing 14 days of viewing & potential higher sale price for a mere $100.

So this is how it works. Upon viewing a flat, you pay $1k option fee to lock the seller in. As a buyer, you'll be given 14 days to decide if you want the flat still. As a seller, you can't allow other people to view your flat in this 14 days. If the buyers decide not to buy the flat, they forfeit the $1k. If they decide to take the flat, they have to pay $4k for option to purchase aka deposit to make it up to $5k. Upon receiving the $4k option to purchase, we'll submit the transaction to HDB for processing. In about a mth's time, we'll be asked to go for the 1st appointment. The buyer will have to pay up the rest of the cash above valuation agreed upon on that day. Say if it's $20k, they have to pay us the balance of $15k. So it's the same for us as buyers.

Will this signify our final struggle with money? I hope that in 1 or 2 yr's time I'll have extra money to go for piano lessons. I don't need to go very far. Perhaps a grade 5 or so?