Friday, June 27, 2008

Renting Out

I have been terribly busy these past few weeks trying to finalise the furnishings of our new place to rent. I never knew so much trouble went into just getting a house ready from buying of new hoods and hobs to faucets for the bathrooms. Hopefully after all the trouble we have gone through, we will be able to get a good tenant.

Pashminas Available for Less

Pashmina seems to be the current trend now. It used to be very expensive and I used to long for one but they used to above the budget I was prepared to pay. However, recently there seems to be a huge number of them available in the market and for a very cheap price. I believe quite a number of them now are probably made in China which explains the cheap price. Funny...I may be wrong but I thought pashminas were a certain name given to a certain type of shawls available from Nepal! Perhaps this are now imitation pashminas!

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Rock to the Music

I have a friend who is a huge music fan. He can’t bear to be away from his radio or iPod for any periods of time and perpetually seems to be plugged in! Sometimes I think these little music gadgets such as the iPod or the new HD Radio Receiver is indeed handy especially if you have a long and boring bus or train journey to take. A friend who recently moved to Singapore told me that her little digital radio is now her best friend on her long commutes to work on the bus. She’s indeed lucky to be in Singapore, land of technological gadgets. The new radio she showed me comes with iPod tagging so she can easily transfer tunes from her iPod to her little radio. Her radio is really quite nice and perhaps I should consider getting one for my office desk to help me pass some boring afternoons. Apparently the signal is really good despite it being antenna-less. Who knows I might just be able to get signals for Texas High Definition Radio stations here!

New Station

In today’s world of technology it seems that hardly anyone ever listens to the radio anymore. I hardly listen to the radio myself unless I’m commuting somewhere in my car. Even then I hardly have a favourite station and tend to just listen to whatever is playing on the radio. So needless to say, I was surprised when I was told that I won a free Polk Audio I-sonic ES2 dinky little radio in a contest I don’t remember entering! It is a nifty little digital radio that plays lots of new country music stations and whatever other station you might fancy. It’s a really sleek little thing with nice funky buttons you can use to change your station to easily. I liked its display panel which had nice crystal LED digits which gave it a very nice look overall. Radios have certainly come a really long way since those I remember during my childhood with their little dials and unclear antennas. Now, with new digital radios, you no longer need to fiddle around with antennas just to hear your favourite Florida High Definition Radio stations.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

High Tech Medicating

If you're like me, you will really hate long waiting rooms in the doctor or pharmacist's office just to get a prescription. Or worse if you have a very popular doctor who has decided to take his annual vacation or jet off for a medical conference and you can't reach him to check up on a particular drug. Well, now if you have a Blackberry you can access drug information at the push of a button with the drug guide for blackberry. It is a comprehensive guide to drugs provided by Epocrates which caters to the medical industry. With a quick check, a doctor can easily check if his patient's drugs will give him side effects or whether it will clash with an existing drug he is taking. This has certainly revolutionized the world of medicine and who knows what other high-tech things we will have in the future!

This announcement was paid for by Epocrates

Fine Dining At Home

I've been wondering whether I should get a nice cutlery set now or wait till later when I'm more established and settled into my new home. I saw some really gorgeous Rubis cutlery sets the last time I was in Singapore for their sale. The set was heavily marked down and was quite cheap for the quality and quantity offered. Unfortunately, at that time, I was already laden with some other pots I had picked up and was unable to carry anything else. What a pity! Looks like I'll have to wait for my fine dining set.

Keep Age Away

A friend of mine was just telling me that her colleagues in her new office told her she looked really young for her age. She definitely doesn't look her age and I'm not sure if it's because of her small size or the fantastic top wrinkle cream she uses to keep her wrinkles at bay. She dresses very well too and is usually found in jeans and nice pretty tops which look as good on her as they do on a teenager! I hope I can be like her someday too and age gracefully!

Interesting Seeds

It never fails to amaze me how some Western countries are so open to selling drugs. I have been told that Amsterdam openly sells drugs in little shops that resemble our coffee shops. It’s a thought that is really hard to fathom for me as my country strictly outlaws drug trafficking in any form. I’m not sure if anyone here has started planting small plots of cannabis seeds for their personal consumption like how they to in Chiangmai, Thailand. In fact, there are actually sites that mail cannabis seeds directly to your home should you intend to plant them. One popular site is The Flying Dutchmen which offers cannabis seeds which can be mailed directly to your address. They have a whole host of seeds available for those who are interested in varying hybrids and grades. Best of all, if you are a foreigner, this site is now available in 7 different languages to cater to all potential customers. So, whether you’re a German looking for hanfsamen or a French looking for graine de cannabis, you’ll find them all at the Flying Dutchmen!

Sunnies Galore

Since I did my Lasik operation for my eyes, I realized that my eyes are very sensitive to light. I can’t go out for long periods of time without using sunglasses. However, as I am really absent minded, I have a really bad habit of leaving my sunglasses here and there which usually ends up them getting lost. It’s irritating and sad especially since my sunglasses cost quite a bit. Recently, however, I saw a site which sells Wholesale Replica Sunglasses for people who might be interested in running a sunglasses business. The sunglasses are fantastic replicas of branded ones and are available for a relatively low cost! Maybe I should consider buying some for myself and trying to see if I can sell the rest. I’m sure there is a market for these sort of sunglasses in the brand conscious market and the extra income I can receive from it is definitely helpful in these times of rising inflation.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Books as Gifts

Do you love reading? I do and I simply love going for books warehouse sales or seeing a good deal in bookstores. In fact, I have picked out many of birthday and Christmas gifts from such sales as I find it is best to give a book to spread the joy of reading. I also like the idea of books as presents for children instead of toys as it sparks the imagination and encourages them to read further.

Sunday, June 01, 2008

Poor Eyesight

I've recently noticed that my eyesight has deteriorated since my Lasik operation. I used to have no problem seeing road signs far ahead but I notice that I do have some trouble making out the signs now. I'm not sure whether it is due to eye tiredness or dryness but I should check with the optometrist the next time I go for my eye checkup.

Kittens at the Pet Shop

I walked past a pet shop yesterday and stopped for a while to watch some little kittens at play. They were kept in a glass area with a cat tree and some balls to entertain themselves with. The poor kittens did look quite bored and some were just sitting by the side idling time. I do hope someone buys them soon and takes them away to a good home.

Inconveniences

I do miss working in a mall. When I used to be working there, everything was so convenient. Whenever I needed to buy something, all I had to do was to pop out to the mall and I could find almost anything there from clothes to shoes and even air tools from the DIY Hardware shop there. Now, I'm resigned to going there only after work which means I end up hardly going as it is already so late.

High Interest Rates

I recently read about a new savings accounts with a foreign bank here that offers really good rates. Apparently they pay relatively high interest rates for the balance kept in the account. I've been meaning to check it out as I hate the thought of seeing my money languishing away in an account with minimal interest. I really need to find some time to go to the bank to check this out.