Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Dream Bathroom

The swanky pad I talked about in my previous post really had everyone's idea of a dream bathroom. The bathroom walls were knocked down to create more space and for the owner to put in a walk in tub right beside the window where they could look out to the scenery below. One thing good about staying in a condo is that one need not be afraid of Peeping Toms who might be trying to sneak a good view! That is, of course, provided there are no helicopters in the vicinity!

Swanky Pad

While our condo keys were being handed over, we were actually invited to take a peek into one of the units which was undergoing some renovation. The owner had engaged and interior designer to design his kitchen and bathroom. Needless to say, it was beautifully done, right down to the Danze faucets in the bathroom and kitchen. I was shocked though when I found out how much the renovations costed. It was almost as much as the price of the condo itself! Some people really have all the money!

Bachelor Pad

I paid a visit to a friend's newly renovated apartment recently and came away very impressed. I do not know which interior designer he engaged or how he managed to design it but he actually managed to fit in a home theater system complete with home theater seating into his small little living room! It was truly a bachelor pad with the highest state of the art entertainment and music equipment. We definitely had great fun there!

Pesky Insurance Agents

How much life insurance does one really need? I sometimes get so tired of insurance agents who keep calling me up and pushing their life insurance rates. I have heavy commitments every month as it already is and I do not really need to over burden myself further by buying more expensive life insurance policies. After all, reports have said that as long as you have no children of your own, there isn't much point in stocking up on life insurance policies as no one would really stand to gain from your policies.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Possible Business Ventures

I was discussing over lunch with a friend about various business ventures and we agreed that some of the best businesses to go into were those concerning weddings or funerals! Unfortunately, that is the case as people are less likely to bargain when it comes to these important events in their lives. In fact, some people even go to the extent of buying funeral insurance just to ensure that their next of kin will be able to give them a proper funeral. It is sad, however in these times of rising costs, sometimes there isn't really a choice.

Diet Supplements

I have recently been putting on weight which is not good at all! I have been really lazy to go to the gym as well. I know I should but where the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak and I usually end up doing something else instead. A friend who lost a lot of weight on a diet supplement recommended me Orovo which she claimed helped her get back to a slim figure just in time for her wedding. I don't think I dare do that for health reasons!

Good HR Policies

My current company is a big multinational company. It initially took me several months to get used to the way they do things within the company. They have lots of processes and procedures. However, one good thing about them is their human resource management. They have good talent management and retention programmes designed to help staff grow and be retained within the organisation.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Lost Swiss Army Knife

I used to have an authentic Swiss Army knife which I made the mistake of bringing to Phuket with me when I went there last year. Ever since that trip I have been unable to find it. I checked with J if it was accidentally left in his luggage bag and he said he hadn't seen it at all. It's really quite upsetting as it was very handy especially for travel. It had all kinds of nifty gadgets which made it the perfect traveller's tool. Now I've got to start looking for another one. Hopefully there'll be a sale soon.

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Packages for Less

There has been a bit of a price war between the airlines of late. The budget airlines offer some rock bottom prices or free tickets and the national airlines scrambles to meet it. I guess the people who benefit the most are the consumers, especially if you have access to great hotel deals. Put that together with your free or heavily discounted ticket and voila, you have a wonderful holiday for a really cheap price! :) It's time to go shopping for tickets again!

Setting up Home

There are quite a number of cheap furniture shops around town. After all, Malaysia is one of the main furniture producers in the world. I have actually seen bed frames going for a really cheap price of less than RM200 for a solid wood one. However, the mattress usually costs a lot more as the cheapest mattress will usually be more than RM500 already. Having seen some of the prices available, I am starting to realise that setting up home will cost quite a bit of money!

Monday, March 03, 2008

Mother's Milk is Best

I have several friends who recently have had children. I was quite amazed that nowadays most hospitals and doctors actually recommend breastfeeding over feeding babies formula milk. It is said to be much healthier for the baby as mother's milk contains natural antibodies and vitamins that are essential for baby's health. These nutrients are somewhat different in formula milk despite the many advertisements advocating a whole host of all kinds of brain development food in formula milk. Many of my friends have chosen to feed their newborns with their own breast milk. Granted, it takes quite a lot of effort and several of them have told me of their frustrations when they initially did not have enough milk or when the baby did not know how to suck properly. Another friend who had a big baby said her baby often got frustrated because the milk flow was not fast enough for his hungry stomach. Some of them have resorted to using a baby feeding bottle instead so the flow is faster and their babies get full faster. They express their milk into the bottle then feed their babies with it. While this method has worked quite well for them, some doctors have also cautioned against this as the baby will no longer want to breastfeed due to the slower flow of milk. I guess ultimately, the choice of bottle feeding or not will be the mother's choice, with proper guidance from her doctor.

Sunday, March 02, 2008

Melaka, Historical State

Have you ever been to Melaka? Melaka is a very historical state towards the south of Malaysia and is hugely popular with the tourists. Melaka was previously under the Portugese and Dutch many years ago and they have left a legacy in the form of beautiful red buildings, interesting designs on shophouses and lots of historical spots. The rich Baba and Nyonya heritage from the Straits settlers too have their own history and uniqueness in the form of beautiful homes and household items. One of the most popular streets there is Jonker Walk which is filled with antique shops and a rare coin dealer at every other shop. If you have never been to Melaka, you should definitely pay it a visit. You never know what you might find there!