The Fear of Shopping

The first piece of item that we bought for the house was not a big-ticket item like a sofa but the wash basin for our bathroom. I called it the "Chicken Bowl" because its oriental motifs reminded me of those bowls with rooster designs I used to eat out from when I was a kid. The bowl was to offset the masculinity of the all-black bathroom. It was love at first sight when Gracie and I spotted it, much to the contrary how Kenneth Cole felt when he saw it. It took me 2 hours to convince him to that the $65 item will be the signature item in the bathroom after his first sight of it and give and take, another 4 weeks before the actual sighting, of me setting his expectations of it.

The second piece of item we bought for the house was the mattress. Well, the mattress and the bed frame packaged in one anyway. For a very cautious person, Kenneth Cole closed the $4,000 deal in less than 2 hours. The mattress felt good, the frame was in a clean design we like, and the salesman was g-o-o-d. The trouble with impulse buying is the post-purchase dissonance that comes with it the day after. It starts gnawing at you and you feel compel to check up on the internet to see if it was really that good of a deal. As it turned out, it wasn't. In a nutshell, we paid premium prices for a housepouring drink which was repackaged in a martini glass served by a cute bartender.

Kenneth Cole will most definitely be spending the whole day today mulling over it. I just want to forget the incident with...more drinks.

~SeamonkeY~

Personal Hygiene on Board..Not!

There I was, minding my own business on the MRT, sitting in a corner seat when the commuter next to me started to Clip. His. Nails.

Thoroughly disgusted, I text Kenneth Cole of my dilemma. Is it rude to get up and leave for another seat? Then he will know that I am leaving because I am dissing his act of clipping nails on train. Should I be bringing my shaver on my next train ride so I can remove my leg hair on my way to work as well??

In an effort to make sure no nail clippings get caught up in my hair, I flipped like a shampoo model. Thank goodness the trauma was over in two-and-a-half stops and he stopped at his pinkies.

~SeamonkeY~

Kodak Moment

Photo by George Wong www.aphotostory.com

I like this picture the same reason why Kenneth Cole didn't take to it - the fact that our faces were covered.

As effortless as it looks, it took all three of us fumbling about under the veil for a good half hour, waiting for the "right" breeze. Kenneth Cole and I had it easy. George had to balance between his left hand sticking up to hold the veil and his right, cramped under the weight of his camera.

~ SeamonkeY~

Paper (Non)Sense Continues...

Further to the Paper Sense posting I made in July, OCBC again sent me another 3-pager statement to reflect that the $0.04 credit I had in the card has been adjusted and both parties are now even.

I hope they put that $0.04 into really good use, like into the planting of a tree perhaps. I really do not see why they had to send me (again, I emphasize, a 3-pager statement) statement again to reiterate what has already been arranged during my phone conversation with customer service.

~SeamonkeY~

Inflation Busters

Inflation Busters 101. Inflation stands at 6.5percent,your $100 is now worth only $ 93.50.

A plan that will help you save money, beat inflation and still enjoy life.

Movies at $ 6.50 no booking (Save $ 3 per movie for a couple date)
Get the GV card, for free. Movies on tuesdays are good at member price $ 6.50. Head to GV Tiong Bahru - near town, near your office and no need for booking. Sure got seats!
Thats a $ 24 savings if you watch movies twice a week.

If Tuesdays are not your free days, go for Safra cards that give you $ 8 for a Weekend movie at any GV. All NS man are entitled to apply for membership card, which costs $ 101 for 3 years - work out to S$ 2.80 per month. Your breakeven point - watch at least 1 movie a month (2pax).

Drive Smart - Be a fuel efficient driver
If you drive, there are a hundred and one ways to be fuel-smart. You could save on usage just by following these:
- Ensure sufficient tyre pressure
- Remove unnecessary weight (bags, books, containers etc)
- Be gentle on your accelerator and take highways whenever possible.
- Minimise waiting in car, natural air smells better ya.
- Car Pool esp during lunch time. Save petrol, builds relationships!
- More info on http://www.fightglobalwarming.com/page.cfm?tagID=268

Credit Card Points
Dont thrash the bill after reading, check the points. Redeem movie tickets, shopping vouchers, grocery vouchers. NTUC Linkpoint card are your best bet - points accumulated can be exchanged for vouchers and offset your purchases. That essentially knocks off a few percentage off your bill.

Dining Out
Plan your outings with Credit Card Leaflets in your hand. Know which restaurant allows you to enjoy 10%-15% discounts off your meals. Generally DBS, HSBC & Citibank cards have good discounts at most restaurants. Check : http://www.streetdirectory.com/restaurants/singapore/reviews/dbs/

Shopping for Shoes
I used to pay Charles and Keith $ 25 -35 for a pair of shoes. Mondo, Vincci are some of the other brands within my shoe rack. My mentality : cheaper shoes, but larger quantity to match 100 different clothes and 100 different colours.

Then I realise on average these shoes breakdown once every 3/4 year. Either the strap break, the rubber soles come off, which will need Mr Cobbler to put it back at $4 (comes off again 6mths down the road) or the glue thins off and its time to buy a new pair.

A pair of shoes from CK Tangs, nice but priced at $ 60 over, can last me for 2-3 years at least. Thats a $ 30 savings per pair, and they look nicer.

If you go to Tangs at the right time, you can buy $ 60 shoes at half the price!

Plan your pub visit before 9pm
Most pubs have a Happy Hour serving before 8.30pm or 9pm. Do a straight after dinner drinks, to enjoy your one for one or a special price for your Magaritas or Kilkenny. Order your last drink at 9pm, leave the pub at 10pm and go for a 11 or 11.30pm show. After show, take the Night Rider back or find a GV near your home to minimise cab fares.

Botak Jones or Lawry's
If you aint chasing the babe and couplehood has settled into that "I dont need to impress mode" hey Botak Jones can serve pretty good steak at a much cheaper price. Its still steak, the ambience may not be as special, but if you are lucky you may be served by bubbly pretty babes/ hunky dudes. Dig into the fries, they are nicer than Mcdonald's!

Good planning, owning the right card, driving the right way - 3 simple rules make great inflation busters.

Anything other buster methods?

Realise pre-inflation days, people will call this post "cheapo". Now a new phrase is here to stay "inflation busters"

~6th Sense

Random Thought #37

I get the tester-toiletries set out for body lotion, hand cream, eye gel. But how do people test facial washes, shampoo, shower foam off the shelves? And these are often half-empty when I browse through the bottles. Is there a secret-tester-washroom I am not in the loop of? Do shoppers really test them out there? In the open? Like they are models in a shampoo commercial?

~SeamonkeY~

6th Sense's making structural changes to her life

I once hear someone say, change is good. Even the gurus echo it.

I think this sentence holds true, especially for me - one who gets bored easily.

People change for many reasons:
1) for the fact that their life has been too stagnant
2) for throwing a dash of spices in their lives
3) for the fact that the world is changing, and environment forces one to change "inwardly"
4) for the fact that non-conformance to changes will result in undesirable consequences
5) and for the fact that life is all about changes!!

If our daily life mirrors each other every day, 365 days a year - we will all get bored, very bored. My dad has an interesting analogy. When my mum and my grandma (aka mom in law) quarrel, dad says "this is good, day in day out face the same person and do the same thing is boring, these people just need some quarrels to spice up their lives" - That I think is an interesting out-of-boredom changes to make. So quarrels are good. Haha :-)

See between couples, quarrels help you understand each other more :o) but of course too much of anything is bad :o(

No I am not propogating quarrels, my focus is on positive structural changes.

So these are my structural change plans :
1) Late no more - Never to be late for church and for Ray's Muay Thai class anymore. Respect to God, and to the Committed Instructor.
2) Perceptual Change - Never to think that beggars on streets may be cheaters - so what if they are, you do good, u feel good. How they use your money, thats between them and God.
3) Make the impossible thing happen - I dont think I can do business and make a success out of it. But I dont try I wont know. So I hope my "sideline" (Itouch events) can kick off and be a mini success at least.
4) Change my work-scope - 2 simple accounts, yes how far can I go? Its a matter of perception, if you think it sucks it sucks. So, I am going to initiate sales/mktg activities and turn two dead mouse into hmmmm.....a Disney Success? :o)
5) Make full use of avail resources - Yes I have a gym membership, just like I have a regular Muay Thai class, I wan a regular gym routine that I stick with rain or shine.
6) Hairstyle - Time to change a new hairstyle. I'll do that in Japan. The best change starts from the head! :o)
7) Shed some Kilos - Said that a dozen times. Cant say I didnt lose. But I need to lose some MORE!

Ok, that makes me feel inspired :o)

*Aspire to Inspire*
~6th Sense