Monday, October 27, 2008

Orchard Road Shopping Belt Getting A Facelift

If you have been to Orchard and thinks that it is getting boring, it certainly is getting the facelift it deserves. Orchard Road has always been the country's popular shopping belt for tourists and locals for its exhaustive and large shopping malls that lines all the way from Tanglin to Orchard/Scotts Road towards the end of Orchard Road and Bras Basah Road. The Singapore Tourism Board had given the shopping district a multi million-dollar makeover that had started in April 2008 at US$26.7 million.

The makeover will be completed by February 2009. Some of the refurbishing done are the changing of tiles of some old shopping malls and adding Green resting rooms for tourists and shoppers.

Although the economic outlook is a little gloomy now, perhaps we can see a revive by next year. Visitor arrivals have dipped 7 per cent since June and the country may even fall short of its 10.8 million travellers target this year.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Retailer Must Remove All Products containing China Dairy

Singapore's 80 officers from AVA and NEA will be conducting daily checks on premises such as supermarkets, food manufacturers, hawker centres and food shops to ensure that following the band on China milk products, none is being used or on sale without consumer's knowledge.

If was found that a retailer had failed to remove these affected products from its shelves and continued to sell them. This retailer will be charged for that. Consumers are also encouraged to report any product that has been banned yet still remain on the shelves to AVA at the number 6325 7625.

Consumers are also advised to make it a habit to check, inspect these items for the safety of their loved ones and family so that they know if the products have any ingredient or dairy product that could have been manufactured in China.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Ministry of Sound in Singapore to Close Soon

If you were partying in Singapore's Ministry of Sound at Clarke Quay three weeks ago, you probably saw the last of this two storey nightclub because it ceased operations on Oct 6. That is because Lifebrandz, which is responsible for bringing this UK based nightspot will be terminated its licence agreement with Ministry of Sound International Limited. Lifebrandz which still holds the tenure of this prime spot in Clarke Quay of 38,000 sq feet, will turn it into another night entertainment venue soon.

I'm sure it will be even more exciting. Ministry of Sound had been a popular club in Singapore since 2005, but like all other clubs, a refreshing change is always good. Hope to hear more good news in the coming weeks.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

First Transport fee, Electricity, Now Telephone Bills, What is next?

Singapore residents are going to see their phone bills going up starting from January 1, 2009. If you are a customer with a subscription with Singtel, be prepared to pay S$110 per year.

Calls from the local fixed line will also be increased from 0.7 to 0.8 cents for every 30 second block during peak hours. That sums up to an average of additional of S$1.50 per month with the new rate. I suppose that these cost are unavoidable because everything goes up in recent years and the land line calls have remain stagnant.

But for many Singaporeans who are already been heavily affected by other rising prices, I think even an increase of $10 is going to affect them to rant about it. I have a personal handphone and am thinking of cutting the plan subscription to the basic plan since it is under utilise. I may decide to do away with my landline instead and save me more than $110 a year. A few of my friends have also decided to do away with fixed landlines since they are also using handphones with a basic plan. Can save a lot, actually. As our electrical bill is also going to be increased by about 20% in average, it makes sense to cut down unnecessary things.


What about you.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Great Eyeglasses at Low Price

I normally pay for a pair of eyeglasses about $80. This is about the cheapest that I could find in the retail shops and these include prescription lens. So it was a great surprise when I found out that I could actually buy a pair of prescription glasses for as low as $8. It was something that was even mentioned on a radio talk show, The Clark Howard Show. It mentioned that ZenniOptical.com is an online eyeglass website that sells stylish glasses at that low price. I had to see it for myself so I logged on and went to ZenniOptical.com

To my surprise I found that their prices are so much cheaper than what I can get in many retail shops. They also carry many fashionable frames with modern designs as well. Look at this trendy looking glasses from Zenni Optical. They are so cool and definitely fashionable.



Zenni Optical is able to sell their eyeglasses at their low price because the practically have very low overheads. They sell their eyeglasses direct to customers as they manufacture them in the their own factory. What was wonderful to know was that I really do not have to pay so much for swimming goggles with prescrition lenses as well. And I see so many lovely designs for sunshades that will go very well with my new wardrobe. It is wonderful to know that I can save so much on my purchases. The next time I need a pair of nice sunshades, I know where to get them from.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Foreign Workers Dormitory Concern in Singapore

If you had been following about the resentment the residents have over the building of a dormitory for foreign workers in Serangoon Gardens, the recent news reported that a new concern shifted over to the residents who live at Tai Hwan and Mei Hwan estates.

To ease the fears about the security and more to the Serangoon Gardens estate, buffers and fences will be built around and the road that will allow access to the dormitory is the one that leads to and from Ang Mo Kio Ave 1. So the buses that ferries these foreign workers will travel along a new access road to the dormitory. However, now that the decision to the access is through Ang Mo Kio Ave 1, the unhappiness had been shifted to the residents that lived at estates - Tai Hwan and Mei Hwan.

The new roads will take as long as 6 to 9 months before they are completed. So now if the residents at these estates find that it is impractical to build the entrance due to congestions, what will be the next decision or steps the government is going to take.

This issue is getting complicated. You can never please anyone. Singapore is a small country with limited land. Not many will want to admit that they really do not want the foreign workers to live in big numbers near their residence.

I feel for them really. It is different when you have a handful but not when you see them crowding in large groups of more than 6 or 10. I believe these are some of the concerns parents have, basically. I would also be uneasy to see groups of men at the void deck, anytime.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Shopping for A Trophy or Award

School children are encouraged to pick up sport as a co-corricular activity. Sports are also a wonderful way to learn teamwork, have good hand-eye co-ordination and keeps us fit with a competitive spirit. Whenever there is a sporting activity or competition, trophies, medals and awards are used to reward those who have been outstanding and done well. A a committee handling purchase of these products in the school sports club, our most common trophies and awards are mainly common sports like the soccer trophies and golf trophies.

However, I have always find it a little difficult to find other niche sports trophies such as gymnastics and cheerleading trophies. The retail shop that I used to patronize have very limited designs. It was until I found an online site that specializes in all types of sport trophies, awards, certificates, badges and signages. This site also has lapel pins, ribbons and those who are in the military could also find awards like Police, Firefighter and Military awards.

For non-sport purchase, you can even choose a variety of academic trophies, acrylic plaques, resins, religious awards, desk plates and even stock lapel pins. In this site, you'll never run out of ideas.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Dormitory in Serangoon Gardens To Get Go Ahead

The decision for the government to convert an old school site at upper middle class residential area - Serangoon Gardens into a dormitory had been given the go ahead. Before this final decision, the residents or more than 1,000 had signed a petition against this. The residents were concerned over this issue in the past month and weren't very happy about it.


I was wondering perhaps they are concerned because they do not want their home ground to lose the privacy like those who lived in Tekka market who has foreign workers sleeping on their doorsteps and some who had been drunk loitering around. Some voiced out their concern about security issues as they have young daughters and children. The government were mindful of their concerns and had actually decided to work towards having a road connected to the CTE and Ang Mo Kio Ave 1 so that the dormitory that ferries the workers to work will bypass the Serangoon Gardens estate. The entrance that opens to Burghley Drive will be closed and only open for emergency access. Also the government will also cap the number of foreign workers at 1,000 and for a start, will only have 600.

There will be pass identification system put in place, and activities that will not be allowed beyond a certain hour. There will also be amenities like provision shops and recreational corners in the dormitory as well.

I saw the television interviews that the residents were disappointed with the decision. Perhaps it takes a while before they finally accept this. The only consolation for the residence was that this will be temporary housing and not more than 5 years.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Report Scam Calls

If you ever find yourself having to pick up calls from sales, telemarketing or agents who have been continuously calling to sell you their product, it certainly can get into your nerves. What can one do about these calls then. A site that lets anyone Reports Annoying Callers by posting up the displayed numbers and warn others in advance is the way to go. Write about the number or any information you may have about the caller. You can also look at other reported numbers that others have posted online, some that may turn out to be scam numbers too.

Choi Jin-sil Commited Suicide?

It was sad news reading about the popular actress from South Korean, Choi Jin-sil who was reported believed to commit suicide by hanging herself in the bathroom on the 2nd of October. The report says that she was depressed since her divorce in 2004. She also worried about how to care for her two children who are in elementary school.

What a terrible thing that should happen to a divorced mother of two young children. There is always help extended to many of those poor children and family but perhaps there should be social help for single mothers or those who have gone through a divorce. I believe many divorcees and single mothers do worry about their livelihood and sometimes it is hard to get back into society especially when they have just had a broken marriage. I've seen many friends of mine, of whom are women and they, find themselves deep in depression when they have had unsuccessful marriages.

If it is true that Choi Jin-sil had comitted suicide for depression, it must be hard for her as being an actress she has had to fight off scandalous and rumours as well as putting on an act while acting. It must be a very tiring affair for her to decide that she is too tired and decided to take her own life?

May God Bless Her Soul. She should not be blamed and I hope someone takes care of her two young children too.

No More Bulky Telephone Books

Forget about those thick yellow pages when you look for information of anyone who had just called but did not leave a message on your answering machine. Now, you can actually access telephone numbers that are listed and unlisted from an online site. This site, National Phone Book also contains cell phone numbers listed in it. Can you imagine if not for this online site how thick your telephone book will be especially when each household may have a landline as well as several numbers from being cell phone users.

Wheelchairs on Singapre Buses?

In the recent news, it was reported that disabled commuters have been denied from boarding the SBS bus although the bus had displayed decal that the bus was a wheelchair accessible bus. What a shock. This apparently was proven so when an auditor tried to board the services of the 4 public buses in Singapore recently. Although the buses drivers were apologetic, he was denied from boarding the buses because they told him that they had no approval from LTA (Land Transport Authority and the SBS Transit that they are allowed to ferry wheelchair users.

It was only 20 minutes later, he flagged down another bus service 57 that the bus driver without any hesitation, laid the ramp on the kerb and wheeled Mr Lee aboard.

I suppose the public bus transport need to iron out their issues over which buses are allowed and which are not. And if they are not, I hope they will take the decal off the windscreen to prevent any misunderstandings. This way the drivers for the buses would not be caught in between the decisions too.

I'm sure while this is being iron out, in future, LTA will be working on features and accessibility for wheelchair bound passengers. Hope it will be fast so that we can be a gracious society to the less fortunate or the handicapped passengers.

Calls In The Night

Are you bothered when you get some crank calls in the middle of the night and no one is on the line? Well there is an online Phone Book if you wish to find out who the caller is. This feature is available online and has a database on all the numbers and owners particulars in the United States. So, in future if you receive any calls even when you are not in, you still can find out who just called.

Horse Riding School Opening in 2009

Young Singaporean are being encouraged to take up horse riding and other equestrian sports. To do so, the largest riding school that will be available to the general public is being built and will be ready by September 2009. That will be located just next to the Singapore Racecourse at Kranji. It will be built by Singapore Turf Club, on a 3 hectare site at S$24 million.

For the first time, riding will be offered as part of the school Co-Curricular Activity. School children who are interested in horse riding can try them and will be targeted at those aged between 8 and 18 years old.

There weill be a comphrehensive curriculum that includes lessons held in classrooms as well as practical lessons outdoor. They will also be taught about management of the sable and also caring for the horse. With this facility, riding lessons will also be more affordable in the future, at between S$15 to S$75 for a ride of 45 minutes.

So those who thought that horse riding has always been something not widely available in Singapore can brace themselves for lessons when the facility for school children is opened!

Unanswered Calls

A large organisation pays for a receptionist to pick up the calls so that the company will not miss out any important phone calls that may be invaluable to the company. But there are some businesses that are actually a one-man-show where when he conducts his business appointments, his calls goes unanswered. The need for a Reverse Phone Search will mostly likely help him to retrieve numbers and make a call back to the number to see if it was anything urgent. It is also a good way for many to filter their calls and return the calls according to the owner's particulars.

Robbers to leave part of loot

How hilarious when I read the news about some robbers who had hijacked a security van in Malaysia that had as much as $1.3 million inside. However, due to the robbers' bad planning, they had to leave part of the loot because their getaway car was too small to fit in the small compact car! The bags containing a total of 2.7 million ringgit were quite big. The robbers only made off with $524,000.

Five security guards have been detained for questioning. Can you believe that there are five security guards in the van and none managed to stop the robbery? The robbers were not smart to take all the money and the guards were not smart enough for them either.

Never Miss A Call

If you have received a call from an unknown number and would like to know the source of the number, try Phone Lookup Investigator. This is a feature that contains a database of telephone numbers from landlines and mobiles. Information such as the owner's name and other particular can be accessed here. It works great for those who don't want to miss a call if they are in telemarketing sales as every call is a potential to their sales profit.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Prevent A Loved One From Entering Casino?

In Singapore, the much awaited first integrated resort will open its doors in the the third quarter of next year. It will be located at Marina Bay. Singaporeans are well known for being among the top tourists in nearby countries, playing at casinos.

In Singapore alone, many families are worried that having a casino may become a social problem since it is awailable within their own country. Worry not, this problem had been something that the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) had thought of. From January 2009, families are allowed to apply for their members to be excluded from entry in the local casinos.

This application will need the family member who made the application, together with the person in the application to go for counselling. A committee will make the decision to issue the exclusion only after a hearing is done. There are as many as 60 grassroots leaders and professionals from the social service sectors to be part of the panel of assessors.

There will be some requirements for being an assessors, and based on their experience in social and community service, their age, maturity and academic qualifications of miniumum of O levels and above.

Only upon close counselling and assessment, will the panel of committee determines if the person be determine to be in the exclusion order. So far as many as 29,000 had been submitted to be banned from visiting the casino. I wonder if these are approved or just to be assessed individuals. Isn't it frightening to know that if these are those who may not be able to control their sense of gambling habits, there are still legalized ones like Totos, 4Ds and others.

Trendy Clothes

Did you know that you can now own your own little retail shop selling trendy and fashionable clothes? Well, some business owners I know had to travel far and wide to shop for wholesale clothing at other countries and buy them in cartons back. This method requires time, effort and money sending orders back to the town of their shop. It may work if you are shopping for a large order for a few shops but what if you are looking into limited number of clothing wholesale price but not as many as a whole carton of them? This works great if you have a kiosk selling fashionable clothings and you have no space for a large carton of clothes.

Apparel Showroom is the answer then. Not only do they sell a wide range of clothing at wholesale price, all you need is to make your orders online, without having to leave your comfy chair or office. Browze from their various collection of clothes, bags, sunglasses, intimates and more. You can really get a good range of fashionable wear from here and orders are from minimum pieces of as few as 4 to a dozen or more. You can even shop for half a dozen of handbags and give them as Christmas presents to your friends! The unit price for a handbag is only $5.25 each and the package of 5 cost you only $26.25. What a great deal!