Haha Samsung S24 Ultra Malu

Its getting all the negativity when most people reveal and unlock all the problem of the newly launched S24 Ultra. I understand the fact that not all titanium is the same, but it clearly shows that it is of lower quality when you compared with its competitors. Not only the material but the entire camera system is a total downgrade at flagship cost. Good luck to those who bought this. This also revealed many youtuber that are sponsered are lying through their mouth. 😄

Happy to my Wife ! Prepare Whisky Durian Cake !

As both of us love durian and like taste that are heavy, i am trying this Whisky Mao Shan Wang Cake for my wife as it is her birthday today. A cake that takes 5 days to make from scratch. I hope it is good. Will share more and review in the next few days :)

More and more of such news isn't good

Each day we are seeing such news which is not good. Most people are out of jobs and are looking at lower salary jobs, but cost of living are rising alot. Not a good trend, but still got to find ways to but bread on the table. I guess one have to grabhold of what they have and hope for the entire situation to improve. Not sure how long this trend will continue.

KOI Quarterly Vouchers for both Gold and Diamond Members

Not only birthday vouchers, but Koi also provides occasional vouchers for other drinks specific 1 for 1. Tried their Lychee Aloe Vera is refreshing and nice. But suggest to add at least 25% sugar. Because i always opt for 0% and this drink really need to have at least a little bit of sweetness to be nice.

Shiniin Taiwan Street Snacks @ Canberra Plaza

Finally it is opened, and i immediately supported it by getting two XXL chicken. Really nice and consistent. Hope it stays that way. Mee sua and other dishes, i'm not really a fan of it. Just need to enjoy their big chicken cutlet. Must eat it when it is hot and request for more spices. It will be perfect !

Retrenchments more than double the numbers in 2023 from 2022

To add on to the complication, either more people will have no jobs or have to accept lower salary for a quick job. To make matter worst, prices of almost everything are rising. Making us have to fork out more money for less. To be honest, last time a $5 meal will keep me full. Now it takes $10 to make me full. Thats the difference...

Tech companies are laying off like nobody business

In the past, we only thought that banks are the top layoff business in the world. Ever since tech became popular in the recent years, many who join tech companies also see highest number of layoff numbers. It is a thankless job, when they need people to expand fast, they hire. When all is done, they reduce the numbers very quickly. Thats the problem. IT is always a thankless job. You help people, you get scolded. What to do? Better to change line quickly.

4th Single MBS Tower in Singapore

I mean it is good for both the company and the country, so why not? At least it created jobs for more people regardless of local or foreigner. It is also considered as one of the iconic building in the world when Singapore travel is mentioned. So i am definitely supportive of this and hope to try it one day.

No more WMIC soon in next release

I uses WMIC for various purposes in work. Such a shame that Microsoft is going to remove WMIC soon in the next Windows Build. But at least Microsoft is sounding out instead of removing it silently. Need to find out new ways to execute the right command for the ex-WMIC feature.

Hydralic Manufacturing Fault occurred at the 23 month mark !

My Apol Behemoth which accompany me for 1 year 11 month when it broke down due to the hydralic system. As all the chair carries 2 years warranty, i quickly report to Apol and fortunately their servicing is quick and assisted to resolve it. Probably will use it till it broken before replacing another chair. All in all, this is a great chair and it really went through all the beating throughout its lifespan. However after the servicing, it is not able to adjust the height of the chair, but i am fine as it is already adjusted to the highest point. Hope it can last another year or two before I might try SecretLab next.

DS423+ and IronWolf Pro 12TB

My Synology DS423+ came first, but have to wait for my Seagate IronWolf Pro NAS HDD to arrive from overseas. Bought at a great deal for the HDD, but DS423+ price quite controlled, so only save around $10 due to Shopee voucher. The setup was amazingly simple and took only a short time to do so. Had opt for the Raid 1 configuration. The reason why i get such a big capacity for all my storage needs and using one as the backup. 

Budget Z Fold 6

Entry Level or Budget Fold 6, not sure if they are able to handle the x amount of problems. Nowadays the term cheaper is just a gimmick, it is only slightly cheaper. But the average consumers are going to give enough complaints on the build. Samsung really need to have the capacity to handle efficiently, else it is going to be a nightmare.

SimplyGo is going back to its own way without phasing out the the old ways

For the first time, government is U turning its policies based on Public Feedback. Well, i know there will be cost incurred maintaining the older ticketing system. But if you are talking about IT, isn't it most places still maintaining its legacy systems as well. Like most public are saying, if it is not broken, why fix for tbe sake of fixing? Well, the only problem is actually the flaw of the newer system. If the Simplygo is able to perform the same feature as the previous system with additional function, then that is considered as an emhancement. Only then, us as the commuters will have nothing to say. Hope they can fix the Simplygo seriously instead of just rolling out for the sake of rolling out.

New Shi Lin Stall @ Canberra Plaza

Finally Shi Lin is confirmed coming to Canberra Plaza ! I am a great fan of its 鸡扒. Guess it is time for me to sign up for membership and support this stall. In order for them to survive, really need the people from that area to keep buying from them, otherwise it will be hard for business to survive nowadays. As for those who kept selling high price and lpw quality food, i will not support at all. One time is largely enough to learn a lesson.

Samsung S24 Ultra is a downgrade :(

Apparently it is a upgrade considering that i owned a Samsung S23 Ultra now. Most of it were just software upgrade at the expense of downgrading its hardware. Bought S23 Ultra because my Samsung Z Fold 4 was faulty after a year. Service center downtime was bad and no loan phones. I still like foldable phones, but would only consider if there is 2 years warranty instead of one. Hence S24 Ultra is nothing at all. 

Warcraft Rumble Season 3 !!!

Didn't expect season 3 to come up so soon, but good job Blizzard for making a title worthy of gaming on the go. Perfect for busy adults like us.. So the main highlights of this season is actually the new hero leader -> Emperor thaurissan. Emperor thaurissan seems good in fact the new season 2 troop is not bad either. Let's hope to see more rumble goodness and AmateurCraft will strive to be greater !

McDonald releasing something new on 25 Jan 2024

Something is brewing, but nowadays the internet is easy to decipher information. Hong Kong Mcdonald just released Hello Kitty Mahjong not long ago and it seems that we may have the same thing hopefully instead of some Stuffed Toy thingy. Really looking forward to it, but certainly not looking forward to the hateful scaplers ! 

[Birthday Month Treat] Koi

It time of the year again. I must redeem the two free drinks from Koi. Really love these treats. Most still expect you to spend X amount of drinks to get some birthday treats. For Koi, as long you are a Koi member or card, you are automatically eligible to get these free treats. Best of all, to sign up these membership is totally free. There are also paid version for nicer card design + free additional vouchers. Get them today as i had been getting it for several years already.

Paylah Hawkers extended to July 2024 !

Nice that DBS actually extended this already popular weekly cashback for hawker meals on DBS PayLah! App till July 2024. This is really a generous move and hope that other banks will follow suit. However, one need to be fast and sure that the food stall actually provided this cashback. I personally hamtam some coffeeshop stalls and didnt have it. Of course some have it and i am happy to have redeemed it. Try it if you did not try it.

Festives Seasonal Menu | Gochi-So Shokudo

On paper, this set looks good and comprehensive. But the actual product is quite disappointing. The portion is too little for its price. It just shows that things are really expensive now if we weigh both price and quantity. Meat wise, less fat unlike Saboten standard. The shabu is 😩. So all in all, nah not having this here anymore.

Apple valuation is below Microsoft

Overtaken by Microsoft on Apple or not, both are still good news to me. As an investor of both Apple and Microsoft, i see growth in both corporation ever since i entered US stock market. I will continue to dollar average on both of this stocks as their potential are still long lasting. So in total, i only own three US stocks. The other one not mentioned here is Tesla, but the strategy is still the same. Going long for all three of them.

GoPizza too expensive in 2024

Its getting way too expensive for gopizza as they done a big increase for their pizza. Sorry man, probably its my last time buying from them. They change it to Hawaiian overload, but it isn't overloaded at all. Still the same size with a little addition of ingredient. But the price really had a big jump from its $8 odd dollars last year. Will list down more stores that passing the cost to us consumers. Sigh....

Absorb 1% GST? Fat hope, prices still rise !

GST regardless whichever said to absorb or not, price are still rising whichever who is being saint. Sheng Siong mentioned to absorb 1% GST increase till end of April 2024, but still NAN Formula still increase from $57.50 to $58.03. I know the price very well because i buy them every week and each tin is consumed for only a week. Hundreds of dollars were being spent. Both NTUC and Sheng Siong are selling the same increased price now. So how? This is only one of the many products that we need it for our bread and butter everyday. So do you think the CDC Vouchers really helped "a lot"? End of the day, we consumers are the losers who suck up all the costs !

Mining pi Update 2024

As of now, i am still mining pi for almost 3 years. Currently accumulated 2800+ of PI. According to the market, currently 1 PI is worth USD$31.25. There were online dude trying to buy all my 2800 PI at USD$0.31 each. I could, but i guess i shall wait for a proper channel to be established, before i do a quick cashout and keep hold of some PI. Let's hope all the PI owners can be successful soon ! Cheers !

Old Chang Kee HQ Pre CNY Makan + Shopping

Every year will drop by Woodland Terrace where all the tour buses will fetch the uncles and aunties here to buy CNY goods and makan. You might ask why come all the way here to buy when NTUC and heartlands also got sell. The thing is they really do sell a big range of products from imported can abalones, to seafood, to cny snacks, bak gua and several eateries in the area at competitive wholesale prices. So closer to cny, there will be more and more people flocking their way here. 
 

MapleStory M Update 2024

Currently at 1,790,602 strength and at level 199. Just one more level to Level 200 to unlock more skills and stats upgrades. My target this year is to craft the ancient master weapon, but it is not going to be easy. Have to use hyper stats to increase my star force to hunt for ancient materials. No choice but it is essential even though everyone asked not to waste the points for hyper stats. I personally think not a problem leh because it could be reset but of course tons of resource being used. Also happy that i could gain Rank 16 throughout the server for Mu Lung Dojo.

Langrisser Update 2024

Currently ranked as 1166 power level in the entire server. Well this game, is one of the least effort i put in for this game. My best stats heroes i focused on is Wehttam which hits 8000+ power. However, as a monster type hero, its still underperformed as compared to other heroes. However, it is still fine as i am only playing PVE content for this game. Too many heroes and PVE content is really a challenge even my heroes were quite high in power level. Just grinding though this year to max out all my characters before trying to attempt story mode mid this year.

Clash Of Clan Update [Builder Base] 2024

As there are a total of two types of bases, home village as mentioned yesterday. I will be touching on Clash of Clan Builder Base which is my second base. Most will be maxed out soon especially the second hero. The rest will be walls which will take some time. But probably will be completing all upgrades by mid 2024 if no further updates by Supercell. This mode is quite fun and it is easy to play than Home village. 

Clash Of Clan Update [Home Village] 2024

Currently maxed out all heroes at this stage. Still in the midst of upgrading some troops, siege machines and spells upgrade. In terms of all building upgrades to be done, probably might take about another 4 months [Target] to complete before advancing my town hall to the next tier. So likely i am able to see the new town hall by this year. At the moment, i am still F2P player and will slowly upgrade all functions progressively. But what i planning to spend soon might be probably Base Theme which will make the base looks much better than the default design.

Clash Royale Update 2024

When I last passed over the leader of the guild over to Nick(S) back in 2023, i knew he have potential. We are always maintaining the top 3 positions in our Singapore Guild. In end 2023, i managed to attain Elite for all my first team's build, also my favourite team to use. Early 2024, they released the powerful Valkyrie finally and i also attain them in 2024 making my team one of the most powerful in our guild. Will continue to maintain tip top position. 

Warcraft Rumble Update 2024

For the next few days, i will be updating my gaming contents. Starting with Warcraft Rumble, to date, I maintained as the top rank and guild leader of AmateurCraft guild. My newfound latest favourite is Hogger hero build and i love this Hogger leader. The more you deploy, the more crazy the stats are and there is no limit. Equipped with the best talent of Ham Hock enhance the battle further. I am still consistent and active in Warcraft Rumble in 2024 as the game just launched late last year.

McDonald Kueh Bangkit

Bought McDonald Kueh Bangkit at $3.75 each for the McFlurry version of Kueh Bangkit. I think kueh bangkit really blend well with the ice cream. So it is really nice in addition with the Oreo bits Mcflurry offers. Guess it is out for a limited time and is perfect for the upcoming festival season.

YouTrip enhance security and raises e-wallet limit to $20K

Its a good move that YouTrip actually took effort to enhance the security of their product and services. However, 12-hour cooling-off period after a new login is detected feature might be either good or bad for legit usage. One must really planned well in order to use the card and app. Due to inflation, things are more expensive. People are willing to spend more and require more currency limits to be added to YouTrip. Hence they needed go raise the e-wallet limit. With more money stored in their product, they really need to enhance the security, so it is expected to avoid problems.

Ya Kun Price Increased !

Just before the New Year 2024, my iced Kopi O Kosong from Ya Kun had upgraded its price from $3.90 to $4.20. This is quite the increase since our salary hardly increase that fast of a rate. Things will be more expensive. This price will continue to rise again in a few months later. This is a mark to track the cost. 

Cadbury CNY Promotion

Bought both CNY designs with $30 worth of chocolates. Probably a way to clear their last year's christmas's stock. But think quite worth it as it is like paying off the toys. My wife will be giving away the chocolates to relatives. The building block really looks nice. Got it from Sheng Siong Canberra branch.

Public Holidays in 2024

Important dates to know for future planning. Really hate PH to fall onto Saturday or Sunday because it is so wasteful. PH on a Wednesday is a weekday saviour where you really take a break in between to have an even 2 days break, then work 2 days and break again. Rest both the mind and physical body. PH on a friday or Monday is the best.

Thanks to my Wife for getting me Steam Deck for my Bird Day :)

Thanks to my wife for getting me a steam deck together with all the wonderful accessories for my birthday. Yeah i know, it supposed to be an OLED, but it is hard to get as the order kept cancelled and people kept increasing the price. Scalper price, sigh. I know the power of steam deck oled, but the OG was great too. Now i am enjoying all the game titles damn shiok !!

Going through 2024 with All Knowing Book

Bought this book for $19++ to go through the 2024 year of the dragon as much as possible. A little like what the younger folks do like YOLO, mine is a little different. Since life is short, i felt that we have to make the best out of it. To follow all positive energy to enhance life as much as possible. Of course we obviously also need to include the current world trends together with this all knowing book to create the best result possible. Currently, i am still on track to my 2028 Masterplan and hope that it can be achieve sooner !

Happy New Year 2024 !

Happy New Year 2024 to all ! 2023 was once again a very challenging year for me and hope that my daughter will have a fun time growing up this upcoming year. Typically "Cost of Living", keeping up to average salary range and 99% to sit or attain a professional certification in 2024. Not all is about work and training, but two long trips to be happened around 1st and 2nd quarter this upcoming year. Many things to work on and better solution had to been worked on for a better work-life balance. Fun time will be mainly spending time with my family and Steam Deck :)

Last Day of 2023

I will touch on the overall cost of living in Singapore. Things are definitely rising and it was in 2023. Moving on to 2024, everything will be rising even higher and if you think many bad things were happening in 2023, 2024 will be even more. Last i heard from my colleague that her polytechnic daughter is only getting $1700 per month for an entry level IT job. As i remembered clearly back in 2011 which is 12 years ago. Entry Polytechnic jobs are around that range too. It is no wonder the younger folks are struggling with the high cost of living just like us adult. Welcome to the adult life. Of course many will talk about their high salary and stuffs, but be realistic and look at the average singaporeans. Electricity are rising, food costs are rising, living costs are rising, haha just need to adapt to it. 😅

One of the healthiest "Sweet"

Just stock up 20+ packets of Himalaya Salt based sweet. This particular white one contains Electrolytes, improve hydration and also soothes the throat. They also said that it is the source of calcium as well. Price is affordable as well. Cost at 80 cents per packet.

TP-Link Bluetooth 5.0 Nano USB Adapter

With so many CPU lying around my house. Just a background, i bought multiple Desktop CPU for my lab and personal usage. Of which, all is connected via LAN network to achieve fast speed with wired Keyboard and Mouse. However, now i am connecting all my room's big TV to all these different CPU and required to connect keyboard and mouse wirelessly. However, not all my CPU had bluetooth and WiFi card, hence i got to quickly buy one bluetooth USB to solve this issue. For this particular product, it is not immediate plug and play for me. At first, upon plugging in, i am unable to detect my bluetooth keyboard. Solution was to download the latest drivers from their website and install. After installing and restarting the PC, all works as per normal. So good product as long it works.

Cola Ramune from Japan

Got this drink from JB Avery Day store. This is a unique Coca Cola Soda from Japan and i'm surprised that it actually costs like $37.20 for a small bottle, but in fact i am only paying like RM8+ odd there. The way of opening this drink is also very unique where i saw many commenting online on how to open this bottle because there is a ball blocking the bottle mouth. Taste wise is soso, but its interesting. I guess the aim is to prevent the carbonated soda from escaping the bottle. Nice !

Random Ya Kun and Alley Wei Lunch

Whole day roaming around Canberra Plaza and Northpoint to buy some stuffs and having small meals around. Ya Kun is fine. Alley Way, think the you tiao below average. The pan-fried dumpling is ok, and their soyabean milk and Beancurd still ace in their shop. Perhaps they are only good at that and just trying to sell something else which is not to their speciality.

Nespresso Nomad & Milk based capsules

Had utilized my credits again on two new capsules which i can use it for making latte at home. Taste quite mild, but my wife said its ok. After trying and feeling the quality of this Nespresso Nomad at the store for 3 occasions. I finally get the bigger sized Nomad travel cup. It is at 540ml so pretty large for storing coffee to make and bring it to the city for my work.

Merry Christmas 2023 to all and have a happy holidays !

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas 2023 to all ! Haha had an earlier celebration with my family as i am working throughout eve and christmas day. Extra money required to put food on the table. This year, most of the decorations are from mainly JB purchases which is easily 40% from the cost in Malaysia than Singapore. Cake have to get locally and Chateraise quality is indeed good. Will try something different next year.

[Jumbo] Fastest Dinner @ ION Orchard

This could be one of the fastest meal at ION Orchard for our regular Jumbo seafood restaurant. We are always here when they provided free vouchers and it really does made it worthwhile. Loves 90% of their menus and here are our favourite items other and crabs and steamed fishes. Just went in like 4.30pm and finished at 5.05PM.

Property Tax [2023] @ SG

Property Tax of $144.80 cleared for the end of 2023. This cost had been going up for the past few years, even though it is just public housing which is the cheapest form of housing in Singapore. What to do? Cost are definitely rising and i really take it as a form of contribution towards nation building. 😅

Sheng Siong will help us at least till March 2024

Really needed to make good comparison against other supermarkets to see how the groceries fared against each other in 2024. Probably will see more upcoming posts on groceries' pricing as 2023 had already inflated by a lot. The whole of 2024 will further increases the price in phases. Most of them are smart by not increasing in one shot, but progresive in matter of 3 months. However, i will track these closely and update.

Use Credit Card instead of debit card?

Really lose touch with the people. Not everyone can have a credit card. We rely on debit card, because some of us are unable to apply for credit card. If this is the direction, then please tell the bank instead of the people. Things are not that simple to be frank, or perhaps this advice is for rich people only?