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?

Jumbo Chilli Crab Sticks

After having my jumbo lunch at ION Orchard, decided to get one of their chilli crab snack. I think costs around $7+. Tasted quite ok, as it really does have chilli crab flavour. I love their fried prawn snack, but still not out yet. They only gave like sample for people to try. But so far this snack is still all right. It is on the salty side.

Koo Kee Yong Tow Foo Mee [New]

Newly opened near my place. Tried it and it is the type which is good to have it almost everyday. Healthier choice. They also offers meat rice with hot soups. Price are affordable and hope it stays that way as well as the standard. Some places often do it well on the first few weeks and standard dropped along the way. So it is also difficult to be a food blogger if they have double standards. 

Prolink 4G LTE Mobile WiFi Router

Decided to go with Prolink 4G LTE Mobile WiFi Router as my main portable WiFi Router to provide network everywhere i go. This is because, i had more devices on the go now carrying two laptops, iPad Pro M2 12.9", Samsung S23 Ultra, iPhone 15 Pro, Nintendo Switch and of course my upcoming Steam Deck OLED [Delay shipment again 😑]. At least i managed to get this mobile router at the cheapest price brand new and good for my several overseas trip in 2024. This will be heavily used and i am happy that this device had a LAN port, microsd slot for file sharing or access and large battery ! Only con is the single band 2.4Ghz and does not have 5GHz for faster speed. Will test and probably make a video on it.

Routine 1 For 1 Starbucks Christmas Drinks

Glad that this time, they never restrict until 7pm and move towards 8pm. At least i hope they really do listen to feedback. Reach back Canberra Plaza to order the 1 For 1 christmas drink and was rather surprised that they were no queue at all. Guess either most people are at overseas or people are just bored of it. But ok lah, at least each drink is at $4.60 each still quite enjoyable. Thanks Starbucks and i had to make used of my final tier reward till it expired on 01 Jan 2024.

Gold at all-time high !

At this stage, gold is at all time high and i felt that as we are moving into 2024 where inflation will be even higher making cost of living unbearable for most, we should stop accumulating gold now. Of course, i am gearing towards us ordinary folks that work for bread and butter. The rich will have no issue getting gold despite how high it is. Need to set aside some cash for rainy 2024.

Retro Game Corps confirmed it !!

Emulation on steam deck oled edition will be king ! It is really good that even PS5 games can be emulated on Steam Deck Oled ! Once you spend on the steam deck ecosystem, you are really saving a lot of money. Of course, we are not going to talk about how to get the games as it is not really good to say due to copyright issues. Emudeck had many tweaks to make the different platform games work great with steam deck. Really so happy to be a Steam Deck OLED owner !

Monster Hunter Wilds | Launching in 2025

So fast the Monster Hunter is launching the next big title, Monster Hunter Wilds ! But it is announced to be in 2025 and launched in the following platforms, PS5, XBOX Series and Steam. Since both PS5 and XBOX Series are using controllers to play, i guess steam deck will be good to go. 

PS4 Pro after 4 years

Wah my Sony Playstation 4 Pro had accompanied me for the past 4 years. So far i had subscribed to PSPlus from the 1st year to 3rd year and i can say that the PSPlus free monthly games had been good. I stopped the subscription after the 3rd year due to not enough time for gaming. Last i tried to boot up and i think unable to display anything. Looks like i will have to squeeze out some time to check my PS4 Pro and to decide whether to keep it or to sell it off due to the fact that my steam deck OLED is the king of gaming + emulation :)

Warcraft Rumble Season 2 !

After playing for a while in the season 1, i am confident that this will be another long term game which i will focus on. Fast forward to Season 2, everything in season 1 had proved to be fun and yes there is massive grinding, but i am happy that my team had been getting stronger to run through the mission for PVE content. As for PVP content, still need to get used to different team build. As for now, let's enjoy season 2 !!

ComfortDelGro Flagdown to go up by 50 cents.

ComfortDelGro Flagdown to go up by 50 cents? Why are we not surprised? Also good lah. Realised the new gen workers love to take grab and taxi to work. Glad that they help to contribute to our economy. The thing is everything goes up in cost. Purchase of car went up. Lease of Car goes up. Take grab/taxi costs goes up. What else? Public transports like buses and MRT also went up. So what options for cheap transport? No choice lor.

Shi Yang Rice and Noodles @ Bugis

Came here with my friend over lunch at Bugis. He recommended this as they had one og the best beef noodles here. Unfortunately, i can't eat Beef now. So i ordered the Bacon Fried Rice Set instead. The set will have a carrot sliced pickle and a choice of drinks. I selected this Lemon Tea. About the bacon rice, it is delicious and the portion is just right. Not too little, but price wise is quite expensive. Upon paying, they said that weekday have 10% discount on all items, so i think wow thats nice.

Happy 1st Birthday to my Daughter :)

Happy 1st Year Old Birthday to my daughter and wish her to grow up healthily, be more curious and learn more about life. From her back, it was a very tough 1st year for her as she had endured lots of pain, both physical and mentally. Can see that she is a brave girl and is very curious about things especially food. Today is a celebration and to give her the best experience that i could give. Happy Birthday again ! 🥰

Whatsapp finally let iPhone send photos and videos in original quality

You may be wondering, isn't this old news? Nope. The previous way of sending quality photos and videos is via the HD or larger pixels. That way is still in a bit of compression and lost in quality. This time, whatsapp had released the new feature of providing 100% quality with 0% compression of the photo and videos file when transferred via Whatsapp on the iPhone. At this time of posting, android version is still not available, but whatsapp is already developing it for the android in the pipeline.

M2 iPad Pro 12.9" storage utilised gao gao !

Yeah at least i am making heavy usage on my latest M2 iPad Pro at its storage space of 512GB. I still think having storage space on the hardware rather than relying on iCloud makes a lot of sense. At least i am paying this 512GB storage once instead on a recurring monthly subscription basis for iCloud. Of course not ruling out that iCloud is not good, it is just i do not want to keep my monthly expenses up all the time. 😅

CNET never give face to Legion Go....

Day by day, i'm waiting for my Steam Deck OLED to arrive to our shores... Came across this article on reviewing Lenovo Legion Go. Gosh, they are quite mean. I am still reading all about Lenovo Legion Go, Asus ROG Ally and of course Steam Deck news, although i already ordered Steam Deck OLED already. This website totally reviewing Lenovo Legion Go and the title immediately telling people to just get a Steam Deck 😅. I know the steam deck OLED is probably the best in the handheld department, but i agreed one thing. Windows 11 is the one that gave many problems.. Hope that can be solved soon. Although Steam Deck is capable to boot into Windows 11 as well, but i am not going to do that. It is of no benefit at all. Thats what made the steam deck OLED powerful !

More and more legit reviews on the Steam Deck OLED positive !

As a gamer (a stingy variant one), i will always buy the first batch of gaming device if it is proven to be powerful and great in its intended department. For this case, it is the newly refreshed Steam Deck OLED. This is not Steam Deck 2, but it is a upgraded Steam Deck in Nov 2023. Most of the steam deck owners are already upgraded to this OLED version, for me, it is really no brainer, but entering steam deck OLED is an ultimate decision to be made. Of course, the older Steam Deck LCD is a great buy now due to the current price. As the review said, buy from valve as they are a gaming company.

Can't wait to get my hands on this new baby before GST hike in 2024

Probably the last purchase before the GST increase in 2024. Reviews after reviews, steam deck oled seems like the ultimate choice for handheld console as compared to other handheld release. I fully understand the pros and cons of this device aganist other devices. I believe for those who already owned steam deck, might not be feasible to upgrade. But for new adopters like me, it had the most valid reason to get it now.

One Piece Last Arc - Egghead

Probably one of the longest arc is here and also the final arc, provided that there are no other surprises. Anime on this new arc will be launched on 07 January 2024. New beginning and we will also start seeing all One Piece characters attaining newer abilities. Let's enjoy while it lasts ! 

The Samsung's Steam Deck OLED display is the real deal !

This is the real deal for the newly launched Steam Deck OLED edition worldwide. Samsung is the sole company who makes and supplies the unique 7.4" OLED displays to Valve. They are not giving other companies' chance to steal the technology or contract deals of producing the same product. The 7.4"inch OLED display is in fact the best size for portable console product of being too small or too large. It is just fitted nicely for all handheld gamers !

Gimee Face Noodle House @ 126 Canberra

Chanced upon this new store that probably opened for a month+ now. I tried their Abalone Mee Kia Pork Noodles and Laksa. The Laksa my wife tried and felt that it is not as good as the previous store. But i think they are not specialised for that. I tried their most expensive bowl at $7.20, the abalone Mee Kia Pork Noodles. What i love is the taste of the abalone, the texture of the mee kia, pork lard and fishball. The rest is quite normal and there is room for improvement. Portion is less, probably the expensive ingredient is the abalone.

Baklava from Greece

My brother got me this Baklava with Pistachios from his Greece trip. Looks interesting. Tried it and it is a little sweet with the sauce in it. Haha it is unique, but i think not really to asian's liking or perhaps myself. Maybe it is good to have it with tea without sugar will be perfect. 

Clash of Clan - Upcoming Town Hall 16

Wah so fast. Just after the world competition, Clash of Clan is releasing the big Town Hall 16 update.  As a F2P player, i am currently still rushing through my Town hall 14 upgrades. Just finish up the small bomb upgrade, and next will be focusing on my walls and big defense towers. Let's continue clashing and i will projected to reach Town Hall 15 by June 2024.

LKY100 coins for limited grabs

From 04 Dec till end of the year, you can head to the banks to buy them at its legal tender price of $10 while stocks last. Only 700k left. At least now, the collection value will not go up in value. Just have to hold it as long as possible for the future generations to keep or let go at a much better value in future.

Paynow & DuitNow is ready for Singapore and Malaysia

Now PayNow & DuitNow are linked and both countrymen can transfer money via these services on their phones. It is convienent, but in terms of any implications or error, consumers still need to be mindful of the rates. It could be a win-loss situation. I'm personally still very comfortable using my CIMB SG and CIMB MY to do trades, transfer money and use cash for my transactions on the other side. 😩

New Insta360 Ace and Ace Pro

Insta360 had just released their new Action Camera to take on GoPro. Of course, Insta360 is known to have the best 360 feature and function in the world. GoPro had been improving their action cameras for the longest time. Insta360 Ace is a normal action camera. With just a little price difference, you had better off get the Insta360 Ace Pro instead as this model actually co-engineered with Leica with flagship bigger sensor than the latter. As i had owned a GoPro Hero 11, no point for me to jump into this bandwagon. Still waiting patiently for their next 360 cameras' variant !

Jollibee Spicy Chicken Rice

First time tried their rice and accompanied with three spicy chicken. Cost around $11.80 with Large Drink. As usual, sauce still not up to my cup of tea, but can say that i had the most juiciest chicken today. Really goes well with the wrapped rice and rice taste is acceptable. Probably my choice of pinoy chicken rice. 😅

Fore Coffee - Famous Indo Coffee

Fore Coffee - Famous Indo Coffee is opened at Bugis not long ago. There were very large crowd at its launch. It is time for me to try it out as i also realised that they opened quite early before my working time. It should be good since i noticed that they have crowd for the past week.

Traditional Sembawang Claypot Chicken

Came back here to try back this Sembawang Traditional Chicken Claypot after 2 years. Order the medium size for 2 pax. Fortunately it is still ok, but they no longer put the oil for you to add to the pot. Price still quite ok, but the waiting time is very long. 

Linksys 5G Mobile Hotspot Device

Come across Linksys 5G Mobile Hotspot Device from Shopee and was surprised that 5G Mobile Hotspot device is not cheap. At $629, i doubt it is really in used for standard consumers. I felt that the device can be good, but ultimately, network performance still lies on the 5G Network which was placed into this device to share out the network. So yeah, think it is catered more for commerical or research segment particularly on IOT hardware.

New Kit Kat Cereal

Mmm first impression was "Wow, i need to get this !". But after trying it, don't really have the kit kat kick, it was really mild. Probably it is less sweet as compared to the chocolate itself. Ko Ko Crunch had proved to be a better cereal than this. But still ok, you can try it. It still does had its unique taste.

New Singapore Oceanarium, Minion Land & RWS Forum

These are the soft launch going to happen early 2025. Build faster than our HDB, haha joke aside, but who said Singapore is boring? New Waterfront Hotel will also be there for the entertainment hardcore. Minion Land was in fact announced many years back during National Day Rally if you are attentive enough.

New Attraction in 3 years time in Gardens By The Bay

Experiential or not, still it is good to have something new to explore and discover. Augmented and virtual reality elements are the future and who said Singapore is boring. We are always constantly changing and changing. Too fast paced. Once you leave SG and comes back 5 years, there will definitely be many changes.

Hollin Bubble Tea @ Suntec City

Tried their new opening here and famous for their Rock Salted Macchiato, i purposely tried it as I often drink Macchiato in the afternoon. Tried their Strawberry RSM at $5.80 for the large cup. Price wise is quite average for the typical bubble tea store. But I really do enjoy after 1 hour of trip home. Throughout the trip, one lady still purposely asked me whether it is nice and where i bought it from. 😏

Luckin Coffee with dessert

I actually tried Luckin Coffee for quite a number times now. At its original price, it is very expensive. However, they often give out very generous vouchers and from there, it is quite affordable with its quality offered. I start to love their Waxberry Exfreezo a lot and i also took the chance to try their Strawberry Flavor Daifuku. It was creamy and tasted great. So in terms of this price, i think it is worth it.

Katsu An @ Suntec City

I cannot believed that I had came here 3 times to eat their Tenderloin Katsu. Not the best. But given its attractive price, the quality is considered very good already. Cannot believed that they can really bring down the price and still maintained it good quality. Even those food court prices are expensive and had inferior quality. Definitely recommended for all to try and hope they can expand to many other locations in Singapore !

Tuya RGB Smart LED Bulb

Bought both the 3 pin plug bulb holder and Tuya Smart Led Bulb as recommended by my colleague. I like how flexible i can change and control the lighting choices via bluetooth from my Mobile devices. At least now, i can use this to compliment the overall brightness in my place as my Prism Ceiling Fan is really terrible in both the wind and light functionality. Only thing that it is cheap. 

King Grouper Fish Soup @ Bukit Canberra

Random meal at this particular fish soup stall in Bukit Canberra to have my free meal via CDC voucher. I ordered the $8.50 portion with $0.50 rice. Damage: $9. Portion was ok but taste is quite so-so.

Everyone expects SIA and Sats that it reaches the peak

Everyone expects SIA and Sats that it reaches the peak. But thats probably the new high. Also many thinks that it is time to cash out for better stuffs, since there are already two existing wars going on now. On the other note, Crypto is slowly creeping up the charts, i might probably also cash out after a long wait of down.

Mobile Gaming from MRT damn slow !

I had been travelling years from Canberra MRT to Bugis MRT and from Bugis MRT to Canberra MRT during peak period. The main objective was the mobile connection tested with both Starhub and Simba is very bad with Starhub only performing a little bit better than Simba. As I am now paying more fares in the travelling, i expect that all MRT rides' connection should be good and smooth throughout ! Really gave me many unwanted disconnection in my ranking games which i am really pissed off. My only source of entertainment is being deprived from the mobile connection. Wonder why are we paying so much for.