Clear Skies!

Yeah, the weather has been clearing up over the weekend!

Finally can 'air' the unit, breathe in some fresh air, hear the birds chirping...

Hope this good weather continues... Have a good day ahead => 

Review of water air purifier purchase from Pure Essentials/Wil Essentials (Wan Shon Trading P/L)

With the Sumatra haze, I placed an order from water air purifier with ioniser from Pure Essentials/Wil Essentials (Wan Shon Trading P/L) via Qoo10 on 19 June 2012.

Source: qoo10.sg

The status of the item remained as 'Shipping Estimated 20 June 2013' from 20 June 2013 to 22 June 2013 and I decided to email them twice on 21 June 2013 with no response. Found their office number after going through pages of user reviews and decided to give them a call on 22 June 2013. Called so many times before someone finally answered and I was informed that I can do a self collection instead. His explanation of the delay is due to their deliverymen falling sick due to the haze (understandable). I was also assured that it will not be a wasted trip (note that my item was not even packed then despite my order was placed on 19 June 2013).

Made a trip down on the same day and finally collected my water air purifier with ioniser with 2 free 30 ml essences. I also received a refund of S$3 for the delivery fees.

After this experience, I guess I will not be making any more purchases from them. No doubt there are many glowing reviews from many customers but there are also numerous customers like me who did not really have a pleasant shopping experience. I noticed from "User Reviews" of other products (that they are also selling) that there are buyers who placed orders on 19 June 2013 and yet received their items on 21 June 2013. Why is there this disparity in service level?

Somehow I get this feeling that I was being 'smoked'...

On a separate note, the water air purifier seems to be working condition. However, I forgot to ask about the warranty =< 

The Haze! Part III

After reading the interesting posts on Hardwarezone, Yahoo News, etc, I can only say heng (means lucky in dialect) it is only the haze and not SARS.

You may wonder why I say so:

1. Despite assurance by the government that there is ample N95 masks for everyone, the fact is that there is no stock anywhere unless you intend to pay through the nose for them ($3/pc vs $6/pc or even higher). There could have been better crisis management by the government. Where exactly are the 9 million masks? Perhaps the masks should be distributed via the RCs with proper registration in place (1 per pax) to prevent abuse whereby people resell the masks at high profits.   

2. During recent press briefing by the authorities, it was stated that healthy people only needed to wear N95 masks for outdoor work if the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) went above 300, which has not happened yet. I am not too sure about the last part... I am kind of skeptical about the PSI data. It is so hazy outside! My skin itches... My eyes itches... 

I think I should get my N95 mask soon and maybe start wearing eye goggles!

Source: http://www.3m.com

So Hazy! Part II

The hazy situation is getting worse and PSI is only 131 as of 9 am. 

Is there something wrong with NEA's measurement equipment?

No doubt this figure is an average figure taken over 3 hours but the difference should not be so big...

The haze looks even worse than when the all time high PSI reading was taken yesterday night at 10 pm which was a shocking 321.

 

Hazy 'city' view taken from Park Central

I have found the following excerpts from Yahoo News very 'interesting' with my personal thoughts in blue:

 

1. Indonesian senior official Sony Partono told Reuters, "Foreign parties should not be interfering with our domestic affairs." He added, "The most important thing is that we have attempted to control the damage resulting from the forest fires," and said fire trucks had been dispatched to affected areas (source). (Are you sure this situation can be resolved by just fire trucks? No casualties? How about your fellow Indonesians who are suffering the same fate as us?)

2. Corruption and Indonesia's decentralised political system have hindered efforts to stem the haze problem, said Jackson Ewing, a researcher at the Centre for Non-Traditional Security at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University. "Burning is quick, efficient and requires very little labour to clear land," he said. "Government actors at the local level are colluding with private interests and central government authorities have difficulty influencing what is happening on the ground." (source) (This is nothing new to us...)

3. Environment and National Resources Minister, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan urged Indonesians "to enforce their own laws" in a Facebook post on Monday night. "We are deeply concerned that the 113 hotspots in Sumatra have caused our 3 hour PSI to rise to 152. NEA has been in touch with the Indonesian authorities to register our concern, and renew our offer of assistance," he wrote. "For too long, commercial interests in Indonesia have been allowed to over ride environmental concerns," he added, saying he would personally speak to his counterpart in Indonesia to "personally to convey the seriousness of the situation."  (source) (Cloud seeding cannot be used in Singapore? I am sure even if the rain falls outside the boundaries of Singapore but in the correct wind direction, it will still provide a brief respite...)

4. PM Lee also said Minister for Foreign Affairs K Shanmugam and Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Dr Vivian Balakrishnan have both called their Indonesian counterparts to register Singapore’s “serious concerns and offer our help to fight the fires.” 

A joint statement released by both ministries on Tuesday highlighted to Indonesian Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Marty Natalegawa and Indonesian Environment Minister Dr Balthasar Kambuaya that Singapore’s PSI (Pollutant Standards Index) reading “had breached 150” on Monday, and “had entered into the unhealthy zone.” They also “emphasized the urgency of the situation while also reaffirming Singapore’s commitment to help Indonesia fight the fires in Sumatra.” According to the statement, Dr Balakrishnan also “requested that Indonesia share relevant information to improve monitoring of hotspots and land clearing activities.” 

On a claim made by an Indonesian Forestry Ministry official on Monday that Malaysian and Singapore palm oil companies that had invested in Indonesia may be responsible for starting the fires in Riau, both ministers “asked Indonesia to share the names of errant companies involved in illegal burning”.  In an interview with The Straits Times on Tuesday, Dr Marty said he had had a good talk with Shanmugam and he hoped experts from both countries’ environment and forestry ministries could meet soon to “compare notes on what's happening and where, and what's being done." (source) (What notes do you want to compare? Just put out the fires first la... Compare all you want after the haze is gone... I wonder if the Indonesia authorities will really reveal the companies responsible for the illegal burning...)

So Hazy!

Even the indoor environment is kind of hazy. 

Current PSI as of 10 pm which is 1 hour ago is at 321.

I think Singapore need to declare state of emergency...

Can you imagine travelling in the peak hour trains while breathing in such polluted air in the train cabins...

More often than not, there is no proper ventilation in the train cabins...

I hope there will be a big thunderstorm soon and clear some of these junk away!

Anyone familiar with the rain dance?

Hope I will receive my water air purifier soon.

*Going to continue stalking the NEA website

Secondary Maths Tuition

If you are looking for a dedicated Secondary Maths tutor (including Secondary 1 New Syllabus) for your child, you may wish to contact me at amk.mathstuition@gmail.com. 

Notes, worksheets, test papers etc will be provided.

Offering 1-to-1 tuition at student's place or my place located at Ang Mo Kio St 52 as well as group tuition at my place located at Ang Mo Kio St 52.

Teaching Experience:

2 years experience as a Maths tutor.

Taught students in Primary 2, Primary 4 and Secondary 1 to 3.

Schools attended:

River Valley High School

National Junior College

National University of Singapore

The Haze is Back!

Cant even see beyond the boundaries of Ang Mo Kio =(
Luckily I have not smell anything yet... But odourless does not mean it is not 'poisonous'!

The Haze in Ang Mo Kio!

My iHerb essential oils have arrived late last week (super fast shipping by DHL) and I plan to create various 'concoctions' (for external use only) including the Thieves Oil which is supposed to be effectively kill airborne bacteria and can help prevent the spread of germs.

Source: healthyfoodsandmore.com

In case you are interested, you can check out Easy Aromatherapy Recipes and Essential Oils Recipes to know more about the benefits aromatherapy can bring to a person as well as the household.

In the event that you got 'hooked' on aromatherapy after reading the above links and would like to get started on experiencing the benefits first hand, I would highly recommend getting the essential oils from iHerb. There is a wide range available with user reviews as well as fast and dependable shipping. iHerb does not stinge on packaging. My 10 bottles of 30 ml essential oils were packed standing in 2 cardboard boxes and sealed before placing into another big cardboard box (labelled as Fragile) with the rest of my items. 

For 1st time customers on iHerb, you can use this discount code VTN247 to enjoy $10 off your first iHerb order of $40 or more! 

Alternatively, you can also use the same discount code VTN247 to enjoy $5 off if your first iHerb order is less than $40!

Fanco LED light kit - Review

As a follow-up on my previous blog review on Fanco FF9, I have decided to do a short commentary on the Fanco LED light kit attached.

Somehow I felt that the brightness offered by Fanco LED light kit is not as good as the conventional lighting for my tiny sofa area. No doubt each LED light can be tilted to shine at a certain angle and the coverage is still weaker compared to the previous light installation below.

Source: lighting.com.sg

Interested buyers might wish to take note of this if you are intending to use Fanco LED light kit as the main light source for a large area.  

Guide on shopping from Qoo10

Have bought a number of items from Qoo10 previously and the following are some of the things that I do as well as take note before following through on my purchase.

Source: Qoo10

1. Keep a lookout on the items listed on 'Hot Deals' and 'Weekly Specials' to hunt for any great deals. Additional items on promotion are also listed on 'Today's Sale', 'Deal Plus', 'Group Buy' etc but they are also accessible if you have an account with Qoo10 (refer to point 5 below for additional advantages of creating an account with Qoo10). My main aim of shopping at Qoo10 is to look for cheap yet value for money buys!

 'Hot Deals' and 'Weekly Specials'

'Today's Sale', 'Deal Plus', 'Group Buy' only accessible if you have an account with Qoo10 

2. Do a search on Qoo10 website to check if there are other sellers selling the same item that I am interested in. Thereafter, I will do a price comparison.

3. Pay great attention to user reviews and seller's response to questions posted by interested buyers. All these information is a direct reflection on the quality of service and goods provided by the seller. I would not want to purchase from someone whose items do not meet customers' expectation (bad reviews) or does not make an effort to answer queries. Generally, such sellers will not provide good after sale services when necessary, for instance: when a buyer request for an update on status of item which he/she has not received after weeks of wait. No doubt Qoo10 can act as a middleman in such situations, it is best to prevent such instances. I tend not to buy from sellers with < 5 reviews just to be on the safe side.

4. Create an account with Qoo10 and check in at the Lucky Lounge daily to collect a stamp and spin the  RouletteQ. The first 10 stamps collected will entitle me to a $1 cart coupon (valid for purchases over S$20) and so on. These cart coupons can be used to offset against the final value of my purchases which is an additional bonus over and on top of any item discount (if applicable).

Qoo10's RouletteQ

You may wish to consider the above pointers when shopping at Qoo10. Happy shopping!

DIY Mini Herb Garden - 2 weeks on...

Remember my previous blog post on setting up DIY Mini Herb Garden? I have blogged about the outcome on my hamster blog and thought I should repost the content here.

Sage, Wheat Grass & Lemon Balm

The seeds started to sprout within a few days and I have transplanted them to organic soil. The growing rate of wheat grass is super fast. Average growing height is around 1 cm per day. It has been 2 weeks since I first started and the hamsters are enjoying the end products.

Usually I will trim around 2 cm portion of wheat grass, soak it before 'presenting' to Fly or Nami. I would recommend hamster owners to give it a try. The whole experience is quite a breeze and quite fun to see Fly snatching the wheatgrass from my fingers and chomping down in great delight. Nami is not so fond of wheat grass though.

Wheat Grass

1st time shopping on iHerb - iHerb discount code VTN247

Just placed my order for a lot of items on iHerb.com after doing research for around 1 week. *Tiring*

Ordered essential oils, apple cider vinegar, organic raw honey, gravy mix, soup mix, coconut flour, Simply Organic spices, cocoa powder etc which weigh a whopping 11+ kg.

HE almost fainted when he caught a glimpse of my long check-out list. *Oops* 

I like the fact that the items can be mailed directly to Singapore instead of having to engage the service of another agent. My past experience of using vPOST was very bad. They were not able to repack the items and I had to pay a bomb for the shipping fee from USA to Singapore.

Looking forward to receiving my parcel and hopefully everything turns out to be good =>

For 1st time customers on iHerb.com, you can use this discount code VTN247 to enjoy $10 off your first iHerb order of $40 or more! Hope you have a great time shopping at iHerb!

Source: iHerb.com

Dehumidifier - To buy or not to buy?

Ever since we shifted in to Park Central, we have been in this dilemma of whether to get a dehumidifier or not. As the master bedroom toilet and the wardrobe share a common wall, the humidity level in the wardrobe is rather high =< I really hate the musty smell that our clothing tends to get after a while. 

The same goes for other areas in the unit, like the storeroom etc. Have heard various theories that humidity in Ang Mo Kio is rather high as we are near to various water catchment areas like Lower Pierce Reservoir etc.   

Source: gothere.sg

However, I suspect it has more to do with the layout of the unit. There are so many openings to the unit. The amount of dust that accumulate in the unit per day is amazing especially with my 'open door' policy. I love having fresh air and lots of sunlight in my living environment.

Unit layout

Have previously tried dehumidifiers from Daiso which filled up in less than a month (capacity was around 300 ml at S$1 each - 2 pcs in a pack). 

Dehumidifier from Daiso

Currently using Fairprice Water Jumbo Dehumidifier (600 ml capacity at around S$1.50 each). Similarly, the container is around 25% filled in around 2 weeks.

Fairprice Water Jumbo Dehumidifier

The operating costs of dehumidifying the master bedroom and other areas in the unit is getting rather high. We went to various electronic stores to take a look at the dehumidifier models available in the market and were quite shocked at the prices (cheapest model was Novita ND290I at S$469). Decided to take my search online and happened to come across these 4 dehumidifiers listed on Qoo10:

Source: Qoo10.sg

Option 1. ETD-250
- Smallest sized model out of the 4
- Suitable for 10 sq m space
- 1 button to operate
- Most likely made in China
- Size: 21.8 cm (height) x 14.6 cm (width) x 13 cm (depth)
- Capacity: 500 ml
- Price: $79.90 + $9 (shipping)

2. Dehumidifier + Fan
- Like the dual function option 
- Made in Korea
- Size: 41.3 cm (height) x 28.8 cm (width) x 21.6 cm (depth)
- Capacity: Not listed (but should not be more than 500 ml) 
- Price: $120.00 + $23 (shipping - too expensive)

3. Morning Up MU-898 Mini Dehumidifier
- Made in China
- Size: 22.3 cm (height) x 14.6 cm (width) x 13.5 cm (depth)
- Capacity: 600 ml
- Price: $79.00 (free shipping)

4. Olee Petite EF 881
- Most pocket friendly and functional option
- Suitable for 20 sq m space.
- Made in China
- Size: 30.9 cm (height) x 19.4 cm (width) x 13.5 cm (depth)
- Price: $109.00 + $5 (shipping)

Did not manage to find much user reviews though. Do let me know if you have any recommendations =>

Tokebi Hand Blender - Cooking Experiments

Have been using the Tokebi Hand Blender quite frequently these days to blend fruit shakes, soups etc. One major plus point is that I can blend HIS multi-vitamins together with the selected ingredients for fruit shakes. HE is not very pleased though as I have been preparing various 'concoctions' to ensure that HE has a balanced diet (basically involving lots of vegetables). 

Tokebi Hand Blender - Cooking experiments

The Tokebi Hand Blender tends to splatter if the bottom rotating component is not submerged in sufficient amount of ingredients. It is quite powerful in the sense that it can blend ice cubes with ease. Cleaning the Tokebi Hand Blender is also a breeze. I will usually clean it right after usage by letting it operate in a jug of diluted rice water enzyme for around 10 seconds and repeat the same cycle using clean water. Not much scrubbing is involved.

Overall, I am quite satisfied with this buy.   

Rice Water Enzyme - Highly recommended!

Read about this rice water enzyme online and decided to give it a try to play my part in creating a clean and green environment (low cost and less wastage). 

Only 2 ingredients are required - 2 litres of rice water (refers to water which you tend to drain away while rinsing the rice) and 100 grams brown sugar (cost around S$0.60 for 300 grams). The mixture smells quite bad (vomit-like =<) and lemon peels was added to the mixture subsequently to improve the end product (lemon like smell).

Rice Water Enzyme
(Source of lemon peels image: www.tiemiaomo.com)) 

During the fermentation process, you will notice whitish stuff floating on the dark brownish mixture which is normal (by-product of the fermentation process).  I left the mixture to ferment for 1 week in a dark corner (cabinet under the sink) and it is ready for use!

I filtered the liquid portion of the Rice Water Enzyme out before mixed it together with dish-washing detergent and water in the following proportion (2 : 1 : 4). This new detergent is quite fluid in nature (tends to drip) but it is rather effective in removing oil/grime.

Quite happy with the outcome. I had fun carrying out this science experiment although HE was quite disgusted (kept complaining about the smell). I find it quite ok lei =) In any case, I think HE has got used to our new detergent although HE is still complaining about the smell while doing the dishes.

Other than washing dishes, the Rice Water Enzyme is also very effective in cleaning the kitchen floor. Imagine the stickiness of splattered oil remains etc which is part and parcel of the kitchen environment. 

Look at the Before and After effect of using the Rice Water Enzyme to scrub my kitchen floor. I was quite amazed at the big difference. Pardon my dirty kitchen floor! I did carry out vacuuming thrice a week and mopping weekly ok!  

Rice Water Enzyme - Effect

 You might want to give the Rice Water Enzyme a try since not much cost is involved and it is a high effective product.

DIY Mini Herb Garden

Have been thinking about having a tiny herb garden by the kitchen yard even though I don't seem to have any green fingers =<

Have killed 1 pot of lemon balm previously but the thought of having fresh herbs at my disposal is rather tempting. Not too sure if anyone has encountered the same situation where you only need a small amount of herbs but the quantity sold is always much more than what you need. No doubt you can freeze the herbs and save it for future usage but I find it a hassle especially with the limited fridge size.

HIS only concern is whether these plants will attract any insects. That is also one of my concern. I tend to run at the first sight of any crawly/flying creatures while screaming for enforcement (HIM). But the thought of having a tiny herb garden is just too tempting.

Source: http://www.home-dzine.co.za/garden/garden-herb-garden.htm

 I love the above idea which is made entirely from recycled material. Herbs are kept neatly with clear labels and the entire setup can be easily transported to other corners of the house as when required.

Bought some seeds from Horti Flora which is stocked at NTUC Fairprice. Decided to make full use of these toy capsules which have tiny holes at the bottom as part of my basic germination kit. Have also placed trimmed pieces of filter bags at the bottom of the toy capsules which will prevent soil from falling out. I am trying to germinate the seeds (consisting of wheat grass, lemon balm and sage) by spreading them on wet cotton wool. The wheat grass is meant for my hamsters which are really fond of vegetables.

Wish me luck!

Do share with me if you have any ideas for tiny herb garden in high rise apartments.