MERRY CHRISTMAS!

A photo of the Helix Bridge I took a few evenings ago as I took a walk from MBLM to Millenia Walk. Yes, it was a long walk but it was a cool evening. I rather enjoyed the walk. :-)

See the Singapore Flyer in the background on the right?  I am quite proud of this photo taken with my free Samsung mobile phone's built in 5 megapixel camera. ;-p

Merry Christmas to one and all!

Tea with AK71: Marina Link @ B1.

My second day of vacation and I visited the new Marina Link @ B1. This is a relatively short underground link up between Marina Square and the Esplanade MRT station. I had to go down two very long escalators to get to the shops and on the other end is Esplanade Xchange, another underground mall.

To promote Marina Link @ B1, Marina Square is giving a $5 voucher for every $20 spent in the shops there. Good deal! If we spend another $30 in any shop in Marina Square (for a total of $50), we will get free parking for the first 3 hours (worth $4.40 on a weekday), limited to 100 redemptions a day. Needless to say, I got them all. ;)

See map here.

Here are some photos I took, of course, with my trusty Samsung mobile phone's 5.0 megapixel built in camera.

Escalator number 1.

 Escalator number 2.

 Part of Marina Link @ B1.

 This was where I had lunch.

$10.90 for Pork Cutlet and Ice Lemon Tea. Pork Cutlet was good but the mayo was too heavy. I am not usually crazy about Ice Lemon Tea but it was very good!

 Esplanade Xchange at the other end of Marina Link @ B1.

 Entrance to Marina Link @ B1 from Esplanade Xchange.

Had another one and a half hours to kill after lunch, shopping and all the redemptions. So, I went to Millenia Walk and looked the electronics and had a haircut at QB House for $10 before coming back home. Sunny day makes me drowsy. The stock market seems lethargic today too. Haha. :)

Tea with AK71: A day at MBLM.

What is MBLM? It stands for Marina Bay Link Mall. This is the underground mall at MBFC, the development which K-REIT and Suntec REIT would co-own with each having a 33% stake.

I was wondering where should I spend my vacation which starts today and I decided to stay in Singapore instead of going overseas. I would spend time going places here and help to stimulate the local economy. Singapore's domestic economy has been said to be tiny. So, I am doing my patriotic duty by spending my vacation money here instead of going away to a foreign land. Ahem.

So? I like the mall. Shops on both sides, it has a wide centre aisle with high ceiling. It is defnitely less claustrophobic compared to the Citylink Mall (which I somewhat dislike). In time, with the completion of the Downtown Line for the MRT, I am sure MBLM would be just as busy as Citylink Mall but the generous space allowance should be enough to cope with increased human traffic. MBLM also serves the residents of The Sail and Marina Bay Residences condominiums. In fact, half the shoppers at MBLM I saw today were foreigners, probably expatriates, with kids.

Go visit MBLM before it becomes crowded. Now till end of the year, spend $80 at MBLM and we will get $15 shopping voucher plus 4 hours of parking for free. There is also an instant lucky dip to win iPads and iPhones but that's for weekends only and I was so hoping to win an iPad. :(

So, I got my $15 voucher, free parking, wrapping paper for Christmas and 2 lucky draw chances. Hope that I would win 1st prize which is for $8,000 worth of shopping vouchers! Then, I would go to the Apple retailer in the mall and get my iPad, Macbook Air etc. Wah.... Day dreaming. Nice!

Anyway, with 4 hours of free parking, I had time to burn as MBLM is smallish with a floor plan shaped like the letter "L" and not many shops were ready for business. I walked to Marina Bay Sands (MBS) to explore the shopping mall.  It was my second time at MBS which has a much bigger shopping mall.  This time round, more shops were open and I didn't have to pay an exorbitant $10 per hour for parking my car! That makes me happy.

Apparently, MBS is now giving free parking for the first 3 hours but one would have to spend $200 at the mall to qualify. I won't qualify. Free parking at MBS costs more than MBLM, if you know what I mean. MBS is for the well heeled, obviously. I like MBLM more which might say something about me. ;)

These are some photos I took with my free Samsung mobile phone which comes with a 5.0 megapixel camera built in. Pretty good shots, aren't they? I still remember when digital cameras were 1.3 megapixel in resolution.

After spending almost 4 hours at Marina Bay, fully utilising my free parking privilege, I went back to Tiong Baru and had a bowl of freshly made bean curd (dou hua) for 60c. Where to find? Tiong Baru Market lor.

Now back in my bedroom, with the air-conditioning set at 25 deg celcius and blogging. Time for a nap! I am a happy man. :)

Tea with AK71: Bought an iPhone 4, almost.

I am an techno dinosaur.  Till today, I do not know how to use Excel.  When a reader asked if I would consider starting a Tweeter account, I couldn't figure out the reason why I should start one. At a recent visit to a customer's shop, one person asked how many in the room had an iPhone and I was the only one who did not answer in the affirmative. Why an iPhone? Maybe, I am an endangered species.

A few weeks ago, I read that people were selling their iPhone 4s at $1,300 to $1,400 at Sim Lim Square! They would re-contract, get their iPhone 4s and sell them for a quick buck.  Does it really work? Recently, my contract came to an end and remembering what I read, I went to Singtel to see if I could get an iPhone 4 and, perhaps, make a quick buck in the process too.

Here's the deal: I had to pay $480 for a new iPhone 4 and upgrade my plan which means paying an additional $20 per month.  I did some math. It worked out to be $480 + $20*24 = $960.  I figured if I could sell the phone for $1,300, I would make $340 right away!  That's not bad.  So, I told the salesman I would take the iPhone 4. 

The salesman gave me a look, that kind that suggested he had seen my type before. Was I that obvious? Maybe, I took too long to do my mental sums.  He asked in a voice that sounded rather bored if I had made a reservation.  A reservation?  Yes, apparently, we had to make a reservation to get an iPhone 4 as there was a long line of people waiting! 

Wow!  Apple is definitely rolling in the dough.  This is the best kind of business to be in, goods are presold and no stocking is required.  A HTC or a Samsung and I would not have to wait.  Nokia only came to mind belatedly.

Anyway, I went ahead and made the reservation after being advised that it would take about 3 weeks before I could get the phone.  I then found out that evening that the price of the iPhone 4 had fallen to $1,080 in Sim Lim Square.  Apparently, the price was very high weeks ago because of shortages.  The supply is not so tight now.  I was too slow. 

I could still make $120 at $1,080 but the price could drop more in another 3 weeks while I waited for my phone. Sheesh! So much work for so little profit plus lots of uncertainty thrown in.  I will stick to a free phone.

Tea with AK71: Money well spent.

My recent purchase of a Samsung HD1080p 32" LED TV, a Sony Blu Ray player and a Pioneer sound system surprised quite a few friends and even my family members.  Considering that my last TV was a Chimei 26" LCD HD Ready TV bought three years ago at $688 in Carrefour, you can imagine why. Have I become extravagant?  I hardly think so.

Three years ago, it would have easily cost two times of $688 to get a 26" LCD HD Ready TV from Sharp or Sony.  I decided I did not need something branded then and settled for Chimei which served me quite well in the last three years.  Some friends commented that it was too small for my living room and some said the definition was poor.  Most just went "What is a Chimei?" and some even made puns out of the name.  Terrible. However, I thought it was OK.  I mean I had no problem with news, documentaries and DVDs on my Chimei.  Then, why change?

I saw what the LED TV was capable of delivering during one of my visits to the malls and  I also found the Samsung aesthetically pleasing compared to the Chimei.  You don't find these arguments convincing, do you?  If you are a regular reader of my blog or if you know me very well, yes, you would not be convinced.  The most important reason was that the price was not even two times of $688!  Great technology at a great price!  It is never a question of affordability.  It is always a question of value of money. I decided to pamper myself which is something I rarely do.

So far, everyone who has seen my new TV only had good things to say about it.  I am only human and it feels good to have positive reinforcement from others.  Things are so different from those Chimei days.  This is a positive spinoff that I did not anticipate.

To some people, it seems that I have changed. Well, maybe a little.  I don't think I have changed much.  I am still the pragmatic me but I have to agree that I have become less tight fisted in the last one year. 

I told a friend who visited recently that watching Blu Ray programs is such a joy.  Images and sounds are crystal clear on the new TV. Sometimes, I would just switch it on, watch for about ten minutes, switch it off and go to sleep, feeling happy. Money spent on anything which contributes to a general sense of well-being and happiness has to be money well spent, don't you think?

As an aside, my sister is going to shave her head bald to help some cancer stricken children and I donated some money to the cause in a show of support.  It's a worthy cause, after all.  To find out more, please visit: Hair for Hope 2010. This is definitely money well spent.

Related post:
Money management: Needs and wants.