Kuching Sarawak River (Waterfront)

Water taxis are available along the river.

They charge RM0.50 per pax per trip to take u across the river.

They are motor boats but paddles are used to park the boat.

We decided to go Green and let myself have some fun!!! 

Paddled across the river today!

::Nigelrene Loft:: 55" TV

The television was one of the first few pieces of electronics we got for The Home.

It saw 1 price match amendment, 2 delivery postponements, production discontinuity, nationwide sold-out situation....

And one day, we saw (with our names marked on it) it in the retail showroom because there was no room for a standalone model of its own kind to sit by itself in the warehouse...

Until one fine day, N got a call from Courts to inform him that they have sold away our TV because there was a ready buyer for our TV!!! Imagine the horror!!! But they offered us a nice lil surprise for an upgrade! So now it's 3 inch BIGGER and a lot SMARTER and for a little price! Fabulous wedding gift from Courts! :)

Sometimes screw ups can be blessings too! :)

::Nigelrene Loft:: TV CONSOLE

The most anyhow buy but carefully evaluated piece of furniture in the home. Contradict much?! Happens when u are unsure of the exact dimension of your wall less the space needed for your woofer, and not familiar with all the existing beams in your house but yet u fell in love with a TV console!

This 2-piece console gave us the flexibility of managing the space constraints!

::Nigelrene Loft:: ELECTROLUX SIDE BY SIDE

24 Sept 2011 - Fridge was here!!! Whee! :):):) But the carpenter wasnt ready yet and so we had to contain our excitement for another week to open up the parcel!

We hacked down our favorite wall and sacrificed a dining area to make way for one of these! We were back on the following Friday night to open up and shift our parcel, all by ourselves ^_^ The delivery men must have been trained to exaggerate the weight of the fridge when they hie-yak and huffed and puffed into the house last Saturday O_o"  

Important Fact Sheet

Energy Label: 3 ticks (but energy consumption not materially different from a 4 tick)

Energy saving mode: Set it on the holiday mode when you go on trips! 

Alarm: Door alarm

Free gifts: Useful freebies like vacumm+microwave, pressure cooker, thermal cooker etc for new home-owners like us who need everything!

And also, the fridge can never be accidentally left open because of an ingenious stopper at the front of the fridge that tilts it backwards so the door closes automatically. We only found out cos the misalignment with my wooden panel touched on a sensitive nerve ;)

::Nigelrene Loft:: M11SU

Our ceiling fan from KDK

The M11SU is the shortest fan in the KDK range of ceiling fans and suitable for low HDB ceilings like ours. Being anal when it comes to ceiling space, we opted for a white one so that it would do a better job camouflaging into the ceiling..

What the internet tells you:

- Wireless remote controller
- 3 speed selection
- 1,3,6 hours timer
- Sleep mode
- Blade made of ABS material with painting
- Thermal fuse prevent overheating or power surge
- Safety wire provided
- Cut-off safety switch equipped
- Fall prevention of blade adopted
- Permanently lubricated ball-bearing assembly

What they do not tell you:
1) Being of a lighter make as compared to the V series, motor vibrations of 2-3mm as seen by the naked eye is normal.
2) Natural wind velocity in your house may be causing the vibration
3) Squeaky sounds coming from the fan is due to the high wind velocity in your house that dislodged the blades
4) #3 Can be resolved by stabilising the mount and the motor with a PVC tubing, but that will cost you S$25
5) If you hadnt paid for #4 they would have charged you a servicing fee (although still within warranty) of S$20 instead because the flaw doesnt lie with the fan

Although we were abit pissed off with the before sale information available to us for making an informed decision and the after sale service, the fan has served it rightful purpose after we paid the $25. It is still vibrating but at least we have obtained verbal assurance from the service man that everything is functioning perfectly. :S

Kuching: Singapore Chicken Rice

The locals told me there's a new eating place in the mall - SCR

Singapore Chicken Rice!!!

It's amazing how locals try to bring in a foreign cuisine by using the name of that country in the dish sometimes. I am sure most of us would have come across a very foreign-looking Singapore fried noodles abroad before. ^_^

So, being a true blue Singaporean (who only eats her chicken rice when the Japanese friends are in town....) who is curious about what Singaporean dishes the foreigners have to offer, I decided to check this place out tonight.

RM 6.50 for a plate of steamed/fried chicken with rice. The breast meat were sold out by 7pm. So I got the chicken wings instead and they charged me RM 6 only!

 

A Singaporean verdict of the Singaporean Chicken Rice:

The Chicken Skin - Smooth. Like Singaporean.

The Meat - Tough Kampong chicken. Unlike the lazy Singaporean chickens that are more tender.

The Gravy - taste like Singaporean (nose was too blocked to smell)

The Rice - taste like Singaporean (nose was too blocked to smell)

The Chilli - Very Singaporean!!!

The Soup - not Singaporean at all. Too salty. Soup base has a more bone-y smell of chicken bones.

Overall still can pass off as a Singapore Chicken Rice LAH! :p

And the best part of the dining experience of a Singaporean dish in a foreign stall? My fave local fern was on the menu too!

VENUS rambles: I dont need another pair of shorts....but I need a pair of BLUE shorts! :p Definitely not as bad as Ms Bloomwerk's shopping habits! :p

We have decided to coincide our work trip together this week so we have more Singapore-time together to settle the nitty gritty stuffs. Flexibility is awesome!

September Updates

A month of EAT. GROOM. LAUGH. LOVE

EAT - Many recurring visits of the same ole faves within the month!

The main reason why Ah Loy Thai gets my vote instead of Ah Roy Thai - The price. Expensive lesson learnt from a series of miscommunication involving the 2 like-sounding restaurants :p It's easy to pass off as a lisp issue ;p 

Sze Chuan. Spiced up to the max. 

Japanese. Sashimi overload. Finally tasted an Urchin! My diving life has meaning once more - look out for urchins!!! Oiiiiiishiiii

1-for-1 treats from Mackers

Cooked a plate of broccolis. No urge to play in the kitchen this month.

Tried an NZ red. Very thin.

GROOM - OMFG! Canot get any auntier! O's fault. Whoever marries him next time is going to be a lucky girl!

Groomed professionally. With a professional blade, that is! ;p Price of clipper plus the WHOPPING USD70 of shipping fee still gave me a better deal than Singapore's retail!

LAUGH - nothing better than some cheesy jokes that allows u to leave the brain at home :)

LOVE - Home is finally almost done!!

We were home-quarantined from 930am on Sat while sofa/courts/OM/curtain man/KDK man/Philip TV installer/Samsung TV installer arrived at their respective slots to fix up our place. There were even slots for some pre-reno checkout for our friends. The last group left at 6-ish but a last minute decision to pop by from the Aunt, parents and cuzzie held us till 10pm that night. <3