Update on Our Air-con Installation for our Living Room.

Regards to my recent post for aircon installation, (You can read it here). So here's an update:

Okay so I finally decided to get it done. Cost me about $2.5k +/- for a Panasonic 24,000 BTU single unit that comes with installation and also another isolator installed since my bedrooms are already powered by another compressor.

If you are concerned about if it is legal to install a second compressor on your HDB house, you can do a read up by clicking here on aircon installation requirements etc. by HDB. If you are still unsure, maybe because of the Amp provided for your house, you can call them up and the friendly folks there will do a check for you. Also, don't worry too much about approvals and such if you are getting your Air-con from places like Courts, the contractors will be the one applying all the necessary applications and what not with HDB.

Prior to installation appointment date, your contractor will be making at least 1 visit to your house to take measurements on the pipe laying and if the compressor you opt for will fit through your aircon service window. (just a heads up, you don't really have a choice on which brand of Aircon to choose from. Its a matter of if the compressor is small enough to go through your window.)

On the installation day itself, be prepared to cancel any other appointments or plans that you may have because it will take maybe about 4 to 5 hours and about another hour to clean up all the dust and debris due to the pipe works being done. Below are some of the photos taken during our installation:

Arrival of the equipment and tools.

The compressor being carried out to the Aircon ledge. Notice the few centimeter gap we had between the compressor and window frame.

The one and only brand which has a compressor that can fit through our window.

Compressor model

View of my Aircon ledge from my kitchen window. If your current aircon is installed like how mine was, you will have space for another.

Upgraded insulation pipe because our piping had to run through the master bedroom's bathroom.

Location of where the indoor unit will be installed. the pipes you see here is coming from our master bedroom's bathroom.

Lastly, if you have any question regards to the installation, do leave a comment below and i'll try to help you clear any doubts. Cheers!

Pokémon Go!... What I think of it.

And so the world is now into a new craze - Pokémon Go!.

Like everyone else who was not really into the game in my school days, I just decided to jump into the bandwagon anyways to give it a go and here are the few opinions of my own that I would like to share after tryin to catch em' all for over a week.

Firstly, safety. As a parent, I am always on the lookout for my boy's safety.

Numerous cases have that happened around the world about people getting into accidents due to negligence and being too preoccupied in the game. People walking across the road without looking out for traffic, drivers focusing on trying to catch a Pikachu instead of keeping eyes on the road, people banging into one another and the list goes on. We are talking about adults getting into shit and stuff. What more if the game is in the hands of a child. To a parent like me, definately a no-go when it comes to exposing my little one to this game.

Secondly, the App just sucks. Really. The GPS lags most of the time and navigating around the game is just tedious. The time taken from tapping on a pokemon appearing, to you tapping it, to the screen where you try to capture it, to after you have captured it, to the point where it has to announce the capture and thennnnn showing the Pokemon's data... all of this with lag time in between. It is really a big turn off.

Secondly, the chore of transferring those ever so common little monsters just to get 1 candy each time and having to collect loads of those damn candies just to evolve one. I'm sure many of you share this feeling. It is tiring. By the time you are done, you have already lost a chunk of your phone battery's life. Which brings me to my third point about the game: battery life.

Be prepared to carry around some spare batteries or power banks cause this game sucks the life out of your phone since it is running your GPS, your data, your screen time and gameplay, constantly. Although there is a battery saver mode in the game itself, it doesn't help much. And since there's so many things going on at the same time, your precious phone will get real hot in just 10 minutes of active game time - and turning on incense would mean 3 times more of active game time if you do not want to waste your precious incense. And we all know that high heat and electronics don't go well together and I love my phone.

Lastly, the game sure does have it's benefits like making people come together - at Pokéstops - and making people move around and hopefully be more active and then I just found out there's GPS Joystick. (Google it.) After putting some effort in hunting down those monsters, I now know that a man can just sit down and let his finger do the walking and he can be a Pokémon Master within a week or so. All that effort now down the drain.

For someone like me who enjoy playing games on my phone at times, this game is nothing more than a hype which will eventually die down... especially knowing there is a cheat code readily available with minimal effort required to be a Pokémon Master.

Adding additional air-conditioning unit to your home

We recently just came back from our Stockholm vacation(another blog post soon) and were greeted with the crazy hot humid weather back in Singapore. It was an average of 7°c over in Stockholm and it is now about 33°C here in Singapore. The humidity is crazy. So the thought of getting an additional air-con unit to be placed in our living room crossed my mind.

I checked with the friendly people at GainCity Westgate and they told me that it is possible to add another compressor and fan coil unit to my house. (I was clueless if it was possible to add a second compressor and that I actually just need one fan coil unit instead of two to cool down the living room space)

So if any of you having the thoughts of having a cool living room where you can actually not sweat by sitting down, here's what you need to know:

1. If you are living in a 5-room resale house like me, you will require just one fancoil and compressor unit of 2400 btu to efficiently cool down the space.

2. You will require sufficient space (air-con service ledge) to add in the compressor. If you currently have one now, make sure there is enough space for another.

3. If you do not have the service ledge, then you will need to install the bracket to hold the compressor(additional charges apply).

4. Installation(inclusive of ducting and wiring) will require additional $200 +/-.

5. Ensure that the compressor you are getting will be able to fit through your air-con service window. Do check with your sales rep.

6. Waiting time for installation varies. During the freaking extra hot and humid season, waiting time can go as long as 6 weeks(lots of sweaty hot weeks and sufferings).

7. Cost of the Single Unit itself(exclude  will range between $1k to $2k depending of the brand, quality and features available(air purifying etc). Clinics nowadays are using these.

8. If you are short on cash or finding it hard to fork out the lump sum of a couple thousands, most Installers do offer the credit card 0% interests installment plan which range from 12mths to 24mths.

So there you go. Hope that helps!

Car Lite Singapore?

One of the most long standing debatable issue in our little tiny island we call home - Car ownership in Singapore.

(Disclaimer: what I am about to share is purely for your own pure reading pleasure and is not meant to be taken so seriously and uptight. Relax alright?😊)

So few years ago, the paper value of car ownership skyrocket to insane levels. Prior to that, I owned new small humble 1.1 litre Getz that cost me $200+ per month. After driving it for about 4 years, life changed, got married, settled down and due to our new life arrangements, I sold away the getz and got myself a sedan which i drove for about 2 years(COE was already expensive and was about to blast off to greater heights 😂) before selling it away and going public.

Many asked me why I sold the car away when everyone else is holding on dearly to theirs. Yes, i actually did a lot of thinking comparing the pros and cons of having and not having a car.

Annnnd in this post, let me share with you what has changed in my life after going public for more than 2 years:

*Reminder - this is just me and my life, so please please please don't compare my needs to yours. Others may need a car due to many other important valid reasons and I respect that. We all should.

Owning a Car
PROS
- Having my own car. Obviously.
- I get to go anywhere and anytime of the day.
- I get to transport and move things on my own when i have to.
- I can bring my family out in a jiff!
- not to worry when it comes to a rainy day!

CONS
- A huge chunk of my pay goes to the car installment and it's other neccessities like petrol, season parking, hourly parking 😢, the ever infamous ERP 😢😢😢, Road Tax, Insurance, maintenance.
- I can only smell my bonus cause it always go to the car spendings above.
- After walking around town with my family, we have to walk back to where the car is parked. Imagine parking at far east plaza, walking to 313 and having to walk back to where the car is.
- Driving it, which can be tiring. Compounded by heavy and stressful traffic and unforgiving stupid  drivers and riders everywhere.

Going Public
PROS
- No more spendings on Car! Yeay!
- Enjoy Cabbing everywhere as and when we want. Machiam having chauffer lidat - at the fraction cost of owning a car.
- Still have cash in hand after the above.
- The freedom to bring my family on holidays -irregardless near or far! See the world!
- Getting to rest while on rides in the cab or buses.
- No more long walks back to the carpark because we can just flag or book a cab from virtually anywhere.
- Teaching my little boy to appreciate public transport. He loves train and bus rides.

CONS
- You are subjected to choosy cab drivers unless you book for them or use Grab or UberX.
- Rainy days = travel by bus or trains because cabs are hard to get.
- Out with the ignorant drivers. In with the ignorant commuters 😂😂😂. Still, it is not as bad as bad you encounter on our roads.
- The chances of getting stucked in a train breakdown is real.
- Public transport fares are inching up every year - still not as expensive as car ownership. Beggars can't be choosers they say. 😐

So yeap. There you have it. MY Pros and Cons. Will  I want to own a car again in the future? - Only if the costs of it makes sense. But again, with all the headaches that comes with it - Most probably not.

I am much happier without a car here in Singapore - So is my family.

If you are one of those who are contemplating on giving up your car and are in the same boat as me, I hope this post helps you to make a better decision. Somehow.

Lastly, remember, to any decisions that you make, there will be the pros and cons. Decide carefully to what suit your needs.

*I have no affiliations with any gahmen or party hor! This is just my life's decision. So please dont't politicalize my post. If you ain't got nothing nice to say, then don't say anything.😊*

P.s: Hope the Damn Motorcycle COE for class 2B and 2A drops though. Dafuq is it doing so high up?! (Another post another day - if i'm not lazy)

Love your family, love your life and enjoy the weekends!