lawry

Ya, I don't bother anymore, she's not even concerned about the letters, 5kg is 6mths worth of mails, hundreds of them, bank statements, new credit cards, bills, magazines, and some other membership newsletters. She did not for once come asking for them. I didn't even know where to find her at first, till I googled her son's name and found his friendster account, realised they have a food stall somewhere, then I embarked on my mission to deliver them.

Heheh, I usually treat people with kindness first, I mean any other human, or even a small puppy, would appreciate a smile and a word of thanks and return the kindness. Till they decide to abuse it, take it for granted and convinced me that they are not worth it, then they should maybe get what they deserve. I am contemplating the tea party idea actually, it will be quite fun. I held a couple before with my friends, Japanese okashi with free flow (if they can handle the caffeine) of exquisite Japanese tea (gyokuro, matcha), there's a small collection of Chinese Oolong tea as well for those who prefer. But everyone's sleepless that night. those baby bud leaves are very potent in caffeine content. Let me see how things go after the rectifications, a bit scarred because everytime there's new guests, they spot new flaws. hahah. Hahh, I was just thinking, hot weather, why not a drink? Didn't really think of what she did or what she failed to do.

It doesn't pay to be nice sometimes.. I delivered it to her asking if she had changed any of her address or not, how come everyday also got, and she said, "Next time if got you just bring here lor!" No more free delivery after that, all return address undelivered mail.

Hahha, I did the same too, I knew where my seller's stall is (she's in food business), so I delivered the entire stack of letters to her twice. Till today, letters, SAF100 and other letters to her son are still delivered to my place, I think he has yet to change his address on his IC. On and off, I also received a couple of odd name letters, those could be the first owner, my seller's the second owner and I'm the third owner. Now I can't be bothered to hand delivery it to her already, the previous 2 bags were like 5kg each. Nowadays if I receive any of their letters, I just send them back to address behind with a note that they moved since 2007.

Get your ID to draw it out on 3D program with a color mixer, easier to discuss in front of the screen with the instant color changing options than imagine how it would look like. Since you only know what color your cozy corner flooring would be, fix it as that, change the other colors (walls, laminated floors, carpentry color combination, curtains, sofa, furnishing) concurrently and see if you like what you like what's on the screen.

Ooops, sorry I got you wrong. I thought you were refering to the shower instant heater. There are special shower head filters or tap filters for those. If you are talking about drinking/washing tap, there is external filters that is attached to the mouth of the tap. There are also "internal filters" that can be attached under the sink, though I'm not sure how the hot water works, might have to run 2 different pipes.

Meaning the chlorine remover medium is part of the water heater? Hmm, I have not come across those before, would be nice if it exist. I use another type of shower filter that is attached to the water outlet, the filter medium has to be changed every few months before it loses it's effectiveness. Has anyone else noticed that water is dirtier lately? One of the possible causes for hairloss and skin eczema when you shower in it. Needless to say if you drink it direct from the tap ...

I bought some stuff from Asia Excel last time, from Ricky, still remember his name. Quite good service and competitive prices. But you might want to expand your options, take note of the items you want and the prices, you might see the same or something better elsewhere, compare prices then.

Facts & photos don't lie. Declare whatever they like, SOME* of their stainless steel items DO/DID tarnish and/or rust. There are enough customers who can testify to that, and unwitting new victims all over the world buying them everyday can refresh that claim. (* I didn't buy enough Ikea SS items to specifically list which ones will rust, but at least some of those I had did rust, I returned them, but not before taking photos and warning others.) My List ~SEMVIK toilet accessories set. (RUST horribly) Even the label got stained by the rust, so much for their declaration. ~ANNONS 5 piece cookware (TARNISH after 1 use, got worse on the 2nd) I should go take the latest photo of my 4mths old $29.90 WMF cooking pot, still looks like new. As for their solid (?) particleboard furniture. I had a $299 wardrobe which slanted and fell apart, I had book shelves which warp. I don't have photos for them now, but there are still other victim out there with a tale to tell. Perhaps certain range (same material but thicker) do last longer? like their MALM series? I have had them for a while, no issues with them so far, the material is at least 2cm thick. If you noticed, BILLY bookcase, the shelves are like 1cm (?) thick. Do they also want to address this relatively unknown issue of formaldehyde emission decay from particleboard furniture? Google for "particleboard formaldehyde" and see what you get. Random result here Of course, for the company, they can stick to the convenient finding that the outgassing will last for a year, but as consumers, we can't neglect data which says it could well be 5 to 10 years. There are other issues with items such as curtain railings, blinds, etc. When I'm more free with photos, I will update accordingly. IKEA - cheap but not worth the price.

WOoo, your own tblog finally! I had the same dilemma about the altar, it just doesn't go with the rest of the deco. :x Hence I designed a more funky one of my own, rather than getting the standard ones out there. (Of course, my ID gave me something similar and not entirely the same. hhahah). I hope I will cover that soon enough in my blog to give you some idea. Basically, an altar can look like a display cabinet cum divider as well, and it doesn't have to look "orr-bit". On base and skirting, it's subjective, check with your mum too. If she mops the floor with a wet mop, skirting might prevent the mop from touching the walls, that is one consideration also. Whether you eventually need them or not, get your contractors to quote first based on your overall budget. Then remove them from the list, else some of them will just "transfer" that amount elsewhere if you tell them beforehand you don't need this and that. Finally, staying at your place while it's under-going renovation can be quite a mess from all that hacking, drilling and tiling, besides you only have 1 toilet, while under renovation, you can't use at all. Quite inconvenient for your folks. Do try and see if you can find alternative lodging.

I won't dismiss the possibility of certain people (competitors) who badmouth rivals. If the company in question was indeed slapped with an unfair accusation, it might be worth their while to pursue some justice to restore their reputation. But what if there are genuine victims out there with a legitimate grievance with supporting evidence and no where to turn to? I don't think why anyone should be forced into submission and keep quiet about it if they were indeed shortchanged for what they paid for. A company screwed things up, instead of resolving it amicably, leaving no room for dissatisfaction. Prefers to evade the issue, leave it as it is, refused to offer any plausible solution, any refund or compensation. What can consumers do then, apart from exposing the details of the misdeed. The company would have to think twice or thrice about repercussions if they are hoping to silence unhappy customers with a lawsuit. It's very bad PR. Example, Can IKEA sue customers for warning other people in a forum that their bookshelves sagged, with an accompanying picture of the bookshelf? Do they even have a case?

365+ also?? I assume that the cheap set, 3 pieces of cookware for $14.90 is of inferior quality. But 365+ is the more expensive range, I didn't expect them to peel or rust also. That's very bad, there is no excuse for stainless steel to rust, especially when it comes to cookware. I have some unknown brand stainless steel cookware at home, never had issues with rusting also.

But it didn't stop the guy at the returns counter from bitching and insulting before taking it back. I was almost tempted to launch "www.ikea-refunds.com". It will contain a full list of substandard items which should never have been sold. I will accept international submissions and complaints from all over the world. That guy at the returns counter should check my site often before he passes unnecessary remarks like, "This is the first complain." Unless it's his first day at work, else it shan't be any other excuse. How on earth could those rusty stainless steel items be an isolated issue? More likely people are wasting their money at ikea in exchange for low grade junk down their rubbish bin not knowing their return options. If not, it's not worth their while to drive all the way down to return a $15 item either.

Definitely 2 different contractors. Source for one to do the windows, and another to do the kitchen. If you can afford the time to do the coordination work, you can bypass all the markup prices and middleman costs.

http://www.nipponpaint.com.sg/services/hdbpainting.asp http://www.dulux.com.sg/eventsnpromos/paintingpackages.jsp Here's a rough guide of how much painting will cost if you engage your own. there are more options under standard, extra package. Do check with your ID what kind of paint you getting, those special Medifresh, EasyWash are more expensive than Vinilex.

hi roamca, you're welcome. MMMM, one question. Do we need a 9kg to wash quilt? I squeeze 1 queen size bedsheet, 1 queen size quilt cover, 4 pillow case into my 7.5kg front load. Another time, it was 1 queen size quilt and 1 queen size protector. :x Did I like overload my washer?

hi roamca, I hope this drawing is useful in deciding if your washer base is too small, nice to know that your ID is extending it. Now that I drew this, I suspect my ID got the dimensions wrong. I'm using LG 7.5kg washer, dimensions from the top is approx 600mm width, 550mm depth. The base she gave me was 700mm wide and 600mm depth. Why did she know about having 100mm allowance for the width, but why only 50mm allowance for the depth? She might have arranged for 600mm, but the workers gave her 550mm anyway. Must test her on showdown day. I shall put this in my blog also. Anyway, back to your case. There should be at least 100mm extra for the depth and width. Washers are more the less around that size unless you getting a huge 10kg washer. I'm also a bit concerned about the dustbin hidden behind the washer? There are piping and other wires behind the washer, you have to consider how much space is left and how much of the dustbin can be open after you put the washer there.

Very nice place, it's huge and it's almost move in condition actually if it's to your liking.

My dream black and white kitchen with glossy tiles!!! Hahah. So nice and bright. But staying with parents, so have to get matt/rough tiles for them, safety concerns. They cook daily, if it's white glossy laminates, I can't imagine the cleaning they/me have to do. It's good to let your ID know that you are taking photos and blogging the entire renovation process, all the good and the bad will be showcase accordingly. If they choose to leave the list of defects as it is ... can't blame us for bringing it up. Most consumers take the good for grant and focus on the bad side of things. The internet savvy will come across this forum, then they will be shortlisted, in the blacklist that is.

@simei mum, I just completed my Kitchen Blues in my blog, you should read up what went wrong, at least that part.

omg, you are fast! I was so worried that my archives will be wiped out, had been checking out every now and then! I think I should do a double post about my renovation in a blog also, esp those useful tips.

I'm a bit of a perfectionist, but I don't have unreasonable demands. Basic requirements, appliance should work within it's warranty period at the very minimum. To break down under normal use in less than 2 or 3 months is unacceptable to me. I have this strange habit of taking photos of all my purchases, the date/time stamping helps. Novita Aroma Diffuser (bought 22 Sept 08) $69 I bought this diffuser for my essential oils, to fragrant the house (Citrus/Florals), to get rid of mosquitos (Citronella), to freshen up (mints and herbs). It's a better alternative than a burner with candle, perhaps. After using less than a month, I noticed a black spot on the "ultrasonic gold disc". By early November, black spot grew into a black patch. I called up Novita, they told me I could bring it down to tagore lane for repair. The other option is to leave it at one of their sales counters, I can only get it back 2 weeks later. While I was at the counter, I open up their demo sets, some of their gold disc has almost turned completely black. You can't classify this under normal wear and tear, not in a month or two. That disc is the main component which affects the functionality of the diffuser, and if it tarnish/peel that fast, I can only conclude it's of inferior quality and it has a short lifespan. After the repair/replacement, I got it back, after using for a month, new black spot appeared. I called them up again. They checked against my warranty and they sent me a white disc, which is supposedly more lasting. But I would have to replace it myself. I was also told that the disc costs $10. If I require a replacement in future, I would have to pay for it. Fair enough. Just last week, a certain component on the white cover dropped out. Sigh. I took it to the counter where I bought the item from, before I could even open my mouth, I got bombarded by the sales promoter, ------ it's normal lah, see my demo piece, mine also drop, still can use what, you send in for repair they also use superglue to stick it for you, your house got superglue, you ownself stick la, or you insist on putting here, then my office will use their superglue and stick for you and you come back 2 weeks later???? ------ Fine, your office can do it. thanks. She decided that it's not worth the hassle, so she replace the part for me with one of her working demo set. At the same time, she was pestering me to get the "new design" $89 just released by Novita, better, meaner, prettier. I don't think so ... I mean it looks good, but if it only lasts that long? I don't really know what's gonna happen to it next, it's been barely 6mths, and I don't even use it daily. But I've already started looking for alternatives. I searched for aroma diffusers. and guess what I found? Do take a look at number 2 and number 4 (novita's new design) http://www.made-in-china.com/showroom/chic...-catalog-1.html Not implying anything, it could well have been China who ripped off Novita's design or Novita sourced out these China manufacturers, print their brand on it and brought it in.

LOL, if they give unshowroom standard after their claim and promises, it will be showcased in forum and blog instead. Will backfire.

Serious? I mean it's already like that when I first got it? o.O

Very looong story. Hyflux, I'm refering to their elife shower filters. http://www.hyflux.com/faq_showerfilter.htm It costs $169, a piece of concealed plastic filter, which claims to remove chlorine from the water (if you buy that theory that our water is quite dirty, and the added chlorine is bad for your hair, probably you might have noticed this product in the market). It was introduced by this sales promoter in Tangs who claimed that it's good for preventing hair drop, though it's not explicitly mentioned in the box nor it's marketed as such. I was skeptical, but decided to get it anyway, the immediate results were astonishing, from the usual clumps of hair at the hair trap after every hair wash, it was reduced to a few strands. I got my mother to test it out and she got the same results. I fixed that filter to a dedicated tap, solely for washing hair and nothing else. Within less than 3 months, the results were less than ideal, it wasn't as good as it was before. I read the box again, it says it will lasts 6 months, I read the website, it says 12 months. Such inconsistencies. But if I use it only for washing hair, shouldn't it last much longer than it's supposed lifespan for someone using it for daily showers? How does one accurately determine whether 3mths, 6mths or 12mths? ~ number of users? ~ water temperature? ~ original water condition? ~ time taken in the showers? ~ amount of water that passed through the filter? There's simply no indicator on the filter that tells us it's time to change it. So I wrote in to check and they couldn't give me any satisfying answer or solution. Of course, more hair drop is not the conclusive way to prove that the filter is not working anymore, but are there other ways to prove that the filter is still working on their part? With their kind of (mis)assurance, I decided not to replace it and I won't be getting that again, not just that item, but anything else from Hyflux. I was blinded by the sales talk, looking back, it comes in a cheap looking box with an enclosed piece of vague instruction leaflet within, which doesn't even say much. I must have been crazy to have spent $169 on that. (Yes, the amount of money guys spent to retain their hair) Next, novita .. let me get some pics.