Chunky Monkey

I'm piggy-backing on this thread to ask some questions and gain some knowledge about selecting split air con units. a) What makes you decide system 3 versus system 2? If it's a system 3, and all 3 units will be switched on at the same time, this will stress the condenser, correct? If the need is to have all 3 air con units switched on at night, would it be wiser to get individual units with its own comdensers? b) what is the difference between compressors and condensers? c) Is an inverter air con really that much better in energy saving? Thanks in advance. I look forward to your replies.

There is a HUGE price difference if you want a fireproof, hackproof and drillproof safe. I went to check out the safes on display at Giant Parkway and I like what I saw. You can choose between a dial type of PIN input or a digital one. I am a klutz when I am in a hurry, so the digital type would suit me well. I also realised that the filing cabinet that I like is 300kg!! It's alright for landed properties but not for HDBs/condos. The ceiling/floor loading will be breached.

Tell your colleague to take a different view on things. It's any time better to have her son at home than to have him at his GF's house, or out in the streets till the wee hours of the night courting trouble.

Did anyone read Today's papers on Work Life balance featuring Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft? Something to read about and ponder your lives with your Significan Other (it's significant for all the right reasons). Talk it out with your SO ..... and hear the responses. Listen. Don't be argumentative. And then think it over. My DH once told me (when we were still singles) that Women are walking contradictions. They want EXCITEMENT and STABILITY. He said women should wake up and realise that exciting men aren't the most stable.

The wooden beaded curtains remind me of the 70's when my mother hung one up at the doorway to the kitchen, in our tiny flat then at Stirling Road!

So silly of me. Sorry. It's Universal Union 710 Geylang http://www.universalunion.com.sg/aboutus.htm It was a chap from the main Teka showroom that gave me the name and address, and I searched the internet for the website. Is there or is there not a promotion now?

A shop at Funan Centre that sells stationery (same floor as Cafe de Amigo) is an agent for Savco safes. http://www.savco.com.sg/safes.html I am considering a fireproof filing cabinet instead of a safety deposit box, as it's more versatile (documents, passports, jewellery etc). And at 154kg ... it'll still be a challenge trying to move it!

I just edited my post. Realised I didn't post the name of the shop earlier. It's House of Fabric. On the 1st floor or Katong Mall is a rather popular curtains shop called Karbell or something like that. Opposite Cold Storage. You might want to check Karbell out.

Well, that's true. Who knows if parents resent it or they don't. My youngest brother will always be the baby of the family. And quite honestly, my mother *loves* having him around, so she can continue to baby him. He's in his late 20's but he doesn't wish to marry until he is in his early 30's. That's his life, his choice. I think for a man, it's OK. But for a woman, not so when her biological clock is ticking, and if having children is on the cards. I agree with you. We must lead our own lives. That's why I don't want to expect anything, so as to lower my risk of disappointments. If pleasant surprises present themselves, I will just count it as my stars are in line! LOL

I just spotted them today at a shop in Katong Mall. Please call before you go. Shops there are notorious for having erratic opening hours. From Internet Yellow Pages >> House of Fabric Address: 112 East Coast Rd #03-04 Katong Mall Singapore 428802 Telephone: 6346 3491

Well, truth be told, the singles in Western cultures are beginning to realise it's not economical to move out. Freedom and independence do not bring food to the table. Literally. I was looking at some statistics last year, and increasingly American young adults are staying home. I used to think that young people should stake out on their own from the time they are financially independent. But when I became a mother, my views changed. By the time my children become adults, if they should leave home, I would only have an empty nest. And boy, I would surely miss them. So .... I will most probably land up like my very own mother .... who's housing my youngest (unmarried) brother and pretty much enjoying some company at home.

You shouldn't. And this is the problem of not reading in between the lines. Bush gets paid loads more but it not declared as income. But as allowances and other miscellaneous things. So, don't let the press fool you. I would be happy for the Ministers and Members of Parliament to earn high salaries so they will give up their cushy private sector jobs to serve the nation. Our country is in great order. And alot of expats know that and live here because of that. A friend from Czech Republic always tells me that living in SG is great, and SG is the best place on earth because things move, our processes are great etc. My very own DH thinks SG is the best and he's a foreigner who have lived in most other Asian countries to be able to say this.

I gather that you are still very young, in your mid to late 20's? I am easily 10 years older any time. I can understand your doubt ... but if I may influence you, please surround yourselves with couples who value their marriages and hold their other halves in high esteem and respect. And steer away from couples who are bad news especially those who have strayed. You don't want to drown yourself in negative energy. And yes, always have couple dates by yourselves or with friends. All the best. Who ever said marriage is easy. It's a long process, and you need to work at it every day. Even if it's a simple I love you to your husband, or ask if he has had his dinner. You made me chuckle, LinDa. Well, I can't speak for others. IMO, the one who worries is usually the one whose spouse is more charming. I don't take the stability of my marriage for granted. I work at it everyday ... small gestures everyday. I learn this from girlfriends who have been married 30+ years. There were so many occasions when my DH came back from work at close to 11 pm. I'd be like a dead dog after a long day's work of looking after my kids but I still forgo 30 min of sleep time, just to sit down with him at our kitchen table, and accompany him whist he eats his peanut butter sandwiches. He is a guy with simple needs and one who appreciates little gestures. Find what makes each other tick and you'll have a perfect formula in your marriage.

Has anyone tried Mega Discount Store at Katong Mall? I was enquiring about Fisher & Paykal fridges and the discounts there are pretty good. All Cash terms. They have alot of other electricals and I was told that if there is something that I want, and they don't have it in the store, they will try to get it for me, and quote me a price. I think this place is really worth checking out.

Is it Universal Studio????

In all due respect, GMC, there is NO WAY an autoloan is nothing compared to housing loan. Auto loans are on annual res, where housing loans are on daily res. And that said, the interest on auto loans are higher too. Yes, in dollar terms, an auto loan is smaller but in interest calculations and the costs of a loan to a customer, it's the worst form of secured credit. It's quite a twisted logic to argue that one should get an auto loan, so that banks can afford to pay interest on our savings deposit. And ... I cannot comprehend your last comment.

Quick addition here. When you choose a fan, please consider the RPM of the fan/motor. Fans like those made by Famination are meant to be used together with the aircon, just to spread the cool air around e.g. in hotel lobbies, restaurants. And you might want to choose a fan that has a few fan speeds.

Like I said, 15K is *all* I can stomach and anything less is much appreciated. Trying to be a sleuth, applefreak? Saving up for a car and paying in cash. That is great priority. Saving up for 5 years, so you can get a *bigger*, nicer = more expensive?? car is not wise. In auto loans, interest is calculated based on annual res. So customers pay alot of interest despite the loan on a monthly reducing basis.

This is the one thing I can never comprehend about SG. So many people are driven (sorry the pun) to own the newest car and take on car loans that are literally liken to having a noose tied around their necks and they drown in monthly installments. Isn't it very sad that you still perhaps have a study loan to clear, and on top of that take a home loan, reno loan, and now even car loan? One should not live on credit to get a lifestyle. Spend only what you can afford and make choices to help yourselves to be loan free. I can literally use ONE credit card to buy a Lexus SUV or a Volve XC90. But do I do that? No. I bought a second hand MPV that I intend to let it run its course till it goes kapoot. 15K depreciation a year is all I can stomach. Losing anymore is plain stupidity, to be honest. You can never get rich living beyond your means, and have nothing left in your kitty when you are old. And it's no one's fault but your own.

No, my husband and I do not expect our children to support us financially. Emotional support would be accepted in truckloads though On the same token, we also do not plan to give our children any inheritance. When we plan our retirement nestegg, we use the scenario whereby every cent gets spent, and with no leftovers. (folks in financial planning will know what I am talkng about) What I aim to do as a parent, is to provide them the best education I can afford, and that to me, is the ticket to their future success and they can do whatever they want with their lives after that. To me, that's the best I can do, and the rest is up to them. We are a generation of parents who have to consider that our adult children may NOT even want to leave home, because it's free to stay with Mummy & Daddy. And still depend on our supplementary credit cards to top up on some of their expenses. So be prepared .... I do not agree that having children *CAN* be rationalised into costs and benefits. If you think this way, you will be a disappointed parent or not be a parent at all. The costs of bringing up children, for sure overweighs that of the tangible benefits you could possibly derive from children of your own. What cannot be measured is the size of family love that you will appreciate when you have them. On a very recent weekend trip with my husband alone, I asked him if he could imagine life without our lovely children (implying that as a couple, we could travel more on our own). His answer to me was "I don't have to imagine what it would be like, because I would not have it any other way. I love you and I love our children" A note to new couples here .... you may think it's a funny public propaganda to encourage couples to have children to replace ourselves. I tell you not. With the aim of 6.5m population to sustain our economy, if you all don't go out there to reproduce, the increase of population will be an imported one. Not to forget that alot of Singaporeans are also migrating overseas. And one day, Singaporeans *will* be the minority in SG. Do something whilst you still can. Don't debate so much about having kids. It's not always ME ME ME. Take one less holiday a year. Buy one less branded watch. Spend less money. Put all of that into a family kitty. Think for the country.

Citibank? DBS? Yes, I have heard of these stories, and adultery is committed amongst Relationship Managers and even with their bosses. But it takes a certain personality to lose their morals and commit them. It does not mean that when it happens to others, it will happen in your homeground. My husband being away from home on a regular basis (work travels) is in fact more scared of I straying but I constantly reassure him (even though he does not expect me to) that his heart is safe with me. I will be a miserable wife if I have to keep a tab on my husband's whereabouts. It would also drive me nutty. The moment I have to reduce myself to being a sleuth, I know the relationship has gone to the toilet.

zirhk3355, you have hit the nail on the head. I have a very good girlfriend, who's in her twilight years. (I get along better with women much older than me) She once told me that she's 100% devoted to her husband and had in the past told her husband that if he should have an affair, he owes it to her to explain to her what went wrong. And till this day, he remembers what she said, and appreciates every single thing my friend does for him. Be it big or small. They are a model couple. And insists on having dinner with each other all weekdays and weekend. To have the serenity in each other's company over dinner time is a great tell tale sign if the marriage is still strong.

That's the same question on my mind as well, ARCHer. Granted that there are men out there who cheat on their wives (they are poor empty souls and I pity them) but it certainly does not mean that every men working late is having an affair or fooling around with prostitutes. Sensing the level of mistrust here is actually rather sad for me. I am a middle aged woman who has given up her career to be a stay at home mum. My husband's typical day starts at 7 am and I do not see him most weekdays because by the time he gets home, it's almost 11pm. And we are talking about typical days here. Atypical days i.e. peak period, we are talking about him coming home at 2 am in the morning and having to scoot out of the house at 7 am as usual. Why does he work so late? 1) He is in senior management of a bank 2) He has to observe time differences in the US/UK and communicate with counterparts as well as clients in those regions 3) He is a perfectionist 4)He works very hard because he loves his family, and that includes me his wife of course. Does he have time for an affair. No chance. Unless he wants to kiss his career goodbye. I have young children to look after and I upkeep myself so I don't look like an Ah Soh. He's been working such mad hours way before I married him. So there is nothing out of the ordinary. If your husbands work late, I suggest all of you be good wives and make home a pleasant place for your husbands to return to. The distrust is NOT good for your marriage and your happiness as a whole.

I have found a few glass merchants/tempered glass installers by simply searching for "Tempered Glass" in the Internet Yellow Pages. I have a question resulting from my search. The ease of sliding the glass panels must weigh heavily on the smoothness and strength of the running track cum glass clamp system. How do I ensure that I get the best, so that it'll always be easy to slide the doors over time??

Where can I find a selection of Hammocks in SG? My husband wishes to hang a hammock in the garden. Concrete installation.