leen

its gd if you can provide a pic of your orchid becoz different orchids are treated differently. eg. for your easy understanding (hope im clear) if you grow normal orchid (like those purple flower type), most people advise cut it when it bloom. from my experience, when it bloom, look at the flower stem. if its still green, you leave it. only trim the portion that had browned or withered away. finally cut at about 2inch from base of stem if it had withered away. new stem will try to grow but most orchids require time so you have to have patience. if you are growing special orchids, eg. babycherry, the stem where the flowers bloom is always thick in size and green in color. flowers are constantly blooming. so do not cut away the stem. you have to provide a pic in order to advise correctly.

according to the 'teacher' the best is to tie the orchid plant on a growing tree... wood is second choice... and of cos growing in pot is the only option left if we plant it indoors. i've also spoken to some orchid growers in china (at one point, i was so crazy that i make a special trip just to see the plants... china is known for its orchids), and they also specifically told me that not all charcoal can be used. of coz the best is let orchid grow on tree but not everyone here got a tree to grow the orchids. why grow on tree is bcoz they are able to be grown in a simulated natural environment other then in forest, and also can take nutrients and shade from tree (but also have to study which direction the sun will be shining on the tree and one might want to avoid hanging it at that direction) and also the tree must be free from disease as well. to tie to wood and grow it is to let it be aired so that the roots will not be seep in water and rot. and when you put orchid in claypot, you not only put charcoal, you put a mixture of broken clays also. china environment is different from ours. even if they can achieve our temperature here in SG, they are not of same humidity level. broad leaf orchid are hard to look after. its those thin leaves type that are hardy. my boss sister use to operate orchid nursery before deciding to retire due to old age. they taught us plenty of logical and practical ways (at the cheapest cost) to grow orchids. and you cannot really neglect the orchids also, need to dust them clean and keep their environment clean so that they grow well. different orchids will bloom in different period of the year and also how well it responses to its environment, eg. percentage of rainy / hot seasons, wind, climate, temperature, amount of sunlight it can take, and is it morning sun, mid day sun or evening sun, etc. even the slightest like eg. orchids that grow on mountains (or high sea level) in Malaysia or Indonesia will not grow well in Singapore unless they are put in air-conditioned greenhouse.

i duno hw long leh. dependent on individual conditions and how bad the condition is? i only know from my galfrends that they put braces coz they hv budging teeth (teeth growing outwards and some like bunny teeth) or crooked teeth. and they usually put on 1 year only. but you have to go see a dentist and get it examined and den see whether need to put braces or not lor. but hor, dentist fees vy ex leh. maybe because of the equipments invested?

dun mention. hope you find 1 that fits your need and pocket. i always find their charges ex but in overseas, dental & medical costs are even more exorbitant

ya. if you go isetan scotts, the level where they sell kitchen hsehold, still got alot of brands, all ex ex, eg. Royal Albert, Royal Doulton, Narumi, Copenhagen, etc. its nice for display to let your guests see and admire. but if you were eat with those you will eat ultra carefully. if you let your guests eat, they will use fork and knife and start scrapping over the nice nice plates and you will get scratches and ultimately heart attack btw, i have been to Sia Huat and indeed like wat Simeiz says, its quite same for 5B except... the crockery is cater more for hotel restaurants & cafes where international / bbq / seafood / cocktail buffet is held. whereas 5B caters alot more to local food stores. 5B will has more variety. in another word, Sia Huat is more upmkt type. but their prices for their better quality plates, etc. are reasonable at medium pricing. and there are white dinner plate sets at Sia Huat. the place is crowded but things are well displayed. ask for staffs' assistance should you require any items that you can't find, they are quite helpful. hope the above helps.

dunno gd or bad news to flat buyers. refer to the story below: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/cna/20080411/tap-...61-231650b.html Channel NewsAsia - Friday, April 11 SINGAPORE: The Housing and Development Board (HDB) said build—to—order (BTO) flats will constitute the main supply of new flats going forward. HDB also plans to build another 5,000 units under this scheme, between now and September 2008. The move comes as HDB’s stock of unsold flats is progressively being taken up. During the days of excess supply of HDB flats, there were over 25,000 ready—built flats waiting for buyers. But now, that number has shrunk to about just 1,300 units. To avoid an over—supply, HDB said it’s looking to the BTO scheme which was launched in 2001. So construction will begin only when the majority of planned units have been booked. This means home—buyers will have to start planning ahead, as the flats take about 3 years before they are ready. Between now and September, HDB plans to offer another 5,000 BTO flats. These will be in areas like Punggol, Sengkang, Woodlands and Bukit Panjang. With the latest addition, the total number of such flats, for the first nine months of this year, will be increased to 6,100. This is higher than the number launched in each of the previous two years — 6,000 BTO flats in 2007 and 2,400 in 2006. HDB will provide more details of these projects when they are launched. As for the remainder of unsold flats, HDB said from July, these will be offered under a revised sales exercise under the combined balloting/walk—in system which will see more flats offered for sale in quarterly and half—yearly intervals. All 4—room and bigger flats will also be pooled under a single launch. Sales of these units currently take place by sector — North & West, Northeast, and Established Towns. The timing of such exercises will also be changed so that more flats will be offered under each sale. Unsold 3—room and smaller units will be released once a quarter, instead of once a month currently. Larger flats — 3—room premium and bigger — will be sold every six months starting this October, instead of bi—monthly. Priority will be given to first—time homebuyers. 90 percent of unsold flats will be allocated to this group, which will also enjoy a double chance over regular applicants, for a place in the queue. "This new scheme (does not) favour second—timers. So if I’m a second—timer, I’ll have very little chance if I go to the 6—monthly selection. So my only other chance is to go to the resale market to buy my flat," said Eugene Lim, Assistant VP of ERA Realty Network. But analysts said, with prices in the resale market still out of the reach for many home—buyers, BTO flats remain the cheapest option for them. — CNA /ac/ls

same same class i go to. the ang mo orchid grower (think he is into those properganation (duno how to spell) and grow orchids for competition and cross breed them) told me the same. those pots you talking about are make of clay. u r rite, got holes is for ventilation and gd drainage of water becoz if orchid roots seep in water too long, they will rot. as for the charcoal, he told us the other thing. but he say best is use a dry wood, tie the orchid to the wood and hang it.

so sorry to hear of your bad experience. so far i had travelled in all budget airlines, always booking last min for flight to nearby countries for work. and so far experience had been gd and really helped to cut down costs of flights. but i do agree that such budget flights, you will encounter ppl factor. most of it is due to passengers, and especially asians who are kiasu, kiasi, kia lose face. there was once there were a group of china passengers and they really WOW and TALK ULTRA LOUD! and until the flight stewardess ask them to tone down. and there are some who hog the toilets even! some even take the tissue, moisturers, etc. in the toilet. haiz... really make us lose face for for longer flight, i would suggest flying by SQ. more reliable and comfy though more ex. reliable means SQ has a gd reputation in maintaining a young fleet, ie. changing of airplanes every few years. although nothing is 100% guarantee, we still have a feel of security, reliability and a sense of gd safety when flying SQ. Moreover, we Singaporeans should support our national carrier.

How about calling NTUC Dentalcare to check? private hospital is charging even more. my hb got to do a root cannal and fix up a cap like fake tooth (and just 1) for his fallen tooth cost him about $4k maybe can try edwin wang dental at thomson. a old pte clinic. my mum makes her denture there and its only a few hundred bucks. Edwin Wang Dental Surgery 244L Up Thomson Rd Singapore 574369 Tel : 6456 1824 but all dental charges (from my knowledge) by dentists are generally expensive. hope the above helps.

can use those cheap cheap clay type of pot will do. the holes are for drainage. as for charcoal, you can buy bbq type or get from nursery, all the same. but for all charcoal, soak in water and wash it clean 1st, dry it under the sun thoroughly before putting for orchids. the best type of orchid and easily survive with little water are those that are grown on small part of wood branch and being hang up (suspended in the air) type and those commonly see type, that is those small purple flower type and also those small red flower petal type with petals that look thin. you just need to use a spray bottle and spray a bit will do, just like sprizting on it. dun over wet it. and dependent on the area. if the area is windy, 2 times a week will do, as water evaporate faster. if area is not windy, 1 time a week will do. dependent on what type of orchids. if those big leaves type of orchids, orchids flower petals that looks like twirling spider legs, big white/purple orchid flower petals that look japanese type, all these are hard to look after. these require air-coned green hse. meaning, the area must be cool but at the same time it must have sunlight but not too direct or much sunlight. Many people think the orchid plant cannot be grown indoors. When grown in the wild, the orchid plant often forms a symbiotic relationship with other plants in order to get the nutrients that it needs. The orchid plant, like most other plants, must live in the proper conditions in order for it to bloom. The three major conditions that must be controlled in order for the orchid plant to bloom are water, light, and temperature. The orchid plant receives moisture through its roots like all other plants. Avoid planting the orchid in potting soil, because it does not like to be in standing water. The orchid thrives in bright, indirect sunlight. The orchid will continue to grow without this change, but it will not bloom. Orchids can be a difficult flower to grow indoors because they are usually found growing in nature. As long as you are familiar with the living conditions that orchids need to grow, then you can grow orchids indoors. Orchids should be grown in a similar way. If wholesale orchids are left in standing water, they will eventually die. Wholesale orchids also need to have the temperature variations of the plants that are grown in the wild. The leaf color of wholesale orchids will indicate whether or not the orchid is getting the right amount of light. Yellowish color leaves mean the plant is getting too much light. you can sign up orchid growing courses at Singapore Botanic Garden (jointly organise with National Parks). check up these websites for infor. a simple explanation of orchid and its characteristic: http://www.premiumorchids.com.sg/orgrow.php Singapore Botanic Garden (SBG) http://www.sbg.org.sg/education/workshopadu.asp National Parks (where when you click to register for the course at SBG website, it will direct you to this website) http://www.nparks.gov.sg/services_adultind.aspx and there are very good books on orchid growing selling at SBG. not cheap though. and also buy those books that are written by local asians authors or foreign authors (that wrote books base on orchids in tropical countries like Singapore & Malaysia) and publish for asia as these authors wrote their experience in growing orchids in tropical countries like ours, eg. meant for Singapore/Malaysia environment. Indonesia, Thailand and Taiwan environment will be different. as these places have high mountains where the beautiful orchids survive better. and also because most foreign authors wrote orchids that are growing in a 4 season environment, it will not be relevant to us. hope the above helps. and forgot to add.. all plants should be watered at either early in the morning (from 5am to 7am) or at night (6pm to 8pm). reason is that all plants are very vulnerable to 'shock'. you move house, change their plant locations, suddenly cool water drain on them after getting hot the whole day, will shock them. and eventually the plant will not grow well and they will die. and also at these times, its more cooling and windy where water will evaporate faster and thus ensure that the plants will not be wet which will rot their roots. this rules apply to most plants.

in this case, the best sound proof is visit your upstair neighbour and let them know your situation politely. if fail, approach help from town council / rc. get a 3rd party to talk to them and let them know you are working late and need gd rest till late in the day.

i thought walmart is at Oz? (the nearest branch??) don't seem to see them in SG leh.

hi ladyluck, maybe you want to check out the accessories shops in the neighbourhood, eg. chameleon (i don't know if i got the right spelling), those from shopping centre counters (eg. taka or bugis, those selling accessories counters at level 1). at chameleon, you will be able to find loud type (if you know what i mean) crystal or fake glittering diamonds type of costume jewelleries and hair accessories. and at this type of places is where you can find cheaper accessories. usually, your BS will provide some for you to choose. i bought alot of such costume jewelleries as i need to attend dinner & function often and usually will not wear my diamond jewellery (except my rings) unless its something special. and do remember, if the function is at night, there will be alot of lightings and in order to stand out and shine, do wear loud, bigger (don't choose those demure type although they look nicer) necklace, drop diamond earrings, big band type of bracelet, glittering hair clips, glittering diamante heels so that you will shine whichever way you turn coz of the lights effect. if during the day, a demure type of accessory will do, eg. you can consider wearing smaller diamond type of necklace or pearl type for necklace and earring. if at church, pearls will do great as you will look elegant. juz a pointer, i always buy those costume jewelleries that i will be able to wear to dinners/functions in the future instead of only using them once for the wedding only. i have a friend whose MIL gave her a whole set of real diamond jewelleries and she wore those for the whole day and we find that its quite dull. but it all depends on one's likings. and also there will be a theme like for your gown and photo takings. eg. if you gown is those that have a lot of glittering detail flowers type, you will have to choose a simpler set of costume jewellery so that the focus will be on the beautiful gown and how the gown escentuate your figure. if you have a more plain gown, you can choose a much more glittering jewellery to add more glitter to it or can also choose a simpler pearl type jewellery. and during photoshooting, your makeup artist and photographer will tell you what will turn out nice in the photo and what will not. remember, the emphasis is on you, and the photographer will not want ppl to look at the jewellery only but admire the beautiful bride and the handsome bridegroom. i learn these light effect tricks as i had to organise big functions and dinners at various hotels, conventions and function halls and therefore pick up tips here and there. you can look at wedding mags and those mags that show pics of celebrities who goes to eg. oscar, emmy awards etc. to get an idea of what type of costume jewelleries to look out for. hope the above helps.

that's gd! can roughly describe what do they sell there and what are the prices range like, staffs attitute, shop arrangement etc. for the benefit of all of us here? as some of these shops got poor arrangement and vy cramp.

Hi, can read up this 2 threads for further infor on where to shop for crockery. http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?sh...mp;#entry281115 http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=10965 and also from the above thread, there is a mention on Sia Huat company. below is the address & contact (but i am not sure is this the same Sia Huat that sells crockery as their website is not accessible and i had not checked out this shop before. Maybe can give them a ring to confirm.) Sia Huat Pte Ltd No. 7, 9 & 11 Temple Street Singapore 058559 tel: 62231732 fax: 62242896 website: http://www.siahuat.com.sg Email: enquiry@siahuat.com.sg Operating hours: Mon - Fri : 8.30am to 6.30pm Sat : 8.30am to 5.30pm Closed on Sunday and public holidays hope the above helps !!

Hi, you may want to read up these 2 topics on where to buy crockery: http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=12805 http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=10965 and from the above thread, there is a mention on Sia Huat company. below is the address & contact (but i am not sure is this the same Sia Huat that sells crockery as their website is not accessible and i had not checked out this shop before. Maybe can give them a ring to confirm.) Sia Huat Pte Ltd No. 7, 9 & 11 Temple Street Singapore 058559 tel: 62231732 fax: 62242896 website: http://www.siahuat.com.sg Email: enquiry@siahuat.com.sg Operating hours: Mon - Fri : 8.30am to 6.30pm Sat : 8.30am to 5.30pm Closed on Sunday and public holidays hope it helps

hi ladyluck, alot of my friends make our own angpow box coz only use once and when you want to give to someone else, usually ppl dun want. so you will end up having a box as decor in your hse. do prepare a bigger box just in case some ppl may give gifts instead of ang pows. during my wedding, the wedding organiser (provided by the hotel) advised us to keep the money close to us as there are cases that ppl come and rob the ang pow boxes. what we do is put the boxes underneath the table next to the person (that you had appointed) that is sitting at the reception to help out with the registration. if you are doing the usual wedding dinner (chinese 8 or 9 course type), then the following may give you some tips and ideas: 1stly, appoint someone you can trust coz he or she will be helping you with the registration, ticking against the namelist who had come and where are their seats. 2ndly, you will appoint friends for reception and (the more the merrier or at least 2 friends each from both hb and you for the reception) to usher the guests to their seats, and also guide them to their seats. 1 reception for hb side and 1 for your side, cannot 1 person do everything, wait he/she got kan cheong, everything will be messed up. 3rdly, all the ppl appointed (if possible) should be a mixture of your close friends or your relatives (eg. cousins) as your friends may not know your relatives. 4thly, the person at the reception will receive the ang pow from the guest, marked the ang pow according to the seating number on the angpow and put in the box and also at the same time allocate 3 columns for he/she to tick. 1 column is angpow, that means when he/she rcvd is angpow, just tick will do. this will simplify he/her work. 2nd column is gift as not all ppl will give angpows. do be prepare that some old folks may give gold chains, pendents, etc. in replacement of a angpow. so this must be marked at the gift column. and the last column is remarks column where he/she may write what is the gift item (if they are not wrap and could be seen) or a simple descriptions, eg. heart box (goldsmith shops do give heart box with the chain and pendent and braclet as a set). 5th, separate both ang pow box, as you may not want to have a hard time afterwards in figuring whose angpows/gifts is given to your hb or you. 6th, must do up a guests lists segrating into relatives, friends, collegues, school mates, kopi shop khakis, mountain climbing hardcores, etc. so that you will be able to gauge the number of guests and who you like to be in the list and whose not and also arrange their seating arrangement. if you have a wedding organiser to do all these works for you, do follow closely what she is doing and ask her questions on what are being done for you. and also as the wedding start, the reception still have to seat outside as there may be guests who are late. and say eg, 1 hr after start of wedding, your reception have to bring the ang pow box to your hotel rm (if you are having your dinner at the hotel, they will ususally provide you with a rm), put in the cabinet or safe (if you are comfortable to give them the safe lock numbers which i suggest you do), and lock the rooms. don't forget, the angpows receive that night will be able to cover the cost of the dinner with a slight surplus and so that's alot of money. and if you have old folks who give gold... more headache coz ususally vy bulky items. hope the above helps.

depends on what you are looking at, eg. getting a single separate piece, getting a mug only, getting only 1 set of coffee cup & saucer, getting big dinner plates, soup bowls, or getting a whole set of dinnerware & tea sets, etc. eg. single plates can range from $4 onwards per piece depending on size and design. of coz, those nice nice designs are more ex lor. i find that their whole set of dinnerwares are worth to buy, eg. whole dinner setting for 6 or 8 pax is going from $35 onwards. you can go walk walk and compare. but all their items are quite dusty coz maybe the place is like a warehouse, vy big. but all you need is bring back and give it a wash will do. these dinnerwares are comparable to those selling at big shopping centres but their prices are cheaper. some reason maybe due to that the designs are outdated for some, eg. xmas designs changes every year for (eg.) US mkt? and some of these are made in Indonesia. i find that they are quite thick and heavy, not those flimsy type. some ppl may like, some ppl may not like. there are wares suitable for oven and microwave oven as well. go take a look, plenty of choices and if you have hsewarming or xmas, you can pack a set and give it as a gift, quite presentable as well.

5B Pte Ltd 42, Joo Chiat Rd Singapore 427368 Phone : (65-) 64587228 Fax : (65-) 64587890 there's another place that sells alot of tableware, ranging from european style, country style, modern style to simple style. and there are tablewares for xmas too. http://ptssingapore.tripod.com/products.htm JAVA FACTORY OUTLET Singapore Godown Building 25 Tagore Lane #03-13 Singapore 787602 Telephone: (65) 6452 2780 Electronic mail: ptssingapore@pacific.net.sg

yesterday juz been to IMM Daiso and saw they have plenty of these rounded corners that comes in different color and designs.

if grilling chicken, i like to brush honey on chicken so it has a 'sweet' taste. ya, the slow cooker is a gd help for cooking soup. and yes, 30 mins can prepare 1 meal already. if you have a bigger size oven, can pop in a few dishes at the same time.

not really la, its juz that my paternal family is peranakan, my late grandma used to be super fussy abt food and its also due to my great grandma who taught her those cooking stuffs, tonic stuffs, and many many funny hsewife stuffs and my grandma is vy gd in her needle work. my great grandma makes her own beaded shoes but a pity no one picked up her skills. though i went to learn on my own many years ago. b4 my mum married my dad, she was a gd cook and gd in dress making etc.coz she was make to learn all those women folks stuffs in order to be a 'gd enough' woman to be married off. and when my mum married my dad, my grandma taught her some more cooking stuffs and also make her cook those food that she like to eat. so from there, my mum learn more and she juz teaches us as she does her cooling and give us advises on those tonic stuffs lor... and also i pick up tips from my boss' wife. she's also a vy gd cook. i guess i got a gd makan life

my friend got her hse right at bedok central 5 years ago. its those walk-up unit at the top flr. she paid $12k cov for the 3rm flat. but her flat was vy well renovated by previous owner with full air-con, ariston hob & hood, full kitchen wall tiles, full length of top and bottom cabinet, fully flr tiled for living rm, 2 bedrms, store rm, kitchen and 2 toilets. store rm also has a custom build 3 storey L-shaped rack, full casement windows for living rm, bedrms, kitchen with grilles. and all she did was a simple cleaning and she moved in as the previous owner had renovated around 3years before selling to her. its vy convenient for her. and she sold her flat for $40k cov for her unit. when she told me, i almost fainted

i hv a colleague who was also asked to let them have 1 full album (+ small albums etc) as their shop sample album when their photo came out. and the bridal shop gave them the whole package free. including providing wedding gowns, tux, bridal car to them. but the shop had juz open for biz (was at marina sq) so needed some decent sample. and after that both him and his wife (both working at same coy) brag until every1 get so tired of looking at their photos or hear wat they say. !! !! but there's conditions and they had to sign some sort of agreement. some of it was (as i heard) to sign agreement to let the shop hv the full copyrights and they can advertise in any place as they deem fit, they are to go to areas, pose according to their photographer instructions and they have to do many days of photographing for outdoor if there's any weather change and the photos may not come out nice.

actually double boil bird nest is easy. refer to my procedure above. and also forgot to add, use those chinese breakable type of container meant for boiling tonic. put water inside the container for boiling. place container in another bigger pot that is big enough and add a stand inside the big pot to support the boiling tonic container. put some water into the big pot and boil. do not boil directly at the container. i hope you understand what im saying.