Useful Bits and Pieces

Free Baby Samples (Singapore)

2011-08-18T08:03:00.000-07:00

If you live in Singapore, here's where you can request for some free samples of baby products:

Nestle Baby Foods
http://www.nestlebaby.com/sg/nestle_baby_club/inscription/

Enfa Milk Powder
http://www.meadjohnsonasia.com.sg/sign-up.aspx?sampleReq=1

Dumex Milk Powder
http://www.dumex.com.sg/register

Abbott Milk Powder
http://www.abbott.com.sg/family/freesamples/freesamples.asp

Karihome goat milk powder & sweeties
http://www.karihome.com.sg/where_to_buy.php

Friso Milk Powder
64198484

Wyeth Milk Powder
1800-6886886

Mustela Skincare
http://www.babysafe.sg/pregnant.php

Huggies Diapers
http://www.huggies.com.sg/free-sample.aspx

Goo.N Diaper
http://www.diapers.com.sg/help.php?section=freesample

Drypers Diaper
1800 466 3002

Mamypoko Diaper
6265 1648

How To Renew Library Items Online

2010-09-22T01:30:00.000-07:00

I love how efficient the National Library system in Singapore is. You can now borrow up to 6 items at once, then return them at any branch island-wide. You can also register your handphone number to get an automatic SMS reminder 3 days before the items are due. If you're not done with them when the due date is approaching, you can renew each item once for free. You can even do it online at http://www.pl.sg/page/PlCheckYourAccount/CheckYourAccount . Just login with your NRIC, the first word of your name, and date of birth, then follow the instructions.

Note: You can't renew the items once they become overdue, so don't leave it to the last minute! :)

Beach Volleyball at Bishan Active!

2009-09-16T03:13:00.000-07:00

This is for beach volleyball lovers in Singapore who wants to play at Bishan Active and can't find a way to book it online. Guess what... you can't!! At least not yet - as of now, it's still not available for booking at the official facilities booking portal at one.pa.gov.sg.

What you can do is:
1. Call the Bishan North Community Centre to check out the available dates & time slots.

Address : 233 BISHAN STREET 22, #01-126 Singapore 570233 Show Map
Contact No. : 6451 5955
Fax No. : 6451 6535
Operating Hours : 02:00 PM - 10:30 PM
Payment Hours : 02:30 PM - 09:30 PM
How To Get Here:
BUSES: 410, 88, 54, 52 & 13 TAKE 410 FROM BISHAN INTERCHANGE. TAKE 88,54,13 ALONG BISHAN ROAD.

2. Go there to confirm your booking. Full payment is required when you book: $20 per 3-hr timeslot for PAssion card members + $15 refundable deposit. It's more expensive if you don't have the card, but I can't remember how much exactly.

3. Bring the receipt and show up at the CC on the day you are playing to collect the key card. After playing, you need to return the key to the CC to get your deposit refund.

This information doesn't seem to be available anywhere online the last time I searched. If it's useful to you, please leave a comment and feel free to link to this post. Have fun!

Affordable Wedding in Singapore

2009-06-27T15:55:00.000-07:00

3 of our friends have just announced their engagements and are preparing for their weddings in Singapore. We had ours last year for less than $15K including everything we needed for the Church ceremony, rehearsal dinner, simple wedding lunch, family dinner, and an intimate honeymoon at a lovely villa with private pool in Bali, so how did we do it?

A lot of wedding services are overpriced because many people are willing to pay exorbitant amounts for that one day of a lifetime. One trick is to find an affordable service provider that can deliver what you need even though they may not position themselves as wedding specialists! We splurged on some key items like family pampering and the honeymoon, and were thrifty with the rest. Here are some of the affordable service providers we used and are happy with:

- Wedding Cake: Pat & Felcor Pastry Kitchen
The cake arrived on time and was as lovely as I imagined it would be, and the baker/owner, Patty (9658 5326), was very helpful, flexible and friendly. We used our own figurine for the top and paid only $320 for the cake and delivery. Decorated cake knife and table provided by our caterer (Mum's Kitchen, see below).

- Actual Day Photo & Videography: Simon Video & Photo Service
They were friendly and entertaining, and captured our happy faces beautifully. We paid $1K for half a day's coverage, including 2 DVDs, 250 prints in a classic slot album, and 2 CD copies of all digital photos.

- Make-up: Sia (9093 0506)
Sia was consistently punctual and did a wonderful job for our ROM, pre-wedding photoshoots and actual wedding day. For the AD we paid only $450 for bridal make-up inclusive of hairstyling, ampules, fake eyelashes etc, and simple make-up plus hairstyling for 3 other ladies.

- Catering: Mum's Kitchen
Very accommodating. Loved their professional layout & table decor.

- Wedding Gown: Julia Wedding News
The first gown I tried in this bridal studio turned out to be The One. Thanks to Sally (6323 7228) who listened to what I had in mind and showed us the right stuff! We rented a very simple gown off the rack for $1K, including alterations and 1 bridesmaid's gown or groom's jacket.

- Sound System: Pressure Funk
A simple outdoor sound system with speakers, mixer, wireless mic & DVD player for $350 including installation & pick up.

- Florist: Blissfulthots

- Car Rental: Kumar Limousine & Coach

- Wedding Favours: SkinWeaver
We compiled our own CD of love songs for our guests to remember the event by. For the CD illustration we used one of our wedding photos with a "Thank you" note to our guests and the wedding date. We didn't want to use printable CDs or labels because (1) we'd have had to DIY, and (2) our home printer's results are not consistent, so we might have had to throw some away. In the end we got the CD labels done at SkinWeaver. They turned out really nice - the pic was very clear with no pixelation, and it's laptop-skin quality with a classy texture on the top laminate which they say makes it fade-proof. It's kind of pricey at $2/pc (min order 200pcs), but I decided to mention it here anyway as for us it's definitely worth it. Cheers!

How To Save As .ICO (Icon Files) Using Photoshop

2009-06-23T00:21:00.000-07:00

When you have your graphic ready in Photoshop:
1. Click on File > Save As...
2. Select .ICO from the list of formats.

If you don't see the .ICO format on the list, or get an error saying "Could not save... because of a disk error" after trying to save as .ICO, you may need to update your ICO format plug-in. Download it free from http://www.telegraphics.com.au/sw/, then follow their simple README file. It works for my ancient Photoshop 7.0, and is supposed to have been tested on all versions. These guys seem to keep it reasonably updated. Good luck!

How To Give Your Website A Unique Icon

2009-06-23T00:03:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder how some websites have a unique icon on the left of their URL, tab title, or in your favourite bookmark list? Just create one tiny icon file with the relevant graphic that sums up your website, name the file favicon.ico, and upload it to the same place as your website's homepage. You might need to refresh your browser ([Ctrl] + F5) to see the result. Have fun!

How To Renounce Your Indonesian Citizenship in Singapore

2009-02-19T03:02:00.000-08:00

It's not easy to renounce a citizenship you have been holding onto since birth. First there would be the expected internal emotional struggles. Are you sure you want to do this? Is this really the best thing to do for your future? And then there's the stigma you might inadvertently get from your (ex)fellow citizens once they learn that you are ditching that citizenship. Are you prepared to deal with that?

This piece is NOT on how to get through that phase.

Rather, it's a quick matter-of-fact guide for people who've made up their minds and simply want to know how the hell it's actually done. It might save you a trip to the embassy and lengthly fact-finding phone calls to the authority. But don't blame anyone if any of the following info turns out to be outdated by the time you need it. In fact, do leave a comment on what has changed so the next person can benefit from your experience. Here goes...

1. You should only renounce your citizenship if you're sure you're going to be a citizen of another country. In Singapore, that usually means you've applied to the ICA and gotten a letter saying that your application has been approved.

2. Find a Notary Public that can help you declare your intention to renounce. The Indonesian embassy recommends this firm:
Tan, Lee & Choo Advocates & Solicitors
1 Park Road
#04-04 People's Park Complex (next to Chinatown MRT)
Singapore 059108
Tel: 6535 6077

3. Bring your documents there; they will know exactly what to do. The fee is S$150 + stamp duty (less than S$30). You will need the following documents:
- approval letter from ICA
- current passport
- KTP/Indonesian IC
- Birth certificate or SKBRI/citizenship certificate
Your signed declaration will be sent to the Singapore Academy of Law for certification. It should be ready for pick up in 3 business days.

4. Bring the certified declaration to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for legalisation. It's done on the spot, and costs S$10:
Consular Service Counter
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Tanglin, Singapore 248163
Office hours: Mon to Fri 9 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and 2.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m., or Sat 9 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.

5. Finally, go to the Indonesian Embassy with the following documents:
- original legalized declaration of your intention to renounce
- photocopy of approval letter from ICA
- original birth certificate or citizenship certificate
- original KTP/Indonesian IC
- photocopy of your Singaporean NRIC
- photocopy of your marriage certificate, if any
- photocopy of your spouse's IC, if any
You will need to fill in two forms there and sign one of them on a Rp6000 materai (stamp duty), which they will happily provide at S$2. It will take them 7 business days to produce an official renounciation letter and the fee is S$34.