gadgetman

Yup I called Starhub yesterday too. Was told that as Blk79 is a very new block, cable services has not been activated yet. We will have to wait until mid January for the services to be activated. My account was also suspended temporarily until the resumption of services. Luckily I have subscription to M1 Mobile broadband and still can access the net by using the usb modem. BTW, are you staying at Blk79C too? Cheers!

I can't believe it! After all the mad rush, we are now finally staying at our new house! Hooray Also got my season parking yesterday too...yeah! Now can even park at RED LOTS and dun hv to worry about the annoying parking attendents!! But not everything is nice and rosy yet. My old house is still in a BIG BIG mess and my new house needs a serious re-packing and cleaning again Overall, I am personally satisfied with the outcome of the renovation. There is no question that there will definitely be nicer and more impressive units than ours, but we come to realise that you have to be true to yourself and stick with your heart. We got sidetracked so many times when we saw new ideas and the temptation is to try to incorporate everything into our design. Not only is this very stressful because it sometimes requires painful u-turns and expensive top-ups, but there is a real danger of the house becoming rojak! It will be at least another 2 weeks before everything is fully settled for us at our old and new place. But we are so thankful that the worst part seems to be over already and we can gradually look forward to enjoying our new lives at Blk79C! Gadgetman signing out!

The above all sounded nice and well in thoery, but wait till you lose something like a 40" LCD TV and then the theory will be put to the real test! Apologies if I sounded harsh too !!

I will really strongly advise everybody to do that. A decent lock should cost about $15, two of that is only about $30. But just consider the downside of not installing the extra locks: If the thief finds that it is not worth the while to break into a well-protected unit, they may just look around for a easier target!!

The above is very real as it had happened to my very own place! Luckily we did not lose any thing valuable, but unfortunately the carpenter found a whole set of toolbox missing and that amounted to at least a few hundred dollars. Ever since that incident, we have bought two extra heavy duty locks to lock up the gate in addition to the combination lock. We are not taking any chances and we will also lock our bedroom doors as an extra security measure. It is not that we have a lot of valuables in the house now, but it is more to send a very strong message to the thief that we are very serious in protecting our property and we will go the extra mile to make it harder for them to succeed.

Wow, I just had a small accident too last Saturday at Blk79 carpark. Was going with Strawberry Pear and her hubby to view curtains at Bukit Batok and was just driving down the ramp to exit the carpark. In front of me was a van (probably contractor) and he headed wrongly towards the carpark entrance to exit the CP. Halfway through, he realised that he had taken the wrong turn and immediately put his gears on reverse. I was just behind him and immediately horned to warn him. But alas, he did not pay any attention and the next moment....bang! The driver immediately admitted that it was his fault. The damage: My license plate was already dented and there were some marks on my front bumper. Luckily though, the car is still intact and apart from the license plate, there was no other major damage. The driver offered me $50 as compensation which I accepted. The irony of the whole thing is that the incident happened just as I was telling Strawberry how careful I have to drive on that day. It was actually the anniversary of my traffice offence last year and under the DIPS scheme, all my demerit points could be expunged if I maintained a clean record for one year. Suay suay just mention only and then kena accident! But the bright side of the story is that despite the incident, we had a great trip to the curtain factory and had a productive and enjoyable day! The next day I was also very happy to find that all my demerit points are removed....yeah!

Hi ebing and Preciousthots, No, I not taking the ACCA exams, but I am working for ACCA Singapore. I can really understand the kind of stress you guys have to go through...but trust me, it will be worth the while. I have personally seen many success stories of people who have benefitted greatly from the qualification. Just today, I rang up one of our top affiliates about a video project and guess where he answered his call from...? Paris! he is on a work assignment and the qualification takes him to Paris! (Actually, he goes to North Korea too...but that's beside the point...) Just remember that under the new syllabus, things will be much better now. You are now allowed an extra 15mins to take notes and plan your answers before the actual 3hr paper. The core paper rule is also gone now, so you can take the essential papers at your own pace. Finally, as this is the first time the new syllabus is being examined, the pilot papers will be very important. Please make sure you have practiced sufficiently on the pilot papers over and over again (without referring to the model answers). All the best for your coming exams. Do PM me if you have anything you are not sure about (except of course exams tips which I won't have!) Sorry to hijack this discussion...

Mine bursted the very day I confirmed with my ID! Errr...you are not taking the ACCA exams by any chance...right?

Hi Zanie, Maybe they mean that they will supply you with $26/pc tiles all the way! In that case, you can go to Hafary and only consider those beautiful tiles that are priced NOT LOWER than $20 each! If you do that, I am quite sure they will happily sit down with you to "re-look" the quote Cheers!

Hi alister, can I confirm if both your toilets cost $2900 to overlay the wall and tiles (excluding all other stuff like vanity top, PD doors etc)? Mine was also around this range for the overlay and I thought it was kinda high initially...but it seems like this is the norm...Do you have any restriction on the types (price...) of tiles you can use? Thanks!

Welcome to the neighbourhood! Alister is with Alex, you may like to check with him on his expereince with Summit A few of us here are with Substance, it is indeed the shop across Blk79. If get a quote from them you'll probably be invited to our houses to have a look as well Welcome!

Here are some photos to jolt your memory! Photos taken on 10 July 2004. Construction of Blk79 just started!

Thanks! Unfortunately, that's about the ONLY photo I have with the old Blk79 Was really hoping that more people will come forward with their collection of old photos of Blk79. I never thought that I will be staying at Blk79 eventually, but ever since my younger days, Blk79 had always been a special place for me. I still remember that there used to be a special vegetarian cake shop, the police post used to be there, and there used to be a computer shop there too. My TV trolley was bought from a furniture shop from the old Blk79 too. Really regretted not taking more photos then....now all I have are fond memories. Here's for old time's sake:

Hi Mapleleaf, I was just going through my photos collection and I realised that I still have some photos of Blk79 in 2004 when the construction site was still bare! I also have the photos of the mock-up model that was displayed at the HDB Hub at that time. Looking at the model, it struck me on how accurate the real thing is compared to the model. Now I know that there will be a badminton court beside Blk A and the structure with glass panel behind Blk79B next to the rear carpark exit will be known as the People's Plaza! I really hope that your data can be recovered eventually...but in anycase, you are most welcome to share my photos...so not all is lost!

Went to Ngee Ann Best Denki again during my lunch time. Noticed that the $1599 price is also extended to the model that is completely Made in Japan! Remembered that my colleague had paid about $2400 about 6 months back to get the same set. Now the price is so attractive!

I spoke with my ID last evening cos the pace of my reno also appear to slow down somewhat. He mentioned that its the carpentry work that will take the most time. Now that it is year-end, there are even more people rushing to make it in time for CNY - so more backlog. My floor and toilets tiles also went up very fast, so did the false ceiling, lights and aircons....but after that it's wait, wait and more wait for the carpentry works!

Hi Tension_z, I hope all these additional info is not making you any more confused on which LCD TV to buy. Let me see if the following inputs will be of better help: 1. You may note that most people are going for 37" LCD TV and this may be a much sensible choice. I do regret a bit getting the 40" LCD as it may prove to be too big for my small TV area! 2. If you like a LCD TV that is both functional and decorative, the Samsung R81 series is the best bet. The offer quoted by Bethel is so far the best at $2099 (with 5 years warranty) 4. If you like a better balance of design, quality and price then the Hitachi model at Ngee Ann best Denki is obviously the best buy at $1599! BTW, this is not an old clearance model, it has some of the best specs among the latest LCD TVs! Whichever model you chose, I am sure you will be happy with your decision! OK...I better keep quiet now and let you decide

That shop's name is ALP if I remember correctly. I went there too before going to Tai Sin, but was quite dissapointed becasue they have scaled back on their shop area (now half the shop sublet to a handphone shop) and more importantly, cut back on their range of LCD TVs! I only recall seeing Akira brand whereas last time they carry Samsung and other brands as well... I have ever bought things from them before and must say that they are indeed very friendly people. Probably the Tai Sin staff saw my "gian" look when I saw the Hitachi TV offer and knew that he can invest in some PR time to go for an easy kill.... But I don't really mind all these sales tactics lah. Bottomline is that they must give me a good price! They did and I am still very pleased with my purchase yesterday

Here's a crash course on posting photos! 1. Register an account with www.photobucket.com 2. Upload your photos (better to resize them smaller first, 640X480 is best) 3. Select those photos you like to upload by ticking them 4. Click button below to generate HTML codes 5. There will be a few types of codes generated, but look at the one that say: "IMG clickable thumbnails for message boards - recommended" 6. You can copy the entire URL and then paste it into your post. 7. Wallah! you have a picture in your post! The full image will be displayed if you click on the picture too! Happy posting!

It depends if you will need the free gifts or not...I know the Philips 32 inch is only retailing for $999 and this is the lowest-end model. The Samsung free gift is most probably a Home Entertainment System (HTS) which will cost anything from $350 to about $450. If you take the value of their free gifts at $1798. You can definitely get a much better 32in LCD TV and a much better HTS! But if you do not need another LCD TV and a HTS, why pay so much more in the first place?

Here's another Price Alert for LCD TV! Taka Best Denki selling Brand New Hitachi 37" IPS Panel LCD TV Model 37D9000TA at Only $1599! Usual Price is 2199! Limited sets only...Check it out!

Hey People! Why not we all do something about this...? I am sure many of us would have kept photos of Blk79 when it was under construction. Can you imagine what will happen if we just pool our resources??? I don' mind coordinating for this project cos I am quite a sentimental guy and I would definitely appreciate these photos in the future! All we need to do (and this will take some time) is to go through all our photo collection of Blk 79 and classify them in different folders sorted by Month and Year! Burn these photos onto a CD-ROM, pass it to me and I will then compile all of them into ONE BIG COLLECTION! Old photos of the original Blk 79 are also welcome! Any volunteers to take part in this project?

I have to admit that I was as confused as you when I first come across this item! Of course now with so many visits to the toilet accessories shops, I have learnt that a mixer is: JUST A TAP THAT ALLOWS YOU TO MIX HOT AND COLD WATER!

Yup, it's the same exact model! I will be using this for the MBR too! I have got a similar 40" Samsung R81 model as Ms white for the living room. Understand that this model is still retailing at $3599 with lots of (usually useless) freebies! Really liked this model but I definitely won't pay $3599 for it! Luckily for me I bought a display clearance from Best Denki for a more affordable $2339! On the subject of the dryer: I realised that the sales person at Taka Best Denki may have over exaggerated the benefits of the Electrolux model and the weakness of the F&P model. I kept thinking to myself, how can getting a trusted brand like F&P be so wrong and how could the engineers there screw up so bad to come up with such a lousy design?? There is just no logic to it. But still the worry of hot and moist air venting towards the kitchen cabinets (and spoiling it) is a real concern and only the Electrolux model seem to have the answer through its front-venting system. My answer finally came last Sunday at Great World City Best Denki. The salesgirl showed me a crtitical accessory of the F&P Dryer that I have not yet seen....a simple piece of metal that is know as the DEFLECTOR! Then everything fell into place! the F&P dryer does not just vent hot air straight out of its back like what Taka Electrolux promoter want me to believe, the metal device can basically channel the hot air sidewards! With this new info on hand, I asked the salesgirl to shown me the location of the back vent - it is located at the bottom left side. Now, if I mount the dryer upside down, the vent will then move to...the upper right corner and more importantly...NEXT TO MY WINDOW!!! Problem solved! No need to use tubes or front vent system, the deflector will take care of everything! But do take note, my kitchen layout is such that the windows open to the right, that's why the solution will work for my unit. But if your kitchen window open to the left, you may still need to attach a tube or consider the front venting system to better manage the flow of the hot air!

BTW neighbours, if you are looking for LCD TV and other electircal appliances...look no further than Toa Payoh ! Just got some great deals from Tai Sin Radio and Electrical Service located near the popular Lee hwa cosmetic shop at Blk 183. Star buy No. 1: Hitachi 32" IPS Panel LCD TV with 10,000: 1 contrast (Panel made in Japan, body assembled in Thailand) = $1059 (inclusive of GST and delivery) I have so far not come across a deal for a decent 32in LCD TV deal that is around $1000! The closest I've seen is a Philips model going for $999, but this is the most basic model that cannot compare with the Hitachi's specs! Star Buy No. 2: Fisher and Paykal ED56 Dryer = $458 (inclusive of GST and delivery, $50 more for wall mounting installation) Was originally eyeing the manual model, there is currently a special November promotion and Best Denki is only selling for $408 (down from the original $550). I thought that was the best deal already until I saw this same shop selling the exact model for only $378! What's more the electronic model is even a better bargain at the above price. Sorry Best Denki and Courts, this is an offer I cannot resist! Very happy today So you might ask if I am getting anything out of this...right? Well, who cares? Go and check around the prices and decide for youself! That's right! We originally wanted to have a lime green color for that room, but we just could not find the right shade. There was a long debate that went on....But there is one thing we would not do which is to paint the room blue! Boy = Blue...How unimaginative! That was when Leonard showed us the turquiose/cyan shade and we thought that this should go very well...and it did! I am sure that color will be good for your house too Oh yes, I was just driving down Lorong 5 around 9.30pm when I saw Strawberry Pear and her hubby strolling home together....hand-in-hand! Must be after the KpKp session that you are talking about, right? I went to my place earlier but was very dissapointed that nothing had been done for the past few days Also went to her place to KpKp around 6.30pm and saw that the carpentry guys were just starting to install more of her bomb shelter feature wall...So exciting! I just cannot wait to see how the completed project will be like!!