Here's My Story

During the consultation on 16th April , we accepted Dr Tan's suggested date of surgery 22nd April. My mum is still covered by an AIA health insurance policy and fortunately Penang Adventist Hospital (PAH) is not only a panel hospital (need to fork out deposit first), it is also designated "platinum" i.e. totally cashless. Panel hospital will apply for a Guarantee Letter (GL) directly from AIA. Dr Tan's nurse asked me to call them if we don't get notification from AIA (about the outcome of the application) before the surgery. From my experience with AIA during my hospitalisation for the arthroscopic knee surgery, it shouldn't take long for AIA to process the application after submission. However, by Sat, 20th April, there was still no notification. A check on the AIA app revealed no such application. Hmph! So on Sunday, before we drove to Butterworth, I called PAH in the morning. They said they woud check and get back to me. Almost half an hour later, it sudden

About 3 weeks after I lodged a complaint in ezAdu,  I received a call from KPDN officer telling me that they would (or already have done so) give a warning to Nichiya Ramen and asked them to rectify their system. It's a fair action if they had not done this miscalculation previously. This is the second time I used ezAdu but the first time I received a call. In my first complaint, I stated (and provided the receipt) that the restaurant applied SST on 10% service charge, which is incorrect but somehow they closed the case saying that the eatery applied SST and service charge. Clearly, they misunderstood me.

We were back at Dr Tan Chun Ee's clinic two weeks after the last appointment . By that time, we all (mum, sisters and I) were convinced that surgery was the way forward, especially since medicine + physio hardly eleviated the pain. Also, that treats the symptom, not the cause, whereas surgery treats the cause. Medicine (including potentially new ones in future) also has side effects: Celebrex is already causing swelling of my mum's feet. Future medicine. During the appointment, Dr Tan asked some questions and physically checked mum quite thoroughly. It appeared that even he then leaned towards surgery. Since he already knew our preference, there was no need to explicitly ask whether we wanted surgery or not, especially since I asked more questions about it: (1) From the shape of the old screws and their configuration, it's highly like that they won't be compatible with the new rod and so these would need to be removed (along with the old rod). Unlike Dr Joehaimy , he di

Ever since I blogged about Rise & Sip , we've been going there each time we shop for grocery at NSK. So far, I've been very happy with their food there. Here are some more food that we tried: Japanese curry chicken rice. Either Ban or his brother had it and he said it was good. Mushroom aglio olio with added grilled prawns (paid extra to add it). Absolutely love the amount of vegetables here. They all went together well. A definite must-have. Customised salad with added grilled prawns (again, paid extra to add those). Colourful, refreshing and delicious. Fresh ingredients. Another must-have.

Here are the average dividend yields on cost for shares that have paid out dividends: Share counters (2 of them) with no dividend yields just means that I have yet to receive at least a year's worth of dividends from these companies. The overall dividend yield on cost weighted by invested amount is 5.1% (vs 4.9% in previous review), excluding the 2 share counters mentioned above. There are 15 share counters with dividend yield (on cost) less than 5% (number of consecutive years of this low yield in bracket): BOUSTEAD (6) (at 4.9%, it's very close to 5%) CAPLAND INTCOM T (3) CL ASCENDAS REIT (1) COMFORTDELGRO (4) FRASERS L&C TR (2) IFAST (5) KEPPEL DC REIT (2) MAPLETREE LOG TR (2) MPLTR PAN TR (2) PARKWAYLIFE REIT (4) RAFFLES MEDICAL (2) SGX (4) SHENG SIONG (2) SINGTEL (2) UOB (6) The UOB's dividend yield of 4.8% is more than good enough for me. iFAST's low dividend yield is more than compensated by its huge unrealised capital gain. Here is the average cost of each s

These are the shares that I initiated position in and sell since the last update about year ago :   Initiated in: (1) Delfi (as recommended by The Smart Investor) " Delfi manufactures, markets and distributes consumer chocolates and snacks to more than 17 countries with its core markets being  Indonesia, Malaysia,  and the Philippines." Reasons to buy: A consumer giant in Indonesia Going asset-light Growing profits and dividends New product releases are a catalyst for future growth Risks: Stiff competition Depreciation of regional currencies Food safety issues and hygiene Legal claims from Barry Callebaut Exited: (1) SIA Engineering Dividend yield less than 5% for past 5 years. (2) iFAST Pared down because current value is disproportionately large in the portfolio. (3) VICOM Smart Investor recommends selling it: the company decided to pause giving out dividends. As at 31st March 2024, I have investment in 28 companies (*these companies' source of business are only in Si

So, the unit I'm purchasing was held not by me or the seller: it was the developer. For some reasons, despite having received the strata title nearly a year ago, they haven't transferred it to the current (beneficial) owner. Hence, there are additional steps: The developer had to confirm that the seller is the current beneficial owner of the unit. The developer agreed to transfer the strata title directly to me, rather transfer it to the seller who the transfer to me.  So, aside from the usual Sale & Purchase Agreement ("SPA"), there are additional documents: for developer to sign to effect to above while both the seller and I sign to indemnify the developer for any loss arising from them signing those documents. Normally the 3-month timer where this transaction is due to be completed starts upon signing the SPA by both parties but in this case, it also conditioned upon signing of the relevant documents by the developer. The SPA outlines the consequences and opti

I took some time to get a physiotherapist who does house visit to treat my mum, during the two-week period before the next appointment with Dr Tan . Homage had, unfortunately, stopped providing services to the public (only to institution) and the therapist that we hired from them for mum previously had already moved to Ipoh. After a few enquiries, the first one that got back to me was Spine Joint & Muscle Solutions Physiotherapy, the physio centre that my dad went to. Towards the end of his life, we also got therapists from them to treat dad at home. My sister also underwent therapy with them previously. They assigned Nisha to my mum. Since it was on short notice, we had limited choices of suitable time and so ended compromised by accepting a 12pm slot. Over the course of 5 sessions (the 5th was after the next appointment with the orthopaedic), there is gradual improvement in pain for my mum. The very session was mostly Nisha trying to stretch and loosen the lower back muscles. Lat

They sell cheap secondhand books. I randomly picked up two and saw the prices RM 10 and RM 12. That's cheap and their condition wasn't bad at all. I like this. It's a self-service bookstore. There was absolutely no staff there. But that means its viability depends on the integrity of others. Unfortunately, there had to be someone who just couldn't even fork out the exact payment for such cheap books. Haiz. Hopefully such case is rare.

  If I'm not mistaken, rounding should be only at the total bill, not on the service charge. So, the correct service charge should be RM 8.37, which brings the amount to RM 92.07 and that is rounded down to RM 92.05.

Oh yes, it happened again: the first laundry after our Butterworth trip failed because the power button didn't work. I tried replugging, and unplugged before plugging it hours later. Both didn't work. I unplugged it and told Ban what happened. I asked him to contact the repairman if it didn't work the next day. Like previously, it did work the next day. So, I'm hoping that by making it a habit to unplug after every use, we could use this machine much longer. I also tested the socket and it worked with my phone charger. I've used another socket for the machine and it didn't work. So, either the machine is faulty...or maybe it's just the plug? Hmmm.

Recently, our washing machine konked out: nothing happened when I pressed the Power button. Tried like 3 times. Tested the wall socket with two other appliances and it worked.  Based on Google review rating, Ban called a repairman. They said that the malfunction was probably due to spoiled motherboard and asked us to send screenshot of the serial number so that they could quote the price of a new motherboard. Ban did that but they have yet to respond. So the next morning I asked Ban to try another. This repairman ("The Repair Guy" on Google haha) came and as soon as he tried, the machine works again @@ He just started it and observe until the start of the spin cycle and pronounced that the machine behaved itself because the 'doctor' was here :D So, we offered to pay him transport fee, which he quoted as RM 50. Later, my sister told me that this happened to her washing machine, which later on broke down anyway. I guessed we have to be prepared for that scenario. This m

After asking our friends for recommendation, we decided to seek second opinion from Dr Tan Chun Ee at Penang Adventist Hospital (PAH). The appointment was 10 days after we l ast consulted Dr Joehaimey .  In my previous blog post, I forgot to mention that Dr Joehaimy replaced the medicine Lyrica with Gabapentin and retained Norgesic. Meanwhile, my mum's leg cramp worsened. My aunt, who used to get cramps too, suggested my mum to get supplement that has calcium, magnesium and vitamin D, which also would help in strengthening bone. The local pharmacist thus recommended Flexical, which has calcium, vitamin D3 and K2, and magnesium. Deficiency in magnesium may cause cramp. Also, a quick check on research papers show that calcium and vitamin D are recommended for people at risk of fracture but "Data on vitamin K2 and magnesium supplementation with regard to bone and muscle health are promising but still inconclusive." Four days before the appointment i.e. 6 days on the above me

Sometime last year, the top right side of Ban's phone started to blacken. It started small but grew gradually to obscure the battery icon. So he decided to get it fixed, in case it became serious. It was quite a good timing too because we were about to go to Australia. We went to Samsung service centre at One Utama. Waited quite sometime, only to be told that they no longer stock spare parts for that phone. After googling and checking its reviews, I suggested Dr. iDevice to him.  Lenise, who was manning the outlet in One Utama, was helpful, friendly and professional. She first checked whether they could get hold of the display part. Then she quoted the fee to Ban and explained the process of fixing it. Due to the circumstances at that time, Ban left his phone with them. They called me the next day to collect it as soon as it was fixed. So, when recently my phone's screen cracked after it dropped onto tarred road (it cracked exactly where the screen protector couldn't protec

  The difference between this special sliced beef and the usual one is that the former is marinated with some spices and a sweet sauce. I prefer the normal one because I didn't like the sweetness. Not worth it for me to pay extra for it. This is the dry penang hokkien prawn mee at Masih Kopitiam, Butterworth. I normally shun this dish because of the paltry amount of ingredient but this one had much more. It tasted great too. I loved this set, Salmon Zukushi, at Jyu Raku. Definitely a salmon-lover pleaser :) Someone gave to Ban this dessert. It was surprisingly delicious and filling.

Me: I find that adding strawberry enhances banana smoothie. Ban: I find that taking out the banana also enhances banana smoothie *laughed* Me: *laughed and smacked him*   Note: Ban doesn't like banana smoothie, no mater what else is mixed inside, even if cocoa powder is mixed in.

About two weeks ago, my mum developed pain in her pelvic bone, much more on the right side, and squeezing pain in her legs, with occassional spike in pain. She was managing it with paracetamols, 2 tabs three times daily.  Since we didn't know any particular orthopedist in private hospitals (it was only recently that I remember Dr Prashant ), I targeted one at KPJ Penang Specialist Hospital since it's in mainland Penang (instead of on the island). I made appointment for my mum with Dr Joehaimey since he has the earliest suitable date. The moment she walked through his door, he immediately asked her whether the pain from her right side. We were both quite impressed. He was in turn impressed with mum's prepared list of medication that she presented to him on a piece of paper. The key information seems to be the surgery she had back in 2011 to insert titanium plate and screws in her lower spine. He guessed that there's accumalated wear and tear due to aging. So to confirm i

This was at Eades Park in Melbourne:

Yes, they were in packs of Jasmine Harumas Wangi Rice 5kg. Here's my email to Lotus's: My friend and I nearly bought a bag of 5 kg rice that has weevil in it.   I approached the staff at the self-checkout counter but she just stared at me, asking me what I wanted her to do. I of course wanted it to be put away so that nobody buys it and yet she asked me to just put it back on the shelf, saying that it's not her job and it's the job of the stock worker. Instead of saying it's not her job, it would be better if she had directed me to the correct person or even better, contact her colleague.   She then asked me to pass the bag of rice to the personnel at the service counter, who, thankfully, took it away from me and agreed with me that it should not be put back for someone else to purchase.   Meanwhile, my friend looked at this brand of rice and discovered that there were many more bags of them with weevils in them. Coincidentally, the stock worker was arranging other

Boardgame turns into restaurant?!

Due to some foolish actions by a relative, Ban and I found ourselves at Shah Alam JPJ and so I took the opportunity to contact a friend to lunch with us. We were lucky that he agreed to this impromptu meeting :) He suggested Mama Kim at Kota Kemuning. It was packed but fortunately, we didn't need to wait long for a table. It was delicious, both main meal and dessert. I would love to dine there again if not because of lack of parking space Perhaps if we go there early? Oh, also Kota Kemuning is far :/

As I stated in a previous post , CPF staff told me that the standard processing time to deposit my money into my bank account was 5 months. Hence, I am surprised that it was done 3 weeks later! Wow. Once again, the Singapore government agencies' hallmarked efficiency was in effect. Thank you! Also, the amount was a little more than the balance as at end of 2023. They probably added in prorated interest (unexpected because interest is declared on a quarterly basis but credited annually) and maybe partially refunded Eldershield premium. Either way, this is much appreciated! On a related news, I recently purchased a condo unit in the same block as my sister's unit. I've been mulling over this for over a year already. The only important reason for this is to have a place where my mum can live in if she ever needs a helper due to health condition, like how my dad needed one especially when he was no longer mobile. My sister's place simply has no space to for a helper to live

Saw their advert on the sides of escalators in 3 Damansara and so I checked their Google rating and reviews. 5 stars from about 20 reviews! Omg! After making sure that there was suitable food for Ban and I, we dined there one day. I had Teriyaki Spaghetti with Fried Chicken whereas Ban had one of their pokebowls. We both loved our food. Normally I get 'jelak' (bored? too rich?) with sweet food halfway through but it wasn't the case with the teriyaki spaghetti. However, I won't be having this often because I naturally seldom eat fried chicken. We did dine there a second time and it was good too. Sorry, I forgot to take notes or photos of them. I definitely plan to dine there whenever we shop at NSK. Previously, it was quite a hassle shopping at NSK because of lack of eating choices with suitable food. PS: It still have average Google rating of 5 stars! Edit: It turns out that Ban had the cajun prawn pokebowl, whereas it as his brother who had the pokebowl above. I had th

 ...this time at Adelaide Airport 😁

One day, as we were driving home from dinner at Pho Vietz (Starling Mall outlet), Ban noticed this shop named  GachaKohi along the road facing the Sprint Highway. We got curious because we know what gacha refers to. So, he googled and found a video about it (I listened to it as I was driving). I was intrigued and so suggested that one day we go there for drinks after a meal. We went there after having lunch at King's Beef Noodle . You can order drinks like in any other cafe but their main theme here is the gacha machine: Each machine contain balls with different colours that refer to different drinks but they are of the same 'theme'. For example, the Gacha Ocha machine is for green tea drinks while the Gacha Soda machine is for soda drinks. You purchased a token at the counter (if I recall correctly the sequence) costing RM 14.90 (RM 16.40 after service charge). Insert it a machine of your choice. Twist its handle a few times until a ball rolls down. Collect the ball and o

As planned, on 16th Jan I started looking at how to close my CPF account .  By default, there are two ways of closing the account: (1) In person at CPF Service Centre, with relevant documents, or (2) Mail the completed account closure form to CPF Board, with copies of relevant documents certified true copy by Singapore High Commissioner. The signing of the form also needs to be witnessed by the commissioner. There is, however, a third way that is open only to Malaysians: complete and submit an online form but with the restriction that the CPF money will be given only in the form of a cheque i.e. there's no option for it to be transferred to a designated bank account. I chose the third way but a week later on 23rd Jan, I received an email from CPF board to submit supporting documents via method (1) or (2). So essentially, I wasted my time doing the third way! Much later, upon query, the CPF officer attending to me at the service centre told me that the third way is only for Malaysia

For the recent trip to Australia , I juggled a few things so that we could fly Singapore Airlines from Australia (Sydney) to Singapore for the first time, chiefly to compare it to Malaysia Airlines. I wasn't disappointed: I loved it! There is a possibility that the experience was coloured by the fact that the plane was an Airbus 380 (double-decked!) but nevertheless I enjoyed that flight. Boarding was on time. Departure was only slightly delayed. Service was excellent. Seats and entertainment sets were in good condition. I remember MAS's entertainment set was poorly responsive to touch and its sound quality was significantly worse. However, I am a little miffed with their check-in system, as documented in this blog post .   Food was pretty good. They served Magnum ice-cream after the main meal!   I would seriously consider flying SIA again in future. It would have been a no brainer if they fly straight to KL, instead of needing to stop at Singapore.

During the latest trip to Australia, my sister taught me how to use her blender to make smoothie and ever since then, I was hooked. Back home, I started to think about the benefits of having a blender: Making my own smoothie that's much healthier than outside. Having homemade smoothie greatly lessens the craving for one outside. Much cheaper to have homemade smoothie (than buying one outside). Can blend in the bland protein powder in the smoothie. Can blend in oat. I usually have oat with milk each night. Create my smoothies that aren't available outside. Recommendations from the internet were either not available on Shopee, had too many negative reviews or too expensive. A friend's mother recommended a good brand but too expensive and too huge for me. Then I came across Panasonic MX-XP103WSR Tumbler Blender. Its size is great for me, it was cheap (RM 127 after discount/vouchers, original price was RM 169) and it had mostly positive reviews. The only comment that concerned

I've been trying to see whether I could sell my old Alienware 14 since I got my current ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14, while continually looking out avenue to donate it for recyling. I did offer it to my sister for her children to use but she declined (after discussing it with husband).  Later, I read news of CeX setting up in Malaysia and the nearest outlet (there were only two) was at MyTown KL. Ban and I are reluctant to go to KL and so I didn't make an effort to go there to sell my laptop until we came across a few recycling bins at Megah Rise Mall, including one for laptops. So before I donated it, I wanted to give CeX a shot first. To make it a more worthwhile trip, we went there before lunch time. We took a wrong turn going there and that almost doubled our journey time from 35 minutes to 63 minutes @@ CeX didn't accept my laptop, apparently because of the degradation of the rubber legs and also that one spoiled key. Do they instead want used laptop in pristine condition? A