Wardrobe battle cont'd...

We finally checked out Eka by Eureka (www.ekabyeureka.com) at Ubi. They have dismantled their present showroom and were in the mist of doing up their new showroom so we didn't really samples to see. But they use their pole system in their office as well.

Its construction likes very familiar. On closer look, it looked similar to the system OM is using. Curvy aluminum poles like Alumix and aluminum support and lights build in the poles. The lady took copies my drawings and say will design and quote me later in the week. We had a good feeling when we left the place.

However there was no news and come Thursday, I called her up. She actually lost all my drawings and my contact number (that's why she could not contact me). I was like "why such things keep happening to my renovation?". But she was sincerely apologetic so we decided to give her another chance. Emailed her the drawings on Friday, lets wait and see...

Philips, what a killing....

Wah I today early morning go Toa Payoh queue up liao. Queue up for what ler? Sale lor... Singaporean forever queue up for sale one. I was actually waiting for the Philips Carnival 2006 to start (at 9:30am).

I was there at 8:20am and there was already a queue. Actually it was expected as someone from Sengkang forum say that the queue usually start at 8 already.

I was one of the top 10 (wah got sense of achievement). By the time it was 9:15am, the queue was all the way to the main road...

So being in the Top 10 in the queue, what do I get? 70mins of hot sun, tearing 2 x $1 parking coupons (they open the parking space in the opposite Philips building after their staff all came), having the space to view the products for 10 mins. After that there I was in the same situation as the person who came at 9:30 and stroll in. And how crowded was the whole place?

It was this packed. So what did I get? Got a vacuum cleaner, toaster, deep fryer, iron and rice cooker.

The vacuum cleaner was a real challenge as we were not sure if we were gonna use it regularly. We were initially eyeing the Cityline model as it was cheap (S$139). But the head is the normal square head and according to the sales person, it cannot be used on Parquet floor. So have to look for the triangle head that only models from Jewel (S$199) onwards. But after the sales person explaining to my wife about bagless (it was actually spelled as "badless" on the notice board, I told my wife I also think its not bad... corny, ha) she got hooked. So the budget for the vacuum cleaner doubled to S$389. Oh well, there is no looking back now, just have to use it more often.

We were also eyeing a S$69 iron but ended upsizing it after my camp mate who is working at the Iron section says that "this model good, my house also using this. And I have two!!", immediately I upsize liao. The additional feature was the "steam tip" function and the auto-off. But come to think of it, I iron my clothes all at the same time so why do I need auto-off? But I still went ahead to pay S$85 for it.

We initially did not want to get the rice cooker as we thought the ones on sale were the very "obiang" looking cooker. I actually had a price list of what is going to be on sale for the household and kitchen appliances and this rice cooker was not on the list. But when we were there and we saw this cooker, both our eyes bright up and we just bought it. Does this mean I really have to start learning how to cook? Hmm....

There is another toaster but I do not have a picture of it. So total we spend S$700... And my existing house is becoming my warehouse now...

The Geek In Me....

Recently there have been quite a number of talks about geek or nerd being the chic thing to be called now. Well it has not always been this way, especially 5 years ago. I was in uni and was constantly being called a nerd.

I can't blame them since I since more time at places selling computer stuff than in bars drinking my money away. A $30 T-shirt looks expensive to me but not a $300 shining brand new video card was a must buy, even when the price will probably be 1/2 in 3 months time. Well, at least I'm "the nerd that can dance" (thats my nick in my uni college)... Ha.

Even though I'm working now, the geek in me still remains. My PC is the first thing I switch on when I enter my house (yes not even my lights beat that). I spend more time on my computer than talking to my mum. I enjoying reading specification page of a product and doing up my own comparison tables of things I want to buy after doing research on the web. I even have a comparison list for wedding banquets of different hotels (though it is outdated now since it was for year 2004 but nonetheless still a good reference).

The renovation of my house has also put the devil's horn over my head. Suddenly I wanna upgrade my PC and get a great hifi and TV set for my living room. Having gone to a friend's place where he spend a bomb on an impressive set of home entertainment system, I been trying to contain myself from spending the same amount of money on my own system.

But in the mist of doing my research on them, I got "poison" and ended up spending very close to $700 to change my PC speakers.

This is my existing speakers from creative. Got them free from my friend. They are a ok speakers, as long as you dun turn up the volume. And occasionally the left speakers will decide to take a break and produce no sound. Only after "whacking" it a few times then will it wake up.



Had enough of all these and decided to get myself the Logitech Z5500. Was told my Boon12 (my future neighbour) that its actually a very big system and very heavy (27kg). MC Logic, the distributor, was bringing it in for the first time to Singapore for the Comex show, so I ordered a system from them after I got a wind of this news. They were kind enough to deliver it to my place since their office are nearby.

Man the big is huge!!! See the 30cm plastic ruler on the top left hand corner the box. I put it there so you guys can imagine how big is that. And it bloody heavy. I mean I can't walk 5 steps carrying it alone. But all the hard work (carrying it to my room) is worth it. Here's a picture of the actual speakers inside.



Chio right. But wait till you hear the sound... Simply heavenly...

Wardrobe battle cont'd...

Today we planned to check out two firms that does pole system. One of them is Eka by Eureka (www.ekabyeureka.com) recommended by a good friend of mine who previous was an ID, the other is Closet Design (www.closetdesign.com.sg).

We went to the Straits Times "A Part of My Life" lucky draw at Esplanade at 11am to put in our entry. All eyes was on the top prize; Sony 60" 1080p LCD TV. Alas luck was not on my side as I did not win any of the 35 prizes on offer. It was a bloody hot day and the draw did not end till close to 1pm (note I would not be cursing if I won something...Ha).

As Eka closes at 2pm, we had to rush there before it closes, skipping lunch in the process. But when we reach there at 1:20pm, the door was shut tight and there was no response to knocking. Disappointed we settled for lunch at the nearby kopitiam (meaning coffeeshop) as I was about to faint from hungry already.

Went down to Closet Design to check them out. They offer "classic" looking wardrobe that is totally customisable and pole system as well. The person attending to us, Eugene, is a true blue sales person, rattling off all the benefits and advantages of his system. He seems to concentrate alot on the "classic" wardrobe although I prompted my preference for pole system (my wife has no preference).

I find the classic wardrobe, well, normal looking, like any wardrobe. The pole system however looks similar to that of OM's, having lights embedded in the poles. Like OM's and Ximula, the support hinges are all aluminum. It does have an added advantage of being able to add in the hinges even after the system is mounted, adding flexibility. The other systems only allow you to adjust what you have existing but not add on as that would require removal of the pole to add it through the ends.

The price of the pole system is about $150 more then the classic system. However unlike the classic system where the calculation is by ft regardless of the number of shelvings or hanging poles (they do charge extra for drawer and other accessories), the pole system only comes with a certain number of hinges (same number of hinges as the number of poles) and any additional items will keep their cashier happily ringing.

Hopefully next week we can get a hold of Eka bu Eureka and do comparisons.