4 Weeks Post 60DWCC - Another Week of Drama Serial Marathon

Since we completed the Korean drama serial a couple of weeks ago, life has not been easy for THL and I. We have been watching the "repeat" (currently being aired on Channel U) of it from time to time to help reminisce certain parts of the drama series. Well, this week, we have been hot on the heel of another Hong Kong drama serial 功夫状元 and it seems like we have got past the Korean one and we are now in love with the HK one. LOL!

Day 82 - Saturday

It has been a while since the 3 of us take a long distance bus out to malls that are far away. The term 'faraway' has never sounded so right before when we were still a car owner. This is because we used to be able to easily reach the furthest end of Singapore (think Changi Airport, Pasir Ris) within 30 minutes (on average) by car but now that we are taking SBS buses, it could take as long as 2 hours (includes transferring over to connecting bus or train) to reach the same far flung destination.

Anyhow, we took a feeder bus to Jurong East for brunch before taking a long distance one to Parkway Parade. We have not been to Parkway Parade since we sold our SUV and this is our very first trip there by bus. Wow...it was honestly quite feat by itself since the entire journey was almost 75 minutes. If not for it being an air conditioned bus, the 3 of us would have threw up and lost consciousness along the way.

Few hours later, after we are done with our retail therapy at Parkway Parade, we walked out towards Katong 112 and again we spent another hour there doing our "rounds". When it was almost dinner time, we began to slowly stroll along Joo Chiat road looking out for special or new restaurants/coffee shops to have dinner.

After close to 25 minutes of walking, we chanced upon a coffee shop that sells porridge as well as a huge varieties of cooked food. We decided to give it a shot since we were already hungry and the food looks really delicious.

We were glad we ate there as the food was really nice although it was a little expensive. After our dinner, we continued our exploration around the vicinity and we got lost after a short 30 minutes. We had to re-trace our steps and walked back to the junction near the coffee shop where we had dinner. We then waited 20 minutes for a bus that took us to Kembangan MRt station. From there we took a train to Pasir Ris and then switch over to one that headed all the way back to Jurong East.

We alighted at Jurong East and took a feeder bus home. After we washed up, THL and I continued our pursue of our new love - the HK serial drama 功夫状元. :D

Day 83 - Sunday

Today is another stay home Sunday and THL was kind enough to make the 3 of us both breakfast and lunch. The entire afternoon was spent watching 功夫状元 after we are done with the usual household chores. The 2 of us went out for dinner around 730pm.We bought dinner back for RK.

Needless to say, we again devoted the remaining part of the evening watching 功夫状元.

Day 84 - Monday

THL was down with stomachache early in the morning. While she blamed the dinner we ate last evening at Joo Chiat road, she was the only one that had it. Anyway, she went to see doctor and was given a medical certificate to rest at home for a day.

Complaint from RK's form teacher

The teacher called when I was about to start my daily work and she informed me that RK has not been doing the Math homework and corrections that were given to him weeks ago. She suggested making him stay back after school to have him finish up everything and I agreed. It is time RK be held responsible for his actions. Time for him to grown up, ya?

At 2pm, THL and I went for lunch at the food centre before heading to RK's school to fetch him. I continued working on my project after fetching RK home. With RK doing his homework and THL resting, I was able to fully focus on my work. :D

But my happiness was short-lived as it was dinner soon and with THL cooking dinner for us and RK was pulling my hair and playing his role as a doctor to give me a "health checkup" every 15 minutes. Sigh...

Day 85 - Tuesday

It has been a rather productive day for me and I was able to finish my work around 4pm. With more than 2 hours to spare, I spent some time playing with RK.

THL and I bought dinner home and we spent the rest of the evening watching 功夫状元 with RK watching his favorite Youtube video using my iPad.

Day 86 - Wednesday

Today was another typical day at home. I helped RK revised through his Math worksheets and workbooks in the late afternoon as he is having Math test the next day.

The 3 of us met up at JEM for dinner at CookHouse (Foodcourt at the 6th floor of JEM) before sending RK off for his tuition.

Day 87 -Thursday

Another day spent watching 功夫状元 in the evening with THL while RK indulged himself watching Youtube video.

Day 88 - Friday

RK and I meet up with THL at Jurong Point for dinner at 615pm. We had dinner at MOF in celebration of both RK's forthcoming birthday as well as our 11th year anniversary. RK had his great serving of sushi while THL and I had Spaghetti and Japanese Ramen as our main dish.

After dinner, we bring RK down to a provision shop to get some chocolates and sweets as gifts for his classmates.

RK slept at 10pm while THL and I continued our pursue of the 功夫状元 until 12 midnight.

Transport Expense (Day 81 - 87): $31.91

Day 82: $13.80

Bus Ride:
Home to Jurong East => $0.73 x 2 + $0.36 =$1.82
Jurong East to Parkway Parade => $1.82 x 2 + $0.58 = $4.22
Joo Chiat to Kembangan MRT station => $0.73 x 2 + $0.36 = $1.82
Jurong East to Home => $0.73 x 2 + $0.36 = $1.82

MRT Rides:
Kembangan to Jurong EastStation => $1.77 x 2 + $0.58 = $4.12

Day 83: $0

Day 84: $6.91

Home to BLSC => $0.73 x 2 = $1.46

Taxi Fare:
BLSC to Home = $5.45


Day 85: $1.66

Home to Boon Lay Interchange (THL) => $0.83
Lakeside to Home => $0.83

Day 86: $3.74

Home to Boon Lay Interchange (THL) => $0.83
Home to JE Interchange => $0.73 + $0.36 = $1.09
JE Interchange to Home => $0.73 x 2 + $0.36 = $1.82 

Day 87: $1.66

Home to Boon Lay Interchange (THL) => $0.83
Lakeside to Home => $0.83

Day 88: $4.14

Home to Boon Lay Interchange (THL) => $0.83
Home to Jurong Point => $0.83 + $0.41 = $1.24
Jurong Point to Home => $0.83 x 2 + $0.41 = $2.07

Total Post 60DWCC expenses from Week 1 to Week 4 => $114.67

Weekly Afterthoughts:

We are definitely spending more time at home compared to few months back when we were still owning a car. Although we are no longer spending a lot of time outside aimlessly seeking retail therapy these days, we are still traveling to far away malls once in a while.

The total transport expenditure of $114.67 (lowest ever in the history of 60DWCC) from the past 4 weeks after the 60DWCC is enough to suggest that we should hang on to taking the pubic transports for a while more. :D

1 Week Post 60DWCC - It Has Been a FUN Week

Another week has rolled by and I must say it has been a FUN week as we have quite a bit of fun despite the tiring schedules.

Day 61

Praying to Tai Sui at Boon Lay Tua Pek Kong Temple

We left for the temple early in the morning. Since THL and my Chinese Zodiac signs were in conflict with the Tai Sui (犯太岁) in the year of the Horse, both of us had to go through some traditional rituals to help neutralize the negative effects against us.

Do we really believe in such thins? Well, sometimes it is better to believe (play safe) than to be stubborn about it and get into trouble with your life. Remember that life is all about balance...

Day out at River Safari

We spent the rest of the day at River Safari. It was a family trip and we initially planned to bring the kids to the Zoo. And yet due to unforeseen circumstances, we had to change our plan and bought tickets for River Safari. Despite the unexpected change of event, we were quite excited as it is our first time visiting the place.

The entire visit was nice except for the painful long waiting time for the ferry ride to visit the remaining parts of the River Safari. The 90 minutes wait was definitely not worth the less than 10 minutes boat ride. I believe we are not the only one ended up with bad taste in our mouth after taking the boat ride. It was really a joke.

Anyway, new fools are born every second...there is nothing we can do about it.

Day 62

Korean Drama Day

Another stay home Sunday that was essentially spent watching Korean drama. Apart from meals, THL and I spent most part of the day watching the Korean drama series. Despite us watching for a few weeks already, there are still more than 20 episodes to be watch. As for RK, he has been busy exploring new games and watching new animated cartoons over Youtube.

Day 63

School's Complaint against RK

RK's form teacher called up in the afternoon to complain about RK playing rough in school. It appears that RK has been running around and playing rough with his school mates every morning. I was upset with the complaint and I strongly urged the teacher to feedback this to the school management. The school should take preventive measures against this as accident is bound to happen if this continues...

Day 64 and 65

As THL has to go out with friends plus having company dinner, I had to "babysit" RK for both evenings.

Day 66

Cataract Removal at SNEC

My mum went for a left eye operation for cataract removal. This is an operation that my mum has postponed for 10 over years due to fear of pain. The quick and painless operation took less than 10 minutes and mum was so impressed with it. She told us that she did not even realize it was over. She told us that she would have gone for it years ago had she knew it was so quick and painless.

Moral of the story -> No venture, no gain. There are so many things in life that we will never ever know until we try it. It is painfully obvious that not everyone has the risk appetite to try out new things. Myself included.

RK had a Fall

RK fell down when alighting from school bus. He came home with a bandaged knee. And despite that, he was still active and was keen to tag along as THL and I shopped for our Valentines gift for each other.

Day 67

RK did not go to school today as I wanted his knee to recover well over the weekend. The entire day was spent watching over him and playing some online games with him. We also watch some videos together.

Both of us went for a hair cut at Jurong Point in the late afternoon and we had a drink at Coffee Bean while waiting for THL to reach Jurong Point. We had our dinner at Jurong Point before going back home.

Transport Expenses (Day 61 to 67): $15.09

Day 61: $1.82

Bus ride:
Home to Boon Lay Tua Pek Kong => $0.73 x 2 + $0.36 = $1.82

Day 62: $0


Day 63: $1.66

Home to Boon Lay Interchange (THL) => $0.83

Boon Lay Interchange to Home => $0.83

Day 64: $0.83

Home to Boon Lay Interchange (THL) => $0.83

Day 65: $0.83

Home to Boon Lay Interchange (THL) => $0.83

Day 66: $5.81

MRT Ride: $2.90
LS to Outram => $1.51
Outram to JE => $1.39

Bus Ride: $2.91
Home to JE Interchange => $0.73 + $0.36 = $1.09
JE Interchange to Home => $0.73 x 2 + $0.36 = $1.82

Day 67: $4.14

Bus Ride:
Home to Boon Lay Interchange (THL) => $0.83

Home to Jurong Point => $0.83 + $0.41 = $1.24
Jurong Point back to Home => $0.83 x 2 + $0.41 = $2.07

Weekly Afterthoughts:

The transport expense was incredibly low at only $15.09 this week. This is all thanks to the many free rides THL and I have enjoyed over the weekend at River Safari and THL's night out with her friends and colleagues.

The temptation of getting a car has lessen with each passing day and while it may still be a possibility that I will still get one ultimately (not sure when), there is not clear signal for me to get one for now.

Day 45 of the 60DWCC - Medical Review at NUH

THL is on leave today. She has a dental appointment as well as a medical review at NUH. She left for her dental appointment after we had our breakfast at a nearby coffeeshop.

I took care of RK's lunch after he came back home. After which we took a train down to my Mother-in-law place for her to take care of RK while I accompany THL to NUH for her medical review. The medical review is for the doctor to check on the recovery status of her knee which underwent a surgery last year.

After THL's medical review at NUH, we took a direct bus to my mum's place. We reached within 30 minutes and we stayed until 7pm before leaving for our dinner at the foodcourt inside the nearby mall.

After dinner, we took a cab to fetch RK home. Although the cab fare was quite expensive when you add in all the extra peak hour charges, it saved us a lot of hassle having to switch over buses to buses to fetch RK home from my in-law's place.

Transport Expenses: $26.92

Bus to Jurong Point (THL) => $0.83
Bus to Mum's place => $.78 x 2 => $1.56

MRT Rides:
Boon Lay to Pioneer => $0.73
Pionner to Jurong East => $1.03 x 2 => $2.06
Jurong East to Kentridge Station => $1.27 x 2 => $2.54

Taxi Ride:
Mum place to Pioneer to Home => $19.20

Day 31 to Day 45 transport expenses is at $124.53 which is actually lower than the first 15 days of the 60DWCC which was at $126.11. The next update would be from Day 46 all the way till Day 60. Stay tuned...

Daily Afterthoughts:

Although the transport expense is on the high side today, I seriously think it would have been higher if we had driven a car. (after we add in the petrol consumption and parking fees).

If only owning a car is as cheap as just paying for petrol consumption and parking charges. Let's say if things like road tax, car insurance and COE are non-existent, I think owning a car in SG would have been so much cheaper but of course there would be twice or thrice as much cars on the road than it is today, something which could be a nightmare to a lot of people.

Day 41 of the 60DWCC - Chinese New Year Decor Shopping Spree (Part 2)

As the amount of CNY decor we have got is somewhat lacking, we decided to visit Chinatown today to buy some more as well as to continue our traditional practice (THL and I have been doing that over the past many years) of visiting the CNY stalls at Chinatown every once a year.

The 3 of us left the house early since it is a Sunday and it is fast approaching Chinese New Year. We had breakfast at Wendy's which is located underneath the Jurong East MRT station.

After breakfast, we took a train to Clementi station and took a connecting bus to Chinatown. Upon reaching there, we first went to OG to shop for THL and RK's clothing. We bought a pair of shoe and a few clothing for RK. THL also bought herself 3 pieces of upper wear. 

After we are done with OG, we crossed over and started our CNY stall tour at Pagoda street. We bought a few sets of CNY decor as well as some fries and drinks from McDonalds. 

After we have finished our annual "Tour of Duty" at Chinatown, we took a bus back to Clementi central. We had lunch at the Japanese restaurant at CityVibes.

After our late lunch, we took a train to Jurong Point. We had a bite at Durian Empire before leaving for home. THL cooked some light stuff for dinner and we spent the night watching some TV shows.

Transport Expenses: $15.43

Bus Rides:

Feeder bus to JE => $.073 x 2 + $0.36 = $1.82

Bus from Clementi to Chinatown => $1.35 x 2 + $0.58 = $3.28

Bus from Chinatown back to Clementi => $1.47 x 2 + $0.58 = $3.52

Bus from Boon Lay Interchange to Home => $0.73 x 2 + $0.36 = $1.82

MRT Rides:

Train from JE to Clementi => $0.83 x 2 + $0.41 = $2.07

Clementi to Boon Lay => $1.17 x 2 + $0.58 = $2.92

Daily Afterthoughts:

Since we have started taking public transport, we have the chance to visit quite a few new places which we normally would not visit had we still own a car. It is through these many bus rides that we have started to discover many interesting shops and eateries around Singapore. Now that the 3 of us have gotten used to taking public transport, there is a very high chance that we will continue to take public transportation even after the 60DWCC. We will most likely continue to go car-less unless the MAS make positive changes such that car loan can be serviced over a long period than the existing 60 months as well as for the car loan percentage to go beyond the existing 50%.