Expecting with a Budget

We haven’t actually announced this on any social media, but we will be expecting a new arrival to the family pretty soon! So I think it is pretty apt for me to post about some of the good deals I got from overseas online shops. It is extremely expensive to raise a baby, even more so for Singaporeans with all the inflated prices. Many items are so much more affordable if you can get them direct from the US/UK and we managed to do so with bulk of the items that we purchased for our little one.

iHerbGood for mommies who want to take a more natural, non-toxic approach because they carry Earth Mama Angel Baby and Badger Company, two very well-known brands in US but the prices are grossly inflated in Singapore. They also carry Weleda, Munchkin and Summer Infant products but I find these items cheaper on Amazon.

Amongst all that I purchased a number of oils i.e. grapeseed, coconut and argan. I really like argan oil for my stretch marks but switched to coconut and grapeseed oil because it was getting expensive. I prefer this to Bio Oil because it is natural and it absorbs much faster than Palmer’s. These oils are also great for baby massages!

For the mommies who are suffering from UTI, you can also get the cranberry concentrate from Dynamic Health, much more affordable than the ones in Singapore. Thayers witch hazel is something that I used very often as I had some heat / pimple rash on my chest and back, but you can also get it for about the same price on Qoo10.

Use my code FQF079 to get additional $5 off! Also, check iHerb and your email often as they do offer 10% discounts occasionally and discounts for certain brands too.  Shipping from iHerb is pretty cheap with Singpost and the items usually arrive within 2 weeks. The only issue I have with them is the packaging problem, 2 out of my 9 orders had items which leaked and had to be refunded. Thankfully their customer service had greatly improved over the past year and they are more willing to offer compensations for such cases.

AmazonIt’s a little trickier ordering Amazon since the key point is to qualify for their free AmazonGlobal Shipping. Only certain products are eligible and you have to buy at least USD$125.
The following are the links to the items we bought:

1. Philips Avent BPA Free Natural Infant Starter Gift Set
2. Philips AVENT Breast Milk Storage Cups : Avent products are much much cheaper on Amazon, even cheaper as compared to Baby Fairs.
3. Zojirushi Stainless Steel Food Jar : We couldn’t find this in stock when we went to Japan and were so happy that this can be purchased from Amazon!
4. aden + anais Classic Muslin Swaddle Blanket : The cheaper ones always on sale in Mothercare are made in China and are smaller in size. From the Amazon reviews, the 47 inch ones are much better in quality and they are almost never on offer in Singapore.
5. Munchkin White Hot Inflatable Duck Tub : This is super super expensive in Singapore, we purchased this so that we can have a place to bathe the little one when we stay in budget accomodations overseas.
6. Dynarex Disposable Underpad : This super unglam item is reccommended for use as a disposable changing pad.
7. OXO Tot Bottle and Accessories Drying Rack : Another must-have but much cheaper when purchasing from Amazon. I prefer this design because the ‘sticks’ don’t go all the way into the bottles, which I find a little unhygenic.
8. Weleda Baby Calendula Body Lotion : Recommended by Hello Charlie as a good moisturizing lotion for baby.
   

Target
We also made a one-time purchase from Target, mainly for Medela items since they don’t qualify for shipping on Amazon, so it was either we purchased them via a forwarder or we get them from Target. There was a one-off $30 discount for items over $150 so we went with target.
he following are the links to the items we bought:

1. Medela Pump In Style Advanced 9 Volt Power Adaptor
2. Medela Breast Pump Accessory Set
3. Lansinoh Milk Storage Bag 100 Ct : this is cheaper on Amazon so don’t purchase it from Target unless like us, you need to hit the minimum amount.

 

Land of the Rising Sun: Osaka (Day 1)

We landed, exhausted from the lack of sleep, in Osaka at noon. Unfortunately, three flights landed concurrently and we took about an hour to get through the customs.

We wanted to get to Namba from Kansai International Airport and the fastest way is via the Nankai Limited Express which takes you about 35 minutes. We purchased this Yokoso! Osaka ticket online and exchanged for the pass and tickets at the counter. This ‘ticket’ covers the price of the limited express ticket, the seat reservation and also gives you a 1-day pass for travelling on the subway. It is extremely worth it since the limited express train ride from the airport would have cost you ¥1430 and single trips on the Osaka subway costs ¥180. Furthermore, you can choose to use the 1-day pass on the same day or the next day! However in Japan, you can almost always find a cheaper but more time consuming alternative to get to the same place. This ‘ticket’ may not be the most suitable if you are heading to Shin-Osaka or Umeda.
After meeting our Airbnb hosts and dropping off our luggage we wasted no time at all and made our way to Dotonbori. There were several mouth watering food options and each restaurant comes with their version of eye-popping signboards to catch our attention. It was definitely a feast for the senses!  The many signs of dotonburi and the famous Glico man! The place was jam packed with locals from 5pm. It was there that we realize that Japanese love queuing as much as Singaporeans. We spent most of the night wandering around the canal area and taking in the sights and sounds. We managed to find Hozenji Yokocho Alley but we didn’t head into any of the restaurants and unfortunately the Doguyasuji Kitchen Market and Kuromon Ichiba were almost closing when we got there so we didn’t really get to explore the area.

Japan – I can never get enough of it!

Japan has to be one of my favourite countries to visit, it holds a different place in my heart as compared to Australia. I can never get enough of Japan, I always yearn to return to Japan almost immediately after I leave and I get so jealous of my friends who are there! Amazing sights, mouth-watering food and wonderfully polite and helpful people – there isn’t a better way to travel to unwind.

Another reason for my love for this place is because it is home to my favourite animation director, Hayao Miyazaki and one of the most talented composer, Joe Hisashi. I am a big fan of his animation and evidently, Totoro is one of his most popular characters. Probably because this is one of his less solemn films, my favourite is still Spirited Away and I absolutely adore Sootballs!

One of my absolute favorite places in Japan is Hokkaido, my sister planned a family trip back in Summer 2010 and we had such an amazing time there. Our posts will cover our trip in Autumn 2014 where we visited the Kansai area i.e. Osaka, Nara and Kyoto and we visited Hakone and Tokyo.

As usual, I use Google Maps for planning and locating landmarks that we would be interested in visiting.

As some of the famous landmarks are pretty close together, I planned some walking directions on our itinerary too; always help to find ways to unknowingly burn calories as you travel. I managed to find comprehensive guides at the Japan National Tourism Official Website. The following links will allow you to download the guides.

• Osaka Guide
• Nara Walks
• Hakone Guide
• Kyoto Walks
• Tokyo Walks

We visited Japan from 22nd November to 30th November in 2014, specifically for the viewing of autumn bloom i.e. koyo. Japan guide with its awesome Autumn Color Reports will guide you to where you can see the best leaves!

One thing to take note, planning your own itinerary in Japan takes a little time, especially if you are trying your best to travel on a budget. Mainly because there are usually different railway companies in each city and each of them have their own passes. After lots of research (and website translation), we found the optimum way to move around each city based on our itinerary and will cover them in the following posts. So stick around!

WA Road Trip: Albany Day 2

We were up bright and early the next day and drove to Porongurup National Park for a gentle hike to Castle Rock.

Next up was Stirling Range National Park, where we hiked up the Bluff Knoll. This hike was pretty challenging, we had to climb up a stream at one point so footwear is extremely important! We took about 2 hours to get to the top and another 1.5 hours coming back down; thankfully our parents did not follow us for the entire trail. It does get pretty cold towards the top so remember to bring along some warm clothing!

WA Road Trip: Denmark

We left Lavender Berry Farm reluctantly and drove further south towards Denmark. On the way, we stopped by various business selling honey, sauces, wines and chocolate. We were supposed to visit the Valley of the Giants and set up camp on Parry Beach but the rain didn’t let up; and so we ended at this lovely chalet place called Riverbend Caravan Park in Denmark. This wonderfully comfortable accommodation was a recommendation by the Tourist Information Centre; we were pretty impressed by the facilities in the park. They have a small garden where we can pick fruits and vegetables and the owner gave us a huge basket of eggs!The weather cleared up the next day and visited scenic locations nearby; Greens Pool, Elephant Cove and Waterfall Beach. Green Pools had, well lovely waters that appeared green.

Elephant Cove is so named because of the many rocks eroded and ended up looking like a herd of elephants.

The water flowing from the rocks created a nice little stream that flows to the ocean; hence the name Waterfall Beach. Had the flow of the water been larger, the waterfall would have looked more impressive and cut deeper into the sand bed.

Unfortunately we didn’t bring along our swimming gears, this would have been a great place to spend the day swimming and having a picnic!

WA Road Trip: Apple Picking at Spring Valley Orchard

We chanced upon this orchard while researching for our Perth trip in May 2014. Coincidentally, May is the apple harvesting season in Perth and Spring Valley Orchard offers apple picking tours for $10 per person (you get to take 1 kg of apples home with that price). We emailed Diana who owns the orchard and informed her about our date and time of arrival. She gave us very precise directions as the entrance is not easy to find and the google maps address is incorrect. The place is just after Donnybrook if you are driving from the direction of Perth. Our tour began with the Diana and her niece letting us feed some apples to the farm horses. We were shown the process to polish and sort apples and their vegetables and herbs garden. Of course the highlight of the tour was the apple trees themselves. The farm is entirely organic and comprises of both Pink Ladys and Granny Smiths. It was a great experience plucking the fresh apples and placing them into our bags. At the end of the tour which lasted for an hour, we had 9 kg of apples! As there were five of us, 5 kg of apples are complimentary and we paid $20 AUD for the remaining 4 kg and a gorgeous pumpkin.

WA Road Trip: Pemberton

We stayed in Pemberton for one night in 2011 and decided that we had to go back for a longer stay; all because of this place called Lavendar and Berry Farm. Apart from the peaceful accommodations that the farm has to offer, Pemberton is close to quite a few natural attractions. As it is surrounded by karri forests, so the scenery around is tree-centric.

The Cascades and the Beedelup Falls are a series of rapids. The parking lot was practically empty when we visited and took a short thirty minutes walk through the quiet and beautiful forest. The trails were all properly maintained with restrooms and parking areas. The trails are part of a one thousand km long trail called Bibbulmun Track, marked by their snake signage. How we wished we can afford the time to do a proper fortnights hike.

Big Brook Dam is a lake area which is also a beach, so families could come for a swim or use the BBQ facilities. It is a popular spot in the summer we heard, but the water was too chilly in May when we visited. A picnic here is also highly recommended. Once again, we were the only ones around to enjoy the surrounding tranquilty. Two thumbs up for off-peak travelling!

We visited the Gloucester Tree, a fire lookout tree where you can climb up seventy meters and take in the surrounding scenery over the treetops. From our two visits, only one out of the eight of us climbed all the way to the lookout.

There is also the Pemberton Trams that takes visitors on old train tracks and winds its way through the surrounding forests, over bridges and along rivers and streams. We didn’t ride on the trains but did stop by for some phototaking.

W.A. Road Trip: Margaret River, Augusta

After Ngligi Caves, we set up camp at Big Valley Campsite. It is located in a quiet valley with grazing sheep and surrounded by luscious forests.

The next morning, we continued our trip down south. Along the way, we stopped by Hamelin Bay where we hoped to see some giant stingrays but we didn’t. But we thoroughly enjoyed the view of the ocean and its crystal clear waters, something extremely rare in Singapore.
We then visited Cape Leeuwin where the point where the Indian and Southern Ocean currents meet can be seen just off the coast. We signed up for a tour which got us to the top of the lighthouse where we had sightings of dolphins! It can get pretty windy at the top, so hang on your hats and cameras!

Hougang Parkview: Third Shipping From Taobao (淘宝)!

After settling into our new home for about half a year, we decided that we needed some extra items to make our life at home more comfortable, so we made another purchase in January and managed to get it before Chinese New Year!

The entire shipment was only 1.05 cbm, we actually had a hard time trying to get to the minimum of 1 cbm as the set of chairs we wanted to purchase was out of stock, so we made a last minute purchase of a stainless steel table.

Through this experience I understood the workings of Amcon a little bit better. I was actually contemplating trying out other companies because they are cheaper; without the $35 documentation fee and they charge lesser per cbm, some even offered checking services for fragile items. However I still went ahead with Amcon because of the problems I see that the rest of the shoppers were facing with other companies.

[Updated on 17th April 2015] I have to retract my praises for Amcon because of the terrible way they are handling the custom inspections. Amcon has one of the higher charges amongst many frieght companies and more and more have been popping up left and right. I used to believe that they are one of the better ones, but my most recent experience has changed my impression of them.

If you read further, you will realize that I have had one item that was not shipped due to my missing nickname, I also had a replacement item sent by one of the sellers. I was supposed to receive all my items before Chinese New Year, it is now 3 months later and only now was I able to get my two items. In between, I had to constantly call May and Amcon to question them where my items were. I can tell you that they really didn’t care if I was ever going to receive my items.

I posted twice on my Tao bao Shopping facebook group, once to praise them then another to retract my statement so that I didn’t mislead anyone. They are not DHL or Fedex but you expect a certain level of service due to their prices. My first encounter with them was superb (responsive, proactive, meticulous), my second time with them was not that great (still responsive but not proactive anymore) and the third time will probably be my last.

So I shall share some advantages of Amcon over other companies:

• Local customer service (May is based in Singapore so any questions or queries can be directed to her pretty easily, Amcon express hotline also available for even more direct queries)
• Items are shipped out from China as soon as all items have arrived (No need to wait for specific shipping dates)
• Shipping takes an average of 8-10 days
• Dedicated delivery truck (No worries over lousy shipping couriers in Singapore)

This time round I had one item being left behind in the China warehouse, seems like the seller didn’t write down my nickname on the outside packaging and they just didn’t bother double checking with the order form I gave; although I am partly to blame because I didn’t double check my items correctly as two of the orders have very similar tracking numbers so I thought they were all accounted for.

This time round, all items were very well packaged by the individual sellers, I believe it was due to me constantly communicating with them. As always, this is the list of items we purchased:

Bay window cushion good quality cushion, affordable pricing, very good customer service! I like that they have a wide variety of materials and colour for the cushion cover. Most of the other sellers only have overtly colourful choices and I didn’t take to that.
Stainless steel table one of our last minute purchases, extremely useful in the kitchen. Packaging is superb with wooden crates but the table was not without physical flaws although it did not affect us much.
Electric scooter working well so far! The battery is not made of lithium so it is bulkier, lots of useful free gift. We are looking to sell the electric scooter at $300 with the seat, leave a comment if you are interested! scooter has been sold!
Bamboo shelves good quality, good for all our potted plants.
Ladder much more stable than the usual aluminium kind, a little dusty when it arrived.
Flip clock much much better than the one I bought from the previous seller! Better packaging and the number plates were not damaged.
Lego plate not the real one from lego, but identical in colour and quality but at half the price!
Ottomans customized to the measurements we wanted, although they sent the wrong legs for one of the ottoman but they were very quick to apologize and send us the correct set of legs. They have storage space too!

Australia – Where I Truly Belong!

I only have been to Australia thrice; once when I was still in Primary School and my parents took me and my sister to Gold Coast, the second time was in 2011, my sister planned the itinerary and we made the road trip together with my parents and our men (boyfriends at that time) and the third was just recently in 2014, the man and I made a short trip with his mother, sister, sister-in-law and their two kids. Both times were trips to Western Australia.

vector art designed by jimmygleeson

I only remember bits and pieces of my first trip but there was this memory that stuck: it was the time when my sister and I waddled to a sand bar on this beach and just sat there with the waves crashing on us. It was such an exhilarating experience for us; you never get waves like this where we live; and the sand bar allowed us to enjoy the water without the fear of drowning (we weren’t good swimmers).

The second trip was a fourteen-day self-drive around Western Australia, this was when I fell in love with this place.

• Day 1: Bunbury
• Day 2: Busselton, Dunsbourgh, Yallingup
• Day 3: Margaret River
• Day 4: Augusta, Pemberton
• Day 5: Walpole, Denmark
• Day 6-7: Albany
• Day 8-14: Perth and surrounding

The man and I decided to visit this place again in 2014 but only for eight days, so we didn’t travel as far down as before:

• Day 1: Bunbury
• Day 2-3: Pemberton
• Day 4-7: Perth and surrounding

Preparation Work
Clothing
In summer, it is essential to have a thin scarf or buff to prevent the flies from getting into your nostrils and mouth. YES. Flies. Lots of flies. No one has any idea where they come from but they are annoying as hell. Otherwise, light clothing with lots of sunblock will suffice. Do pack a jacket especially if you are going further south as it can get pretty cold, even during summer. For autumn, the usual casual attire with a jacket should do; no flies in this season!

Transport
Australia is a great place to explore through self-driving, especially since both Singapore and Australia drive on the right. For those super long drives, some cars even have a ‘cruise control’ option so that drivers can take their feet of the pedal; the real challenge is staying awake. So always aim to have at least two drivers in the group so that there can be some rotation and plan for pit stops along the way to break the monotony.

For our first trip, we had a total of six adults of which four are drivers. For the second trip, we had a total of five adults and two childs of which three are drivers. For both trips, we booked a vehicle in advance and collected it at the AVIS car rental right outside the airport. We had a Honda Carnival for our first trip and a Hyundai iMax for our second. The iMax offers about 30% more space than the Carnival. During the booking, do remember to account for luggage space!

Food
Eating out in Australia is extremely expensive, be prepared to fork out around 15 AUD per meal. Fortunately, the supermarkets are well-stocked with meat and fresh vegetables so we tried our best to eat in for dinner and packed our lunches; shopping at Woolsworth, Coles and IGA was probably one of the highlights of our trip. Most supermarkets operate till 9pm daily and close a couple of hours earlier on Saturdays and Sundays; the ones in smaller towns like Donnybrook and Pemberton may have different operating hours so do check their website to avoid disappointment. As we were travelling with children on our third trip, we ate out a lot more often since we were not able to packed lunches. Hence, we picked a few pocket-friendly restaurants with the help of Urban Spoon; always have alternatives too as they tend to have varying operating hours.

Others
A data sim card was essential for the trip as we used Google Maps for navigation. If you have a GPS navigation app that already has maps preloaded i.e. TomTom Australia, then data will not be necessary. We tried Optus and Vodafone so far and Vodafone works better than Optus. However in the suburbs, signal strength was still pretty weak. Others have mentioned that Telstra has the widest coverage but it is also more expensive.