Category: Barn Needs

Network Failure

For days. Weeks. And months.

The issue has been there for quite some time and we kept thinking it was the problem of Starhub’s network at our estate that was giving us some network issues.

Windows Live Messenger was the biggest issue when we were chatting with friends and then it seemed that there was no reply from them. I personally was still thinking that probably the other party was too busy to reply. Oh boy, I was so wrong. Messages were kind of dropped and they didn’t even reached the other party when D actually told me that he didn’t received any messages from me at all when I had typed LOADS. So then Feng and I decided to carry out an experiment on our side and realised we can’t received each other’s messages after some time also. This sure was crappy. -.-

Then there was another issue of Feng’s connection timing out. Sure was another weird issue considering my connection was okie but his was taking forever to load. Of ‘cos that caused days of Feng being pissed off and I wasn’t too happy also. 🙁

Then D suggested some days back to try changing our DNS. And I did. At first it was fine but then messages got lost again. Nothing was improved on Feng’s side either. It started to dawn on us that it probably wasn’t Starhub’s network though we still have no idea what was the issue. Feng decided to experiment on his side to probably off his torrent during Windows start-up. Everything then seemed fine again but the issue of lost messages on WLM was still not solved.

Then 2 days back D suggested probably we should try using the router-modem given to us with another router instead to see if it is the hardware issue. Initially was still thinking to probably do an exchange with Starhub for their normal modem but decided to google more to find out how to use a router-modem with another router since am no network expert. 😉

So yes, as all network expert will know, you can use the router-modem as a bridge to a router. And of ‘cos when I googled the name of the modem-router given to us, I came upon a lot of negative feedbacks on Hardware Zone which goes way back to 2010. And someone mentioned using the router-modem as a bridge kind of solves the issue so I decided to give it a go yesterday after more researching. Went to get a router with Feng yesterday and came home to setup the network.

And TADAH! Our WLM was actually still sending and receiving messages from each other!!! Means no more missing messages!? 😀

That surely brought some joy to us after some days, weeks and months of lousy connection. Monitoring the network for a few more days to decide if we should still do an exchange for the modem-router.

So everyone signing up with Starhub for Broadband, please note to AVOID taking their D-LINK DCM-604 MODEM-ROUTER. Just do it the good old way of connecting up a modem and router so at least if there’s a need to test if the problem lies with Starhub’s network or the hardware, it’s easier to do so. JUST AVOID THE STUPID MODEM-ROUTER. DO NOT TAKE AT ALL COST.

Renovation Journey : Wet Accessories

It’s finally time to rewind back and continue posting on our renovation journey! 😀

Here’s posting photos from the time when the plumber, Lucky Khoon, as introduced by our ID on 17 July.

Piggeek Barn : Wet Accessories

Piggeek Barn : Wet Accessories

Piggeek Barn : Wet Accessories

Piggeek Barn : Wet Accessories

Every renovation has its own issues. Ours included though not as serious as some might faced. This was the most ridiculous problem of the whole renovation journey. Yes, it’s an invisible toilet bowl as seen in this photo. We had our toilet bowl delivered way early and was sitting in our living room. On this day when we had our plumber down to install the accessories, we realised the supplier of the toilet bowl actually gave us the wrong size (needed a 6″ but was given a 10″) only when the plumber was trying to install this new toilet bowl in our master bathroom. Zzz. And after millions of calls to the supplier and all, we got our toilet bowl. But it was only after millions of calls and emails. Such a lousy experience. Not forgetting we had to wait for an invisible man to come on the day they promised to deliver the toilet bowl. Wasted our leave and time. URGH. Do take note the brand: VELIN.
Piggeek Barn : Wet Accessories

And of ‘cos, Lucky Khoon had their issues also. Late for appointments, not once but twice before our ID made it clear to them to be on time did they came on time on our last appointment. We find this most disappointing especially when we had to rush off somewhere after that and they thought we got all the time for them by being DAMN LATE. Zzz. So everyone do take note of Lucky Khoon. We are not the first to complain ’bout them anyway. You can Google their name and actually quite some negative reviews of them are around.

Lightings Purchased

Adding on to Shan’s post, the lighting we purchased from Lightings.Com.Sg are as follows :

Foyer + Passageway : Philips Downlight

 

Kitchen + Rooms

 

Service Yard + Household Shelter

 

Bathrooms

In addition to the above, we have also purchased additional hanging/pendant lights!
Will get to posting the pictures in future =)

Notable Lighting Shops

  1. Lightcraft
    Nice designs at affordable pricing, with a large showroom!
  2. Lightings.Com.Sg
    Price wise, definitely recommended. Some shops were quoting double of theirs.

 

Appliance Shopping : Part I

After numerous days of researching online, doing price comparison, and visiting stores, we’ve finally purchased our first few pieces of household appliances.

The lucky store? Mega Discount Store.

For a long time, Shan and myself thought that everyone bought their household appliances from mega stores like Harvey Norman, Best Denki, Gain City or Courts.

Well, we thought wrong.

Just a little advice – do check out some of the recommended stores, such as Goh Ah Bee @ Kovan, Everjoint @ Ang Mo Kio and Mega Discount Store @ United Square. You will be pleasantly surprised at the prices they can offer you. All you have to do is to provide them with the model number of the appliance you intend to purchase.

During our three weeks of appliance hunting, we’re lucky to have come across many helpful sales personnel. Feel free to approach any of them for advice.

(1) Sam from Goh Ah Bee
(2) Angie from Best Denki, Takashimaya
(3) Henry from Mega Discount Store, United Square
(4) Lady from Rina Electrical, Shaw Centre

If you are going to purchase multiple items together, you may be able to bargain for a better price! Below are our purchases for today!

[1] Fujioh FG792GL : 2-burner inner-flame gas hob

[2] Brandt FC842XS1 : catalytic cleaning oven

[3] Samsung RT54EBPN : 2-door 410-litre fridge

[4] Bosch Maxx 7 VarioPerfect WAE24360SG : 7kg front-loading washer

[5] Bosch Maxx 6 WTA74100ZA : 6kg sensor dryer

Appliance Shopping: Shan’s First Wishlist Item

As the date of key-collection for our barn draws near, Feng and I had also started doing massive homework and research on what appliances we can buy for our future barn after settling our mattress. 🙂

One of the most important appliances to me is of ‘cos THE OVEN! Having experienced the fun in baking and the restrictions in using the small oven at my house, it’s a must for me to invest in a bigger oven! And we decided to go with a built-in oven since Feng and I thinks that we will use the oven more than the hob, influenced by baking anything from Jamie Oliver. 🙂

So I have shortlisted the 2 basic models from Bosch (HBN331E2J) and Brandt (FE811XS1). After having read up a lot from Renotalk, I still didn’t have a decision as to which to get since the reviews are 50-50. So Feng suggested I go with my gut feeling which includes making trips to try to find the ovens and taking a look at them. I must say after visiting some stores to find out more, personally I think Rina Electrical gave the most un-biased comment when I briefly asked the comparison between the two models. And not forgetting the lady there has a very good knowledge of the products she is introducing.

But by then, I have already set my eyes on the oven I want. The Brandt FC842XS1. Why so you might ask. If you’re considering between the two basic models, Bosch will win with its digital timer as Brandt’s one is a manual timer. But both of them has a manual temperature instead which I am more picky on since I don’t want to buy an oven thermometer as yet though some will tell me oven temperature is not accurate. Haha! But if you’re asking me which manual temperature knob looks to be more accurate, go with the Bosch as they have a 10s divide unlike Brandt. 🙂

So my gut feeling told me to go with Brandt though Bosch has a better reputation overseas but I trust my gut feeling since Brandt is the sister company of De Dietrich so it can’t go too wrong right? And since the basic model has no accurate temperature marking, I decided to go with the 2nd model which is the FC842XS1 which has catalytic cleaning function and a rotisserie and some additional functions from the basic model. 🙂

Brandt FC842XS1

Here’s some price guide for you after Feng’s diligence in calling the various recommended shops. 🙂

Brandt FE811XS1: S$775 (Everjoint), S$820 (Mega Discount Store), S$899 (Original Price)
Bosch HBN331E2J: S$625 (Everjoint), S$639 (Mega Discount Store)

Brandt FC842XS1: S$1150 (Goh Ah Bee), S$1200 (Everjoint), S$1260 (Mega Discount Store), S$1400 (Original Price)

Note: Everjoint only accepts cash or cheque that is probably why the price is lower than many places. Mega Discount Store has a 5% interest on installment and 2% additional for using credit card. So take note! 🙂

The Firm, The Plush, and The Weird

We went on a mattress-buying mission.

From knowing absolutely nothing at all at first, to making our purchase eventually – it was definitely a fun experience!

Our first trip brought us to Furniture Mall, where we spent some time trying on mattress from brands like Simmons and Sealy. As we spoke to the boutique assistants and tried on the mattresses, we slowly formed our opinions as to what we liked.

Luckily, both Shan and myself preferred the plushier (softer) type of mattress, as opposed to the firmer ones, so we could easily narrow down our choices. It may be daunting at first, but the more we tried on the mattresses, the more we knew what the different brands had to offer.

Three common brands we shortlisted :
Serta – We felt that they had firmer mattresses which didn’t really suit our preference.
Simmons – Great isolation of movement which means your partner would not be disturbed.
Sealy – The most comfortable in our opinion, despite having transference of motion.

Apart from the “normal” mattresses, there were these “weird” foam mattresses on offer by Omazz and Tempur, which gave a very unique sensation. Not for us! We visited a host of retailers to try out the different mattresses, including Sealy Sleep Palace at Tanglin Place – the only outlet that has Sealy’s exclusive Hotel Collection mattresses.

After some consideration, we finally decided on Sealy Posturepedic Palatial Crest. This was without doubt the most comfortable mattress we have tried! Made our way to Furniture Mall to try on the mattress for the final time (on Christmas Day), and bought it!

Our queen-size mattress is longer and thicker than the standard ones, so do take note of the dimension of the mattress you’re buying!
Palatial Crest Mattress Dimension : 1520mm x 1980mm x 380mm

Don’t forget to ask for your mattress protector and pillows! We got extras!
Happened to have a Christmas Lucky draw going. Look at our coupons!

The grand prize we’re gonna win!