OzLady's Ramblings

I was recently asked by the wife of DH’s colleague about pet care in Singapore. She raised a few needs:

• Veterinary Medical Care – for vaccinations and illness
• Pet Transportation – if you don’t have a car in Singapore, normal taxis often won’t take your beloved baby, which can be difficult when you do need to go to the vet
• Pet Sitting – living in Singapore makes travel too much of a temptation to resist, but we still need to be responsible pet owners
• Pet Grooming – I have cats, so that usually involves a battle with scratching in the bathtub where I end up with the scratches, and the cats end up licking themselves dry. Dogs, however, often benefit from a good groom.

I use the services below. If you know of any good additions to this, please add them in the comments below.

Veterinary Medical Care – A Doc for your Fur Baby
I have been using this vet for 10 years now, and they are listed with the Singapore Veterinary Association (SVA).

Mount Pleasant Animal Medical Cent
Blk 105, Clementi St 12, #01-18/20 S120105
T: 67768858 | F: 67761678

I use the one in the west (address above) because that is close to where I am, however they have other branches, and they all receive pretty good reviews. If you visit the SVA site link above, it will have the other locations so that you can see one that is perhaps closer to you.

This vet also provides a number of services including preparing pets for moving country, dealing with deceased pets, spaying, etc. They are pleasant, helpful, and don’t treat me like an idiot. They have information sheets on a lot of things – we had a mite infestation and they gave me a sheet with instructions on how to go through the home and clean everything out. Very professional.

Pet Transportation – Pet Taxi Services

If you don’t have a car, then my sitter (Rick – see next bit) has a pet taxi service to get your pet to and from the vet: See his pet taxi services on his website.  After what happened to my Stamford (he died), I can’t recommend Rick anymore.

Try Singapore Pet Taxi or the Pampered Pet Taxi Service.

Pet Sitting

The sitter I use is Rick Tan and he runs Pet Mobile. This guy might be OK for dogs, but he has no passion for cats and after Stamford dying I cannot recommend him further. Use at your own risk.

Usually what your pet sitter will do is set up an appointment to come and meet your pet, find out where the food, toilet and any play things are kept (and anything else necessary for your baby’s care), learn what walking schedules are, etc. Sitters usually offer to do some basic “while I’m away” type chores (eg. Please throw the newspaper delivered to the front door, please water these plants). If it’s just a couple of chores they’ll usually do that as part of their visit.

They usually offer to keep a key on file for you, or charge you for fee drop off and pick up. Some clients arrange prefer to have them collect the key before they leave on their holiday/trip, and then they leave it in the letterbox after their final visit. This can become an issue for last minute trips and trip extensions.

Pet Grooming

As stated above, grooming is usually a battle at our place with our three cats, however if you want to outsource this, Pet Lovers has a Grooming Service.

Travelling to Cambodia from Singapore is just too easy on a budget. Recently I have been planning a trip for ourselves and my brother and his family. We went in 2008 and loved it so I wanted to share the wonders of Siem Reap and Angkor Wat with them.

Steph climbing around Angkor Thom

I’ve listed some of the resources that I’ve used below.

Flights

Jetstar – cheap and good. Their service runs in a loop: Singapore >> Siem Reap >> Phnom Penh >> Singapore. We’re going to go Singapore to Siem Reap and spend a few days there, then either take a bus or a boat to Phnom Penh, then jump on the Jetstar flight from Phnom Penh to Singapore.

Flights for the above trip had to be booked as two separate legs and cost as follows:

• Singapore >> Siem Reap – SG130-150 per head for the Jet Saver rate
• Phnom Penh >> Singapore – USD50-USD60 per head for the Jet Saver rate (the closer to the travel date, the higher the price)

The Jet Saver rate includes 20kg of checked-in luggage.

Accommodation

I use Hotel Club to book accommodation regionally – membership is free and you collect points which you can then use for discounts for your next stay. Those points translate into real dollar savings.

Siem Reap

Last time we stayed, we were treating ourselves a little, and stayed in a 4-star – Steung Siemreap Hotel. Very nice and located in the heart of town.

This time we are staying in Motherhome Guest House, and if their email correspondence is any indication of their service, this will be a memorable trip.

Phnom Penh

I’ve used Hotel Club again, and we’ve booked Royal Inn Phnom Penh. Let’s see how that goes. I’ll update after our trip!

Visas

Most people will be able to get a visa on arrival, but seeing as the Jetstar flight from Singapore leaves at 6am, and lands around 7-ish, I prefer to pay the US$5 more and have the visa pre-approved. I recall the queue at the visa counter when I arrived last time, and don’t wish to be waiting in line at 7 o’clock in the morning.

The Cambodian government runs a website for e-visa applications, and for those that don’t trust the internet, I had a payment glitch when processing this time – my card statement said I had paid, but their website hadn’t recorded the payment. Easy to fix – I just emailed them a copy of the email receipt that I received and they tracked it down and fixed it.

The visa is valid for 3 months from date of issue, so apply well in advance to avoid any dramas. You can pay a little extra and get express processing if you need.

Depot Road Claypot Laksa is famous among Singaporeans, especially those who live in Singapore’s west. I was first introduced to it by an ex-colleague and friend, Tammy.

It can take up to 20 minutes to get your bowl of these spicy noodles, but I find it’s worth the wait!! The spicy coconut curry soup also has prawns, chicken, cockles, tofu and fish cake. Eating this, with a big spoon of sambal stirred in for extra heat, is often like an adventure, where you’re not sure what morsel you will dig out next with your chopsticks!

If you are a laksa lover, then you must get yourself down to their temporary location (they are usually in Alexandra Food Centre, but this is currently under one of Singapore’s famous upgrades).

Block 119, Bukit Merah Lane 1 (coffee shop on the corner opposite the motorcycle shops), Alexandra Village

If you’re like me, then you tend to have a few computers and laptops where you’ve upgraded, and you pass these older models on to family and friends. Unfortunately with this, some components start to fail, and rather than throwing out a perfectly working piece of  equipment, it’s good if you can find a supplier of components that will assist you in extending the working life of your old laptop.

RICKYTAN.COM is on level 4, Shop 80 of Sim Lim Square, and Ricky himself will often serve you.

I recently purchased a power supply for a 3-year-old Compaq computer, and was told that he has batteries for my model as well.

For best results, bring your laptop in, so that he can test on the spot so that you walk away with a working piece of equipment.

In Singapore, ice desserts are part of the spectacular cuisine.

And given how hot it can be, this is not surprising.

One of the more traditional desserts is something called “Ice Chendol”.

From Wikipedia:

The dessert’s basic ingredients consist of coconut milk, noodles with green food coloring (usually derived from the pandan leaf), and palm sugar. Red beans, glutinous rice, grass jelly, creamed corn, and shaved ice are also included.

The affluence of Singapore, as well as Western influence, has given rise to different variations of cendol. One can occasionally come across variants such as cendol with vanilla ice-cream or cendol topped with durian.

The best place to get Chendol is in Malacca (aka Malaka), but in Singapore, our favourite place is Jin Jin Hot / Cold Desserts.

Try them at:

Blk 6 Jalan Bukit Merah
#01-20 ABC Brickworks Food Centre S(150006)

Well today I had to pick up a replacement key for DH’s car, and so I went to Tan Chong Motors on Bukit Timah Road.

Wow, are they professional and work like a well oiled machine!?!?

My car unit, normally used for paying road tolls and parking, was scanned, and by the time I parked, a service rep was standing next to the car with a clipboard and asking me which number I’d like to be SMS’d at when it’s done.

They have more than 20 bays all lined up with equipment laid out like an operating theatre. You could be forgiven for thinking the car was about to have surgery, rather than being serviced by a mechanic (or a team of mechnics, as the case may be).

And what do I do while the car is being reprogrammed??

Why, have a coffee in the Customer Lounge and blog about it of course!!

Ah, the Singapore efficiency we know and love!

Bukit Merah Road, just near Ikea, is home to Alexander Village – and surrounding that is a nest of car workshops.

If you need your car repaired, serviced, resprayed, accessorised, or just want to change the tires, then if you live in the West of Singapore, this area is not a bad place to go. Entry is from Alexandra Road (heading away from Ikea and towards Vicocity). continue reading…

If you have a car and want to get your windows tinted, go to Infratint. It’s all they do, and they’re good at it.

Infratint Automotive Film
Tradehub 21
26 Boon Lay Way #01-80 Tradehub 21

Office No. 94560888 / 6515175

This is not one I would have picked, after seeing courses for practically everything here, but I have just found out that you can be certified by the Institute of Certified Wedding Planners through their Specialist Diploma in in Wedding Planning!

Other courses I’ve seen in Singapore:

• How to memorise this number:
  4565665447899981236444795692369645454
  (or some other ridiculously long number)
• QiGong Meditation
  (my ignorance – had to look that one up)
• Paper Cutting
  (der – scissors!)
• Ice Skating
  (in Singapore???)
• Gas
  (I could TEACH that one!)

But seriously – I laugh at it, however it is the one thing that I do appreciate about Singapore. Want to get started in something? Never fear, there is someone who will be happy to teach it to you!

Updated: I just found out that one of the Universities here is going to offer a Facebook course! LOL

Source:  Straits Times