In the States, funerals are not a 3- or 5-day affair. Generally, most funeral services in the States last 2 to 5 hours. So when I witnessed and attended my first funeral in Singapore, my initial thought was, “How does the body stay ‘fresh’ and not smell while left out in a warm and humid environment for 5 days?” And I wondered how much does such a lengthy funeral service cost.
When most people hear the word “auction”, they think “distressed sale”. In many other parts of the world, this is mostly true. Although I own a few things from distressed sales and have bid in quite a few auctions, I’m definitely still a novice when it comes to auctions in Singapore, particularly property auctions. They’re an entirely different animal. And here’s why.
There are times when I think I’m being frugal, but when I look back, I realise I was not. In fact, I was far from it. I’ve failed many times in the past at being frugal. And it’s still a work in progress today. So what does it mean to be frugal? If this is one of your New Year’s Resolutions, and you’re not doing these things, then you may be doing it all wrong.
What do Albert Einstein, Liam Hemsworth, Steve Jobs, Pamela Anderson, Miley Cyrus, and Gao Yuanyuan have in common? They all decided on a life without consuming animal flesh. People become vegetarians for many reasons, including health reasons, religious convictions, animal welfare advocacy, and environmental reasons. Nowadays, with so many meat substitutes available, it’s easier than ever to make that transition, or at least to become a part-time vegetarian (like me). And VegetarianOnline is a great place to go for vegetable-based substitutes for every meat product imaginable. (more…)
I’ve salvaged furniture from the dumpster, and have even saved some imperfect but still-edible produce. But as someone who tries to be frugal, I passed on freeganism because it conflicted with some of my values. To be clear, frugality (as defined by the Reddit community) is “the mental approach we each take when considering our resource allocations – time, money, convenience, and many other factors.” Freeganism, while its origins began with anti-consumerism and veganism, has steered into the direction of not spending at any cost and living on the discarded excess of society. It has recently garnered much media attention in Singapore. So why can freegan thinking lead to unhealthy behaviours? (more…)
For the last 20 years, my friends and I have followed our own tradition of exchanging homemade & DIY gifts. I feel these gifts are more meaningful because of the effort, creativity, and resourcefulness involved. They are also more memorable. From upcycled pet toys, scrapbook calendars, knitted socks, and artwork, to homemade cakes and cookies, the love and talent in these one-of-a-kind gifts are very tangible. Here are some of my favourite gifts that I’ve given and received. What do they have in common? They’re all easy to make, and so meaningful, that I still remember and treasure each of them today.
While making a smoothie, my blender suddenly overheated and started smoking. The motor had burnt out. It was an older, low budget and low power (250W) blender so I knew its days were numbered. But its sudden death also gave me some pause. It had been many years since I’ve needed to buy any sort of appliance. A lot has changed in the marketplace, and I needed to do my research. Luckily, I knew a good place to start comparison shopping – Diffmarts. (more…)