Old Dog ...

My beloved dog turned eight last week. I wanted to take a photo of him but he is always so camera shy and will run away whenever he sees me approaching with the camera or phone nowadays. Smart dog!

 

He is now an old dog. I remember when I first brought him home, he was barely two months old and now he is already eight years old. Time flies so fast! In human age, he can actually be my father!

 

The other day I told my mum how old he actually is, and she said, "He is old now. Look at him, he is not as active as before and only lies around being sluggish." Yes, he is old, but I hope he will live a very long and good life, and keeping me company until the end of my days!

 

I love you, Cookie!

Fighting With Banks

I returned from Malacca late last night, and had to drag myself back to the office today, even though I was so tempted to take a day off since tomorrow will be a public holiday. Before I start updating about Malacca, I like to update about the problem I had with the international bank and its related transactions.

 

Last Friday, I saw that out of the three cards I have, two have been updated. The remaining one is still outstanding. It is not urgent as the payment deadline is not yet due, but still, the bank is taking too long to process and pay the outstanding bill when I have already sent out the instructions on 1 November.

 

I called that bank to check on the card status, as it could be updated but not reflected. The officer was so rude! She said the last check, no payment had come in. I said this is taking far too long, and she said it is not within her control when my other bank would make the payment. Fair enough, so when I asked if I could check later on in the day, she said there would be no difference.

 

Okay, so I said in which case, I would check on Monday. She rudely told me to check on Tuesday! But Tuesday would be a public holiday, and no one would be working! She said in that case, check on Wednesday! I told her, if that was the case, why not Monday? She said she is just managing my expectations, if I really want to check on Monday, it is up to me, but in case the account is still not updated, she did not wish for me to be upset, so she is just trying to help me manage my expectations!

 

Can you believe that? How can anyone in customer service say things like that? It has already been more than a week since I requested for payment, am I not wrong to be anxious? It is money after all, what if it channelled other ways and ended up in someone else's bank account? Then I will be defaulting payment and got charged a higher interest for nothing!

 

Today, I called in again, and the status was still the same. I requested for the officer (a different one this time) to check again, and this time round, he said he received the payment but it is still being cleared. Which means most likely I can only receive the updates by Wednesday.

 

This is really getting too much as the time taken is too ridiculous! I thought technology is supposed to help us make our lives easier, but it seems to be making my life harder instead. The payment better be updated by Wednesday, otherwise I am so going to give people a piece of my mind again!

Snowing In The Tropics?

It started raining heavily all of a sudden. Just next to me at my office, I saw this scene and I could not resist taking a picture!

Does it look like it is snowing here, or what?

 

Of course, it cannot be seen clearly, but if you like, click on the picture to enlarge it. You should be able to see the raindrops that look a lot like icicles at the end.

 

This is one phenomenon of nature that one can never see here!

Are "Branded" Salons Necessary Better?

During lunch earlier, I went to a hair salon at the shopping mall nearby my office for a hair wash, as I foresee I would not have the time to wash my hair tonight as it would probably be midnight before we could reach Malacca.

 

There are only two hair salons, so I went to the first one, which happens to be a very prominent one. And it was a disaster, as in the service provided was a disaster. First, when I told them I only wanted to have a hairwash, they immediately brought me to the sink. The hairdresser then started washing my hair with all my hair gathered in the small sink. She only applied shampoo once, rinsed off and then conditioner after that.

 

In the first place, which normal salon washed your hair in the sink? All the other salons I go to, they would wash your hair while you are seated at the chair, massage your head thoroughly and then go for a rinse before applying conditioner. If you wash your hair in the small sink, chances are you would not be able to get every part, especially for chest-length hair like mine.

 

Secondly, the water they use to rinse is cold! They apologised, saying that the water heater "conked" out, but anyone in the hairdressing business would know warm water is best for rinsing off shampoo and suds, right? Using cold water to rinse off will cause the hair to shrink and tangle more.

 

Third, they just put a towel over my head, and then started blowing my hair. They did not even bother wiping or massaging or at least squeezing the water out. After the cold rinse, they immediately used the hot dryer to blow my hair. How can my hair not be in bad shape? And they have the cheek to say my hair is dry and tangled!

 

Two of the stylists were blowing my hair together. And they started gossiping to each other about the state and condition of my hair, in Mandarin. They probably think I do not understand because I spoke in English and most people think I do not look Chinese.

 

I do not appreciate people gossiping about the bad condition of my hair when I am doing my hair! I felt like telling them off, saying to them that do they think I do not understand every word they said? But I let it go, since I was in a hurry and needed to rush back to the office.

 

Finally my hair was done. But I was not that satisfied with the results, as I thought they could do a better job. And they charged me twice as much as what my normal salon would charge, and with much better service and professionalism too!

 

I really do not understand the hype about all these "branded" salons. From my experience, the service is not necessary better as compared to normal neighbourhood or home salons. And they are much more expensive too. So why people prefer to use a "branded" salon instead of a normal neighbourhood salon is really beyond my comprehension.

 

I have tried a few "branded" salons before, and somehow am not satisfied with either, be it in terms of pricing or quality or service. That is the reason why after so many years, I am still a faithful customer to the little salon tucked in a little neighbourhood, where I go to wash, blow, cut, steam, colour and treat my hair, because the service provided is so much better as compared to the price I paid. So who said those "branded" salons are good? I find them so over hyped!

What Could Have Been

Tomorrow will be 101112, and I will be in Malacca. By right, if things went the better way, it would have been my wedding day, before someone threw a fit and I had to cancel everything that had been already planned. Unfortunately, this would be a once-in-a-lifetime date and even if I do get married next time, it would never be such a nice date anymore!

 

Oh well... what can I do? This is my destiny I guess. Although it will be a sad thing if I am to die alone in the future!

Considering A Retirement Plan

After meeting up with my new financial planner and going ahead with another investment plan, he shared with me a retirement plan which I find really impressive! The retirement works in the way that we save a certain amount every month for the next twenty-five years or so (assuming our retirement age is sixty), after that there will be a monthly amount being disbursed for the next ten years, and then assuming we are still alive, after ten years the remaining amount will be disbursed out in one lump sum. If I can get income every month after I stop working, that is a good thing!

 

I decided to make a comparison, and called my current financial planner. He shared with me another retirement plan which I also find pretty good. How this other plan works is that again we save up for like twenty-five years, but from the second year onwards, we can get annual cashback if we opt to, until the end of the twenty-five years.

 

If we choose not to get annual cashback, we can choose to get the cashback anytime after the second year. So if we choose to take the cashback after five years, the accumulated amount will be disbursed. At the end of the twenty-five years, whatever remaining (if we did take out some), or whatever we put in (if we did not take out), would be disbursed out in one whole lump sum.

 

I find this a rather good plan too, because whereas the first one ties us for the next twenty-five years or so, the second plan allows the flexibility of taking out some cash in terms of need or emergency. But of course, the first one is better in the sense that it gives monthly disbursements after retirement, whereas the second one gives a whole lump sum straightaway, and once that is used up, that is the end.

 

Both plans are pretty good. Ideally, it would be great if I can get both. But right now, with my studies that will hopefully finish by next year, I am a bit tied up with liquid assets as I need to put aside for my course fees, and other things, as well. Perhaps in early next year when I can foresee I will not have that many obligations, I can take up both plans before my next birthday then I do not need to pay more.

 

Hopefully I can cover my retirement too, so in the event I am all alone and die alone, at least I know I can be self-sufficient and not depend on anyone to take care of me!

GOBAMA!!!

It is official! Obama is President again. I am never one to follow politics, but I kind of like him. I think he tried his best and did a good job for the past four years, even though the country was quite messy.

 

Here's wishing him all the best and hopefully the next four years would be even better for him!

 

Just as well I took a picture of his figure at Madame Tussaud's Sydney during my recent trip :

 

Three cheers to Mr Barack Obama!!!

"Problematic" Account ...

I had to open a new savings account with an established international bank when I started working for my current company. I have no idea why I cannot use my existing local bank when all along, my salary is credited into my existing local bank. My Human Resources Director says that because the company ties in with the international bank, all salary will be credited inside that bank, so she told me to open a savings account with that.

 

I did just that. During the first month, because the account was not set up yet, I still had my salary deposited into my current local bank account. Actually it is more convenient as all my electronic payments for bills and whatnot are deducted from my local bank account. But I got my salary one day late.

 

During the second month, when I checked the international bank account that I just set up, my salary was not in yet. One of the bank officers called me and asked if my account was active, I said I was waiting for my salary to come in. At the end of the payday, no money came in. I was starting to panic, when I checked my local bank account, and my salary was there! Why should I open another bank account when my salary could be credited into my existing account?

 

I went back to the office to ask my Human Resources Director. She said apparently the bank did not update her, which they were supposed to. So she made a call and everything was settled. Subsequently, my salary went into the international bank account, and I had to transfer some money out into my local bank account for bill payments.

 

When I got my salary for the previous month recently, I wanted to try out the bank transfer system of paying card bills. That was last Thursday (1 November). I did a bank transfer to pay my credit cards and I thought it was good, because when I made a transfer to my local bank account, it took less than a day.

 

However, when I went to check earlier, my credit cards have not been paid! When I called the bank, they told me they would take my instructions online, and then process the instructions, and then issue a cheque out to pay the credit cards! But they were unable to tell me when they would send (or have already sent) out the cheques. The whole process would take three to five working days.

 

Can you believe that? Should not electronic payments be instantaneous, why would a cheque be needed? If that was the case, why did they not tell me the whole procedure? I could easily issue a cheque out on my own and that would take much lesser time!

 

I thought paying online would be the most convenient way, but looks like it became the most troublesome way instead. I asked for the payment to be done on 1 November, and to date, it is already 7 November. Even if it was three to five working days, this is taking way too long!

 

The payments better be out by Friday, otherwise I would definitely give them a piece of my mind for holding up the process when it need not take that long in the first place!

Another Investment Plan

Today I met a financial planner recommended by my friend for lunch. I find that he and I get along pretty well, and he is someone I can trust. I know most financial planners are those that have to get along with people and that they are trustworthy, but I have come across a lot of financial planners that are not only pushy, but they get extremely rude when you turn them down. However, this one is just like meeting a new friend. My friend herself is rather impressed with him, if not for the commitments she already have, she would have gotten a policy from him as she was pretty impressed with that particular policy.

 

In any case, I met him and we started discussing investment. The thing about living here is that one hardly have any cash on hand, due to housing loans, car loans, some even study loans. Everything is getting higher except our salaries. But we have to contribute twenty percent of our income to a government portal and the money is to be used for public housing, medical and retirement.

 

I have already invested part of that a few years back, and during the 2008 bank run, I lost quite a bit. Luckily, my existing planner did a switch and now it is recovering, albeit slowly. So I managed to salvage that.

 

Right now, I have some funds sitting around doing nothing. I cannot utilise that nor withdraw. Since I am not entitled to get a place of my own as yet, and even if I am entitled to there is not enough for the cost of housing here, I decided to invest a bit more to gain more returns.

 

Hence I asked for advise and was given a very good plan. Nowadays insurance agents not only have to give financial advise, they also have to be stockbrokers! With the funds I have, I can invest 30% into blue chip, 30% into Global Markets, and the remaning 40% into local and Asian secured stock. And these are very well-established stocks from very good companies, so the returns will be quite a bit!

 

With that, I asked him to help me register for the investment plan. Hopefully I can generate returns faster so my money can grow faster, and I can at least have a bit more for my "dream" house in the near future! Keeping my fingers crossed that the economy will not have anymore drastic changes!

Hats Off!

Recently I have been crazy over hats, ever since I went to Australia and saw my aunt wearing a hat whenever she goes out. The sun is really strong there, even when it was not summer, the rays beat down one you and you can really feel the strong rays penetrating into your skin. I had sunburn and dry skin after that, when all along I never had this whenever I am anywhere else!

 

Hence my aunt would wear a hat whenever she goes out, as she said that would protect her from the sun. I find that such a good idea, so when I was out today, I happened to come across some nice hats. I ended up buying a cloche hat, of the 1920s style, a wide-brimmed hat that truly acts as a sun hat, a narrow-brimmed hat that is more of a fashion accessory, and a white woollen hat that can be used during those times when I go to a place with winter.

 

These, in additional to the cowboy-like hat I already have, and the few fishermen hats and woollen caps I have. Now I have quite a good collection of hats, and I wonder, just when will I have the occasion to wear? People do not wear hats here, even though the sun can be burning all the time.

 

With all these hats, perhaps I should start wearing hats out more often from now on, despite what others will say. Afterall, it is for my own protection of my skin and complexion! That is why my aunt still looks so young, even though she is older than my mum! Those beauty columns are right, to prevent aging, use sunscreen and get away from the sun as much as possible! And I have to start doing that at my age before it is too late!

A Capella A Capella

I just came back from watching "Pitch Perfect", and it is a pretty good, albeit comedian, show. Essentially, the show is about a group of college all female a capella singers trying to win the prize which they lost so humiliatingly the previous year.

 

The show is a rather run-of-the-mill kind of show, but what strikes me is the singing. All the actors can sing! That is really something. Many a times, we get people who can act but cannot sing, and vice versa. The notable exceptions are Hugh Jackman, Neil Patrick Harris and Anne Hathaway, who by the way, will be with Hugh Jackman in the upcoming "Les Miserables" which will open here on Christmas Day, and I really cannot wait for it!

 

The actors and actresses of this show all sing a capella, which is much harder than normal singing. In normal singing, one follows the rhythm and just let the words flow along. But in a capella singing, it is without accompaniment, which means the voices have to be the instruments, backups and vocals all at the same time. This is not an easy feat, and only a really talented singer who keeps good beat, rhythm and with great pitch can achieve that.

 

This show makes me want to sing again! I have not sung for a long time, save for the once in a while karaoke sessions. Ever since I stopped performing, I have not really sung and I think my vocals have turned rusty. In fact, I do not know if I can even carry a tune anymore!

 

However, I am not one to sing a capella, because I do not think I have perfect pitch. I guess I just have to make do with singing normal songs, although a capella sounds so much more interesting and fun to sing, because you can really play with the songs and stream a medley just by your voices alone!

An (Overdue) Reunion ...

Today I had a long overdue reunion with my primary school classmates, many of whom I have not seen in, well, ever since we graduated. Most of them are married with kids of their own, and a couple of them brought their entire brood. There are at least two who have four kids, and one expecting her fourth. Very productive! Our government should be happy. :-P

 

It was a casual lunch potluck gathering. I provided fried noodles, roasted duck and drinks, and the rest brought local hawker fare, fried chicken wings, sushi and dessert. The kids and adults both ate hungrily, but there was still quite a lot of food leftover.

 

It was a good catching up session, but unfortunately, we did not manage to take any photos as I was busy entertaining, and the rest were busy running after and feeding their kids. I did not even manage to talk to some of them much, as most of them needed to leave early due to their young kids. Oh well... that is the sacrifice of parenthood I suppose.

 

It was indeed a lovely catching up session. How I wish more turned up, then the whole session would be much more fun! I am looking forward to doing this again next time, if there ever is another gathering!

Confirm Confirmed!

I have received my letter of confirmation today, and with it, a notice of my increment, including a final paragraph, wishing me success and fulfilment and a rewarding career with the company. So I am confirmed confirmed at last!

What Constitutes A Good Director?

I just came back from watching Skyfall (check my thoughts here), and I love it! This is a different James Bond altogether, but being directed by Sam Mendes, one can expect it to show more of the artistic aspects of the show than any real action. But Sam Mendes did a really good job. He is one director that I like, after his work on "American Beauty", which is one of my favourite movies of all time.

 

Which makes me think, what constitutes a good director? A good director, in my opinion, is someone who is able to capture the essence of the show, brings out the amazing storyline, and makes the movie in such a way that it not only captures the audience, but also gives them a feelgood or reflective feeling about the show.

 

Of course, the opinions differ. Some would think a good director is someone who can come up with action after action after action. Some would think a good director is someone who can come up with scary movies after scary movies (think about the "Paranormal Activity" series). But to me, I think a director who can actually come up with the artistic effects of the show is a much better director because it is the artistic effects that make the show really good, and anyone who can do that is what differentiates between a mediocre director and an excellent one.

 

Like Sam Mendes. "American Beauty" is a simple storyline. Some people would think it scandalous. But the way he made the movie made the show so beautiful, the characters so conflicted yet so real. And that is the whole beauty of the show. Hence "American Beauty", not the beauty of the Mena Suvari's character, whom in my opinion, is not even that pretty in the first place.

 

What about Ron Howard, whose shows never fail? Even though he is not that an artistic director, his shows are normally more dramatic and intense. Just think "Ransom", "Apollo 13", "A Beautiful Mind" and "The Da Vinci Code". And Robert Zemeckis, whose "Forrest Gump" is still my favourite show of all time, not to mention his "Back To The Future" trilogy, and "Who Framed Roger Rabbit"? Even Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and James Cameron, whose shows I will defintiely flock to watch, because these two directors never fail.

 

I have realised that good directors make good shows. Those names above, their shows never fail. In fact, it is good that Ron Howard ventured into directing because I think he makes a much better director than an actor. Hence before any show comes out, I normally see who the producers and directors are. By going with good names, chances are the shows will not let you down.

 

A couple of years back, I went to watch the new version of "The Three Musketeers", where Milla Jovovich is one of the stars. I had a feeling the show would not be good, because it was directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, the guy who directed "Event Horizon", which to me, was the worst show I have ever watched in my life. And I was right! This rendition of "Three Musketeers" was not impressive! I much prefer the older version with the famous song by the threesom - Sting, Rod Stewart and Bryan Adams.

 

There are many good directors around. Those I mentioned are just the creme de la creme, but there are many others who make pretty good shows too. Like Joe Wright, the director who did "Atonement", "Pride and Prejudice" and the upcoming "Anna Karenina". What about the directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, the husband and wife team who did "Ruby Sparks" and "Little Miss Sunshine"? Most directors have their own style and genre, and after one or two shows, one can easily recognise which director goes with which style.

 

Problem is, how to discern? Well, it is easy if you are a movie buff. Sometimes the style of the show looks very similar to another show you have watched, then chances are, it is by the same director or producer. And it is all up to the individual which style you prefer.

Approval For Confirmation

I just came out of my boss' room, and guess what? He has approved for me to be confirmed! He gave me a form which he filled in, and asked me to read, give comments (if any), and sign off. While I was reading his comments, I cannot believe he graded me overall good in everything! Wow... That is really a big boost to my confidence and capability after the dramatic fiasco with my previous place.

 

I am also in awe that not only am I going to be confirmed, I am also getting an increment, which gives me an overall uplift of five percent from my previous package in my previous company! I cannot believe it!

 

At least this is a big relief to me, that perhaps I can finally stay for some time and not hop around again!

Company Trip To Malacca

I will be having a company trip to Malacca next weekend. By right, it would be a long weekend if people take off on that Monday, as the following day is a public holiday. However, due to this company team-building / social / leisure trip, we were told that we would not be able to take any form of leave, be it medical or annual, the day before the trip and the day after. That means we would leave immediately after work on Friday and return back on Sunday night, and back to work again on Monday.

I did not know about this trip until yesterday, so I was like a last minute addition. Since the rooms in the hotel that the company booked have already been settled, and I was given a choice whether I joined in or book my own accommodation, I decided to do the latter, as I have always wanted to try out this hotel which a fellow blogger recommended.

So I went to book my own accommodation. Luckily there was still rooms available despite me booking at such late notice, but I am only able to get the superior room that costs more instead of the deluxe room that cost less. But I suppose the location makes up for it. Besides accommodation, I would be joining the rest of my colleagues in everything else, and we even had some free time on Sunday morning to do as we please, before taking the coach back in the evening.

The last time I went to Malacca was a disaster. I guess because it was a day trip, and besides Malacca, we were brought to other parts of Malaysia, so in the end we could only spend an hour or so in Malacca before going back. This time round, since it is a weekend, perhaps the trip would be better? I sure hope so!

UNESCO Heritage Places I Have Visited

I know of someone who dreams of setting foot on at least fifty UNESCO World Heritage places. Fifty is a good number actually, although it is not even ten percent of all the places in the UNESCO Heritage List. I think if it is me, I would try to make the number one hundred.

 

However, I think I have gone to quite a few UNESCO Heritage places already, be it on my own or with my family. Last count, there should be twenty at least. If that is the case, then I just need to go to eighty more places and I can die a happy person.

 

Eighty more places is not that unachievable, considering some countries alone already have at least five UNESCO Heritage listed sites. So all you need to do is to travel around the country and you can already visit those places.

 

Here are the World Heritage listed places I have visited (in no particular order) :

 

Australia

1. Greater Blue Mountains area (including Echo Point, the Three Sisters and Jamison Valley)

2. Sydney Opera House

3. Australian Convict Sites (including Port Arthur in Tasmania, Hyde Park Barracks in Sydney and Fremantle Prison in Perth)

 

Japan

4. Ancient Kyoto (think I was there when I was six, with my parents, but I could hardly remember the place)

 

South Korea

5. Changdeokgung Palace Complex

6. Jeju Volcanic Island

 

Malaysia

7. Gunung Mulu National Park

8. Malacca

9. George Town

 

Malta

10. Valetta

11. Hypogeum

12. Megalithic Temples

 

New Zealand

13. Te Wahipounamu in Southwest New Zealand (comprising Mount Cook National Park, Fiordland comprising Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound and Lake Te Anau, Mount Aspiring and Lake Wanaka, and Westland National Park comprising the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers)

14. Tongariro National Park 

 

United Kingdom

15. Stonehenge

16. Studley Royal Park and the ruins of Fountain Abbey

17. Blenheim Palace

18. Bath

19. Frontiers of the Roman Empire (including Hadrian's Wall that separates England from Scotland)

20. Tower of London

21. Old and New Towns of Edinburgh

 

United States of America

22. Grand Canyon National Park

23. Yosemite National Park

 

Wow... the list seems more than I thought! Not a bad achievement! Looks like I can easily fulfil the goal of reaching a hundred sites now!

Fridge Magnets From Sydney

I was so inspired by fellow blogger Julie that I am starting a collection of fridge magnets. I wish I thought of this long time ago, to buy fridge magnets as souvenirs as memoirs of my travels. Often, when I go travelling, I always cracked my head thinking what kind of souvenirs would be good enough.

 

If you go to places like South Africa, it is easy. For instance, my mum bought back a vuvuzuela from there. Or even for Egypt, we can buy back a papyrus. Or China, where we can buy back a stuffed panda. Otherwise in most other places, just food products will suffice.

 

Trouble is, in most places, due to globalisation and large imports and exports, chances are one can find something overseas that you may probably already have back home. So what then? What can you bring back that is small, cheap and make good souvenirs?

 

Hence fridge magnets. Not only are they small, cheap and long-lasting, they represent the icons of the various countries. Like Borneo, there are magnets in the shape of longhouses, native tribes and orang utans. One can place this on a fridge and gaze at them permanently. These little things represent their respective countries and will never run out.

 

So when I was in Sydney, I bought a few fridge magnets, not just for Julie but also for myself. To kickstart my collection, I bought a kangaroo magnet with a small thermometer to measure the day's temperature, a boomerang magnet, and a pretty pink teapot magnet from the village of Leura in the Blue Mountains.

 One of the native animals of Australia

 

 Another Australian "native"

 

This is my personal favourite, bought from the quaint teapot museum in Leura

 

These magnets are not much, but it is a good start to my collection. A pity I did not get any magnets of koalas, platypus, emus or that of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, but these are enough for now. I believe there will still be chances for me to get those in the future. Hopefully one day I will have enough to fill up my entire refrigerator on all sides, all from different countries!



Of Travel Insurance ...

Since we are on the subject of cash withdrawal overseas, it reminds me of another travel-related money issue - Travel Insurance. I have never bought any travel insurance whenever I travel, which I believe most people will cry out in shock at this. I always thought travel insurance is not necessary because so far, I have been very blessed whenever I travel on my own, and what can be better than God Himself watching over me and ensuring nothing happens to me?

 

However, before I went down under, I was toying with the idea of getting a travel insurance. I should have gotten travel insurance before I went to Borneo, but I just got terminated from employment and wanted to save up more money for the actual trip. Yet I managed to go there and back unscathed.

 

I never had any idea how travel insurance really works. After paying for the insurance, what then? If nothing happens to me and I come back in one piece, would I not be throwing money away since that cannot be claimed? But if something happens, then what? Am I able to claim back the full amount? Or will the claims be settled immediately instead of months later?

 

I was curious, so went to check out the various travel insurance packages. I got a shock when I saw the amount needed to cover Australia. It is Australia after all, not some backward place with no hygiene and structure, so why in the world would I need to pay so much for a week's trip?

 

I would be going to a relatively safe place, I would be taken care of by my relatives, and I would be going to a place where it is relatively easy to go around in on my own. So do I really need travel insurance of that amount?

 

Hence, I did not get any for this trip. Then I realise travel insurance is not just if something happened to you like you got robbed or whatnot, but also if you get sick while overseas or after coming back, it is still claimable. Still, I was not willing to pay so much for just a week's trip. And luckily nothing happened to me.

 

Having said that, I may start buying travel insurance whenever I travel from now on. One really would not know what would happen anytime and my good luck may not be around forever. If I do not buy it is good money saved, but if things are to happen, no amount of money can ever make up for it. And if I do buy, and nothing happens, it is for a piece of mind knowing if anything was to happen, I can be covered.

 

So I guess getting travel insurance is still a better option overall! A little investment can go a long way indeed!

Withdrawing Cash Overseas ...

Whenever I go travelling, I always ensure I change enough currency to last me throughout the trip. This can get rather troublesome especially when you go on a long trip (like two weeks) and the currency is big. For instance, when I went to Japan for a two-week skiing holiday, I changed about two thousand dollars into Japanese Yen, which became a hefty sum, and I was on my toes all the time worrying if I would get robbed.

 

Luckily Japan is a generally safe place. So is United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia. But when I was in Sarawak recently, I also brought quite a big amount (in Ringgit). Even though I did not need to use much to change into Ringgit, still because it was Malaysia, I was worried too.

 

When I was in Sarawak, my fellow travellers sometimes asked to go to a cash machine to withdraw cash. I have heard about cash withdrawal overseas, and that our bank cards are all authorised to withdraw cash overseas. However I have never tried it for myself. I always changed enough cash (with a bit of surplus for emergencies) for the duration of the trip, and limited myself to spend only the amount of cash I was carrying and not more. Cards are used only for emergencies. This is a good way to save money overseas, otherwise one could go crazy buying and buying.

 

When I saw people withdrawing cash overseas, I started being curious and asked around. One of my friends told me that we can all withdraw cash overseas using our bank card, but the bank will deduct charges for each transaction, so she always tried to minimise her transactions.

 

For instance, if she goes to Malaysia, she would carry just enough for the first half of the trip. After she runs out of money, she would go to a cash machine and withdraw cash for the second half of the trip. She would draw enough so she need not withdraw cash again for the duration of the trip, and the bank would only deduct charges only once. The funds would be automatically coverted into the local currency via the bank, and the money she received would be in the local currency.

 

I think that is a good idea, but personally, I am reluctant to use it if the bank deduct charges. I much prefer changing a lump sum and then bringing the money over, so as to prevent unnecessary deduction of cash.

 

Of course, there are pros and cons. The pros is that by bringing lesser amounts, it may be safer to travel as one may not be a target to theft and robbery, especially when travelling alone. The cons is that if the money runs out, one would then need to look for a cash withdrawal machine and incur bank charges.

 

By bringing more amounts, the pros is that we bring enough to get by and so really limit ourselves to what we brought, hence prevent unnecessary spending and bank deduction charges by withdrawing cash overseas. But the cons is that if we ever get robbed (touch wood!), then those money would be gone and there was nothing we could do as we are foreigners.

 

Which is better? Change money and bring overseas at one go, or not bring so much and then withdraw cash overseas if need be? Well... I guess that really depends on one's preference. Maybe next time I would bring enough to get by, and if need be, do an overseas cash withdrawal just to see how that works, instead of using card. That may be the best solution.