Dear Readers,
Decided to post some recommendations for Must-visit places in Singapore from a perspective of a local. Are you looking for shopping places in Singapore? Cheap deals and quality clothings? Singapore doesn't manufacture fashion clothings, so most of the clothings you get in Singapore are imported either from Korea, China or Bangkok. I would say mostly from China as they produce the cheapest clothings.
Bugis Street
Yes, when in Singapore, Bugis Street is a MUST-VISIT! It is a place to get not only souvenirs, but also cheap clothings, and tasty but slightly over-priced street snacks. The key highlight at Bugis Street is the cheap fashion clothings. Bugis street is a large sheltered shopping area. It consists of 3 levels of shopping spree. I personally love shopping at level 2, as most shops there really cheap. You can get a nice looking piece of dress of decent material for just SGD5 (And I'm not even kidding, the prices are displayed, so you need not worried getting scammed)
Shoes are slightly more pricey but occasionally the shops on the 2nd floor does have offers like 2 pairs for SGD20. If you're looking for more fashionable types of shoes or sandals, the price ranges from SGD10-40. Certain shops sells the same items so do look around for cheaper deals before getting it.
Do note that level 1 of Bugis street is non-airconditioned so it is generally more stuffy. Especially at the main entrance near the fruit juice stall and the other exit near the Albert Street Food Centre. It is always jam-packed with people.
If you're looking for souvenirs here, I think it is good to get the Singapore-designed tote bags at 4 for SGD10 only! The material is acceptable and it comes with some small compartments inside. Definitely worth the price. Although the keychains seem cheap, with most stalls selling at 36 pieces for SGD10, I think the bags are more worth it (if you're getting for ladies).
If you're looking for cosmetics, it is not very cheap there. Reasonably priced, but not the cheapest cosmetics you can find in town. Cheap bags can be found in a number of boutiques, but I usually look out for the ones on the 2nd floor (newly renovated area) which has their offer racks hanging outside their stalls. I bought 2 cambridge satchel at SGD5 each, although it lasted about 3-4 months of continuous usage. You are able to find good deals there so long as you're attentive to the goods the shops display. I found one of the satchel retailing at a boutique in a shopping mall at SGD19.90, which was the exact same one I bought at bugis for just SGD5.
Accessories are not cheap at Bugis, unless a stall is having a mega sale. For cheap accessories, I'll recommend you to get it from the sales at Cotton On and Factorie (I'll post more on such boutiques later).
Tips for shopping at Bugis:
1. Bargain (Only if the item is $10 and above, or if you are getting more than 1 item- Most salesgirl will give you a dollar or 2 of discount)
2. Do not purchase from the first stall you spot something that interests you. Chances are, there are other boutiques selling at a lower price. Bugis is easy to navigate around, so don't worry that you'll get lost.
3. SGD5 deals are not necessary goods of low quality. Some are really good one, and because they are urgently clearing stocks, they sell it cheaply.
4. Be careful of pickpockets. My friend (a local) was pickpocketed recently! Keep your bags close by your side (but don't make it so obvious- like hugging your backpack tightly, etc.)
5. If you cannot find a price tag on the item you are interested it, chances are the owner will randomly throw you a high price. Do not buy from these stalls!
6. If you're hungry, you can always head to the Thai eatery on the 3rd floor of the new compound. They sell delicious Thai food.
7. If you are getting a little warm, head to the higher levels which are fully air- conditioned.
8. Cravings for snacks? There's this really popular crepe stall that always has a long queue. About SGD4-6 for a flavoured crepe. (I personally tried it only once)
9. If you are looking for higher end boutiques and more commonly known brands, cross the road to Bugis Junction. There are various fashion boutiques like Cotton On and Topshop.
10. I would recommend you to bring your own recycle bag to contain all your small shopping bags. The plastic bags the stall provides are always really small and I hate it when they squeeze my dresses into such a small bag and crumple it. I always bring along a recycle bag to throw my shopping goods in it.
11. Very few shops in Bugis street allows payment by cards. Only a handful accepts Nets, majority accepts cash payment only, so remember to bring along enough cash to shop!
12. If you would like to get a tattoo here, I know of one tattoo shop on the 2nd floor of the older section of the building. Not too sure about the price.
Hungry while shopping? Walk across the road towards the Albert Street Food Centre! Delicious food stalls that makes me feel like eating everything there. Will be posting on food recommendations at Albert Street Food Centre soon!(:
Bugis is such a nice place to shop at. The best timing to go would be on weekday afternoons (after lunch and before dinner time) Avoid Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights! You might end up having to walk like penguins. Remember to bargain (reasonably obviously). Let me know of some of the good deals any of you readers got from Bugis!(:
Cheers,
Rachel
Thursday, 28 May 2015
[School] NUS AY/15 Year 1 Semester 1 Module Review: LSM1301
Dear Readers,
Gonna continue with module reviews for Y1S1 AY14/15!
Modules taken:
- EC1101E
- LSM1301
- EL1101E
- SSA2204
- EC2104
This post will be purely a review for LSM1301!
LSM1301 (General Biology) was one of the most enjoyable modules I've ever taken! It had the most interactive lessons and covers very interesting contents. Furthermore, the lecturers and teaching assistants were really funny and nice people.
Lecturers: Dr Seow Teck Keong and Dr Posa
Lectures: Both lecturers are equally good, although I find Dr Seow more engaging as he often shares his personal experiences in the lectures. I remembered there was a lecture on hereditary and he placed his family photo in the lecture slides (so cute HAHA), and introduced us to his wife and daughter. Dr Seow also cracks a lot of biology jokes and causes an uproar of laughter during most of the lectures. He covered the first half of the lecture which had a lot of H1 and H2 Biology content. This module precluded anyone who have taken H2 Biology at the A levels to make it fair for everyone. I took H1 Biology at the A levels so some content wasn't unfamiliar for me.
The second half of the semester's content was covered by Dr Posa who was really nice and patient (but I felt really bad for her, as the LT was always so noisy whenever she wants to speak). The content she covered was very new concepts like the Sponges, and concepts on Genus, Phylum, Family, Order, Species etc. I personally felt the 2nd half of the semester was tougher as the content was really complicated.
Always print your lecture notes for lectures, or else you will be very lost! The lecturers often drop important notes during the lecturers which were tested during the exams and weekly quizzes (graded) (eg. The Golgi Apparatus is liken to be a post office) That was an MCQ question that came out in the weekly quiz and Dr Seow mentioned it during the lecture but it was not on the notes he uploaded.
Lectures were generally ok so long as you listened in class and have your notes with you.
Lab Sessions: For my semester, we had lab sessions which commenced about 3 weeks after the 1st lecture. Lab sessions were really fun. You need not get the white lab coats as the disposable (blue-coloured surgeon looking one was provided for free). HOWEVER, although it is disposable, please do not dispose it after the 1st lab session, keep it for all your 4 lab sessions as they were provided for free only for the first lab lesson. If you happen to lose your labcoat or want to wear a new one due to hygiene purposes, you can get it for $2 at the start of the lesson. Labcoats are compulsory for lab sessions, and girls had to tie up their hair and pin up your fringe (to avoid contamination).
During my semester, I got to dissect a flower, make kimchi, do gel electrophoresis and extract my DNA from my cheek cells too! It was really fun!! Lab sessions were 1.5hours, and I felt that it was a little short as I was having so much fun!
Do note that you have to print the practical worksheet out before the lab session and bring it for the lab lesson, if not the Prof will make you buy a hardcopy. Softcopy was allowed (you can bring your laptop for lab- but it was such a hassle having a laptop on your workspace- leaves you less space to carry out your experiments)
Also, the practical worksheet includes questions that required you to do lab reports after each lab session and upload onto IVLE for submission. They are all graded assignments. Please discuss with your lab mates and friends as they are meant to help you. Try to get full marks for all lab reports (Google is present for a reason)! There was a given dateline which you had to follow and you must always send your report for plagiarism check! (If not there would be a penalty mark deduction imposed)
Examinations: Finals was a electronic bring your own laptop examination (BUT please note that they stopped the e-exam after my semester) What does this mean? It means you bring your laptop for the exams. Yes, instead of a piece of exam script, you submit your answers (which comprised of MCQs only) on softcopy. There was a software you had to download into your laptop (details were provided during the lectures).
There was a trial run conducted one week before the actual final exam to ensure everyone had the software on their laptops and they running just fine. This was to minimise the technical difficulties faced during the actual final exam. I didn't quite like this method of examination as it was such a hassle to bring my laptop down to school for the exams, and the trouble of having a dry run on a Saturday morning to test out the system. All these hassle could be eliminated by conducting a usual black and white test paper.
Oh yes, during the exam, internet access to Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Safari, Mozilla FireFox would all be denied, which means you are unable to Google the answer, BUT you were allowed to refer to your softcopy notes on your laptop. Wifi purely for exam purposes was used (the router was placed at the front of the LT), as the software required internet access to submit your answers online. I opted for the school laptop as I was too lazy to bring my own and the school laptop would 99% be compatible and unlikely to have any technical difficulties. That meant I had to bring my thumbdrive with my softcopy notes and lecture slides to transfer into the school laptop before the exam. Thumbdrives were not allowed on the actual exam!
The final exams was quite tough I feel, as it tested a lot on Dr Posa's lectures, and Dr Seow's portion were tougher and more analytical questions (like antibiotic resistance in different scenarios). You had to have a good grasp of your content beforehand as there wasn't sufficient time to flip through your notes for the answers for every single questions. There were a few giveaway questions (thankfully), and also some video-based question, where you had to watch a short clip and then answer the MCQ. The videos were replay-able, so not to worry if you missed out on any part.
Overall: I would recommend students to take this module to fulfill as Unrestricted Electives. It is really interesting especially if you like Biology. The professors are really nice people, and lessons were informative and useful. I did generally well for this module, but I felt that the bell-curve was quite steep (probably because I didn't do too well for the final exams). I enjoyed this module very much!(:
Regards,
Rachel
P.S I still have my hardcopy lecture notes in coloured (printed using a laser printer) with good quality clear diagrams. Am selling it away (as a paid a lot for my coloured notes to aid my learning). Comment if you're interested!(:
Wednesday, 27 May 2015
[Travel] Where to stay for a budget trip to Bangkok: Metro Resort Pratunam
Dear Readers,
I am back with travel reviews!
This time recommending hotels to stay in Bangkok for a budget trip!
Whenever I head to Bangkok, the only place I'll stay at is Metro Resort Pratunam.
It is conveniently located one road down Platinum Fashion Mall (about 10-15 minutes walk), and big malls nearby (including Shibuya 19 which sells wholesale fashion clothings and some electronics mall across the road)
I touched down at Survanabhumi Airport only at 7-ish to 8pm, and by the time I reached the hotel (by taxi), it was 9plus almost 10pm (local BKK time). Remember, whenever you take taxi, always ask for metered fare! (including to and fro the airport; some taxi drivers try to cheat your money by telling you there is massive jam at this time of the day, but don't fall for their trick!!) Unless you're in really popular areas at about 12am, like Ma Boon Kong, then most taxi drivers will only ferry those who agree to pay his requested fare (but always try to bargain (at least 50-100baht lower!))
The photo above was taken from the outside of the hotel the next morning after I touched down since it was really dark when I reached the hotel the night before.
Very cosy lightings with 2 desktops near the check-in concierge for guests' usage. Though I recommend not to stay in the lobby for too long as there were many mosquitoes.
You see really huge corridors, especially on the 3rd level. Where the middle area (on the right of the picture (with brown walls), are the exterior of one of their conference rooms.
All the rooms come with an attached bathroom, Do note that there is no carpeting in the room. Neither is there bedroom slipper provided. Please bring your own pair. In the room there is a cupboard, which had enough hangers for 2 days worth of clothes for 2 person, no luggage stand (place it on the floor), a glass table and 2 chairs, a wall-mounted TV with about 5-8 local channels, a dressing table (with a waste paper basket in the corner near the bathroom), a side table between both beds that had a table lamp, writing paper and a telephone for services.
Yes, to gain access to the room, you need a key and it isnt the high tech sort of tap card/ insert card into slot type of hotel. It is a physical key (the kind of key you use to lock your main door). Rest assured, if you're worried that you might lose your key, the concierge will keep your keys on your behalf. And the best part is, when you get back to the hotel (if the same concierge staff is on duty), she can remember your room number and pass you back your key. That is a really nice gesture as it shows how much they respect the guests.
They change the towels everyday, and cleared the bins too. Toiletries were replenished daily and the sheets were changed and bed for you (ONLY IF you placed the "Please make up room" sign outside your door!)
Oh, and yes, they had a mini fridge in the room too. The bottled water (first 2) is complimentary, there were also packet coffee, tea, creamer and sugar. They are complimentary too!
Water flask is provided for you to boil your own water too.
During my period of stay, there were many Indian guests, and they tend to sleep rather late. The walls are definitely not 100% soundproof, probably about 80%, so I could hear their conversation (but not like I understood anything they were saying) Other than that, the air conditioning was so shiok that I slept and snored like a pig.
Although no daily breakfast is provided for my option, the hotel area has many good road side stalls, which mostly closes at 11pm.
The fruits in the above picture are a must eat! Fresh fruits for sale on push carts. This was from a vendor selling right outside 7-eleven, and I bought from him every single night I was there. The guava was the only fruit he cut on the spot, but all his fruits tasted good. There were pineapples, papaya, pear, guava, jambu. Jambus are must eat here. They're so sweet, crunchy and juicy! Ah, missing the jambus now!
I am back with travel reviews!
This time recommending hotels to stay in Bangkok for a budget trip!
Whenever I head to Bangkok, the only place I'll stay at is Metro Resort Pratunam.
It is conveniently located one road down Platinum Fashion Mall (about 10-15 minutes walk), and big malls nearby (including Shibuya 19 which sells wholesale fashion clothings and some electronics mall across the road)
I touched down at Survanabhumi Airport only at 7-ish to 8pm, and by the time I reached the hotel (by taxi), it was 9plus almost 10pm (local BKK time). Remember, whenever you take taxi, always ask for metered fare! (including to and fro the airport; some taxi drivers try to cheat your money by telling you there is massive jam at this time of the day, but don't fall for their trick!!) Unless you're in really popular areas at about 12am, like Ma Boon Kong, then most taxi drivers will only ferry those who agree to pay his requested fare (but always try to bargain (at least 50-100baht lower!))
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| This is how the exterior of the hotel look like (pardon my flabby arms HAHA) |
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| Here's the lobby! |
Very cosy lightings with 2 desktops near the check-in concierge for guests' usage. Though I recommend not to stay in the lobby for too long as there were many mosquitoes.
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| The very large corridors along the 3rd floor |
You see really huge corridors, especially on the 3rd level. Where the middle area (on the right of the picture (with brown walls), are the exterior of one of their conference rooms.
The layout seems awkward for a hotel as this building was converted from a shopping mall in 2010/2011. Therefore, there were escalators too (which were not operating) which is supposed is meant to save electricity (since they have a lift anyway)
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| Interior of the room (twin bedroom) |
All the rooms come with an attached bathroom, Do note that there is no carpeting in the room. Neither is there bedroom slipper provided. Please bring your own pair. In the room there is a cupboard, which had enough hangers for 2 days worth of clothes for 2 person, no luggage stand (place it on the floor), a glass table and 2 chairs, a wall-mounted TV with about 5-8 local channels, a dressing table (with a waste paper basket in the corner near the bathroom), a side table between both beds that had a table lamp, writing paper and a telephone for services.
Air-conditioning worked fine. If you're worried the room gets stuffy, just turn on the aircon in your room when you leave the hotel (the cleaners will not turn it off just to save electricity). This means you can enjoy a cool environment after a long day of shopping.
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| Outside the room I stayed in June 2014 |
Yes, to gain access to the room, you need a key and it isnt the high tech sort of tap card/ insert card into slot type of hotel. It is a physical key (the kind of key you use to lock your main door). Rest assured, if you're worried that you might lose your key, the concierge will keep your keys on your behalf. And the best part is, when you get back to the hotel (if the same concierge staff is on duty), she can remember your room number and pass you back your key. That is a really nice gesture as it shows how much they respect the guests.
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| I took really little pictures of the room, so here's one with me in it. |
They change the towels everyday, and cleared the bins too. Toiletries were replenished daily and the sheets were changed and bed for you (ONLY IF you placed the "Please make up room" sign outside your door!)
Oh, and yes, they had a mini fridge in the room too. The bottled water (first 2) is complimentary, there were also packet coffee, tea, creamer and sugar. They are complimentary too!
Water flask is provided for you to boil your own water too.
During my period of stay, there were many Indian guests, and they tend to sleep rather late. The walls are definitely not 100% soundproof, probably about 80%, so I could hear their conversation (but not like I understood anything they were saying) Other than that, the air conditioning was so shiok that I slept and snored like a pig.
Although no daily breakfast is provided for my option, the hotel area has many good road side stalls, which mostly closes at 11pm.
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| Yes, this was just a 2minute walk down the hotel towards Platinum direction. |
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| This was taken on the 1st night when we first arrived (at about 10.30pm) |
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| Nice personalised pouches which are great as gifts (~8SGD) |
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| 3SGD roadside wanton mee stall that was cooked on the spot |
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| The famous Kuang Heng Chicken Rice stall (~3SGD including the bottle of coke) |
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| The 7-eleven sold Slurpee for only SGD0,70 for the giant size |
The fruits in the above picture are a must eat! Fresh fruits for sale on push carts. This was from a vendor selling right outside 7-eleven, and I bought from him every single night I was there. The guava was the only fruit he cut on the spot, but all his fruits tasted good. There were pineapples, papaya, pear, guava, jambu. Jambus are must eat here. They're so sweet, crunchy and juicy! Ah, missing the jambus now!
Yes, so now you know how convenient this hotel is, with the roadside stalls opened till almost midnight! The staff are really kind too, and tries to give you as clear instructions they can with their minimal English.
Oh yes, Thai massage is a must when in Thailand right? No worries, there is a whole street of Thai massage parlours just 5minutes walk down the street towards Platinum direction! There are 4-5 stalls for you to choose from, and I went in to try 3 of the stalls (during the 4 nights I was there in June 2014)
After telling you so much about the hotel, I haven't mentioned the price I paid. For this 3 star hotel, I paid only 4000THB for my 4night stay. That means each night only costed about ~35SGD per night!
Where else to get such deals? Although the nearby GLOW Pratunam and Amari Watergate are much better choices in terms of the quality of service and ambience, the price is about twice to thrice the price. Being the cheapo me, I think Metro Resort is comfy enough for me. I just need a proper place to sleep and rest in preparation for the next day. So what if there are gym facilities or swimming pools in other hotels? The price you pay includes the use of facilities, but truth is, you'll hardly have time to use it, as most of the time you'll be out of your hotel. Even when in the hotel, you're probably dead beat and just wanna sloth around in bed.
I am not sponsored to do this review, but since I couldn't find any reviews on the hotel, and I find that the reviews on Tripadvisor is not an accurate representation of the hotel. I decided to post on my staycation in June 2014.
Comment if you have any queries!
If I realise I have left out any key info, I'll amend at my leisure time.
*Updated on 2nd June: The prices of all rooms at Metro have been raised. Currently, the promotional price is 1400THB per night, not the 1000THB I paid last June. Please take note!
*Updated on 2nd June: The prices of all rooms at Metro have been raised. Currently, the promotional price is 1400THB per night, not the 1000THB I paid last June. Please take note!
Cheers,
Rachel
[School] NUS AY14/15 Year 1 Semester 1 Module Review: EC1101E
Dear Readers,
Cheers,
Rachel
I'm back with module reviews for my first sem ever in NUS!
Modules taken:
- EC1101E
- LSM1301
- EL1101E
- SSA2204
- EC2104
I am going to dedicate this post purely for EC1101E
An exposure module for Economics.
Overall: You might have read other reviews that it is very similar to A level Economics content, however, I would say everything in A levels including some new concepts like the prisoner's dilemma was included. Class is very big, but the 3 hour lecture (which started only in my Y1 Sem1) was a very bad idea.
Lectures: I would think it is important to listen in the lectures, as it allows easier comprehension of the topics. Although I have to agree, 3 hours is really crazy, Dr Ong Ee Cheng was really nice and she always had at least one video/ animation for lecture. It helped a lot, both to wake up me up and keeping me entertained in class, as well as for understanding the topic she was on that day. Dr Ong taught the first half of the semester, while the other guy (I can't remember his name), taught the second half.
Dr Ong covered Microeconomics, while the other male lecturer taught Macroeconomics. I personally preferred the micro part as it was more similar to A level Econs. Macro on the other hand, involved more calculation like calculating the GDP deflator, CPI, Inflation rate, etc. Furthermore, the lecturer wasn't as good as Dr Ong. (I think he tried to hard to be funny and crack really lame jobs- that hardly anyone ever laughs at). (OH I REMEMBERED HIS NAME, Mr Chan Kok Hoe)
Lecture content was manageable (if you paid attention). Dr Ong kept emphasizing that the Textbook: Principles of Economics by Mankiw was very important and urged us to get the latest edition which was published in 2014. I obviously didn't as I felt it was a waste of money. Thankfully my friend gave me the ebook, and I had the older version in hardcopy (blue and white copy) since my cousin passed hers to mine. I referred more to the hardcopy one as I didn't like reading from the ebook (I suspect I'm a detractor of technology)
The textbook was really good and useful! A must get and it was useful for the weekly quizzes (ungraded) before each week's lecture.
Tutorials: I think the tutorials were ok. At the start the tutorial questions were rather manageable, but towards the end of the semester, I struggled a little with the questions and had blanks when i attended tutorials. My tutor was a young lady, Clarissa Ooi, and she made everyone present their answers on the board (based on a rotation basis). However, her explanations were not clear and she doesn't know much about EC1101E content as often she said that she will check back with the prof and email back the questions we posed. Also, she often ended tutorials late (instead of the usual 45min, it became exactly 1hour), therefore there were some people who would leave class earlier to head for their next lesson).
I heard that the other tutors provided very clear explanation to every single question especially those questions that were common mistakes and provided tips on how to avoid those mistakes. It was a pity I did not get those better tutors which meant I needed to work harder on my own.
Conclusion: EC1101E is not hard to score, but you have to put in a lot of hard work to get at least an A as the midterms and finals were not too tough. They were manageable. So long as you have studied well, memorising and understanding the logic behind the graphs, how to explain shift in demand and supply, how taxes and subsidies affects the curves, how to compute GDP deflator, etc., you should do just fine for this module!
On a side note, for my semester, Dr Ong made us get The Undercover Economist by Tim Harford as well as the Undercover Economist Strikes Back. I got only the former book, and read it diligently (although it was purely optional, I felt that it was a very interesting book to read which strengthened and helped in understanding the concepts, and why certain people make certain decision (eg. in businesses)
I did decently well, although I expected a higher grade. I guess this module was really competitive and especially since it was a large cohort, the distribution of grades were more bell-curved and follows approximately a normal distribution. (I heard one of my RI friends attended only one lecture and slept in tutorials got an A for the module in the end)
Hope the review helps!
Hope the review helps!
Cheers,
Rachel
Monday, 25 May 2015
[Travel] Bangkok Scoot Flight 2014 Review and Tips
Hey readers!!
Decided to do some travel reviews. Will start with the most recent one, and if there are actually significant viewers and readers, I'll continue posting!(:
For this blog post, it will be purely for FLIGHT reviews and tips. Follow up on more blog posts regarding itineraries during my 5-day Bangkok Trip June 2014!
Headed to Bangkok (my favourite travel location ... for shopping) on the 14th June 2014. (SIN --> BKK)
It was a very last minute decision to fly as I was viewing through online that Scoot was having a promo fare to Bangkok.
I paid $370-ish for the tickets for both my mother and I. That was the best flight deal I've ever gotten! The best part was that I booked the tickets about 3-4 days before I actually flew. (I loved that feeling. It was like a pack-and-go, YOLO decision- Makes me feel more enthusiastic about life. HAHA)
Forgot to mention earlier, the flight deal was the FlyBag option, which means checked-in luggage was included. This was so much cheaper than AirAsia which fares doesnt include checked baggage, Also, I was worried that my mother and I would not be able to get adjacent seats (plus I love window seats), so I opted to pay extra to choose my own seat. Can't really remember how much I paid for the seat selection. I think it was SGD8 per pax? (Yup, so actually my tickets were much much cheaper if I hadn't opted for such options). HOWEVER, do note that Scoot doesnt serve in-flight meals, nor do they have entertainment onboard.
In-flight meals were available at additional costs while on the flight, and you can actually choose your preferred meal while purchasing your tickets. I felt it wasn't worth it to pay around SGD10 for an inflight meal, and especially since it was just a 2.5 hour flight.
Although I was slightly worried when I read online reviews that the Scoot staff were very unfriendly and that the seats were not of acceptable comfort, I felt that it was totally worth it for the price I paid for it!
Look at the seats! They look great right? The plane looked quite new (although Scoot planes are supposedly refurbished SIA planes). The seats comfort level were the usual Economy class seats.
As the saying goes "You get what you pay for", so definitely I wasn't expecting a soft cushiony type of seat nor a first class service from cabin crews,
The flight went rather smoothly with occasional turbulences which can't be avoided as it depends on weather conditions(:
The picture below shows my in-flight meal. (Yes, I smuggled Burger King 6pcs nuggets- although it was against their rules but I didnt get caught)
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I took the 5.35pm flight, so I reached there only at about 8pm (Singapore Time).
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| Look at the pretty clouds in the sky which I managed to capture while the plane was during a right turn! |
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| This was taken about 5 minutes before we landed in Bangkok. |
I think it was because we landed earlier, therefore when we arrived at our baggage claim conveyor, it still had remains of some luggages from another flight. Everyone waited for about 10 minutes before the luggages appeared on the conveyor.
I'm too lazy to type for the return flight, but it was about the same experience and not that I noticed too much about the plane as I was dead tired after the 5 days worth of shopping. (aka I slept through the flight back to Singapore)
Rating for Flight Experience:
Cabin Crew: 8/10
Remarks: They were slightly late in response when I needed assistance to purchase their souvenirs from their on-air shopping catalogue. Other than that, I couldn't comment on as I didn't order in-flight meals or called them for any other purposes. Oh, I have to mention that they were not too polite when asking me to adjust my seat back to it's upright position.
Ambience on flight: 9/10
Remarks: The 1 point deducted was not because the flight wasn't very enjoyable, but rather due to occasional children screaming and shouting (which can't be prevented either way). They dimmed the light to allow some short power nap
Seat Comfort level: 9/10
Remarks: As mentioned above, but the seat recliners were not functioning at its best. Some seats were loose (and caused occasional squeaks as the passengers shuffled in their seats)
Tips for Scoot Flights:
- Always bring an empty water bottle as there are water coolers at the back of the plane for you to quench your thirst during the flight (and if you're as cheapo as me who doesn't want to pay for food or drinks). Not too sure if they provide plastic cups (as no one around me did so)
- Do not expect too much for Scoot flights as it is meant to be a budget carrier.
-If you and your travel partners are sharing one luggage (eg. 2 person 1 luggage), get the FlyBag option for 1 pax, and the Fly option for the other pax), it should be sufficient, unless you're worried your baggage weight might exceed (which shouldnt be the case as my average-sized luggage weighed only 18.3kg when I came back.
- Try to sneak small snacks on board especially if you have a long flight (and don't get caught, obviously)
- Bring your own source of entertainment (no inflight entertainment, games, movies, shows, music etc.) They do have a personal TV, but ... it doesnt work (duh, it's a budget carrier)
- Bring a portable charger, especially if you plan to read ebooks or play games on your electronic devices.
OH AND YES,
I forgot to mention that Scoot no longer fly to the Survanabhumi Airport. They now fly to Don Mueang only. Don Mueang is quite close to Chaktuchak so if you intend to stay near Chaktuchak Weekend Market, it will be great!
I might try flying with NokScoot if I am flying to BKK this June.
Will post a review then!
Cheers,
Rachel
Sunday, 24 May 2015
[School] Post A levels to Uni- being an Economics major (NUS AY14/15 Y1)
Dear readers,
Decided to make my blog alive once again. I'm such a slothful person, but I'm really keen to help people out there who really needs help and are struggling/ confused with life.
I did decent for A levels in 2013. No straight As, disappointing grades for my strongest subjects, I felt that it was the end of life. How am i going to continue on my studies in a more highly respected faculty in a local university?
My mother was exploding into madness when I told her of my results. It wasn't worth celebrating, definitely, but I think I deserved at least some sort of encouragement from her, since I wasn't in the best of mood after receiving my results. I was definitely delighted at the amazing numbers of perfect scorers in the cohort and also the number of friends who managed to head up on stage to shake Ms Lai's hands, however, inside me, I was sort of shaken at my mediocre results.
Where am I supposed to go after the Horrifying A levels journey?
I could get into at least 2 of the major Faculties in NUS, NTU and SMU, but that didn't seem good enough for my mother, who's a very traditional parent that wants her child to be at least a doctor, lawyer, dentist, or whichever career equivalent.
I am very strong in Math and the Sciences, however, I couldnt imagine myself doing H2 Chemistry/ Biology/ Mathematics at a higher level at the University. Furthermore, I personally feel that the prospects of a Life Science major isn't as good as other more generalised majors. Probably because I still do not have a real goal in life, I wanted a major which was more flexible and general. (And I heard Math at the University level deals with 20 over levels of differentiation- and I couldnt imagine doing that for 3 or 4 years) Which was why I decided to do Economics at University. It involved Mathematics, which Im generally better at (compared to the other subjects).
My mother actually was quite insistent on sending me overseas to do Medicine, Dentistry or Law, but I kept telling her the school fees are not cheap and I have a very strong emotional attachment to both my mother and grandmother (which makes it even harder for me to leave the country for long periods of time- even a 5 day overseas trip makes me a little homesick *covers face in embarrassment*). So, NUS Economics was what I chose in the end.
Semester 1 went rather smoothly. I'll post modules reviews later on in other posts. I didnt join any CCA or external activities in school. I didn't really know how the university timetable is, so i just simply seeked the advice of my seniors who told me that I should have a 2 hour break in the middle of the day to have lunch with my friends.
I TOTALLY REGRETTED IT.
Although this time was useful for revision, I think 1hour is sufficient for lunch, especially if your previous lesson before your lunch break is a lecture (since lectures end 30minutes beforehand). I had a 4 day work week, with 2 hour lunch break everyday except Thursday where I had only 3hours of lessons (so i just placed it back-to-back). I felt it was a waste of time as I ended school (Monday-Wednesday) at 5pm!! *inserts sad face*
Sem 2 was slightly tougher and more hectic for me. It was also a demoralising semester. After learning from my 'mistakes' in timetable management from Sem 1, I decided to not have lunch breaks in between at all, and made full use of the 30 minutes after lectures to get food. This way, I managed to squeeze and pack my timetable into a 3day week, where I worked on the other 2 weekdays.
If you're thinking my plan is actually a good idea, frankly, 30 minutes is definitely NOT ENOUGH IF the timing falls between 12pm- 1pm, as this is the peak lunch hour for everyone (office staff, lecturers, profs, students). It's people mountain people sea at all eateries and canteens throughout the university compound. This is why I had to miss lunch for most of my days, and if lucky enough, get a waffle from The Deck (provided there was a short queue)
This Sem 2 was tough as it was either I understood the topics, but COULD NOT SCORE. OR, I could not understand the topics at all. OR, the module is too competitive (especially for open book examinations)
P.S If you think that open book exams are easy to score and striaghtforward, which does not require revision beforehand, then YOU'RE WRONG. I thought the answers would be straightforward, and I basically read through my lecture notes twice (to know roughly where to get the answer from), but I was stunned during the exams.
I did really badly for that midterm because:
Firstly, the lectures were not webcasted, and I often got to lecture slightly late so I probably missed some information here and there.
Secondly, the lecturer was Caucasian, and I have some difficulties understanding his accent. Thirdly, I didnt organise my notes properly (it was basically by lectures- but some topics were cross-listed!!) Lastly,, I was too lazy to search for the answers during the exams cos I had a 2cm thick notes plus cheat sheet from my friend (but still couldnt find the answers *facepalm*), which made me kinda give up nearing the end of the exam when almost 40% of the cohort have left the exam hall.
The midterms was 50%, and basically, 50% was gone- because of the reasons listed above (HAHA)
Basically, Economics is interesting as it involved models, graphs, and lots of mathematics. If you're interested to know more about the modules. Stay tuned to my reviews which I'll post really soon for Y1 Sem 1 and Y1 Sem 2 for AY14/15. Thank you for reading!
Cheers,
Rachel
My mother was exploding into madness when I told her of my results. It wasn't worth celebrating, definitely, but I think I deserved at least some sort of encouragement from her, since I wasn't in the best of mood after receiving my results. I was definitely delighted at the amazing numbers of perfect scorers in the cohort and also the number of friends who managed to head up on stage to shake Ms Lai's hands, however, inside me, I was sort of shaken at my mediocre results.
Where am I supposed to go after the Horrifying A levels journey?
I could get into at least 2 of the major Faculties in NUS, NTU and SMU, but that didn't seem good enough for my mother, who's a very traditional parent that wants her child to be at least a doctor, lawyer, dentist, or whichever career equivalent.
I am very strong in Math and the Sciences, however, I couldnt imagine myself doing H2 Chemistry/ Biology/ Mathematics at a higher level at the University. Furthermore, I personally feel that the prospects of a Life Science major isn't as good as other more generalised majors. Probably because I still do not have a real goal in life, I wanted a major which was more flexible and general. (And I heard Math at the University level deals with 20 over levels of differentiation- and I couldnt imagine doing that for 3 or 4 years) Which was why I decided to do Economics at University. It involved Mathematics, which Im generally better at (compared to the other subjects).
My mother actually was quite insistent on sending me overseas to do Medicine, Dentistry or Law, but I kept telling her the school fees are not cheap and I have a very strong emotional attachment to both my mother and grandmother (which makes it even harder for me to leave the country for long periods of time- even a 5 day overseas trip makes me a little homesick *covers face in embarrassment*). So, NUS Economics was what I chose in the end.
Semester 1 went rather smoothly. I'll post modules reviews later on in other posts. I didnt join any CCA or external activities in school. I didn't really know how the university timetable is, so i just simply seeked the advice of my seniors who told me that I should have a 2 hour break in the middle of the day to have lunch with my friends.
I TOTALLY REGRETTED IT.
Although this time was useful for revision, I think 1hour is sufficient for lunch, especially if your previous lesson before your lunch break is a lecture (since lectures end 30minutes beforehand). I had a 4 day work week, with 2 hour lunch break everyday except Thursday where I had only 3hours of lessons (so i just placed it back-to-back). I felt it was a waste of time as I ended school (Monday-Wednesday) at 5pm!! *inserts sad face*
Sem 2 was slightly tougher and more hectic for me. It was also a demoralising semester. After learning from my 'mistakes' in timetable management from Sem 1, I decided to not have lunch breaks in between at all, and made full use of the 30 minutes after lectures to get food. This way, I managed to squeeze and pack my timetable into a 3day week, where I worked on the other 2 weekdays.
If you're thinking my plan is actually a good idea, frankly, 30 minutes is definitely NOT ENOUGH IF the timing falls between 12pm- 1pm, as this is the peak lunch hour for everyone (office staff, lecturers, profs, students). It's people mountain people sea at all eateries and canteens throughout the university compound. This is why I had to miss lunch for most of my days, and if lucky enough, get a waffle from The Deck (provided there was a short queue)
This Sem 2 was tough as it was either I understood the topics, but COULD NOT SCORE. OR, I could not understand the topics at all. OR, the module is too competitive (especially for open book examinations)
P.S If you think that open book exams are easy to score and striaghtforward, which does not require revision beforehand, then YOU'RE WRONG. I thought the answers would be straightforward, and I basically read through my lecture notes twice (to know roughly where to get the answer from), but I was stunned during the exams.
I did really badly for that midterm because:
Firstly, the lectures were not webcasted, and I often got to lecture slightly late so I probably missed some information here and there.
Secondly, the lecturer was Caucasian, and I have some difficulties understanding his accent. Thirdly, I didnt organise my notes properly (it was basically by lectures- but some topics were cross-listed!!) Lastly,, I was too lazy to search for the answers during the exams cos I had a 2cm thick notes plus cheat sheet from my friend (but still couldnt find the answers *facepalm*), which made me kinda give up nearing the end of the exam when almost 40% of the cohort have left the exam hall.
The midterms was 50%, and basically, 50% was gone- because of the reasons listed above (HAHA)
Basically, Economics is interesting as it involved models, graphs, and lots of mathematics. If you're interested to know more about the modules. Stay tuned to my reviews which I'll post really soon for Y1 Sem 1 and Y1 Sem 2 for AY14/15. Thank you for reading!
Cheers,
Rachel
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