The Fishes who drinks Electricity

I came across this subject from the forum. Thought I could post it on my blog spot to create that reminder. For those individual who strive to cut down unnecessary spending on electricity, this will be good. For those who are not, think...GLOBAL WARMING perhaps.

1) Any Electric Appliance that uses a transformer - OFF the switch because it is still consuming electricity even though you already unplug your laptop/hp from it.
eg - laptop power adapters, hand phone chargers

2) Any fridge made before 2001(meaning if you bought in 2001) are 90% non-energy-star compliance. This means DRINKING at least $40-$70 of electricity every mth. Buy a new one.

3) Vacuum Cleaner - a few thousand watts minimum. Use broom or feather duster, accumulate the dust then use the vacuum cleaner to suck up the dust.

4) Electric Kettle/Air Pot - at least $30-$40 per month. Use gas to boil water and use a non-electrical air pot to keep warm.

5) Microwave Oven - unplug the cord when not using - because even if you don't use the microwave oven, the clock alone sucks up at least 24 watts per day. Also try to minimise the usage of microwave oven.

6) Hair Dryer - a few thousand watts also - use the fan (average fan consumes only 30-60watts). Hair dryer uses as much electricity as the microwave oven!!!

7) Air Conditioning - never use an old aircon, lots of electrical appliances made before 2000 are known to consume a lot of electricity.

8) Electric Clothes Dryer - this one is the best - cos even PUB recommends consumers to use the free dryer (the hot sun). It was mentioned in their brochures.

* Information courtesy of MACE.

Unveiling Our Concept - Part I (Over All)

Finally, the conceptualising of our cozy pad is almost taking shape. Been making several attempts on interior software like Floor Planner, Room Planner, Google Sketch-Up and they are all driving me bongus. Before we pay up those professional to have it done in 3D, I have done up some images to satisfy my thirst for visual quest :)

The Gemini in Me…

With my long and committed working pattern, I have always been perceived as a hardcore career woman in the 21st century. Or you can say, with the rise of the cosmopolitan living in Singapore, how many women out there still carries that interest for domestic or “feminine” hobbies? I puke at myself too with the mentioned of femininity. Yucks! However, underneath that devil “power” suit, it lives a more refined personality in me who finds balance and tranquility with handy crafts like cross-stitch. Funny enough, I find inner peace and balance in two tasks!! One…shredding paper, this I can do during office hours when stress gets the better of me. Yes, laugh for all I care. I do find ‘shredding paper’ extremely therapeutic. Two…cross stitch. These two tasks could give me an unspoken element to keep my cool and not roar my frustration.

With SN prepping up this weekend for his forthcoming papers, I finally had time to add the finishing touch to my very first hand-made item for our pad. This must have been my second time stitching this, although the first one was framed more professionally as a gift for a dear friend. With budget in the way, I thought I try my luck with IKEA’s ready-made frames. Thought the design seems a little too ‘country living’ which does not suit the theme for our place. I decided I could try my luck to add a little "contemporary” note to it with a cold aluminum frame. Gosh! Have I just created a fusion? Anyway, this little cross-stitch shall find a spot somewhere in our kitchen. What do you think? Do I at least get a 6/10 for this?

You LIGHT UP my life...our very first designer piece by Ferruccio Laviani

Deciding on each purchase for our house has been like a pendulum, striking a right balance between our “wants” and our “needs”.

Like most women, I have always been the visual animal that allows my desire to over-take practicality and of course, limits. I am glad that my future better-half, always strike that balance, by pulling the brake on me.

Till date, there are still several “wants” which had been put thru endless debates and measurement. But what came as a surprised to me was when he said “YES” to our Kartell Bourgie without much persuasion. A trip down to their flagship store in CentrePoint last Saturday ended us walking away empty handed but rewarded. We were told to come back a week later!!!! All because they will be having a month long sales for Bourgie Crystal (ONLY) from 1 August 2008. I repeat…the sale was meant only for Bourgie Crystal.

Instead of having a storewide sale, Kartell runs their promotion by dedicating one product per month for these sales. Thus, our decision was just timely. We walked away with a 30% savings. Yipee!

About Kartell Bourgie: The revisiting of a classic, the baroque table lamp. The revolutionary feature of this lamp is that it is made entirely of a transparent or batch-dyed polycarbonate. On the one hand, it is classical, rich and traditional, and on the other hand, it is innovative, transparent and ironic. The quality of the material and its extremely high-quality processing lend it the resemblance of a precious, crystal table lamp. The baroque style base is composed of three decorated layers that interconnect, and the large lampshade is made with a plisse effect, to create a myriad play of reflections once the lamp is turned on. Thanks to a special coupling system on the lampshade, it can be assembled at three different heights…68, 73 and 78 centimetres. You can choose to assemble it at the height you prefer and, later, modify to your preferred use. In this way, Bourgie takes on great personality, giving the user the possibility to transform it instantly into a splendid decorative table or desk lamp.

Designer/Year:
Ferruccio Laviani : 2004

Dimensions:

370mm ø x 680mm h or 730mm h or 780mm h

Materials / Finishes:

Transparent or smooth batch-dyed polycarbonate

Colours:

transparent

PRESSA Clothes Peg?

Lol! I couldn't resist not buying them now!!! It's such an eye candy, comparing them with the conventional wooden ones. hehehe. Can't wait for Friday. We will be the proud owner of our first designer piece for the house. Thank you SN for giving me the green light to get them.

Move over please UNG Drill Frame, you will be converted into a mirror soon.

After deciding on the theme for our house, I started researching for the little accessories which can add a little ornate design to our modern contemporary concept. Should I call it “modern baroque” or should I just call it the ‘new baroque” like most people do? Then again, our minimalistic theme is a far cry from the extravagantly elaborate style. Hmm… we shall see. After all, we are the “ID” to our little small space. What better time to capitalize on our creative juice?

Although, we still have no news as to when we will collect our keys, I wasn’t going to risk the possibility of IKEA discontinuing some of their items. It happened to me once for the BAGN BED TRAY and I had to hunt all the way to IKEA Shanghai just to get it. So, I made a trip to IKEA Alexandra to purchase this UNG DRILL FRAME today. Technically, this is a picture frame. But I have plans to customize this into a mirror, which will be hung in our common bathroom when it’s ready. Hopefully, this idea will not be faced with too many challenges.

City Gas Clothes Dryer & Water Heater at a special bundle price of $668 ONLY! (UP: $1,086)

Just made another commitment today. Steve took the effort to go by Somerset Gallery to sign for this great bundle deal as it will end on the 12 Jul 2008. There could be a better deal after this, or there may not be. Nonetheless, we just want to capitalise this opportunity and perhaps take another item off our list. Seems like we are getting closer and closer to completing our PRIMARY purchases. That explains why our savings are depleting :(

Here's a literature on our purchases...

RD-600 CG Gas Clothes Dryer
Drying your laundry on the line is not always ideal because of changing or unpredictable conditions. Harsh sunlight, rain, smoke, pollution and bird droppings will hinder the drying process. These factors take their toll on the life of your clothes. The RD-600 CG Gas Clothes Dryer kills most dust mites and micro-organisms in your clothes which washing sometimes does not.

So many other things you would rather be doing than putting your laundry out to dry on the line. The RD-600 CG Gas Clothes Dryer gives you the freedom to get more out of your life. Our innovative and ergonomic design provides convenience and simplicity to care for your fabrics in better ways.

FEATURES
- Larger laundry capacity
- Dries up to 6kg of laundry.
- Faster than electric dryers
- Takes less than 60 minutes to dry 6 kg of laundry as compared to electric dryer
which takes approximately 120 minutes.
- Consumes less energy
- Costs as little as 50 cents per drying cycle of 6 kg of clothes.
- State-of-the-art technology
- Built-in microchip sensor constantly monitors humidity level to prevent over-drying to give clothes a soft and fluffy feel.
- Saves space
- Can be stacked on top of washing machine or mounted on the wall.
- Easy to operate
- One-touch operation with computerized program to suit different fabric materials.
- Hassle-free and convenient
- No need to dry clothes via long bamboo poles which can be cumbersome and unsafe.
- Avoids dripping water from neighbours above.
- Peace of mind and predictability
- No need to worry about clothes being caught in rain when you are not at home.
- Dries your laundry even in rainy weather.
- Reliable after sales support
- Customers can be assured of dependable and reliable service from City Gas.

SPECIFICATIONS
Model: City Gas – Rinnai RD-600 CG
Colour: White
Dimensions: H 661 mm x W 650 mm x D 530 mm
Maximum Drying Capacity: 6 Kg
Computerized Drying Prog: 5
Automative Drying Sensor: Yes
Gas Consumption: 6.7 - 16.7 (1.9 - 4.6)MJ/hr (kW)
Weight: 32 (71) Kg(lb)
Electric Supply: A.C. 230V (50 Hz)

REU-8 CG Gas Water Heater
Do you often have to waiting for some time to get warm water for showering or to fill up the bath tub for a good stress-out soak? Well, with gas water heater, you will be able to enjoy instantaneous hot water anytime you need!

FEATURES
- No storage tank required
- Water is only heated on demand, no storage tank is required to heat and store the water.
- Instantaneous and continuous flow of hot water
- Just set the heater at your desired temperature. All you need is to turn on the tap and unlimited supply of hot water is available for your usage.
- Availability of hot water at multiple point
- Able to supply hot water to 2 shower points in 2 separate bathrooms concurrently.
- Ease of operation
- User-friendly in design and usage.
- Batteries operated, no electricity required
- Do not require any electric supply thus no wiring required.
- Built-in safety features
- Giving peace of mind to users with built in overheating protection, flame failure and incomplete combustion devices.
- Low running cost
- Gas tariff is typically lower than Electricity tariff by about 20%*, thus you save more using Gas.
- Compact in size
- Slim and compact design that fits well in the kitchen or yard space with no exhaust flue required

SPECIFICATIONS
Model: City Gas – Rinnai REU-8 CG
Colour: Metallic Silver
Dimensions: H 372 mm x W 290 mm x D 136 mm
Hot Water Capacity: (Raised 25 degree celsius)
Max. Hot Water Volume: 8.0 L/min (water pressure 50 kPa)
Min. Hot Water Volume: 3.0 L/min (water pressure 50 kPa)
Min. Operating Water Pressure: 0.20 Kgf/cm2
Automative Spark Ignition: Yes
Gas Consumption: 37.7 MJ/h
Weight: 5.7 (31) Kg(lb)