Interesting Royal Caribbean Cruise

Updated 20 Dec 2011: Added information about the toiletries within the room, and how to DIY the cruise.
Updated 28 May 2012: Added the zoomed in picture of the power plug

I've managed to find time to go off for a short holiday to Malaysia on the Royal Caribbean cruise, Legend of the Seas. I was curious on the differences between the cruise on the Royal Caribbean and Star Cruise. After 3 nights on the ship, I can see where the differences lie, in terms of the experience on board and the friendliness of the staff. Even the rooms are slightly bigger. :)

One thing to note is that if you wish to DIY your cruise on the Royal Caribbean, it is slightly different from Star Cruise. Other than the listed price, there is something called gratuity, otherwise known in Asia as tipping. The 15% tip enforced by Royal Caribbean, can be prepaid when you register for the cruise in their website here. At the end of the cruise, you will have envelopes left on your desk together with gratuity vouchers. Just tear the vouchers, seal it in the respective envelopes and deposit it in a box near the Purser's Desk in Deck no 5 at the end of the cruise.

You can do an online check-in at least 3 days before the departure date. Once you have done that, just print the SetSail pass for everyone and show the passes and the passport when you check-in at Habourfront Terminal. It will only take a few minutes. You will also need to fill in a health declaration form for everyone which you can get at a counter near the queue-up area.

A couple of things to take note on board the ship. Below should be a typical setup of a room in the ship.

The soda cans you see and the evian water bottles on the table are chargeable. Only the small corner on the right side of the table is FOC. Do take note of the power connectors. It's unique and may not be compatible with your power adapters. Below a zoom in picture of the power connector.

In case you're wondering, towels, soap, and I believe a shampoo dispenser (which I did not try) are provided in the bathroom. You'll need to bring your own toothbrush, toothpaste, etc. Personally, I brought my toiletries set along.

Another thing to take note on board the Royal Caribbean is that all prices you see on the ship is in USD, and not everything is expensive. Personally, I think the coffee and Ben and Jerry ice cream are cheap, even with the 15% gratuity. :)

There are a couple more terminologies you'll need to get used to on board the ship, but I will post more on it once I sorted out the photos. Stay tuned...

Alt key is your best friend

Have you noticed that the trend nowadays is for the software to not have a menu bar? However, the problem is that some of us are too used to it and we're "powerless" without it.

The solution is simple though. Just press the ALT key. The menu bar will magically appear for most software.

Easy right?

SMRT has lost their focus

What does the recent breakdowns in the past 2 days tell us about SMRT, the operator of the Circle Line and North South MRT line? SMRT has lost their focus and is instead, focusing on creating all those "Xchanges" in those out of place locations that causes some shop owners to lose monies and become bankrupts.

Let's talk about Circle Line. Circle line has been having many problems since the opening of the rest of the circle line stations in Oct 2011. If you past by the Bishan Circle Line, you will know why. The train arrival indicators never seemed to work after the opening in Oct 2011. I originally thought it was on purpose as the waiting time always seem to be 6 mins or more but judging from the recent network communications fault that they like to use, it seems to me that the Circle Line has been commissioned before thorough testing has been done. Don't forget the power fault that happened just days before the opening. Power fault... Sounds familiar?

Last night's power fault is really the icing on the cake. There are several problems in the way SMRT managed the situation but 3 important ones come into mind:

1. A 40metre stretch of power rail was damaged. Personally, I believe its more like wear and tear which brings up the question of whether preventive maintenance is done on a regular frequency. If it is done properly, the wear and tear would have been detected and replaced before this happened.
   
2. It is very well known that SMRT trains can be very stuffy, even with the air-conditioning on. Once the air-conditioning is off, do you think that it will not be stuffy? What's the use of ventilation when the train is stuffy even with the air-conditioning on (or is it on in the first place)? Again, where's the preventive maintenance for the trains?
   
3. Last but not least, related to point 2 above, the train driver in question seems to be oblivious to the comfort of the passengers. How else can you explain "trapping" the passengers in the train for one whole hour after the train lost power, knowing that there is no air-conditioning in a non-moving train? Ventilation is of no use if there is no movement within the tunnel, and don't tell me the train driver doesn't know that the train is packed?

Singaporeans are by and large quite well-behaved and disciplined, especially in public. For someone to use the extinguisher to break the windows of the train shows how bad the situation was within the train.

Now all of us are curious on what kind of penalties will be slapped on SMRT. $700? $200? They should hit them where it hurts.

Recognise and Appreciate

I quote from Frederick Keonig:

We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.

Simple, but powerful sentence. I guess we need to keep repeating this to ourselves to drill this simple fact in.

Prospective Entrepreneurs should keep their eyes open

I was reading an article on entrepreneurship when a paragraph struck me as insightful.

Many prospective entrepreneurs fail to realise that office politics are everywhere, and that you can't escape them when you strike out on your own. You may still have to contend with rude clients and partners, with many situations feeling eerily similar to those of your days by the water cooler. And you often learn the hard way that people tend to clash regardless of the environment.

Many people think that entrepreneurship will take them away from politics but this could not be further from the truth. They forgot that even though you're a boss, you still need customers to buy your product or services. Translated, the customer becomes your boss. So if you're not experienced enough, you will get it from the customer.

And guess what? You can't push the problem to your boss. That's the fact when you strike out on your own. Go with your eyes open.

Responsible for what you do not say

I quote from Martin Luther:

You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say

Something that may slip our mind in the thick of things. Many forget that one is also responsible for what you do not say.

Summary of Additional Buyer Stamp Duty Changes

Updated 10 Dec 2011: Updated about countries which have FTAs with Singapore.

Seems like the Singapore government has taken note of the strong buying interest of private properties and has implemented the additional buyer stamp duty (ABSD) to be paid by certain profiles of people who buy or acquire residential properties (including residential land).The following affected buyers on and after 8 December 2011 will have to pay ABSD on top of the existing buyer’s stamp duty (BSD):

1. Foreigners, companies, partnership and societies;
2. Singapore Permanent Residents (PR) who already own 1 or more residential properties, whether owned wholly, partially, or jointly with others; and
3. Singapore Citizens (SC) who already own 2 or more residential properties, whether owned wholly, partially, or jointly with others.

Refer to the table below for the changes.

Transaction	On and before 7 Dec 2011	On or after 8 Dec 2011
	BSD rates on the total purchase price or market value (whichever is higher)	BSD rates on the total purchase price or market value (whichever is higher)	ABSD rates on the total purchase price or market value (whichever is higher)
Foreigners and non-individuals (corporate entities) buying any residential property	1% on first $180,000 2% on next $180,000 3% for the remainder	1% on first $180,000 2% on next $180,000 3% for the remainder	+ 10%
PRs owning one and buying the second and subsequent residential property			+ 3%
SCs owning two and buying the third and subsequent residential property			+ 3%
PRs buying the first residential property	1% on first $180,000 2% on next $180,000 3% for the remainder	1% on first $180,000 2% on next $180,000 3% for the remainder	NIL
SCs buying the first and/ or second residential property

PR = Permanent Residents
SC = Singapore Citizens

Do note that foreigner nationals of United States of America, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland that fall within the scope of the respective FTAs will be accorded with the same treatment as SCs.

You can refer to IRAS website here for more information.

Johor Premium Outlets is opened just in time for Christmas

Johor Premium Outlets is finally opened, just in time for Christmas. However, about 10 outlets are still not operational, according to their website here. According to the news, it will all open by 11 Dec.

Currently it's still quite a hassle to reach the Johor premium outlets if you do not have a car. Based on the website here, it seems that the fastest route will take about one and a half hours, from Kranji station to JB Central, and switching to their free shuttle bus. Personally though, I don't think I will spend almost 2 hours just to go there to shop.

At least now we do not need to fly to the United States to go to any premium outlets. I wonder if any Singapore operators will organise any special buses that go directly to the premium outlets. That will change the game. Will keep an eye out for it.

Downtown line stations to open in 2013

6 stations in the Downtown line will be opened in 2013. They are:

1. Chinatown (NEL)
2. Telok Ayer
3. Downtown
4. Bayfront (CCL)
5. Promenade (CCL)
6. Bugis (EWL)

This small stretch connects 3 lines together. It remains to be seen if it will lead to a shorter trip for all. I am looking forward to going to Gardens by the bay though.

OpenNet service leaves much to be desired

Recently I had my OpenNet fixed up and because I had so many differing comments, I chose to keep quiet unless spoken to. They were not too late and they fixed up the fibre pretty quickly. However, the service itself leaves much to be desired.

Somethings that they did not do:

1. Never put newspaper around where they drill to collect the dust.
2. They ask you to move your stuff away from where they are drilling within the house. However, they forgot all about the shoes outside. Dust covered slippers and shoes after the works are done.
3. Dirty fingerprints everywhere. Don't expect them to clean the casement before they install it. Clean it yourself.
4. Last but not least, they expect you to clean up after them. No reinstatement of your house to what it was before. Sweep the floor? Pick up the rubbish? Your job, not mine. They did not even offer.

Below is the picture of the mess they made after they left. All swept by yours truly.

OpenNet is a consortium consisting of Axia NetMedia (Axia), Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel), Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) and Singapore Power Telecommunications (SPT). They are not small players. Guess I will think a lot harder if I want to engage any of their services. 

According to the letter I've received, I can only subscribe to the new fibre plans 6 weeks after the installation date. That remains to be seen, according to my friends' experiences. Oh well.