Planning for a holiday or getaway from work? Check this out!

Feeling bored or stress over work? Maybe it’s time for you to take a break and enjoy yourself!

Some useful tips and links when planning your trip itinerary:

1)   Check out for any airfares promotion that you may “tab” on. Sometimes, you can even save up to 50% on the airfares if you are lucky =)

2)   Once air tickets booked, next up will be which hotel to stay in? No worries, there are actually many hotel booking sites where you can easily browse through the list of hotels, read up the reviews from other tourists and compare the pricing before deciding which hotel to book. 

Hotels.com: Book your hotel from here and get rewarded
                        (Collect 10 nights and get 1 night free)

                  

Booking.com: Prices are usually relatively cheaper and you only need pay when you stay for most rooms (Free cancellation at least three days before)

                          

Agoda: Another commonly used hotel booking site

3)   Planning your trip and need advices on which hotel to stay, where to go, how to get there? I will recommend Tripadvisor. It’s a good and useful site where you can get most of the info you need there.

Tripadvisor: Check out the lists of hotels, places of interest and reviews while planning your itinerary.

4)   Read up travel blogs or forums to know what are the “MUST-SEE”, “MUST-GO”, “MUST-DO” and “MUST-EAT” and plan them in your itinerary.

5)   It’s important to plan your route well so that you don’t waste time travelling/going the wrong way to your destination. So, if you are Kiasu a bit, you can even buy travel guide book where it provide detailed info. and help you plan your route. I realized the better travel guide books are usually in mandarin as there are more images and are more detailed than those English publications. Among all the travel guide books that I have read or come across, I highly recommend the ones from Sky Publishing Limited HK (長空出版有限公司) as it’s easy to read and provide you with the various directions (with estimated transport cost) to the destination. (p/s: only bad thing is that it's all in chinese characters! But, it's still not too difficult to read and understand lah~)

6)   You can also get maps and brochures from the respective Tourism Board in Singapore to help you with your planning. The personnel there are also very warm and friendly to answer your enquiry or provide useful advices.

Taiwan Tourism Board: 30 Raffles Place #10-01, Chevron House, Singapore 048622

Korea Tourism Board: Korea Plaza, Samsung Hub, #01-02, 3 Church Street, Singapore 049483

7)   And, most importantly, remember to “CHOPE” your leave early! 

Hope the above info are useful! Start planning for a getaway now ya? =)

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PasarBella Singapore

A visit to the North-Western part of Singapore kindled my hope of visit to a lesser known hotspot, PasarBella. Better known as "The Market", it has a spacious grand of 30,000 square feet housing beyond 30 unique stalls in featuring specialities from worldwide. The setting helms a cosy ambience for families to dine in the enclave and shop for grocery. It is also the first multi-sensory sensory grocery shopping destination in Singapore.

Housed within a warm community-based environment, PasarBella encompasses a seafood market, meat, dairy, fresh produce, wines and craft beers, global cuisines and personal services.





PasarBella was conceived by the founders’ dreams to provide a one-stop food and lifestyle experience, all under the same roof. Inspired by the sights, scents and vibes of other global markets, the founders sought to offer a similar experience here in Singapore. When the opportunity presented itself, the founders’ gears of inspiration were finally turned into the perfect market retreat that the whole family can enjoy.

As a passion project from the start, PasarBella has always remained true to its goal of being an idyllic, open-concept market. Families can bask in the rustic interiors and reminisce the simpler days of yesteryear. The quaint stalls, exotic aromas and festivities are sure to enchant everyone.

Getting to The Market
PasarBella is located at The Grandstand (formerly Turf City), which sits right in the heart of Bukit Timah. Easily accessible by car or public transport, there is also the added convenience of free parking on-site.

PasarBella @ The Grandstand Bukit Timah Singapore
200 Turf Club Road Singapore 287994
Phone: +65 6887 0077

Learn more about Pasarbella @ http://www.pasarbella.com/about_pasarbella.php

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Featured - Beating around the bush with the talented beat-boxer, Mr Freddy Lim

How cool is that man? Beat-boxing, something which had gained it's popularity all around the world. In this article, we will be learning more from the talented Beatboxer, Mr Freddy Lim.

Lets begin!

JD: Thanks for accepting our interview Freddy, so how long have you been doing beatboxing?

Freddy: Thanks for the interview, it is certainly my honor. I have been beatboxing since 2005. It's been about 8 years to think of it.. but it doesn't really feel that long though!

JD: Yes, i think i remember you doing that while you were in Poly huh? What motivated you to pick up beatboxing 8 years ago?

Freddy: It was my classmate, Dharni that influenced me to start during my Poly days.  To be honest, I wasn't really keen on it until at least 6 months later. But Dharni kept doing what he does and I guess it (beatboxing) rubbed off on me after awhile. He's got great passion in what he does. Now, he is one of the top in the world and is often overseas. I'm feel secretly indebted to him actually *laughs*. I will thank him someday.

JD: Nice one there. How do we start beatboxing, can it be self-learnt?

Freddy: Of course! Things now are very different from then. Now we have tons of resources online to learn beatboxing. Just search 'beatboxing tutorials' and an endless listing pops out. Also, since there are many beatboxing showcases and contests recorded,  you can now refer to them to learn a whole routine!
Back then, resources were a lot more scarce and we relied on each other more to learn new things.

JD: I agree. Times had indeed changed. So how do we draw apart an amateur from a pro?

Freddy: Personally, I look for 3 things - clarity, variation and rhythm.
Clarity meaning how clear or refined each sound is. Variation refers to how many types of sound you put in a routine (of course, dont overdo it) and rhythm simply means being in consistency in beats unless you're switching.

JD: Interesting, what are the pros and cons to be a beatboxer?

Freddy: There are mostly pros from what I see! Let me list out the pros in points first:

1. You can practice anywhere on the go.
2. You can readily perform anytime.
3. Can be a source of income.
4. Get invited to perform overseas if you're good enough
5. Get sponsored products or services of you're good enough
6. Play with your voice.
7. Entertain your friends or yourself when bored.
8. Make new friends easily.
9. Be more inclined to musicality and its technical aspects.
10. Opens up new opportunities.
11. Making an impact

For me, making an impact tops my list for pros. I wanna live this life influencing my students and friends to live their dream and step out to do what they like; not necessarily beatboxing, but doing they want in their lives. To put it strongly -Stop being herded like cattle!

Oops, and almost forgot about the cons. Here is my list:

1. In-training beatboxing sounds like nonsense and will irritate the crap out of people esp your siblings if you practice at home. (In my opinion, practicing vocal scratches for the first time tops it haha!)
2.You spend so much time (like weeks or months) practicing for a new routine and realize that on stage its only worth 10seconds. O.O
3. Ulcers. Definitely ulcers. You will bite your lips by accident as you practice. These will develop into ulcers and make the rest of your practicing over the next week a living hell.
4. Spending too much time in the shower beatboxing because the acoustic in the toilet *and while bathing* is better than any multi-billion establishment or sound system.
5. You will start auto-pilot beatboxing when you are bored. and you won't even know it.
6. Some people think you are a living, breathing, all-in-one jukebox and asks you to do this and that and that and this. DON'T DO IT.
7. You will never sit back quietly and enjoy a song without analyzing the beats, rhythm or technicality in the background. and no, the light hi-hats once in 4 bars won't escape you either.

The cons aren't that bad really. ;)

JD: Nice! I personally liked the part you said about making an impact. I live by that belief too:)  Whats your plan for now?

Freddy: I have been beatboxing and performing for a long time in Singapore and around SEA.. I want to expand my music even further, especially in singing, overseas.
That is why I would be moving to Tokyo, Japan, late this September.
I can't reveal much now, but I would be working on my album from there. I hope that it would be my first step as an International Artist.

Performing at the heart of XiMengDing, Taipei

JD: WOW! Awesome!!! Impressive! Any message to the teens out there who want to step into the entertainment industry?

Freddy: Live your dreams and set your goal onto something! Have a vision; be a ChangeMaker and be someone who impacts the community around you.

Things will NEVER be easy and you WILL meet negativity and setbacks time and time again. But you must hold on if it is really important to you.
Most people give up when things get too tough. Don't be most people. Who knows, it may be that little bit more that will make you successful.

Inspiring kids in Batam

With that, we end off the exciting interview with Freddy.

To me, he is always this awesome cool and funky guy. His outgoing personality is an advantage in life. Something apart from beatboxing, he used to have his T-shirt company, named Meow Moo :) I still have 1 in my wardrobe. Awesome design. This guy can sing, can dance, can draw, can beatbox, great fashion sense too. Simply amazing.

Freddy's hair is sponsored by Cleo Hair & Make . Do show your support at https://www.facebook.com/cleohair.sg

Well, i am certain he can be a great blessing to the community and I have seen him performing on several events. This guy will be a hit and will be likely to shake the world.

With his strong passion in the entertainment world, we wishes him all the best in his music career =) He is living his dream, are you?

Before we end this post, let us showcast the beatboxer's performances!

Enjoy!!

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Featured - An interview with Mr Fendy Lee, on housing issues

We have seen many BTOs coming up in the past 2 years. However the ratio of supply to demand remains high. Take for example a 4-Room flat, waterway unit at Punggol. The ration may seemed to be 1:3.

Congrats to those who are given a queue number. But we have seen the drop out rate among the potential buyers. So maybe those who have been given a number only wanted the best unit or nothing at all. Have they considered their options?

Whether it is BTO, Resale, Private property, there will definitely be a market for everyone.

Today, we are privillege of speaking to Huttons Real Estate Group's Associate Division Director, Mr Fendy Lee. Who will be sharing on the resale/private market.

JD: Thanks for accepting our interview Fendy, 1st up, do you personally thinks the current resale market is sky high?

Fendy: Current market is high, not yet sky high. As Supply here is still limited. Looking at recent new launches, buyers are still buying (example J-Gateway at Jurong East sold within a day 700+ units)

JD: Previously, we saw that you gave some tips on buying a condo at Punggol, so is punggol really that great place to be? as we all know it is so far from town.

Fendy: Punggol is an ideal place for mostly young couple who wants a "New" property (age less than 10yrs) with high capital gain in next 5yrs. Location does not really play a part now, as each town have their own unique selling point, self sustaintable, probably they do not need to go town where they need to queue for expensive carpark space and pay ERP.

JD: Nice answer, any word of advice for couples who earned more than 10k? Should they get a resale HDB or condo?

Fendy: It will be dependent on their personal expenses every month. If the couple owns a car, several credit cards and other liabilities, i would suggest buying a HDB unit. It is "easier" for young buyers who is buying for own stay, as HDB flat is the "cheapest" and heavily subsidised by government. Unless they are buying for investment and they are staying with parents, then it's a different.

JD: Whats your inspiration in life?

Fendy: My family, my wife, and passion keep me going!

JD: Nice to hear that! We know that in DWG, you guys work as a team, do you co-close a deal and profits will be divided?

Fendy: I have recently switched over to Huttons. Team work is important in any company you are working. However you need a good mentor who is willing to guide them through. Deals closed together may not be shared, as HDB buyers pay to the buyer's agent, as sellers pay to their seller's agent. We help each other to get the right clients.


JD: Interesting. Lastly, Do you have any message for anyone who wants to go into this line? We all know the commission can be quite good :)

Fendy: My message is simple. Start now!

You only live once, don't you? Ask yourselves, how you want to lead your life? Are you passionate with your current job? Where you want to be in next 10yrs? What will your lifestyle you really want?


Wow, with that, we conclude the interview with Fendy. Interesting answer given and lots of great information shared. For buyers like me who have no problem fitting into the current BTO programe, the choice is yours. You want your flat to come faster, go for resale flat. Want new and no waiting time, look out for Sale of balance flat. But take note that this is like buying lottery with sky high prices.

For potential Sellers/Buyers who might want to know more about resale flat or private property, you may contact Mr Fendy Lee at 9388 5825.

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My Mini Empire (Part 4) - Introducing Craig and his entire Corinthian Prostars collections

In my previous posts on my mini collections, I have provided some information on what are Corinthian Prostars, corinthian repaints as well as the interesting facts of corinthian cards.

So, the total number of the entire corinthian prostar series adds up to around 5,000 different figurines. Including both the rare and common figurines. So, have you started your collection?

Today, we are proud to feature one of our Corinthian Prostar collector Legend, Craig.

We are privilleged that Mr Craig had decided to accept our interview, and here are the highlights.

JD: So Craig, understand that you have completed your collection of figurines. What will be the networth of all your figurines?

Craig: It is hard to put an exact price on the collection, simply as I have never kept a record of my buying. Some figures have cost relatively little, others quite a lot. I suppose if you say £3.00 each and 5,000 equals £15,000. Then I have over 300 Master Models, again average price of £100 comes to £30,000, so added together it comes close to £45,000!



Part of Craig's Master collection

JD: Wow, thats awesome.  Do you have any regrets spending so much on these figurines? What will you have done with the money if you have not spent it on your awesome collections?

Craig: Do I have any regrets, let me think......erm NO!!! My collection has been built up over 20 years and along the way I have made many friends all over the world in many countries. I also have so many happy memories as a result of collecting, you cannot simply put a price on happiness or good memories. Had I not collected I have no idea what the money would have gone on instead, impossible to say.

JD: Nice,do you see this as an investment or a priceless collection that you will never sell?

Craig: I see this as simply a collection of mine and something I derive a huge amount of fun and enjoyment from. I never intend to sell it either.

JD: Just curious, which club do you support?

Craig: I support Newcastle United....TOON ARMY!!!

JD: Ok, Newcastle 1: Rest of the world 0

What is the 1 figurine you spent the most on?

Craig : The most I have spent on a single released figure is Stefan Schwarz Fiorentina, which set me back £150, and I must thank Lennnart Van Der Winkel for locating that figure for me and completing my collection :-) The most I have spent on a Master Model is tied between the Schwarz master and Emerson Middlesboro master, costing £180 each.

JD: Nice friendship built! So what is your favourite figurine and why?

Craig:  My favourite figurine is of course Ruel Fox, simply as he is my all time favourite player. Sculpt wise I love the Taribo West, definitely a unique hair style!

JD: With the uprising figurines such as kodoto and soccerstarz, will you be getting everything too?

Craig: I have ceased collecting Kodoto, the passion was never there for them like it was with Corinthian, however I love the new SoccerStarz and intend to collect all those, which presents me with a problem...where to display them haha!

JD: Ok, lastly, what will be your advice to all football figurines collectors?

Craig :Ok my advice to all collectors would be to simply collect for your own fun and enjoyment. Buy the figures you want and build a collection you are happy with, whether that is 10 figures, 100 or 1,000 every collection is unique and personal to the collector. Most of all enjoy collecting :-)



Craig was previously featured on Daily Mirror Newspaper for his great collection

  

Wow wow wow. It's really great to know among the collectors, there's someone who've got everything. Looking at his collections and i compared mine to his, i think i need to catch up.

Yeah, Evil bay (Ebay), here i come once again. Wishing me all the best to get my desired figurines at the best price! Oh well well well, nowadays the prices are sky high. Gone were the days where i can get 99p for a loose figurines.

I will not give up though =)

Witcast would like to thank Craig for his time in accepting this interview and would look forward for more of his amazing collection on facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/corinthian.archive

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Do you remember (Part 4)

Thanks for reading the 1st 3 parts of this series of memories

Today i will continue to do a recap of what most of us had done when we young.

1) Autograph book

Not sure how many of us owned one of these memories? The purpose of this daily look-alike book is to record bio-data of your friends, poems and even a message to you.

An example of such records might read as this

Name: John Chia
Class: 5DD
D.O.B 14 February 1984
Address: Blk 1000 Ang Mo Kio Street 89 #10-2548 Singapore 2056 (the postage code was only 4 digits)
Telephone: 2551021 (Last time no 6 in front )

Hobbies: Collect stamps, collect stickers, watch tv, sleep
Best Friend: DJ, Benny, Andy, Chang, Kang Jun
Good friends: All the rest of the class
Friends: Anyone except Laura

Poems:

Laura and Andy up on the tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g (meaning you spell the letters out when you recite the poem)

Roses are red, violet are blue, girls are pretty, what happened to you.

Message: Marry Laura !! Remember me! Etc

At the last few pages of the autograph book, there will be a section for your friends to sign off with their well wishes.

So, kind of brought back some memories huh? Yeah it does for me. Sadly, while passing my autograph book, it was lost in transition. There goes my little memories, however as you can see, i could still phrase out some details above, hence not too bad already. :D

So where your autograph book?

2) Buses

Back in the early 1990s, the buses that we took are all non-air conditioned. It will be super humid when the bus is not moving. That is the same for school buses, where everyone will be squeezing with each other. I can still remember there will be a strange rule that 3 school children = 2 adult. What's this theory man? I am glad they removed this rule. No one actually follows them though.

Since the buses were non-air conditioned, the windows can be opened for air/wind to enter. I can still remember the sign "do not extend your hand/head outside the window". For safely reasons thats for sure. But it does feels cooler and more stylish to put either your head or hand outside the window. Occasionally, when you want to disturb some passer-by, you can instantly shout out to them like some hooligan. Phrases like, "hello Chio Bu!" or Whistling  can be heard on a regular basis.

3) Cards

Lets see, the cards we used to play. There is the Dragon ball cards, idol cards and Magic cards.
Lets start with Dragonball cards. This is probably the reason why kids back then want to change their notes to 20 cents coin. Why? To insert to this card machine which will dispense cards. There used to be a saying that $2 will confirm you a "shiny" card. Yeah maybe true to an extend. The cards can be sold to shops such as World of JJ at Bishan Mrt back then. The rate could go from $2 to $20 depending on the condition and whether its a single, double or even triple gold.

Still have them? Maybe it's time you put them in an album and count how much you had spent on them.



Next, for the girls, it will be the Idol cards. The 4 heavenly kings, or the 4 small kings were all once well sought after cards. Similar machine as the Dragonball cards, the only difference would be these cards may include the autograph of their idols.

So who were the more sought after idols? No doubt it all boils down to Andy Lau and Aaron Kwok. Girls would go crazy over them, hence their cards are also something nice to have. Some girls would placed the cards in their wallet and adore like it's their boyfriend.

Lastly, Magic cards, the most expensive cards of them all. Unlike the dragonball or idol cards, these cards were not sold on the machines. They comes in a packet, which cost around $3.50. Which will contains random common, uncommon and rare cards. If you were very lucky back then to own a black lotus card, congrats you have just been richer by $300.

Magic cards can also be played with your friends, as long as you have a deck of cards. Comes in different colours, red, green, blue,white,black. All represent different sorcery. If you enjoyed this game, maybe you will go around challenging different players and may even take part in competition.

I hope this episode of memories had been a good walk down the memory lane. Stay tune for more.

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So "Damn Nice" Scissors Cut Curry Rice!

For the past one week since its opening, I have frequented this stall 4 times and I still want to go back for more. Considering its value and quality, it's simply the best and makes me feel like I am eating my Mum's cooking or better! I forgot how many orders I have help packed for my colleagues in the office and I am pretty sure, it is more than 15.

To cut to the chase, I did an interview with Dan Koh, the boss of "Damn Nice Scissors Cut Curry Rice" and this is what he had to say... 

What inspired you to set up a Scissors Cut Curry Rice stall right at Chinatown where competition is so strong?

We wanted a location that is central and bustling with activities, Chinatown is the perfect location for us. When your food is good, people will come. (especially Singaporeans)

What's with the name and logo? How did you arrive at such a name? Did you design the logo yourself?

We wanted a name that stands out from the rest, something out of the norm, something that best describes our food. The logo is inspired by the Superman logo and the thumbs up in Chinese means ＂超好＂which means super good. Why damn good? Some would say that it is crude, rude,  and damn by itself is rude but what we are focusing on is the 2 words "damn+nice" which describes our food... The overall look of our food may be a little messy (crude, rude) but when you taste it, you will acknowledge that it is not just good, but it is damn good!

We heard from you that you bid very high for this stall. It must be really very important for you to get this spot. 

Our rent is the highest in the "green zone" in Chinatown complex. The eating area is separated into various zones such as red, yellow, blue and green. We wanted to get started as soon as possible despite the rent being high; we believe we will do ok.

So only your mum is doing the cooking, what's her experience like? For many years? How has business been one week into operation? 

My mum started working from the age of 13 as a construction worker. At the age of 16 she started working as a domestic helper for several households, where she picked up skills by looking at how people cooked. So far we have been getting very good response from customers and I believe this is no mere hype.

If you can select one must-try item from your stall, what will it be? Why?

It would be the ngoh hiang hand-made by my mum herself, and because it is hand-made, it tastes really good. We are becoming famous because of our ngoh hiang now. It is becoming a big hit here in Chinatown.

Why should customers keep coming back to your stall? What's the difference with other scissors cut curry rice competitors? 

There are many people selling curry rice out there. We are different because our food tastes different- it is our own taste. We do not need to compare ourselves with others. All we want is to produce honest, good food for our customers and have them come back for more.

Any plans to set up other branches? 

No plans for now. We will concentrate on one for now and win the hearts of our customers.

To follow the updates, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/DamnNiceCurryRice 

Address:

335 Smith Street #02-052 (Green Zone) Singapore 050335

=========================

http://www.petrasite.asia/

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What have the world became?

1st we saw lecturers violating student for better grade, next it was civil servant taking bribes in the form of sex in return. Then there is this case of the murder of father and son by a local policeman. Now we have someone not wearing anything on the public bus??

What have the world became, seriously. I dont know. Whats next? Haiz

Yes, this lady could be under lots of stress till she lost it, hence behaved this way. The cop would have been pressurized by his debt which resulted in the killing. The civil servant and lecturer could have thought no one would ever know their ugly truth but they were eventually found out.

The conclusion boiled down to this : Singapore is sick, we need a savior to rescue us before we are doomed.

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FAQ for DSLRs

I see the rising need for a FAQ for DSLRs

1) Pitfalls of purchasing a DSLR.

• i) Camera Body
• ii) Warranty Information
• iii) Mount Cap
• iv) 30~50% charged battery & charger
• v) Warranty Card *IMPT*
• vi) USB Cables/FireWire Cables
• vii) Software
• viii) Strap
• ix) Kit Lenses
• x) Ensure Sensor is fine
• xi) LCD Works?
• xii) Paying up

2) Shops to avoid and WHY

• i) Sim Lim Square
• ii) Lucky Plaza

3) Recommended Shops

• i) Which shop(s)?
• ii) Return Policies
• iii) Exchange Policies

4) Grey Set Shops






1) Pitfalls of purchasing a DSLR.
======================

Before you purchase a DSLR, you should ask yourself, do you know what you're getting? If you do, then you're good to go. If not go online check the accessories that comes together with the package before you purchase one.

The package contents are mostly similar for DSLRs by different makes, but again this is a guideline to what the package should contain (MUST-HAVE items)




i) Camera Body

Not much explanation needed, 'cos, if you bought a set without a camera in the box. Go kill yourself  J/K.



ii) Warranty Information

DSLRs are electronic equipment, thus like their counterparts - compact cameras, do not come with INTERNATIONAL WARRANTY. Anybody claiming they have sets that are international warranty is a fake.

The widest coverage for DSLR known is the Canon system, covering their DSLRs in China, India and Singapore only if you purchased the set from Singapore as a Tourist. All other makes of DSLRs are covered by local warranties only.

http://www.canon.com.sg/personal/web...anguageCode=EN

iii) Mount Cap

These are generally used for covering the lens mount when no lens is fixed on, prevents dust and particles from entering through the mount and also to prevent accidental touch to the mirror/prism/shutter inside. Which will cause you to cry because of the fees needed to repair the internal parts.




iv) 30~50% charged battery & charger

IF, IF a shop tells you the set don't come with batteries and needs to be purchased additionally, ask the shop go fly kite.

A TV remote also comes with batteries, how can they sell a camera without batteries? Even if it's a brand-less camera using AA, at least 2 generic AA batteries will be included in the package.




v) Warranty Card *IMPT*

This is the most important part of your package. Without it. YOUR CAMERA IS A GREY SET. No warranty means that all repairs/service will be chargable from the moment you leave the shop. Normal warranty for camera(s) and lenses is minimum of ONE year by the MANUFACTURER, not SHOP, nor promises, nor anything else. ONLY by MANUFACTURER.




vi) USB Cables/FireWire Cables

Alright, before you stone me, yes I know most of us would have owned a dozen of these cables so it might not seem important to you, but still, just a highlight.

Data cables used for transferring images from the camera to the computer directly WILL be provided by the manufacturer.




vii) Software

There will be at least one trial or easy to use software (which normally CAN be downloaded from the manufacturer's website) will be included on CDs.

Eg: 

Nikon - View NX2, Capture NX2

Canon - "Digital Photo Professional", "EOS Utility" and "Picture Style Editor"

These software provides you the capabilities to transfer the images (rotate them, if any) and edit the images. Personally I don't use the bundled software.  Your mileage may vary.




viii) Strap

For DSLRs. Always, a neck strap is included in the package. Canon would have their "EOS Professional" printed on the strap, and for Nikon, "Nikon Digital SLR".




ix) Kit Lenses

For those purchasing sets with kit lense, make sure the lenses comes with a front cap (snap on usually) and a rear lens cover (either a screw on, or snap on as well).


REMEMBER: The above is by far NON-EXHAUSTIVE! Exercise your discretion to search online (google) or the manufacturer's website for the exhaustive list!!


-----------

A few things needs to be verified before you say OK and pay (sign in blood? ) Do run through the list.


x) Ensure Sensor is fine

One most expensive part of the camera is the sensor, aka imaging sensor. The piece of chip in the camera that creates the image to display.

Hot Pixels - They show up as a tiny dot of colour that stays as is. Eg: Red/green/blue all the way. Sometimes they disappear after a while, sometimes they never go. Usually, one pixel won't hurt much given that it's 1 out of say... 8 million pixels.(Nikon D80)

Dead Pixels - They show up as a tiny dot of black that will never display colour(s). Forever BLACK. As again, 1 dot won't matter much vs 8 million of it.

For the above, unlikely and very likely, you will be able to even see it on the image printed/taken if it's only 1 pixel. Unless it's multiple pixels near each other and/or really a lot, else, you can't tell at all.



xi) LCD Works?

After taking an image, review it on the LCD behind (do note some LCDs are protected by a film later, peel off to view the LCD in it's clarity).

The LCD behind consists of slightly less pixels, approximately 260K+. However, if the LCD is faulty - dead/hot pixels. It shows up almost immediately when reviewing.

What should you do?

Knock your head if you say it's ok, EXCHANGE for a new set. Well, you're going to pay for it.




xii) Paying Up

Now comes the painful experience of parting with your money. Why is this last in this section?

'cos it's supposed to be done after you've completed the checklist above 






2) Shops to avoid and WHY

Basically, just 2 places to avoid buying.

i) Sim Lim Square

Famous for electronics, hardware, computers, CD-Rs, etc. Why is this NOT a good place to make your purchases?

Most of these shops uses enticing methods (aka super low price) to lure you into their shops, psyche you with a 'good' price only to get you all excited then alas - they tell you no stock. In turn, they recommend you a different model, which they then overcharge you because you haven't been doing your HOMEWORK and pressure you to purchase what they recommended. Once you refuse, they start to hurl abuses at you and make you embarrassed.

It's a tourist trap. Remember that.


ii) Lucky Plaza

Read the above ^

Credit to 

Remember: If it's too good to be true, it ISN'T TRUE!

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